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d e c e m b e r 2 0 0 4

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December ...

It's time to wave goodbye to the current year and herald in the new!

Is it just me or does it seem like we heralded in the new millenium just yesterday??

At the end of the year our thoughts often turn to reminiscences of the past year, and daydreams about our hopes and wishes for the new year.

What about you? Will you try new techniques, styles, paints or dyes?

What about fabric? Will you buy some new silks and see how the paints flow? Do they drape differently, is the weave tighter or looser than you're used to?

Give it a shot, time for new things ... step outside the box and stretch your wings!

You might find a new way to love silk ...

A History of the Silkworm

The Vegan society presents an interesting view on the exploitation of the silkworm, worth a read.

The discovery of the product silk from the silkworm species Bombyx mori occurred round 2700 BC. According to Chinese tradition the bride of Emperor Huang Ti, a 14-year-old girl called Hsi ling shi, discovered the invention of the first silk reel. Sericulture spread through China making silk a very valued commodity much sought after by other countries.

In 139 BC the world's longest trade route was opened stretching from Eastern China to the Mediterranean Sea. It was named the Silk Road after its most valuable commodity. By 300 AD the secret of silk production had reached India
and Japan.

Read the rest of this fascinating article .... You might be put off by this, but it is always good to know both sides of a story, or an industry.

Silkworm earrings - really!

Check these out ...

Want to read more about the silkworm, "Bombyx Mori"?

Click here to see photos of the silkworms in different stages.

Silk-related news around the world
markets & fairs with silk artists, stories about silk, classes, art stories

Holiday shoppers welcome at art fest El Defensor Chieftain - Socorro,NM,USA ... and craft media on display including painting, watercolor, drawing, pastel, photography, pottery, fiber art, gourd painting, silk painting, basketry, natural ...

Community calendar Ipswich Chronicle - Ipswich,MA,USA ... his long-running cable television program, "Impressions," in which he takes viewers on location to create and teach painting. ... "Designs In Silk," handcrafted one ...

Starter art Journal Times Online - Racine,WI,USA ... "It was a fake," Mathis said. "It was a silk screen, not a painting.". You should always deal with a reputable dealer or gallery, Zierten said. ...

The gift of art New Bedford Standard - New Bedford,MA,USA Nathan Tappen works on a painting. ... in New Bedford's South End will offer gift items such as ceramics, textile designs, silk and Shibori scarves, baskets ...

CHRISTMAS MARKET SET TO BE BEST YET Hexham Courant - Hexham,Lake District,UK ... silk paintings, jewellery, soaps, prints, baskets, stained glass and hats. There will also be the usual festivities such as Santa's Grotto and face painting at ...

Heaven Suzhou St. Louis Chinese American News - St. Louis,MO,USA ... We got to see how a trained artist takes strands of silk to weave intricate designs on cloth that look almost exactly like a painting or real picture from far ...

Ryazan Region Kommersant - Moscow,Russia ... sectors; the industry leaders are cotton, woolen, and silk fabrics and ... trained professional artists who work in technology, mural painting, sculpture, graphic ...

What is Synthrapol?

You have probably heard about Synthrapol - some of you might have used it, and some of you might be wondering what it is ... Synthrapol is a concentrated liquid detergent which can be used in the rinse water after washing your silk. It helps to wash out left over dye particles. It may need to be diluted so please read the manufacturer's instructions to make sure you use it in the correct quantities.

Ever painted with a white ceramic tile?

I know - it sounds weird! Each of us finds methods and techniques which work for us, and a silk artist I met recently showed me how she puts her small amounts of silk paint onto a white tile, then she mixes colours like oil paints and acrylics! Absolutely fascinating to watch, and she has such control over here life-like paintings. This silk artist can reproduce photo-quality silk paintings which are unbelievable.

Got a technique you'd like to share with us, or ask about? Let me know!

Jim Thompson : silk in Asia

Has anyone ever heard of this guy? He is reputed to be the person who single-handedly revived the silk industry in Thailand, and for that I'm sure we're all grateful!

Imagine life without Thai silk ...

Jim Thompson was an American who revived the Thai silk industry after WWII and later disappeared mysteriously into the Malaysian jungles.

Article: An Old Thai to Delaware

Hope Anderson thinks it's a shame that the amazing life of [the modern ] Thai Silk industry founder and native Delawarean Jim Thompson has been overshadowed by his disappearance 34 years ago. That's why she made the documentary film "Jim Thompson [Silk King]", which will show at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival this month [Sept. 2001].

"He was a genius who lifted thousands of Thais out of poverty," Anderson says. "People forget that. I was determined to revive his story," Thompson was born into a wealthy Greenville [Delaware] family in [1906] and raised to be an "upper-class non-entity," Anderson says. He worked for a short time in New York City as an architect who designed summer homes for the well-to-do, grew bored with his life, then volunteered to fight in World War II. After the war he landed in Bangkok in 1947, where he became infatuated by silk and taught himself the art of textile coloring, Thus an industry was born.

To read more about this fascinating man, click here.

To read about the documentary, click here.

Using Silk Paint Thickener

Have you ever tried painting with silk paint and wanted more control over the flow of the paint?

There are a few ways to do this - let's look at using a "thickener". These are available in most shops which sell silk paints and dyes. Tell the shop assistant the name of the dyes or paints you are using, so they can recommend the right type of thickener for you.

If you like, draw outlines on your silk with pencil, or draw on paper with black thick texta pens so you can see the design through the silk when the paper is placed underneath.

If you don't feel like a specific design, you can create fabulous scarves and silk pieces by drawing abstract designs incorporating curved and straight lines, zig zags, dots and dashes formed by the brush.

TIP: You can use the thickened paint on parts of the silk, but you don't have to use it all over.

Wash your silk and dry.
Stretch silk on frame.
In a small container, put 50% thickener and 50% paint/dye [or follow directions on the thickener container - always follow manufacturer's instructions]
Mix up thickener in different containers with as many colours as you'll need for your silk.
Instead of your usual soft silkpaint brushes, you will need brushes which are slightly firm in order to get good results and control.
Make simple shapes - circles, lines, zigzags, triangles, squares - in different colours. Choose brushes wide enough to create a bold outline.
Leave some of the silk unpainted, so you can fill in a background.
Once you have created patterns all over the silk, let the thickened paint designs dry.
Now you can go back and use your normal brushes and dyes/paints to fill in the rest of the white silk (if you want to).
As you paint the unthickened dyes, be careful not to get your brushstrokes too close to the already-dry patterns.
This final silk paint will flow as per usual, until it is "stopped" by either a resist line or in this case, a painted area which has had thickened paint on it.
When the piece is totally dry, remove from the frame.
Steam or fix as per manufacturer's instructions.
Wash the silk in warm water to remove the gelatinous thickener and excess dye.
You'll be able to feel with your fingers whether or not the thickener has been removed from the silk while you wash it.
When you feel the silk is totally clean, rinse it well and lay on a towel.
Roll the silk inside the towel and wring the towel to remove excess moisture.
Hang the silk up to dry, and when it is about 90% dry, remove from the line and iron it to finish.

Send photos if you try this out - share your results and challenges!

Have a fantastic holiday season, and may the New Year be filled with wonder, adventure and fun!

Teena!

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