Silk & Chocolate - a delicious lesson for scarf lovers

Are you obsessed with chocolate? Have a weakness for silk?

My dear, this post is for you.

This entry was created in order to help my clients pick the right type of silk when placing a custom order. While musing over describing each lovely silk base, the similarities to chocolate just came naturally. The smooth, rich textures, the heavenly satisfying feeling, life's little indulgences.. it became clear that silk and chocolate are like peas in a pod. Have your glass of milk ready?

Muse Silk Paintings preferred

SILK QUALITIES

1.HABOTAI - Otherwise known as "China silk" is like the chocolate mousse of silks. The most economic base I work with, and like mousse, is smooth, flat, opaque and yummy. Habotai silk is the real deal, and just hits the spot.

I enjoy this base for painting detailed line work designs and is for your modern fashionista daily wear. Perfect with jeans or to dress up a work outfit. To shop Muse habotai silks, click here.

2.GEORGETTE - this is a sheer, beautiful silk and it has a little bit of a pebbly texture to the finish. Georgette is like a Plaisir Sucre with its light layers and interesting textures.. It's such a soft and romantic look, while still being reasonably priced.

Georgette is great for abstract, watercolor designs. It is for the lady who enjoys the translucent, ultra feminine touch of color! To shop Muse georgette silks, click here.

3.CREPE DE CHINE - sniff... do I smell a little more decadence in the air? Just a gorgeous fabric! Crepe de chine is like an fancy mousse with those extra flavors and toppings added in. Similar to habotai, except a softer, silkier, feeling with an understated shine. Drapes beautifully and my favorite to paint! To shop Muse crepe de chine silks, click here.

4.SAND-WASHED CREPE DE CHINE - Makes me melt. A heavier crepe fabric is washed with stones or rocks to achieve the most plush and ever-so-soft feel. It has a gorgeous drape, and is really something special. Enter The Chocolate Pistachio Kiss, a rich, irresistible morsel. The buttery nut toppings remind me of how luscious the sand washed crepe feels against my skin. The cocoa powder emulates the sumptuous matte finish of this silk. For the woman who wants nothing less than the creme de la creme, this is it! To shop Muse sand washed silks, click here.

5.CHARMEUSE - Aside from velvet, this is the most high end and luxurious silk. One side sleek like satin with lustrous shine, and the other side has a matte finish. I adore charmeuse for painting watercolors and "free" designs. Vibrancy of color is amplified by the magnificent luster of this silk. Like the famed Platinum Cake, which is literally laced with edible gold flecks. Charmeuse silk is for the elegant, illuminating lady of the hour who is not afraid to shine! To shop Muse charmeuse silks, click here.

5.SATIN BURNOUT - Also called "devore" is a blend of silk and rayon and comes in a variety of patterns. The scarf example here is a dot design, with a swirly dot imagery painted on top. Silk burnout is right up there with the finest of silks. Like assorted chocolate truffles, this base offers something different; a unique and special texture. It's mix of matte and opulence creates several shades of light and dark within hue and gives you just enough of a glamourous shine. So pretty! To shop Muse dot burnout silks, click here.

Now that this deliciously lesson is over, I suggest you go grab a chocolate treat, a glass of milk, and muse over which color and type of yummy silk suits you best . After all, you deserve a little indulgence once in a while!

announcing "Muse News" quarterly newsletter!

Dear Friends,

Announcing "Muse News" quarterly newsletter!

Muse News

Updates and Musings from Muse Silk Paintings

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

Autumn Edition

Today is the first day of Fall! For my fellow Southern California friends, it might not feel like it now, but sooner than you think, the cooler weather will be kicking in.

Muse of the Moment (brand spanking new!)

