Monday, May 25, 2009

Silk Georgette vs. yours truly


"Whatchu talkin' about, Willis?" That is what the paint seems to say to me as soon as I brush it onto georgette and lift the tip off of the silk.  The color is soaked up like a sponge, and while very beautiful, absolutely refuses to budge another inch. And the battle of painting on georgette has begun.  Unlike silk habotai or charmeuse, which allow the paints to simply run and flow so fluidly, painting on georgette is quite the challenge! It takes twice the amount of paint, and a whole lot of patience. 

From my traditional fine art education, I was taught to never let any white of the canvas show through. Well, I am sorry, to all my former art teachers, but for these georgette silk paintings, I am just going to have to leave some white showing through because I could not, for the life of me, cover every inch without ending up with quite a few more grey hairs!

But despite my frustrations, the final result, of a hand painted, sheer silk piece is of course very rewarding.  I love how translucent it is, and how all the colors become naturally lighter and darker in the sunlight and shadows, even more sensitive to the changing light than the more opaque silks..  Today is the day before my birthday, so in completing four silk georgette pieces this wonderful afternoon, the satisfying feeling of accomplishment I now bask in is my early present to myself. Happy Birthday to me, and Georgette, this isn't over yet between us!





Thursday, May 21, 2009

Muse - first feature :)


Not long after I had stuck my little toe into the waters of the online "handmade" community, a lovely lady Kristin, from 622 Press, contacted me.  She does beautiful custom and designer letterpress stationary and from what I can see, is an avid supporter of hand made artisans and crafters.  Muse Silk Paintings has been lucky enough to be featured on her latest posting!  I am very grateful for the feature, as I am in the initial stages of getting my hand painted scarf business off the ground, any help spreading the word is much welcomed.

You can read about the Muse Silk Paintings feature on Kristin's blog http://622press.wordpress.com/2009/05/21/silk-paintings
Also her etsy shop: http://622press.etsy.com




Wednesday, May 20, 2009

I finally started my online store!

Well it's taken many a photo-shoot gone awry, and lots of trial and error, but the good news is that for all my friends that have been asking how they can get their hot little hands on one of my silk paintings, now you can! Click below to check out the items I've listed so far. I'm still coming up with a pretty way to gift wrap them, but I'm sure any day now I'll find the best way to go. I want them to arrive in a beautiful package, ready to give as a gift, if that is the intention (and what a lovely gift idea it would be).

Click below and enjoy!

Or cut and paste this link: http://MuseSilkPaintings.etsy.com

Monday, May 11, 2009

First show was an award-winning success!


This beautiful, sunny weekend served as the perfect setting for MUSE silk paintings debut! After several sleepless hours, borrowed props and items, and much support from my family and friends, we pulled it off!  

The white tent acted as a blank canvas backdrop to the vibrantly bright colored silk paintings we hung gently all around the sides.  The breeze blew them back and forth while the sun lit up different sections so they looked like they were dancing...  So happy and uplifting to be surrounded by these all day!  





I am also proud to announce that my booth won "honorable mention" as it was a juried art show.  It was very flattering and refreshing to hear the positive feedback of all the people who came out to enjoy the show.  In fact, I believe I'm still glowing a little.. Thank you to all my family, and friends (both old and new) who came to visit me - it was such a pleasure to see you all and so grateful for your support in this new venture of mine!







Friday, May 8, 2009

Sneak Preview..

For those who just can't wait to see what I'll be showing this weekend, please check out my album from the photos I just took last night.  


Come out this weekend to the Studio Cit Art Festival and find something special for your mom, yourself, or someone special - a hand painted scarf is a thoughtful and original gift!

I really look forward to enjoying the sunshine in my booth this weekend and hopefully seeing you there!  For more details, feel free to email me at arscarves@hotmail.com.