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Lily Touchin is well known
by traders, collectors, and gallery owners as one of the Four
Corners' most illustrative Storm pattern weavers. Her hallmark
is the use of the many colors of wool which she weaves
so skillfully and artistically into each rug.
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Lily is also known for
her painstaking attention to detail. Her rugs are among the most
ornate that have ever been produced. Generally her pieces can
only be found in high end galleries. Along with prominent dealers
and galleries, Lily's works are sold to discriminating individuals
and private collections around the world.
Lily has also been featured
in articles, books, and magazines featuring Native American arts,
and more specifically Navajo rugs and their weavers. She appears
in The Trading Post Guidebook by Patrick Eddington and
Susan Makov, as well as many others.
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The Storm pattern rug design
originates from the western region of the Navajo reservation,
between Tuba City and Tonalea (Where the Water Comes Together).
Lily comes from The Gap area of the western Navajo reservation,
and as a result, grew up learning the storm pattern design native
to that area.
It is speculated that the
Storm Pattern originated from the Crystal region in the early
1900's. It is a popular design and one of the few Navajo rugs
that tells a story. According to Navajo mythology, man and all
living things came into this world from the underworld through
the Lake of Emergence, symbolized by the central design in these
rugs. The squares in the four corners represent the Navajo's
four sacred mountains. The lines connecting the center to the
four corners represent lightning bolts which carry blessings
back and forth between the mountaintops, bestowing good spirits
on the weaver and her household.
This particular rug illustrates
Lily's master skill as an acomplished and artistic weaver. This
pieces is loaded with elaborate details and is among Lily's best
work. Considered by some as a "jewel tone" rug, Lilys
rugs often exhibit 50 to 70 colors. The complexity of the design,
along with all of the possible symbolism, has made this rug popular
with collectors.