First giveaway! Unlike many artisans, I do not have little samples to give away for promotions/advertising. All my scarves are truly one of a kind, so I painted one especially for the Hip Handmaid contest. This feather scarf would make a fabulous accessory for your fall wardrobe or an excellent gift for the holiday for a special lady in your life! Entering to win the contest is easy. Click this link for details: http://hiphandmaids.blogspot.com/2009/09/hip-giveaway_21.html

Upcoming Musings (future events)

Save the date! Muse Silk Paintings will have a booth for a one-day holiday craft show in early December! I’m even musing over actually doing a live silk painting demonstration. For more details about Hip Handmaids click here: http://www.hiphandmaids.com/Home_Page.html

Location:

Hip Handmaids Holiday Craft Show

Dec. 5th Saturday from 9am-5pm
The Little White Chapel, 1711 N. Avon Street, Burbank, CA 91505

Muse Milestones (past events)

1. Muse Silk Paintings Blog! I created a blog last April as an outlet to share my musings and thoughts on my budding silk painting business. I love writing new entries and have been meaning to update it soon! The link: http://musesilkpainting.blogspot.com/

2. First Craft Show! This past May was the month of my official first show at the Studio City Arts and Crafts Show. It was scary, but an amazing experience, and I even won an Honorable Mention award! Read about it here: http://musesilkpainting.blogspot.com/2009/05/first-show-was-award-winning-success.html

3. Muse went online! May was a big month for me, as I also first opened my Muse Silk Paintings online store! I have recently listed almost 50 beautiful scarves. Come visit and see my new scarves: http://MuseSilkPaintings.etsy.com My store is up and running, and on a roll now! I even have worked on some custom orders. To see pictures of a few of these wonderful custom scarves, here are the links:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35308500@N08/sets/72157622008448003/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35308500@N08/sets/72157622202858514/

4. Muse on Facebook! Although my blog is great, it feels more like writing in a journal (which I do love). However I wanted a more up to date, frequent way to provide updates. Out of this need for a more organic and active interaction with fashionistas and art lovers everywhere, I created the Muse Silk Paintings facebook fan page, which has been a huge success. I love hearing fan feedback on everything! To become a fan, or just check out the site, click here: http://www.facebook.com/MuseSilkPaintings

5. Muse on Twitter! I am still very much learning how to use Twitter. All that I’ve managed to do is link it up to my facebook page so that it updates whenever there is a new posting. If you are twitter literate, and would like to follow Muse Silk Paintings, here is my link: http://twitter.com/Muse_Silk

There has been a lot going on at Muse Silk Paintings! I’d like to thank all my friends, family and wonderful clients for your ongoing support through this exciting adventure of my budding silk painting business. I don’t know yet if this will be a monthly edition or by the season, but stay tuned for updates and, as always, Happy Musings!!

A.R.

Muse Silk Paintings

arscarves@hotmail.com

http://MuseSilkPaintings.etsy.com

http://musesilkpainting.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/MuseSilkPaintings

http://twitter.com/Muse_Silk

Labor of Love - Silk Painting Process

Hope you had a lovely Labor Day weekend!

In response to the numerous requests from friends, today I want to share with you my basic silk painting process that is used when creating my silk paintings. When you scroll down to the end of this post, there is a flicker link where you can view more photos of each step. Sometimes people wonder why the prices are a bit more expensive, than say, a scarf you would find at Macy's. It depends on many things.. the type of silk (which I will explain in more detail my next entry) , size, and of course, the level of detail and time put into each piece. Each of my scarves truly are one of a kind artworks, and really are a labor of LOVE. Here are the stages:

1. Inspiration - from books, online images, my pictures of the sky, dreams and imagination, I first must come up with a design I'd like to express.

2. Preparing the silk - After learning the hard way, I now always pre-wash my silk before painting, to get rid of any unseen residues.

3. Stretching - I stretch the hand rolled, silk scarf blank with pins on a wooden frame so the silk becomes taught from all angles.

4. Resist - Usually I draw freehand with the water based resist

onto the silk. These lines act as a barrier later when painting, and keep the colors from spreading.

5. Paint - I use water based paints, unlike most professional silk painters who use spirit based dyes. I use a Japanese sumi brush to paint in the colors - my favorite part!

