Living With the Art

Welcome to our Owners Gallery! On these pages you will get to see how other afficionados are displaying the art they love in their homes, at work, or on their person. If you have any pieces of Native American art you have bought from us or others over the years and would like to share how you live with your treasures, just send us a print of at least 4" x 6" dimensions or e-mail us a digital image. Let us know why they are so special to you, where you are, and anything else you would like to share. Then, just sit back and wait for the jealousy to begin! We hope you enjoy seeing how others display their pieces, and maybe see something you have not come across before. A sincere thank you to those who are willing to share a part of their lives with us all. Check back periodically as we will change this page from time to time so we can accomodate everyone's bragging rights.

Carol & Tim in California

"We’ve been collecting for years and the result is bankruptcy. We either must stop, or buy a bigger house, as we no longer have room to display even the smallest of treasures. We both enjoy the “Living with Art” section at Twin Rocks Trading Post and thought we’d join in the fun.

We have a fairly good size goat herd now, but we’ve had trouble with Mary, our only lamb. She says the goats smell bad and they’re not house-broken. Barry & Steve did not mention any of these difficulties when we adopted our first goat. This is what is called salesmanship in Utah.

Up until our last trip, we had limited our horizons to rugs, jewelry and the ever-wonderful pitch-pots of Etta Rock. But Barry introduced us to pottery and so now we are falling down a hopeless spiral of pot addiction (not the weed, which would have been more economical).

Best Regards from California and we hope everyone enjoys our “art”. "

Christie in California
Here is a picture of the wonderful Peggy Black basket that my husband and I recently bought at Twin Rocks. As you can see it has found a home on our mantle along with a portion of a collection we inherited from a dear family friend, Amy Barber. She and her sister Carolyn were rock hounds and they collected these baskets and pieces of pottery on trips to Arizona and New Mexico during the 1960’s. When I was a young girl they would take me along to rock shows and must have instilled a love of the southwest in this city girl. Now in my 50’s I find myself drawn to the Navajo reservation and the pueblos of northern New Mexico. While participating in a Navajo weaving workshop in Window Rock I found out about the Twin Rocks Trading Post in Bluff, UT; and made a special trip to Bluff just to visit. When I saw the beautiful work of Peggy Black I couldn’t leave without this incredible Yei and Turtle Medicine Basket. I’m happy to say that it seems happy and very at home with it’s older relatives on the mantle of my home in Oceanside, CA.

Lucia in Switzerland "I have been collecting Native American Arts & Crafts for over 10 years now and will continue to do so for the rest of my life. I live in Switzerland and my place looks nothing like the average home around here. Although some of the pieces have been with me for many years I still come home every night enjoying each single piece. Whether it's the rugs, the pottery, the paintings or the carvings, they all represent memories of wonderful trips and unforgettable moments. I have nothing but admiration for the creativity, the skills, and ultimately the beauty of Native American Arts & Crafts. "

Grady and Mary in Tennessee
"Our Indian art collection started in 1986 with a vacation trip to New Mexico and the purchase of 10 Pueblo pots. Since then it has grown to 220 pottery items, 105 fetishes, nearly 50 pieces of beadwork and 10 Navajo rugs. We make a trip to the Southwest each year, attending the Eight Northern Pueblos Arts and Crafts show and visiting different galleries and shops to find new pieces. When we retire from teaching, maybe we can manage more than one collecting trip per year."

John and Vivian in Texas
"Received the beautiful Betty Manygoats bowl. Here is our collection of Betty's work."

Courtney in Colorado
Jean B. Cly basket.

Alice and Larry in Georgia
"Many of our pieces of Native American art have been purchased at Twin Rocks. Upon entering our bedroom, our refuge, we are reminded of the American West--our favorite part of the country. We also appreciate the many man (or woman) hours that go into the making of each piece and the skill with which each work of art is fashioned. One of our favorite pieces, because of the artists' historical significance, is the Squash Blossom basket by Mary Holiday Black. It is located to the left above the triple windows. To the right of Mary Holiday Black's basket is a small rug woven by Shanana Warren when she was only sixteen years old. It makes us happy to know that the traditional arts are being passed on to talented young artisans. We also enjoy the humor associated with the more modern style of carvings of the road runner and the cow. "

Janet in New Jersey
"Though I have fetishes, rugs, baskets (including one purchased on a visit to Twin Rocks trading post in 2001), jewelry and kachina dolls, obviously the major portion of the collection, and my passion, is pottery, and mostly Hopi at that.
The pics just show a portion of the 650+ pieces I currently have, but I thought you might be interested in seeing what is quite possibly one of the largest private collections of pueblo pottery in, of all places, New Jersey. "

Bob in Michigan
"Here are some photos of weavings I have purchased from you. My wife and I have a dedicated rug room in our basement/family room. Although here in Michigan we generally don't worry about bright sunlight! "

Rosita Nakai - Rainbow Storm Rug

Nellie Curley rug over couch and Louise Harvey, Storm rug on floor.

