To break my rug habit, I've been working on a painting from images of my "Kolahdouzan Sadegh Seirafian Rug"...after many hours of drawing and painting, I have a new appreciation of the work that goes into just the beginning stages of rug making-the cartoons. Can anyone tell me, when a rug is a "Seirafian" does that mean they created the designs or did they do the actual weaving too?

My painting...

Thanks...maybe painting 'tiles' should be my next adventure!!

Wow, great work! About your questions: Rugs usually are named after the workshops they where made in. This doesn`t mean the signature states that the person whos name stands on the rug actually made it. Often in the beginning, when a workshop is small, the master is part of the working (knotting) persons. But as the workshops grow bigger, the master becomes the mastermind behind the production in controlling the weavers and doing the designs. Most famous workshops have their own style and "handwriting" so one who is familiar with these rugs can tell from just seeing a small part of the rug where it was made. Also they have a typical technic of weaving. As far as I remember you had a small blue, a beige medium size and the green Isfahan posted. If you lay them together and feel them with closed eyes, you will be able to tell a difference just by the touch.

Since you are a very talented artist with a view on persian rugs, I would like to share one of the great masters of rugmaking with you, who is almost unknown in the western world. To me he was one of the most innovative artists in rugmaking of the last 100 years: The late master Rasam Arabzadeh of Tabriz.

Rasam Arabzadeh Museum

Pictures from Arabzadeh Museum