Black silk experiment

Over the weekend, my very close friend and I experimented with painting on black silk. We traveled to Laguna Beach to learn this technique from a professional silk painter named Olivia Batchelder. She is an excellent teacher and very talented artist.

The weather was like a dream - peek-a-boo sunshine with a light ocean breeze mixed in. We mixed actual metallic pigment powder with white fabric gum to make the paste and then painted away!

This technique is so liberating - no resist lines, just freedom to paint whatever comes to mind. The possibilities are endless, here. Once I get my hands on these "Lumiere & Neopaque" paints, I would like to add some metallic accents to my existing silk scarves as well as create some far more painterly imagery as well.  I'm about to burst with excitement to create a series with this technique now!  What will it be?  Ocean scenes, expanding on new florals for summer, more geometric abstract patterns?  Stay tuned to see..

My palette was quite limited, however the free flowing feathers and swirly lines do represent my cheery mood I felt that day.  Happy to have my friend by my side, sharing this new and exciting learning process, and well, just happy to be alive!

For more information about Olivia's workshops and artwork, please visit her at http://www.oliviabatchelder.com  Her email is pacificoceanmermaid@gmail.com

For information about these paints, visit http://www.dharmatrading.com/lum_neo.html.