HOMINY, Okla. — To many in Hominy, tourism and commerce has largely revolved around the unique pieces of art and jewelry that Cha' Tullis prided himself on for more than 43 years.
"I discovered the most magical place in the world, and it's Hominy, Oklahoma," Cha' Tullis would often say in his commercials on KJRH.
WATCH: 'Go out big': Hominy artist's legacy remembered as gallery closes:
Midwest City high schooler Gabriel Silva said he was inspired by the jewelry sold at the gallery from an early age.
"I think just the history of it, and like, I just fell in love with the turquoise and the native world," Silva said.
Tullis passed away in October, just two months after being diagnosed with cancer. His wife, Teena Tullis, told 2 News that, without his custom-made work continuing, Tullis himself wanted the gallery to close by the end of the year. And that it did, on Dec. 31.
"To help me, he said to close her down. Go out big," the widowed Tullis said on the gallery's final afternoon.
The American Indian artistry crafted by the proud descendant of Blackfoot and Cherokee tribesmen lives on in Hominy, even if his trademark murals might not. Miss Teena, she's often known by, said her husband preferred the decades-old murals to eventually peel away from age.
"There was always something different. He would go from painting to jewelry," she said. "He would learn how to do steelwork, and that's when he put the sculpture on the hill."
Miss Teena spoke of one of Tullis' trademark New Territory sculptures that sit atop Standpipe Hill in the west side of town.
"The Associated Press picked it up, and it went all across the U.S.," Teena Tullis said.
Hominy officials will no doubt have to find a new way to keep art buyers and tourists around with the gallery no longer present, but Tullis said her husband believed in the town and its inspirations.
"Go out looking for more people," she said. "More artists that can bring people in. Hominy needs to be a destination for everybody."
Tullis said the shop already sold all her husband's original jewelry pieces by early December. She expects another silversmith to soon purchase and move into the space in downtown Hominy.
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