Vibrant strokes inspired by magic carpets
Hand Painted Watercolors with Diverse Textures Inspired by Moroccan Woven Rugs
This collection began in the pandemic. As we sheltered in place, I focused inward. I picked up a paint brush and started painting. Each brush stroke became a meditation. It was cathartic to have the immediacy of paint and a brush to release my emotions and calm my mind. The series of studies are intimate and personal. Each is influenced by a Boucherouite rug I found on my journey to Marrakech. The carpets’ bold colors and graphic patterns are translated into fluorescent gouache.
These paintings, my representation of Boucherouite tradition, have become my symbols of the pandemic. Like the nomads of Morocco, I am being confronted to evolve my current way of life into something new. Perhaps it’s not a coincidence I am drawn to these rugs, which represent transformation of tradition.
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This collection is inspired by Boucherouite rugs. A boucherouite is a simple rag rug woven by traditional berber tribes in Morocco. Strips or unraveled fibers of older textiles, such as clothing or worn out rugs, are recycled and woven together to create something new.
According to scholars, “One of the most striking features of Boucherouite rugs is the amazing variety of colors that they demonstrate. Even more dazzling is the free form nature of the patterns that grace each rug. Shapes appear, fade and reappear as motifs and color palettes evolve all in the space of a single rug. While Boucherouite patterns can appear random they reflect the improvisational skills of Berber weavers. Boucherouite rugs are striking evidence of the evolution of people and cultures. As people always do when faced with the end of one way of life, Moroccan Berbers have created a new way, searching through what is available to find the best means to express who and what they are. And as is so often the case, in doing so they have created something remarkable.”
