Knots Rugs collaborates with artist Nat Maks on limited edition ‘Suminagashi’ collection.
Knots Rugs is to launch a collaboration with Nat Maks, the Margate studio founded by artist Natascha Maksimovic, who works with the ancient Japanese technique of Suminagashi ‘ink floating’ Marbling. Eight original artworks in individual colourways have been painstakingly and sensitively reinterpreted by Knots Rugs and its fine artist founder, Bonnie Sutton. The riotous collection will launch in London at Decorex, 8-11 October 2023.
The collaboration was born when the two artists met during a paper marbling workshop at Knots Rugs’ London store for an event organised by the Chelsea Design Quarter in 2022. It took over 12 months for the collection to be created using a variety of innovative techniques in more than 38 different colourways, with individual threads that are hand dyed (a process which takes 4 weeks prior to making) by artisans at Knots production in Nepal, using Tibetan Wool and Chinese Silk.
It is the latest Art collaboration for Knots Rugs which was founded over 16 years ago by Bonnie. Most recently it has worked on six collections- with the German abstract artist, Stefan Heyer, St Ives based Arthur Lanyon, American artist, Brian Coleman, George Morton-Clark and fabric designers Roos Soetekouw and Blackpop.
“We have long admired the work of Nat Maks – we have a shared sensibility, creating innovative art pieces by fusing traditional craft techniques with contemporary and expressive colour palettes. Knots is a team of artists – from fine art to music and fabric design and, since inception, we have been collaborating with artists and institutions such as the Sir John Soane Museum. Reinterpreting an artwork onto a rug takes skill and sensitivity – we understand how colour works with fabric and are uncompromising in our attention to detail, respecting absolutely the original artwork and pushing production boundaries to achieve perfection. Working closely with Nat Maks was a dream from start to finish and we are thrilled with this collection.” Knots Founder, Bonnie Sutton.
Natascha Maksimovic, Nat Maks said, “I feel creatively aligned to Knots Rugs and Bonnie… We have shared sensibilities in how we approach a project and each individual artwork. It has been a joy to be part of this developmental process. Bonnie’s attention to detail, flair, quality and forensic use of colour have elevated the original marbled pieces to large scale textile celebrations of craftsmanship.”
The collection is a faithful expression of Nat Maks timeless craftmanship and artistic elegance and has been created by Knots using a variety of boundary pushing techniques – experimenting with the use of non conventional materials such as crepe paper, which has resulted in an added level of texture and dimension. The Knots oil ink colour swatches feature pops of over 36 different colours – pink, orange, forest greens, blues and gold, organically created with a paint brush on paper. All rugs in the collection have been hand knotted by Artisan weavers in Nepal in Tibetan wool and Chinese silk and in some cases, linen.
The eight designs in the collection are:
DAWN: experimenting with the use of non-conventional materials such as crepe paper has resulted in an added level of texture and dimension interpretated with the use of Tibetan wool, Chinese silk and Linen in a 150 knot quality. The intense orange and red colouration are reminiscent of blossom and the deep forest greens represent the structure and veins in the leaves.
DUSK: based on an original design that Nat Maks created for a project where she hand crafted 3D botanical leaf sculptures with deep greens and pops of orange.
LOW TIDE: Drawing from the mystical ambiance of foggy mornings, Low Tide evokes the soothing and calming atmosphere that comes in the early hours, with the day’s possibilities waiting to emerge. With hues of blues and greens, this rug will transform your interior into a sanctuary of coastal tranquillity.
HIGH TIDE: evokes the soothing and calming atmosphere that comes in the early hours, with the day’s possibilities waiting to emerge. Hues of blues and greens
SEA MIST: the most traditional of all the designs with soot black and indigo blue colourways associated with the original Japanese paper marbling art form. The swirling formations and smoke and cloud patterns are created with the use of the oil-based ink on water to produce a zen like sense of peace.
DREAMLAND: With a nod to Helen Frankenthaler’s abstract landscapes, Dreamland has been taken from our very own oil ink colour swatch which feature pops of pinks, oranges, greens and golds, all of which were organically created with a paint brush on paper
MONSOON Monsoon has been taken from oil ink colour swatch which features a bold, moody palette of deep blues and emerald greens with bright pops of oranges, reds and purples, all of which were organically created with a paint brush on paper.
INK: different tones of inky indigo blue fade out into the soft neutral ground is from where the oil inks have dispersed across the paper, creating a ghostly edge. Bespoke sizes and designs are available on request.
