Contemporary tufted work is closer to painting than to weaving. The artist draws the composition flat, the design is scaled and transferred to a stretched canvas, and the colours are pushed through with a tufting gun in successive passes. The final carving step relieves one colour above another by a millimetre or two, which is what gives the pattern dimensional read at room distance. This rust composition was built that way and carries the directness of a sketch held in wool.

This rug was hand-tufted in India over 4 weeks by a team of two tufters and a finisher. The pattern was drawn onto stretched canvas, the yarn was driven through with a hand-held tufting gun row by row, and the back was sealed with natural latex and a cotton scrim that locks every loop in place. The last pass was done by hand with long shears, cutting the pile to even depth and bringing the abstract drawing into relief. The pile is New Zealand wool, picked for its long staple, even crimp, and clean colour, which keeps the pattern crisp once the carving pass relieves one tone above another.

The composition

The field reads as a single saturated rust surface from across a room and resolves into the abstract drawing on approach. The pile carries a slight directional shimmer because tufted yarn lies in one orientation. Walked the long way the rug looks one shade lighter; walked the short way, one shade deeper. That dimensionality is what separates pile work from print.

The piece in a room

5' x 8' (152 x 244 cm) works as an anchor under a sofa and chairs, with the front legs landing on the field. The rust pile sits well on oak and walnut floors and pairs with linen, leather, and brass without competing.

Care

Vacuum weekly with the beater bar disengaged. Every tufted rug loses a little fibre to a beater bar regardless of price. Blot spills with a clean cotton cloth, never rub. Light shedding for the first six weeks is normal as loose fibres work out of the pile. Professional dry clean every two to three years.

Reference

• Medium: hand-tufted New Zealand wool, latex bonded, cotton scrim
• Dimensions: 5' x 8' (152 x 244 cm)
• Pile: 12 mm
• Hands: 2 tufters and 1 finisher, ~4 weeks
• Origin: India

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