4,000 Musies!!!

Hello Friends, Family, and of course, Musies all over the world.  If you have not heard already, I just wanted to share the amazing news that because of you and your wonderful support, the Muse Silk Paintings Facebook Page has just passed 4,000 fans (a.k.a. Musies)!!!!

I am so excited that I decided to create a video to document this incredible milestone, and find out who the winners are of the Musie 4,000 Giveaway.  Thank you to everyone who shared my page, for every comment, "like", message and positive thoughts that you have thrown my way.  I cannot tell you enough what it means to me to have found my ultimate passion in silk painting, and more importantly this venue to share it with you.  A million times over, thank you so much!!!

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhPYJBVpqng

~A.R

Vacation in Muse Land

Dear Friends,
As you know I've been working my tail off this year preparing my new studio, moving, and really pushing myself to reach new levels in my artistic expression this year.  And while loving every second, I've been running along at break neck speed, I have come to realize that it just isn't leaving time for the other things in my life that really need my attention.

The Secret Grotto by Foxfires

Starting June 1st, I will be de-activating Etsy shop essentially putting it on vacation, and plan to re-open in August.  My goal is to use this 2 month break to not only create a fresh new collection and finish up custom orders, but also to focus on finding more balance to my very full plate.  My Red Bubble site will still be open.  I will still be active on facebook, however just taking time away from Etsy, and spending more of it on health, home and family.  Thank you for your understanding, and if you had your eye on a certain piece in my store, I suggest you snap it up soon!

Thank you for your support,
A.R.

Up close and Personal with Angel

Did you want to get to know me better? I've decided to share my hopes dreams, and a little bit more in this amazing Artist Feature by Iris from Arco Iris Handcrafted.

Read all about it HERE!

Thank you for visiting :)

Angel

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

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