Questions

1. Do you really paint those?

Yup. I paint silk using the a French method called Serti Technique. I stretch plain white silk out on a simple frame, then use a water-based resist to draw, using a little squeeze bottle. This creates the white lines you see, and keeps the colors from running together. Then silk dye is applied, using a brush.

The silk dye must be set so that the finished scarf is colorfast. I wrap the silk up in paper and put it in a steamer for at least a couple of hours, and then wash and iron it.

I’ll add some pictures soon so you can see how it works.

2. How did you learn to do that?

A lot of research and experimentation. Some years ago I had an art teacher who mentioned silk scarf painting, and I was blown away by the idea. It was like a combination of batik, painting, fashion and wearing scarves – basically everything I liked.

I dug up information online and ordered some silk paints, discovered those were bad, found the Serti method, and tried that out. There are a lot of small details you have to get right to avoid ruining the whole scarf, but once you get those figured out it is an amazing medium.

3. Do you teach classes?

Not so far, but I’m open to the idea. Let me know if you are interested in taking classes, or if you have a venue for teaching such things.