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May ... Hi everyone, I've just seen a fabulous show on tv about where the colour purple originated and why it was kept exclusively for royalty. I was so fascinated I thought I would share some of the info with you.So what are you up to this month? I've been a bit busy ... I'm packing up my life in the tropics and heading back to Sydney. Two years of 100% humidity for 7 months of the year just got too much for me - I have been constantly lethargic and not being half as creative as I'd like to be, so after much thought I've decided to head to Sydney and to find a new home in an arty area. I'll be getting on the road in just a few days!!!! and driving 3,000km south with my Burmese cat, Mooshie Mushka, who has only ever been driven across town - it'll be quite an adventure! So my life is going back into storage until I find a new home where I can set up my life and Studio. Where does PURPLE come from? In the Bronze Age, centuries ago, the colour purple was available as a dye from the Minoans, and it was worth its weight in gold. 12.000 Murex seashells created enough dye to colour the hem of one article ... imagine that!The colour came from a sea mollusc called Murex. It was farmed [harvested] by the Minoans who then traded the dye for the commodity they most needed - bronze. The show explained the Minoan culture - quite a sophisticated world, where bull-leaping was common sport and female priestesses ruled society. The Goddess was worshipped and ruled over everything in life and death. The island of Minoa was small and although the Minoans didn't leave behind written records of their lives, they took to the sea and visited many other lands, and were documented by those cultures. For example Egyptian drawings showed many people of many lands, and each was represented by carrying something of importance to that culture. The Minoans were easy to locate because of the dye they carried. The Egyptians treasured the purple dye, and it was only to be used by royalty. Around 1450BC, fires raged through Minoa on Crete and engulfed the entire civilisation ... except for the Palace. This history is fascinating reading, if you have time to check it out ... And then came the earthquake on Thera - many times worse than Pompeii. The ensuing tsunami created waves 100 feet high. Thera is one of the islands near Crete and it affected life for the Minoans, until the society disappeared. Articles online: History, Shellfish, Royalty, and the Color Purple Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D. Contributing Editor
A dictionary defines purple as "e;any of a group of colors with a hue between that of violet and red² and as a ³symbol of royalty or high office." Historically, the color purple has been associated with royalty and power, but the secret of its power lies in the glands of tiny shellfish creatures.
The earliest archaeological evidence for the origins of purple dyes points to the Minoan civilization in Crete, about 1900 B.C. The ancient land of Canaan (its corresponding Greek name was Phoenicia, which means ³land of the purple²) was the center of the ancient purple dye industry.  More ... Read about TYRIAN PURPLE - click here. 
Picture courtesy of the Man and Mollusc Site and Paul Monfils Click here to read WetCanvas.com Article on Silk Painting - 9 pages including photos of making your own mini steamer. |
Vintage and Used Silk Kimonos  http://www.yokodana.com/apackage.htm I came across this website and thought it was worth mentioning - I love Kimonos and the thought of being able to buy vintage kimono fabric is terrific! Shame it's in the US ... :o> ... American and Canadian members, if you're interested, why not get a few others to go in with a box with you? Vintage Silk, Silk blend Kimonos & Kimono Fabrics sold as fabric, by-pound: US$10/lb -- 20lbs minimum=$200.00 (includes United Parcel Service (UPS) to Continental USA & Postal to some of Canada, others discounted) Exhibition You might get some inspiration from these quilts.The Latimer Quilt and Textile Center presents Three Uppity Women and The Bead Nuts 39 small art quilts by three textile artists from Whidbey Island and mixed-media works inspired by a book or book title from another Whidbey Island group. May 17-July 17, 2005 Opening: May 22, noon to 4 p.m., free admission to opening Latimer Quilt and Textile Center, 2105 Wilson River Loop Road, Tillamook, OR (503) 842-8622 Tues-Sat 10-4, Sunday noon to 4 http://www.oregoncoast.com/latimertextile 
News from around the World Some newspaper sites ask you to become a member - for free - in order to read their articles. The choice is yours. To find the word SILK in each webpage you go to, select EDIT / FIND from your top browser menu. Sunflower art work on display Daily Democrat - Woodland,CA,USA ... awards ceremony beginning at 7:30 pm Many of the art works are for sale this year, including the grand prize-winning painting on China silk, "Sunflower Medley ... Handpainted Silk Clothes China products of Handpainted Silk Clothes. Nanjing Valuedchina Co., Ltd.. is one quality china supplier for you to purchase quality Handpainted Silk ... ARTBREAK showcases variety of artistic expression Shreveport Times - Shreveport,LA,USA ... won the Bernard J. Kallenberg Memorial Purchase Award for her painting, "Migrant Worker ... for a five piece portfolio of work that included two silk portraits, an ... Artist spotlight: Rochester's hidden talents Rochester Democrat and Chronicle - Rochester,NY,USA ... of town. Two-and-a-half years ago, I retired from my position as a children's librarian so I could silk paint full time. Featured ... BEST OF LAMORINDA Contra Costa Sun - Orinda, CA, USA Includes: figure painting; developing your creativity; printmaking; charcoal drawing; oil painting; and painting on silk and soft pastels. ... The Studio Group holds spring art sale Athens Banner-Herald (subscription) - Athens, GA, USA Works include silk painting, jewelry and photography by Margaret Agner, Barbara Allen, David Dwinell, Anna Eidsvik, Susan Nees, Jim Norton, Jean Porter and more ... Ginko Gallery sells student crafts Oberlin Review - OH, USA ... Starting with white cloth, Jones uses various techniques such as dying, painting and silk-screening to pattern the fabric. Previous ... KMT Chairman Lien's Nostalgic Visit NewsFactor Network - Woodland Hills, CA, USA ... varied cultures and nationalities" for its location at the start of the Silk Road ... The school gave him a seven-meter- long roll-painting depicting Chang'an, one ... Exploring avenues for marketing of artefacts News Today - India ... The miniature work on paper, and silk cloth, using miniature brushes made with squirrels' fur is a classic example of Rajasthani painting. ... 'Junkyard' artist sees beauty in everything Hot Springs Star - Hot Springs, SD, USA ... who has a knack for creating one-of-a kind hand-painted silk scarves, not ... One such is Marjorie Singsaas, who recently donated a lovely painting of a chapel in ... Mixed-media exhibit runs the gamut Parry Sound North Star - Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada ... Ideson's piece, Birch, Pinewood, and Dragonfly, the traditional watercolour painting changes dramatically ... by Jim Dick and Marc de Groote, a silk wallhanging by ... Art Listings San Francisco Bay Guardian - San Francisco, CA, USA ... in Chinese and Japanese Painting." An exhibition demonstrating the influence of Confucian thought on Chinese and Japanese painting. ... Silk screens by Kei Mizuochi ... Ciao for now - I really do need to get back to packing up the Studio! Until next month, Teena! |
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