The Story Behind Mark Mothersbaugh's Unique Rugs

My name is Mark Mothersbaugh, and I'm a visual artist with a passion for creating unique and luxurious rugs. I've been making art since I was young, attending K State University in Ohio where I studied fine arts. After completing my studies, I thought I would become an art teacher, but fate had other plans. My band accidentally gained popularity, and we ended up touring the world, eventually settling in California.

Despite my success as a musician, I never lost my love for art. In fact, I continued to create and show my work throughout my career. Around 8 years ago, I started showing my artwork again in galleries, which reignited my passion for creating new pieces. However, I soon found myself looking for alternative mediums to express myself. This led me to experiment with different materials and techniques.

One of the key moments that sparked my interest in rugs was when I made a rug for my recording studio. It had just a simple logo on it, but I grew to love walking across it every day. Around the same time, I bought a new rug for my home, which had a similar effect – I started enjoying spending more time near it.

As I continued to explore different materials and techniques, I realized that putting my own artwork on rugs was an exciting possibility. I discovered a company in China that could produce custom rugs with my designs, and I began working with them one-by-one. Before long, the process had become addictive – I loved seeing how each rug came together.

One of the things that makes these rugs so special is their imperfections. As time goes on, they develop unique characteristics, like tiny stains or discolorations. For me, it's these small details that make each rug truly one-of-a-kind. They're not just beautiful pieces of art; they hold memories and stories.

Take my daughter, for example. Whenever I take a picture of her on a different rug, I'm reminded of the countless moments we've shared together. The rugs become more than just decorative items – they're vessels for cherished memories. And when it comes to sharing these rugs with others, I find that people often form strong connections with them.

Over the years, my collection has grown to include 85 different designs, each one unique and special in its own way. Some are made from wool or silk, while others feature nylon – all of which offer varying levels of durability. The bigger ones are rolled up for now, but I'm excited to find new homes for them.

What makes these rugs truly remarkable is the amount of love and care that goes into each piece. As an artist, I pour my heart and soul into every design, ensuring that they're not just beautiful – but also meaningful. The process of creating these rugs has become a therapeutic experience for me, allowing me to express myself in new and exciting ways.

