A Touch Of Silk

[Update: added a new silk scarf painting video] The idea came to me intuitively that my art should also be on ladies fashion.  I have recently painted on mens ties, denim jackets and t-shirts.  Now, I am painting silk scarves.

Silk scarves were the logical next step because they offer me the opportunity to explore a totally new ethereal, cosmic, dreamy, soft aspect of textile painting.  I’ve never experienced it with anything else.  The process of silk painting has become very fascinating to me.

The way I do it is to paint on prepared and hemmed, long silk scarves of all sizes, including squares sizes, which are stretched out and suspended, with special frames, that have hooks on nylon fishing lines that grab the silk and tightly stretches it out.

The dyes work very differently than any other paints, such as acrylic paint, because of their very unique nature. They do magic things. Watercolor paint does something similar. Dyes come in very brilliant, very concentrated forms, and you can dilute them with water or a special solution to produce all kinds of wonderful effects.  And, as they’re merging together they kind of develop their own sense of union.  It’s almost as if they (the dyes) have a mind of their own. The magic of it is to create the situation or the accident where colors can create their own art, they’re own marriage, their own relationship; a dance…that is the fascinating part.

After the scarf is done, I sometimes draw with metallic gold and add even more linear energy in to the design.  I’ve experimented with all sorts of organic and geometrical forms.  Most scarf painters have a pattern in mind.  I do not.  I don’t stay within the lines.

On top of that, I sometimes also add alcohol and drops of water to create color explosions on the silk, inner implosions, new cloud effects…and so on.  Little accidents that happen, blow my mind, due to the unexpectedness.  It’s beyond spontaneous because I act spontaneously and then the scarf has its own fluidity, and spontaneity.

It says: “Oh yeah you think you got it done, watch this!” And, you come back 30 minutes later and it’s totally different again. And, we’re all amazed and delighted by the beautiful accidents that happen. There is no attachment in this process; I just let it happen, and experience the freedom.

There’s no way to repeat the same pattern again. This is why each one is one of kind and they are magically produced.  That’s what I feel…there’s a certain magic and when you look at it when you see the finished scarf, and you feel it in your hands, there’s a tendency to be amazed.  People say “Oh my god” when they touch it.

The act of painting is from inside of me in to scarf the scarf reacts with: ”Ok I’ll take over from here on”… and then it goes in to its own magic dance and the outcome, the spontaneous unpredictability of the result is beautiful.

You-the-wearer of the scarf, has a chance to add your own spontaneity. You decide how to wear it or what colors to match it with, so the spontaneity goes on even after it’s purchased.  Some of the larger scarves can be used as a shawl.

What I noticed is that it’s not about matching what you’re wearing.  It’s about putting together a complimentary color combination as a matching combination.  I’ve seen people with very neutral, earthy colors come in and pick a green and red scarf, and it makes it stand out.

There are so many combinations. This is a delightful process.

My Assistant, Misha, has been helping me as I’m painting. When I need the paints available immediately as the moment happens and different brushes are required, she’s there to supply them, so, she’s been a sort of “studio scrub nurse”.

Sales have been great, and people have been admiring them, and this is why I wanted to put it on the blog, to make others aware of their existence.

In the painting process the energy that comes through me passes on to the scarves. That energy has incredible soothing and healing qualities, being hand painted with lots of love and TLC.

The scarves communicate this; with beautiful colors that touch your heart every time you wear the scarf. You can feel your heart being caressed as this is an original, one of a kind design that no one can possibly have other than you, painted just for you.

The scarf will support you whenever needed most. No matter what the situation. if you need a little support, wear that scarf.

In a way, painting silk scarves is similar to painting flowing, large scale brushless poured paintings, which I will soon return to doing, and which will eventually will become another article in the blog.