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Silk Painting Process

This resist drys overnight and the next day the silk is rolled up in paper and steamed in a stainless steel steamer for 2 hours to activate it's dye repelling properties.

 

The first step is to coat the silk with an antidiffusant to stiffen the silk. Then I use a combination of tracing and sketching with the silk thumbtacked to a hard surface using a water soluble pencil to get the image transferred onto the silk.

After the image is drawn onto the silk I stretch the silk onto a wooden stretcher and then I trace over the pencil drawing with a thick glue-like resist mixed with dye.
 

After the silk has been removed from the steamer the first time the fiber reactive dyes are applied beginning with the lightest colors and gradually layering the dyes to achieve shading with the darker colors.

Once the dyes have dried overnight the whole wrapping and steaming process is repeated and the silk is steamed for a second two hour period. This second steaming sets the dyes so that they become one with the silk. After the second steaming the silk is washed, ironed, applied onto 100% cotton rag museum board and framed in wooden frames custom made by my husband Don.