6. Heat set - Once dried, I iron the scarf so that the paint chemically bonds to the silk.

7. Washing/Ironing - I hand wash each scarf about 2 or 3 times with baby shampo, soak the scarf in a water/softener mixture for a while, lightly roll towel dry, and then lightly iron on the backside.

8. Viola! It is finished and ready for photos!

Recently I finished a custom order scarf for a wonderful client of mine and took pictures throughout the entire process. To view this picture gallery, click HERE.

Another earlier custom "Go Broncos" piece also has great step-by-step pictures in the album HERE.

All together from start to finish, one of my hand painted silk scarves could take anywhere from 3-12 hours! But of course, each minute I spend is a minute I simply cherish, as I have fallen completely love with the artistic medium of silk painting... and this Labor Day, I'll end with this quote, "Love what you do. Do what you love." - Wayne Dyer

Ohhh, Behave

As you many of my friends know (from my nearly tearful rantings), lately I have had a lot of challenges painting really detailed/fine line work due to a bad batch of silks and washing incidents. The residue had not washed off, there were stiff sections and it caused the paint to puddle, instead of spreading magically the way I like!

Well, those days are now through (I hope)! This latest batch of beautiful silk crepe de chine is so soft and clean - the paints are taking to it just beautifully. When I want it to spread, it spreads. When I want it to blend, it blends. Hallelujah, they are finally BEHAVING! With this new batch I am free to create my obsessively detailed designs to my heart's content...

The first (of many more to come) more detailed style silk painting is here below called "Kaleidoscope Palette". I'm so excited about it that I simply couldn't wait to post the pictures.. It will probably be another week or two before I can list it in my Etsy store.

Lately I've been limited to 3-4 colors due to the difficulties I was encountering.. but this one was behaving so well that I was FINALLY able to use all the colors I wanted! The greens and blues needed those warm browns to bridge the oranges and yellows to create this perfect seasonless combination. The circles wind around, filled with tons of small rectangles... I actually may have become hypnotized while drawing these lines...then graduating to a blissful state of mind while filling each one with color. It makes me happy to look at it, and so motivated to do more! Stay tuned for more of this style to come.. I'm just dying to get back to my studio!

I won! Err.. sort of.. well runner up anyway!

Dear Readers/Fans/Family/Friends,

Thank you all for voting for me in the recent "Fabric Frenzy Voter" on Etsy lately. I made it as a runner up, which means MUSE has been featured here in the Storque blog! To read this article, here is the link: http://www.etsy.com/storque/article/4669/

And even more excitingly, has been in the Member's Choice gift guide! To see "Through the Woods" scarf in the gift guide, here is the link: http://www.etsy.com/gift-guides/177

Thanks again, to all who voted, for your support!

Happy Musings,

Angel Ray

Faded but Friendly SALE!

So.. as I am still learning every step of the way with my silk paintings, there are bound to be bumps in the road along the way. Recently about a dozen of my finished scarves were either left soaking too long, or washed to harshly, or, I guess I'm still trying to figure out what happened, but the end result is that they lost a lot of their original color and now have visible crease marks (sniff sniff.. wiping a tear from my eye)..

SO as I rushed to re-shoot them, my devastation slowly began to wear off, as each one, while folded and scrunched on the model, didn't look half bad! Not to mention, they feel super extra soft now. So for those of us who enjoy a little distressing/creasing character in our accessories and a good bargain, this provides the perfect opportunity to snatch up a hand painted silk scarf, for half the price!

Take advantage of my little accident in this case. You'll notice each "faded" piece has been drastically reduced in price (most at 50%). Combine that with the free shipping and gift wrapping, and well, (reaching for a kleenex to dry my tears) it's practically highway robbery!

Happy Shopping!

http://www.etsy.com/sections_contents.php?section_id=6315346

Muse Silk Paintings - Artist feature!

Muse Silk Paintings has been featured (or unearthed) in a wonderful blog called "Etsy by Numbers". Check it out here!

http://etsybynumbers.blogspot.com/2009/07/unearthed_29.html

Mini Scarflette Obsession..

