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.