I’ve always painted and drawn, and in the last few years discovered painting on silk.  I found I loved its free flowing nature, the vibrancy of the colours, and the sheen of the silk.  

 

I paint on the colours with dyes, and may use salt, sugar, wax, and alcohol (on the silk!) to achieve different effects. I work intuitively and layer up image and colour, always starting with an idea but sometimes being surprised by the end result. Many are abstract designs, some are pictorial eg. landscapes, leaves, apples, or even walking boots.  When finished painting,  I fix the colours by steaming the scarves. 

 

The scarves are approximately 150cm by 40cms. They have hand rolled hems. 

 

I use 3 weights of silk:

 

Chiffon – very light and transparent 

Ponge 5 – light and floaty 

Habotai 8 – slightly heavier with a nice drape 

 

The scarves come presented in an embossed black box with one of my cards.