These past few weekends, I have been trying desperately to work on a custom project for a very special client of mine, and finally I was able to spend a little time on it! The request (a.k.a. mission)? Create 4 mini scarflettes (11" squares) which will then be framed as a painting. The theme - trees, beautiful trees. I have to say, of all the subjects to paint, Trees has to be my absolute favorite.

I just LOVE working on these mini silk habotai pieces because it gives me the perfect avenue to experiment with different techniques. I find the sunset with the black branches to feel quite moody, and a hint of asian flare. The salt technique on the leafy branches reminds me of bubbles, like they are part of an underwater garden.. and the cloud technique - I learned from Olivia Batchelder - I almost forgot how when the paint puddles, dries, and overlaps, what a magical sensation it creates!

The silk was most cooperative on these minis, which is why I went a bit crazy with the wood grain pieces.. oh I could just paint a hundred different woodgrains... the linework takes me to my happy place... and the summer sun (reaching well over 95F lately), well, what can I say? Thank you, sunshine, for my tan, for lighting up my colors, and for drying my paint so fast!

As far as the project goes, three of these were chosen (the top left, top middle, and bottom left), so I am off to create options for the 4th and final piece to complete her collection. However throughout the process my goal is separate some of these out and create sets around them. I think the chocolate and green silhouette deserves three coordinates as it is so contemporary feeling.. At this rate of my harried mini obsession, I might go through my whole stack of minis by the end of the week!

To view the full gallery, see my facebook album here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=286291&id=182439280654&l=6b69c6d4a0

With or Without? - part II

So after unanimous votes for "yes" with branches - here it is at it's next stage.  I may go in and thicken some up and possibly add some bird silhouettes as well later.. for now I leave it alone and pledge to return and update part III next weekend..p.s. I've decided to call this one "Manzanita Sunset" since the wavering branches remind me of a certain dear friend of mine's gorgeous hilltop backyard, which just so happens to be filled with manzanita trees :)

With or Without?

Happy Independence Day!!  It's the 4th of July and it must be in the 90's today from what I can feel while enjoying the day painting on my rooftop and I love it!

However I took a quick break because I'm stumped, artistically speaking.  Inspired by the wonderful hot weather today, I painted a pretty sunset transition here of yellow, rust, and mahogany colors. What I can't decide is whether to leave it "as is" as an abstract watercolor sunset, OR paint in the silhouette of some tree branches/foliage on top.  I used photoshop to place something just to see how it would look (mine would be hand painted branches, and extend all the way down the length of the scarf, of course).

What do you think - leave it alone or add branches?

Featured on Etsy Treasury!

I'm happy to announce, that one of my latest pieces, "Stairway to Heaven" has been featured on an Etsy Treasury showcase!  I think it looks great with all the other beautiful aquamarine colored items as well :)

I scrolled down to the bottom to find the definition of a Treasury since I'm still learning and here is what it said:

"The Treasury is an ever-changing, member-curated shopping gallery of handpicked items."

Check it out!  http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=67162

I'm getting better

So thanks to my wonderful friend, we'll just call her "CosmoPaulatin" for now, I am learning how to take better photos of my finished scarves and my online store is starting to shape up a little. I've recently listed a few more new pieces, and would be happy to hear any feedback or constructive criticism on the look, descriptions, prices,etc..

The sunlight shining on these beauties really does the trick! Check out my new listed items by clicking on any of the images on the left that says, "Shop Muse Scarves!"

"Oops..SALE" section!

While I wish that each of my silk painting creations

could be pulled off without a hitch, ever so often a splash of paint will fall in a place I didn't mean to, or the tiny holes along an edge may become a little too noticeable. The little voice in my head of the disapproving snobby artist tells me - "Hmph, burn it immediately and start over!"

However, when I've shown these to my friends, or even fellow artists, I always get the same response, "Oh, I didn't even notice that!" or "You're crazy and being too much of a perfectionist!".

I then proceed to growl...pout...scoff...and the dilemma brews in my mind. What to do with these less than ultimately PERFECT creations? Well, I've started an "Oops.. SALE" section in my store. I'm hoping this will be the perfect solution. Prices are all lowered about 15%, so they are more affordable, and this way I'll be able to "shush" that little snobby artist in my head and tell her - "Calm down! Some people enjoy a good deal, and they are still pretty!"