Rosita Nakai - Teec/Storm rug

Gary in Arizona
"Most of the rugs and baskets were bought from you folks along with the many fetishes on the table. The rifle hanging on the fireplace is a trophy rifle that is dedicated to Cochise - Chief fo the Chiricahua Apache. The trophy rifle under the sandpainting is dedicated to the legends of the Old West. Both rifles are carved in 24K gold and both are workable.
The steer head on the fireplace has been carved like Scrimshaw from Alaska. The oil paintings are by my aunt Sue Stephens."

Christy in Pennsylvania
"Am sending a picture of two of my most favorite purchases from Twin Rocks. They are Peggy Black baskets, usually displayed behind glass but would not photograph well that way.
They are, to us, symbolic of our Navajo friends in Chinle, who we became acquainted with through Futures for Children with the sponsorship of the eldest daughter. The baskets come to life for us with the larger one re-presenting the parents or grandparents of the six children, who are woven into the smaller basket. The two baskets sit on a small rug that Earlene's grandmother made. We look at these baskets and feel the beauty and harmony of the Navajo way."

Jenifer in Texas
"I see that you featured my dad's (Rob in TX) home in Living With the Art! Awesome!
I've really enjoyed this new feature. I love home decorating, collecting, and seeing how others have displayed their treasures.
Our "cottage" home was built in 1940. The exterior is Tudor style, and one might never guess that inside we've decorated with reminders of the beautiful desert southwest and Mexico."

		"Art in the computer room"
"Prized carvings by Matthew Yellowman. As these were much too delicate to withstand shipment, my parents made a special trip to Bluff to pick them up for me."	"We also enjoy Mexican folk art. The small pot is Acoma."	"Mask by David Johns."	"On the mantle is my first Navajo basket, obtained on my first visit to Twin Rocks Trading Post. The photo is from the 1920s - a Hopi basketmaker. My dad, Rob from Texas, crafted the beautiful frame."
"Original photographs by the late Senator Barry Goldwater."	"Painting by Potawotami artist Matthew Bearden. This, and the following canvas paintings, hang in our "tv" room. "	"Painting by Eileen Paquin, wife of Allenroy Paquin - well-known Jicarilla Apache/Zuni performing artist."	"Another painting by Matthew Bearden."

Rob in Texas
"The art in the photos are THE accent pieces in our home. Each one seems (to us) to have just been made for the places where they are lovingly displayed and admired. It is a delight to my soul each and every day... reminding me of many wonderful days in the SE Utah / NE Arizona area!"

"In the music room is a magnificent mask made by a Pawnee gentleman, Austin Real Rider. Under the mask are a Rena Juan folk art piece as well as an early 20th Century Hopi basket."	"One of the pieces of which we are most proud is the Navajo rug which hangs on the back wall of the breakfast area. The appraiser dated this rug to pre-1915 and given the wear "holes," it was obviously a "user". "	"The painting is an original oil by Navajo artist Allen Bahe. The painting is titled "Storm Clouds over Shonto.""
	"The "photo" over the fireplace is an Edward Curtis original gravure, "Hopi Girl""

Wally and Anita in California
" Elsie's baskets in our master bedroom are our favorites. . "

Art in New Mexico
" Looking at the belt I realized that it was indeed one of a kind with its own character even before I learned its history. The belt's general design may not be necessarily unique, but the workmanship tells me that it is one of a kind. It was obviously hand tooled from memory with slight deviations in its patterns and spacing of the butterflies and conchos. There is very good selections and sizing of the stones and the buckle is well proportioned to the rest of the belt. It was worn but well cared for. The belt seems to have been designed for a female although it fits my waist perfectly. However it seemed to speak to me, a male. I have a small collection of concho belts (some more elaborate) but this is the only one that I have actually worn. It is displayed "up front" with my other belts. "

This belt was owned by Peter Holiday (Elsie Holiday's husband), he inherited it from his father Teddy Holiday who was a prominent medicine man in Monument Valley up until his death in 1993, he was approximately 90 years old. As close as we can tell the belt was made in the late 1940s and was given to Teddy as payment for a ceremony sometime in the 50's.

Rosa in New York
" We live daily with these works by some truly great artists: the very best from Matthew Yellowman, Marvin Jim, Rena Juan, Johnson Antonio, Harrison Juan, Mary Holiday Black, Peggy Black, Delbert Buck, Martha Arquero...they add endless beauty to our lives!"

Karen in New York
"The only picture in which the items were arranged differently from the way they are all the time is the one of the necklaces, which I do not keep out on display because we live half a block from the elevated subway, and the dust is fierce. I wear them all and frequently. The overall reddish cast is the reflected color of my darkroom walls, against which the picture was taken."