EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - The death of San Francisco-based artist Rex Ray earlier this year resulted in an unexpected increase in demand for the artist's rug designs, said David Samad, president of Samad Brothers, Inc., which entered into a licensing program with Ray in late 2009. "We already have one new design that is currently on the loom and there are fresh designs in the works," he told RugNews.com.

The Rex Ray rug collection, which initially included 18 rug designs and has grown to a total of 36 patterns, features the artist's signature large-scale, brightly colored 1960s-inspired designs. Crafted from hand-knotted wool pile, the psychedelic patterns are made in Jaipur, India, and retail for approximately $6,000 in 6x9. Until his death, an original signature label was affixed to the back of every rug made. (Samad also produces a popular line of twill silk Rex Ray scarves, sold through dealer stores during the holidays.)

"Just like any collection of rugs, there were some designs that were more popular than others but generally speaking, all of the 36 designs have sold well." Top sellers include Presidio in sea foam, Lombard in black, Hollister in ivory, and Embarcadero in cream, Samad added.

Ray, whose real name was Michael Patterson, began his fine arts and graphics career making music flyers for concerts and later he created a body of work - a hybrid of painting and collage - that attracted the attention of museum curators. The San Jose Museum of Art, the Berkeley Art Museum, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, among others, added Ray's paintings to their collections. Described as down-to-earth and kind by Samad, "Rex always listened to music through his earbuds when he worked, and placed his canvas flat on his workbench moving nimbly around it."

In fact, the licensing partnership came about after one of Samad's manufacturers saw Ray's art in a book. "He was drawn to this unique art form and challenged himself so see if the look could be translated into a fine hand-knotted carpet. Within six months, a sample 8x10 carpet from one of Rex's works was created so we could approach the artist with a business proposal. The hardest part initially was actually getting to speak to Rex Ray."

After some effort, Samad finally got through and scheduled a meeting, lugging his prototype across the country for a presentation to Ray. "As we opened up the sample all I could do was look into his eyes to measure his first reaction.  I nervously asked, 'Well...What do you think Rex?' His entire face lit up as he replied 'AWESOME.' I will never forget that reply.  It was the way he simply said "awesome" with such genuine passion.  At that very moment I knew instinctively that this would be the start of a beautiful journey of modern rug making for Samad."

"We intend to keep things going," said Samad of the licensing program. "This design aesthetic is timeless.  With other designer licensing programs, a good run of a design or style would normally be maybe three years, but this isn't like that at all." Indeed, the art of Rex Ray will live on in Samad's existing collection and new introductions of his art for the floor.

04.23.15