Silk Vineyard

Silk Vineyard

Image Size 13" x 19"

Silk dyes on silk

This is the other silk painting that I took to demonstrate on at the Tustin Art League.  I painted the sky to show them how to work without resist and then blended colors within a leaf and a couple of other places but did most of the painting this past week.  I like the realistic feeling of the sky juxtaposed with the graphic quality of the rest of the painting.  I used black resist on this one to give it the look of a stained glass window.

I haven't steamed this yet and it's not stretched so the border is a little uneven but it will look better when it's steamed and stretched.

Laguna Beach in Silk

Laguna Beach in Silk

Image Size 20" x 20"

Silk dyes on silk

My silk painting demo last week went well.  I really enjoyed it and I hope everyone else did also.  I didn't do much actual painting.  There was so much information to give them so I painted a sky using the watercolor technique (on a different painting) and did some color blending in a couple of other areas.  Mostly, when the resist lines are used on silk, painting the piece is like 'filling in the blanks' and I know anyone new to silk paintings can do that on their own.  I described what to do and how the silk dyes would react but didn't want to waste time having them watch something so simplistic.

I took this painting to work on with the sky and border already painted so that they could see a finished sky and an example of the texture on this border but I worked on another painting that I had done the resist on but not any painting.  You'll probably see it finished in a week or so.

The border texture in this painting was achieved by adding alcohol after the dyes had dried.  The texture in the foliage is a combination of salt being added to wet dye and alcohol being added when the area was dry.    I tried to demonstrate how salt reacts with the dyes but it was so dry here (5% humidity) that the dyes dried before I could add the salt.  Luckily, most of the people watching were watercolorists so they were familiar with using salt.  This painting hasn't been steamed yet and its just pinned to a board.  After it's steamed, the white lines will be more distinct and I can stretch it so that the borders are even.

I've used this image many times but never in silk and since it's one of my favorite spots, I had to use it again.  I think it translates nicely to silk.

Silk Wave, 30 in 30 - Day 24

This is a silk painting that I just finished.  It isn't stretched on a board yet so the circle looks a little out of shape.  I didn't finish this in one day.  I've been working on it this week along with the daily paintings.

Silk Wave
Image Size 22" x 22"
Silk dyes on silk

Silk Clivia II - Silk Painting

This is the silk painting that I was using as a demo piece on Saturday.  I finished painting it today but it hasn't been steamed or stretched yet which is why it looks wrinkled.  Also, the white lines will be brighter once the resist is washed out.  At least I finished painting it.  : )  

This is a design I have painted before but the first one didn't have a border.  I'll post the first painting at the end of this post.  This one also has lighter flowers.

These flowers are Clivias, also known as Kaffir lilies.  Typically they are orange but a few years ago I saw some pale yellow ones that I had to have.  They are a lot harder to find than the orange ones. The yellow is such a soft yellow for the garden.  Usually yellow flowers are pretty bright.

I was so happy when I finished painting this without having any bloopers.  I was really nervous painting the black.  It's really easy to flick the dye while lifting the brush and have it go in the worst places.  That would have ruined the whole painting if black had gotten on the flowers or leaves.  Originally, I painted the border a flat green.  The flowers are so delicate that I didn't want a busy border to clash with that.  After painting the border, it looked really blah to me so I held my breath as I added a different color.  

When a color is added over an already painted area, the underneath color is activated enough to cause hard lines very quickly so it's impossible to get a smooth color wash.  The effect is actually pretty cool but it would be hard to control the effect on a border because I have to start in one spot and switch off painting in both directions so that the dye doesn't dry and create an even harder edge.  I added salt as I painted to create a more overall texture.  I'm actually very happy with it.  The salt drew the color that I added (brown) but didn't lift the original color (green) so the color mix is really pretty.

Below is this painting with the green border before I added the brown and salt.

And here is the original silk clivia painting I did a couple of years ago.  After I steamed it and washed it, I noticed a white area (you can see it in this photo in the lower left corner area) in the black background so I repainted it and re-steamed it.  I learned a lesson.  The black and oranges bled in a couple of areas so even though most people think it looks fine, I could never sell it so I've always intended to re-paint is because I really like the design.  This photo was taken before I re-steamed it so you can't see the color bleed. 

Which of the three versions do you like best?

Silk Clivias II

Image Size 22" x 22"

Silk dyes on silk

First Bloom - Silk Painting

This is the silk painting I told you about in last week's post. This was the second one I painted and I am happy with the outcome. I painted this to enter into a local contest held at Chemers Gallery. The theme for the show is "Live and Play in Tustin." I'll find out next week if it gets in. Below is my first attempt at this scene.

I just taped it onto a board and it's not stretched which is why it's so uneven looking. Also, I wasn't paying attention when I taped it down and it's backward from the way I painted it. Of course, that doesn't really matter because with silk painting, the color is the same from both sides. There are several reasons that made me feel that this first attempt wasn't as successful as it could be. Even though I always garden in pants, this person dressed in pants didn't feel right. I also don't like the sunglasses. I think my second attempt with the girl in a skirt and hat just feel more garden-like.

First Bloom
Image Size 30" x 18"
Silk Dyes on Silk

Florence Flowers

This is painted from a picture I took several years ago in Florence, Italy. I love how they have little pots of flowers in so many of their windows. It was fun to try to get the effect of the old chipping wall with the silk dyes.

Florence Flowers
Image size 19.5 x 15.5"
Silk dyes on silk
Framed
$375.00

Tuscan Hillside - Silk Painting

For some reason this silk painting didn't steam correctly and the dyes didn't set. I'll try again tomorrow but wanted to post this on time. I'll re-take the picture when it is steamed and I can stretch it.

Silk Waterlilies - Silk Painting

Waterlilies were the subject for this week's painting. I love using watery mediums to depict watery subjects.

Silk Waterlilies
15" x 15"
Silk dyes
Sold

Paso Robles Vineyard - Silk Painting

I chose to use the wrought iron with a landscape behind it. I had a lot of fun with this one.

Paso Robles Vineyard
24" x 24"
Silk dyes
Unframed

Silk Koi - Painting on Silk

Big surprise, another silk painting. I've done several smaller Koi paintings on silk and wanted to try it on a larger scale.

Silk Koi
22.5" x 27"
Silk dyes
Unframed

Wrought Iron Grapes Silk Painting

Back to silk painting. I have so much fun doing these paintings that I can't stay away from them for long. I've used the wrought iron theme again on a smaller scale. I concentrated on using more subdued colors on the leaves and am very happy with the results.

Wrought Iron Grapes
15" x 15"
Silk dyes
Framed

Sunflower Silk Painting II

Again, another silk sunflower painting with yet another look. Same flowers with a different border, more intense colors and a square format. I think I like this one the best which is good because I am REALLY tired of painting sunflowers now!

Sunflower Silk Painting II
15" x 15"
Silk dyes
Sold

Sunflower silk painting I

I wanted to paint another silk painting with the sunflowers but with a different look. I was planning to use it for a booklet cover for a project I'm working on. They are the same flower design as the previous silk sunflower painting but repositioned a bit. Without the wrought iron framework, I think the result is completely different.

Sunflower silk painting I
11" x 14"
Silk dyes
Unframed

Silk Sunflowers W/Wrought Iron

This is a silk painting. Silk dyes are used on silk after the design has been applied with resist to keep the dyes from spreading uncontrollably. It is a really fun medium and I love the effects I can get. I love the graphic quality and bright colors.

Silk Sunflowers w/Wrought Iron
22.5" x 22.5"
Silk dyes
Framed