-- The Spirit of Indian Sandpainting is by David Villasenor, part Otomi Indian, who came from Mexico at sixteen and was adopted into the Navajo tribe, where he learned sandpainting from the medicine men, who painted loosely on the ground, to be destroyed within a 12 hour period. He explains the inner meaning of some 30 sandpaintings, such as the Whirling Rainbows, Chiricahua Sun Sandpainting, Big Thunder, etc. Sixteen have color plates.

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The Spirit of Indian Sandpainting is by David Villasenor, part Otomi Indian, who came from Mexico at sixteen and was adopted into the Navajo tribe, where he learned sandpainting from the medicine men, who painted loosely on the ground, to be destroyed within a 12 hour period. He explains the inner meaning of some 30 sandpaintings, such as the Whirling Rainbows, Chiricahua Sun Sandpainting, Big Thunder, etc.

Once ideas and images come to mind, the next step in weaving your tapestry--interpreting these into effective compositions--may be challenging. Learn here, in ways that relate specifically to tapestry art, the design basics you need to make your best work. Renowned master weaver Scanlin offers 60 step-by-step "explorations" that lead you from understanding design concepts in your head to using them on your loom. Be inspired to explore "weavable" ways to manage line, shape, color, texture, emphasis, balance, rhythm, and more for results that bring your tapestries to a new level. In Part 1, dive into the fundamentals of design. Parts 2 and 3 hold explorations--exercises with a tapestry twist. Part 4 teaches ways to turn designs into cartoons. A resource treasure trove offers ideas for finishing tapestries (essential to the design's completeness), helpful templates, glossaries, and other core information to carry forward on your creative path.

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By David Villasenor is an excerpt from Tapestries in Sand. It was developed for outlets in the Southwest that wanted an inexpensive book that still contained the color pictures of the sandpaintings with their interpretations of the ceremonial significance. Sandpainting is a very old art in which the medicine man 'paints' loosely on the ground by letting the sands flow with control and skill through his fingers.