Check out my "Oops..SALE" section!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7370805&section_id=6210226

Battle of the Blocks

Today I finally completed painting one of the most stubborn pieces of silk habotai I've encountered this far.  Once I had my pre-hand rolled scarf all stretched out and all the geometric resist lines drawn in, I was very excited to color it up!

The minute my brush hit the silk, I knew something was wrong.  Instead of the paint flowing beautifully across the silk and filling each enclosed motif area, it just sat there, in a little puddle and refused to budge.  The nerve!  I tried using more paint, but the same thing occurred.  I couldn't bear the thought of spending 8+ hours trying to fill in all the white, so I went ahead and painted the background as well as I could, then the motifs.  The paint continued to puddle, and even created these circular areas that simply pushed the paint up and away, so I just used thinner coatings.

Once it was all painted, the white rough edges stuck out like a sore thumb, so I mixed a color just slightly darker than the original light purple ground, and painted outlines of each shape. Then I mixed some different purples and reds and painted in overlapping geometric lines that mimicked the original motifs.  

As the outlines were drying, I actually noticed the resist outlines cracking now!  I wonder how this is going to turn out in the end? Of all things, puddling paint, dark outline edges, and now crackling resist- what next?!

Well, of course, OTHER than a few more newly acquired grey hairs from this experience. *whew*

Here is the final outlook - all stretched out.  I'm so disappointed and frustrated because it looks NOTHING like the original design I had in my head.. even my colors became dark, muted and subdued.  From now on, I am going to need to wash all the silk BEFORE I begin to avoid this problem again!  Alas, I have fully learned my lesson now.. We shall see once this piece is heat set, washed, and ironed, how it will really turn out.  Who knows, maybe it was salvaged?  But personally, it would be fine by me if I never had to look at it again!

Happy Hearts

I'm not sure what possessed me to paint these hearts the other weekend, but something sure did.  It must have been my relaxed and carefree state of mind.. Or possibly the fact that my honey was only a few feet away from me, doing his thing and sharing the open air rooftop deck with me as I painted in my own little world.  A precious, lazy afternoon.  At the time, I was kicking myself for doing something so cliche, but now that it's finished, maybe it's not so bad.

What do you think - too happy?  

"Too Pretty" Gallery

Ahh Friday! The week almost over, and the weekend of painting in front of me couldn't put me in a better mood! In addition to "Midnight Roses", there are a few more pieces that I have simply invested so much time, energy, and emotion into that I don't think I could part with. Last night I just finished my initial "Too Pretty to Part with" gallery by clicking HERE.

While these particular ones I cannot sell, they are the pieces that I feel my style is most coming alive, and it is my goal to develop more scarves with this type of feeling. Enjoy!

SOLD Pieces Gallery on Facebook

So I just started a Facebook Fan page and for those who have been wondering which of my pieces have sold, I will update the album below:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=265633&l=3a0c289716&id=182439280654

If you are already on facebook and become my fan, this blog is linked up to it, so it could be your one stop shop for all MUSE news, contact, inquiries, etc..  Enjoy!

Too pretty to part with..

There are a select few pieces that I might not be able to part with. 

"Midnight Roses" is one of these silk paintings that fall into this category.  This was my first long scarf painting, and I had been dreaming and sketching wonderful linear rose patterns over and over again for months (and really years now that I think about it).  I used a frame that I actually built myself under Olivia Batchelder's supervision, in her Laguna studio, of course.  

Until that moment in time, I only had the little square frames to work with, and therefore was limited to, well, little squares.  Due to this and spacing, I had been holding back for so long, and finally FINALLY was free to paint the whole length of a long silk scarf!

This weekend, I am going to start my Rose series - all different shades, colors, and different swirly designs will fill the afternoons... roses, roses, and more roses.. I'm so excited!  and well.. I suppose I'll have to brace myself for parting with SOME of them...

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!

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