Artist Collaboration
Ian Rayer-Smith
For Rayer-Smith, painting is an instinctive and deeply personal process. Working alone in his studio, usually with music playing, he allows each painting to develop without a predetermined outcome. Marks are layered, scraped away and painted over; accidents are left visible and moments of frustration can become turning points in the work.
Knots Rugs Founder and Creative Director, Bonnie Sutton, had admired Ian’s work for some time, but it was a chance encounter with his work in a London gallery that brought everything together. Seeing the extraordinary texture, movement and energy of his paintings in person, Bonnie knew they could translate beautifully into rugs.
Ian’s approach to painting is wonderfully instinctive. Working with layers of colour, expressive gestures and spontaneous marks, his paintings evolve organically, often taking unexpected turns along the way.
Our new collection of four hand-knotted rugs captures that same freedom and energy.
