Teacup with Oriental Rug XII
Today’s painting for you:
“Teacup with Oriental Rug XII”, Oil on Panel, 5×5 inches, 2015 (sold)
Some of the objects appearing in my paintings have colorful histories. That rug serving as a backdrop, for instance. I found it in the fragments pile in the dim back room of an old, old rug store about 20 years ago. It was about 5×7 feet, so a good size, beautiful soft wool, warm, glowing vegetable dyes. I’m no expert, but I assumed it to be a Kurdish village piece from the late 1800’s. Overall, just a gorgeous rug.
Except for the enormous hole in the middle of it.
I don’t recall exactly what I paid for it – I’m sure it was less than $100. The hole – over 1 foot in diameter – made it unusable as a rug and practically unrestorable, so I reduced it to fragments, some of which ended up as pillows I still use around the house. A few fragments ended up in my studio, though, like this one:
I’ve probably used it in 40 or 50 paintings. The design is vivid and interesting, the colors warm and harmonious – overall it’s just a beautiful element that works perfectly for the kinds of paintings I make.
No doubt it will show up again before long.