Painting on Silk

The very first time I touched silk with a brush full of dye, I was exhilarated.  The color became intense and deep, and the silk did its thing, making the dye appear to glitter, adding a subtle dimensionality.  I was transfixed.  Over the years, I struggled to master these media.  It was a challenge to control the dye to achieve the effects that I desired.

At some point, I had an epiphany. I realized that I was not to be master of these media.  I accepted that the silk and dye interact, and that my role was to attempt to mediate between them. I am a collaborator, not the master.  Once I gave up control and let the magic happen, I became more at one with my work.  This was a lesson that made a major shift in my perception of what is worth trying to control, and what to let be.

Nature inspires me, and I am drawn to paint what I see there. My eyes bask in the colors while I analyze the forms that hold them.  I still try to control dye with resists to recreate what I see, but these methods are no longer my “go tos.” I no longer rush to fix breaks in my lines. I now know that in nature as in life, something beautiful may happen if I stand aside and let the colors play.