“Primitive” is a term often used to describe any rugs hooked with strips of wool 1/4″ or wider.
But it also implies simpler or traditional designs and can even imply a palette of neutral / natural colors.
When our artists registered their rugs for the show, many chose “Primitive” solely on the basis of the wider cuts of wool used. Likewise, many chose “Fine Shading” if they used mostly cuts 4 or 3 or 2 (1/8″ or narrower).
In curating the show we realized we needed another category, so we added “Contemporar Wide Cuts”, and also assigned some of these to “Shading” if the range and use of colors fit that descriptor, regardless of the cut
