Artist Skillfully Details Paintings to Look Like Real Ornate Rugs

Contemporary Art Painting by Jason Seife

If you hadn’t seen artist Jason Seife painting these intricate designs himself, you'd think they were actually rugs. Using an impossibly small brush and acrylic paint, the Miami-based creative depicts the elaborate details you’d normally find on Persian rugs. From floral motifs to fancy flourishes, Seife puts his own spin on these familiar patterned tapestries by incorporating hues that aren’t typically seen in the large floor coverings.

Seife’s attention to his craft is beyond impressive. His ability to recreate the mesmerizing symmetries pays homage to the “dense history and meaning behind the imagery” while also allowing him a starting point for exploring his own inner self. According to the Robert Fontaine Gallery, Seife uses the meticulous process as a way to express his state of mind at the time of creation.

Since we last marveled at Seife’s contemporary art painting, he has started to move from a flat surface and into three dimensions. In a collaboration with Nike, he adorned a pair of Air Force 1s with his complex patterning. The result transcends the sneakers from clothing to an art object—something you’d want to display rather than wear.

Artist Jason Seife uses decorative painting to create intricate art inspired by Persian rugs.

Decorative Painting by Jason Seife

Contemporary Art Painting by Jason Seife

Decorative Painting by Jason Seife

Decorative Painting by Jason Seife

Decorative Painting by Jason Seife

Decorative Painting by Jason Seife

Decorative Painting by Jason Seife

Contemporary Art Painting by Jason Seife

Contemporary Art Painting by Jason Seife

Contemporary Art Painting by Jason Seife

Contemporary Art Painting by Jason Seife

Contemporary Art Painting by Jason Seife

Contemporary Art Painting by Jason Seife

In a recent collaboration with Nike, Seife translated his contemporary art painting onto a pair of Air Force 1s.

Contemporary Art Painting by Jason Seife

Jason Seife: Instagram
h/t: [Booooooom]

All images via Jason Seife.

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Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled "Embroidered Life" that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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