Artexture - Custom rugs, tapestries and car mats by Keith Collins

In 1974, Keith Collins left Cal State LA with a saxophone, an elderly Porsche, admiration for the graphics of Esquire magazine and a vague suspicion that his future lay somewhere in the design world. Then he decided to carpet his small cubicle apartment in East L.A. for nothing. “I had an aunt who used to take carpet samples and stitch them into full carpets,” Keith remembers. “She told me what to do and I went down to several carpet stores, jumped into their bins and risked the coffee grounds and stray dogs to go for the prize of these colored pieces. I stitched them all together, like a quilt, and hey, I had so many colors in it that it worked beautifully.”

Since then Keith Collins has been commissioned by some of the most famous and influential people in the world. His clientele ranges from international business professionals to celebrities such as Jay Leno, Nicholas Cage, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Janet Jackson, and Will Smith. His tapestries also hang in several exhibits around the world, including the Matsushiti Studio in Japan.

The intricacy of the work, the combination of varying textures, and the love of art drew his business into two creative directions: developing large wall tapestries that range in size from 3 feet by 4 feet to 18 feet by 40 feet and custom car mats, which began in 1980 and have become the bread and butter of his business.

For those interested in purchasing tapestries – whether constructed by hand or machine- Collins says it is most important to judge the work by density and color richness, which is affected by the choice of fabrics. Tapestry is an art that dates back to the 2nd century. Today the technology has surpassed the process, but all of Collins’ work remains handcrafted. No two pieces are alike.