Based on artworks by Lucia Eames (the only child of Charles Eames and beloved stepdaughter to Ray), the eponymous Lucia Eames collection from Nanimarquina translates the artist’s distinct visual language into woven form. The series references seven of Lucia’s artworks and reflects the reoccurring motifs that are present throughout her cheerful body of work — butterflies, birds, suns, tendrils and abstract geometric forms. Transitioning her drawings and paper-based explorations into textiles was natural and intuitive, with the rugs providing a tactile, architectural medium for the two-dimensional compositions to be experienced.
Included in the Lucia Eames collection from Nanimarquina is Sunbirds, which was inspired by the artist’s passion for observing nature up close. The graphic composition has an almost calligraphic quality, with a central motif that radiates and expands outwards. Crafted from hand-braided jute, Sunbirds is available in Charcoal and Natural.
Referencing one of Lucia’s collages, Rooted uses hand-tufted New Zealand wool to create carved levels of varying heights in a pattern that evokes organic structures, growth patterns and those unseen networks that unfold below the surface. Rooted is available in Terracotta and Ivory.
Echo exemplifies Lucia’s interest in rhythm and repetition in nature and is based on a high-contrast collage. A composition of bold shapes and colour blocks, the hand-tufted wool rug uses volume and depth to present a visually engaging surface. Echo is available in Ochre and Terracotta.
Reflecting the artist’s practice of observing, collecting and composing elements of nature into spontaneous scenes, Discovery is a unique offering within the Lucia Eames collection from Nanimarquina. A direct translation of an original hand drawing, the rug is made from 100 per cent hand-spun Afghan wool and combines kilim weaving with embroidery, giving the illusion that the lines are floating across the surface.
One of Lucia’s favourite motifs was the butterfly, and it appears in three different offerings in the collection. The Butterfly hand-braided jute rug is constructed in separate sections that are stitched together to highlight the natural texture of the fibre (available in Moss, Natural, Ochre and Terracotta).
The Butterfly wool rug features a hand-knotted Afghan wool butterfly layered on a kilim weaving ground.
And the Butterly Tapestry, a small ready-to-hang textile artwork, is a hand-woven kilim using hand-spun Afghan wool.
The Lucia Eames collection from Nanimarquina was developed in partnership with the Eames Office and in collaboration with Form Portfolios.
