Indian Boy Ah-Chee-Lo

Dimensions: 28" x 33"
Materials: #3-cut hand-dyed wool on cotton linen backing
Adapted from a photograph by Edward Curtis and hooked by Donna Hrkman, Dayton, Ohio, 2011.
Featured in: Celebration XXII

"I hooked this as another response to a Sauder challenge. The theme was "In the Middle of a Cornfield." My goal was to show a Native American child standing in a field of corn. I chose a vintage photo by Edward Curtis of a young boy and drew cornstalks around him. I mostly wanted to capture the haunted look in his young eyes. I used a sepia monochromatic color palette in keeping with the history of the photo.

Hooking the boy's image was challenging but rewarding. I was thrilled with how he turned out. I started hooking the corn around him and was dismayed that it looked cluttered and fought with his image. I decided to change the background to a softer, more neutral look and was much happier. However, he was no longer eligible for the cornfield challenge. Still, it's one of my favorite rugs."
- Donna Hrkman, Celebration Hall of Fame 2018