As I look around my garage, filled with rug after rug, I'm struck by the sheer creativity and imagination that's gone into each one. It's a testament to the power of art to bring people together and create lasting connections. Whether you're an art enthusiast or simply someone who appreciates beauty, these rugs have something special to offer – a unique blend of style, substance, and storytelling.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhi my name is Mark mothers Bob and I make rugs yay let's check out some rugs over here luxurious uh you know I I'm a a a visual artist um I I went to school in Ohio at K State I was a making major and then um I thought I was going to be you know an art teacher but by accident uh I had a band and they accidentally had some hit records and then we ended up going all over the world and moved to California and I but I still always made art and showed art and um about 8 years ago I started showing in galleries again and um a few years ago about 5 years ago I kind of got fored with paper and canvas and I was looking for some other medium to work I work in some other and I made a rug for my Recording Studio 11 or 12 years ago that just had a logo on it and walked across it every day and always liked it run and um I was at home and uh I had to buy a rug Cu uh my baby I didn't want to fall into the head and Stu so I I didn't see anything I liked when I went shopping for rugs so I um I checked into putting my own artwork on rugs and and uh I found a company in China that would do it for me and then I started doing them one at a time and then it became addictive I really liked the way they look and and um if I had to take a picture of my daughter I'd like taking a picture of her on a different rug every time and and um it was kind of fun cuz the rugs you get you know the longer they're in your house you know it's like things happen like the baby pukes on it then you've got a little spot here but they kind of you always remember oh she was on she was just had two teeth back then that was so sweet you know you have those kind of memories that that stick with it too and um so you know Flash Forward five six years well I started in 2002 so 5 years forward um now I I ended up with a garage full of rugs and I thought well maybe I should do something with them so so I'm going to I'm going to um see if anybody else likes them and maybe maybe they'd fit in somebody else's house cuz I don't have how big enough to put them in any uh I can see that they all over the floor all over the walls how many you cre well different designs there's 85 different designs in there and some of them are are made out of wool and silk some of the bigger ones that are you can't see them now they're mostly rolled up right now and and they're the kind of finer on and then these ones here are made out of nylon and they're much more durable and um you can throw a party and let people throw up on them you can even pour red wine on some of them process not illustrations that you just draw by hand I draw I draw every day uh I just have always it's kind of my therapy I draw on postcard size paper and I I used to write lyrics and so I'd save those piece of paper I think oh you know what I might need some lyrics When we do this record so I started saving all these cards and then they became my image bank and so all of these you see on the wall were once I painted them on a piece of paper about 4X 6 in and then I took the ones I liked the most and then blew them up and then worked in uh Photoshop I would add colors sometimes like this one here it's kind of changed in the sense that on the original piece of paper that I drew him on I had found a pack of google eyes that store and I just so those things there actually were really threedimensional google eyes but but I had to give them up for thep so that's that's how that work but but um it's turned out to be it's like a medium I like to work in it's just it feels good I like it better than paper and um and uh it look it looks they're kind of unexpected when you see them on the floor you know it's like like if you have something like a little ghost floating out from underneath your um sofa it's kind of a nice look you knowhi my name is Mark mothers Bob and I make rugs yay let's check out some rugs over here luxurious uh you know I I'm a a a visual artist um I I went to school in Ohio at K State I was a making major and then um I thought I was going to be you know an art teacher but by accident uh I had a band and they accidentally had some hit records and then we ended up going all over the world and moved to California and I but I still always made art and showed art and um about 8 years ago I started showing in galleries again and um a few years ago about 5 years ago I kind of got fored with paper and canvas and I was looking for some other medium to work I work in some other and I made a rug for my Recording Studio 11 or 12 years ago that just had a logo on it and walked across it every day and always liked it run and um I was at home and uh I had to buy a rug Cu uh my baby I didn't want to fall into the head and Stu so I I didn't see anything I liked when I went shopping for rugs so I um I checked into putting my own artwork on rugs and and uh I found a company in China that would do it for me and then I started doing them one at a time and then it became addictive I really liked the way they look and and um if I had to take a picture of my daughter I'd like taking a picture of her on a different rug every time and and um it was kind of fun cuz the rugs you get you know the longer they're in your house you know it's like things happen like the baby pukes on it then you've got a little spot here but they kind of you always remember oh she was on she was just had two teeth back then that was so sweet you know you have those kind of memories that that stick with it too and um so you know Flash Forward five six years well I started in 2002 so 5 years forward um now I I ended up with a garage full of rugs and I thought well maybe I should do something with them so so I'm going to I'm going to um see if anybody else likes them and maybe maybe they'd fit in somebody else's house cuz I don't have how big enough to put them in any uh I can see that they all over the floor all over the walls how many you cre well different designs there's 85 different designs in there and some of them are are made out of wool and silk some of the bigger ones that are you can't see them now they're mostly rolled up right now and and they're the kind of finer on and then these ones here are made out of nylon and they're much more durable and um you can throw a party and let people throw up on them you can even pour red wine on some of them process not illustrations that you just draw by hand I draw I draw every day uh I just have always it's kind of my therapy I draw on postcard size paper and I I used to write lyrics and so I'd save those piece of paper I think oh you know what I might need some lyrics When we do this record so I started saving all these cards and then they became my image bank and so all of these you see on the wall were once I painted them on a piece of paper about 4X 6 in and then I took the ones I liked the most and then blew them up and then worked in uh Photoshop I would add colors sometimes like this one here it's kind of changed in the sense that on the original piece of paper that I drew him on I had found a pack of google eyes that store and I just so those things there actually were really threedimensional google eyes but but I had to give them up for thep so that's that's how that work but but um it's turned out to be it's like a medium I like to work in it's just it feels good I like it better than paper and um and uh it look it looks they're kind of unexpected when you see them on the floor you know it's like like if you have something like a little ghost floating out from underneath your um sofa it's kind of a nice look you know\n"