Red Mucha Peony and Dreamworks

     Yet another productive weekend has passed and I am still loving every minute of making these glorious scarves.  This past week I got a job offer and decided to open an Etsy store later this year.  The reason for a late opening of a store is because of two things, time and money.  Which really are the deciding factors when it comes to a lot of things in life.  The time part is because each of these scarves takes me between 2-5 days to paint.  Unfortunately, I have to wait for the resist to dry before I can start any of them.  Not to mention the task of painting with multiple dyes, and then the washing ironing and photographing of each of them.  I can understand why some people give up on their passion.  Doing excellent work takes time to complete, and time is what most people cannot afford to pay for.  Nonetheless, I am hopeful that I will be able to sell my art and maybe, one day, make a living off of it. 

  This brings me to my next triumph, the "Mucha Red Peony".  This scarf was executed with raspberry and Hydrant red for the flowers.  I would have gone with the pink again; however, I wanted to switch this one up.  This scarf was not without it's challenges though.  There are a couple of different places where I can purchase the scarves, one is in Toronto, Ontario at a company called, "G&S Dye".  This is where I have purchased my silk, and were I get most of my resist and all of my dyes.  They are an excellent company and their silk measurements are always bang on; however, in 2009 when I found myself out of work, I decided to opt for a more affordable silk - Enter the "Dahrma Trading Company" from California.  At that time, they were much cheaper than "G&S Dye" even with shipping and paying duty on the incoming package.  Over the past few years as the Canadian dollar continues to lose value in the United States, it has become less affordable.  But, this leaves me with a very large order of silk from them which was not the dimensions as advertised. 

     I don't know what it is, perhaps, "You get what you pay for", would be the best answer.  When I purchased the silk the measurements stated, 11" x 60"; which is what I was ordering from Toronto; however, when I brought it home and stretched it, it was closer to 10.5" x 59.5".  I was distraught.  All of my patterns for all of my silk designs I draw to scale on paper first; so then, once slipped underneath the silk, I can copy my design.  With the silk from California, I have to improvise and this is where I ran into trouble with this "Mucha Red Peony" scarf.

     Obviously, there is a lot of line work on this scarf; and, therefore tricky if you are constantly having to move the design around the silk to get what you drew to fit.  I made a couple of mistakes with the line and while I tried to correct them, it wound up bleeding enough wax onto the unpainted surface to cause a problem.  Luckily, with painting both sides of the scarf, I was able to avoid any obvious imperfection.  The end result I find quite pleasing and I am happy with.  I hope it can find a good home.

  

    This eye catching scarf got away from me....3 years ago.  It was one of the scarves which never sold and I realized that I had not photographed it yet.  I am so happy I finally did and it looks incredibly striking against the black background.

     In truth, this is not the incarnation I intended for this scarf.  I originally wanted to use gold leafing as the line work on this scarf and the colour scheme was to be completely different as well.  I wanted to paint it in fiery reds, oranges and yellows with gold as the line work.  Instead, I decided to experiment with a colour palette closer to the film for which is it's inspiration and namesake. 

   My homage to Dreamwork's "The Road to El Doroado" will be re-imagined into what I originally intended.  All I need is a little more time.  Honestly, I cannot wait to continue to paint.  It is so artistically satisfying and, one day, I hope it can be all I will do. 

Sunset Dahlia and Commissioned Iris

 Sunset Dahlia 31" x 31"

     It is such a wonderful surprise when you paint something, do not really like it; but, once it's finished you really do realize that you like it quite a bit.  This scarf has an incredible esthetic.  At the time that I painted it, I was not overly thrilled by it; however, now that I see it on the bust form, I really like it.  This one was so easy during the wash phase, almost no bleeding and it only took maybe six washed before the water was clear.

 Pink Iris Commission 8" x 48"

     My boyfriend is in the navy and works in a logistics/HR position at headquarters in Ottawa.  His trade is dominated by women, and luckily for me, some of them would like a scarf.  This one was so remarkably easy, it practically painted itself.  I love it when people order simple straight forward designs which I already have completed.  It makes the only hard part choosing the colours they like.  Not that I do not mind a challenge, I love them.  However, when you do something from scratch for someone else, there is always that pressure to be perfect; and, as I have said before many times, this is not an art form for people who expect perfection.  I have no idea how a scarf is going to turn out.  It could look amazing before the steam, then something might happen and it might not come out as I had hoped.  Luckily, this turned out exactly how I wanted it to and I hope that the lovely woman at my boyfriend's work will be pleased with it too.

 

Red Peony and Orange Sunflower: The bleeders

 Red Peony 31" x 31"

     Ah yes, the red.  The bleeder.  It looks just as phenomenal on the frame as it does off the frame.  The only royal pain was that it kept on bleeding.  After I steam the scarves, I have to wash them by hand.  The first bath is lukewarm and has soap in it.  I gradually make the baths colder to help wash out and fix the dyes.  The only problem is that some dyes bleed more than others.  Reds, blues, browns, and fuchsia pink; yes, fuchsia pink bleeds A LOT!.  I use Rubbermaid dish tubs in the bathtub to wash out the dyes.  Lots of time on your knees makes you impatient, especially when you have a bleeder.  You can still wear the scarf, I just wouldn't recommend it with a white shirt in the rain.

 Orange Sunflower 10" x 59"

     The second bleeder:  It was the chestnut brown which gave me the most trouble with this one.  You see, I never use straight black or straight any dark dye when I have to use a lot of one colour.  When I was in high school taking colour theory, we were taught that there was no such thing as "black" in nature.  The "black" was always a little bit....something else.  That's why I will add a little red to a black, or a pink, or a brown, or green, or blue.  Any colour which I feel will suit the scarf and make the colour a little more rich.  It's probably why I have the devil's own time trying to wash out all the dye.  

Finished Pink Peony Scarves

     These are the finished pink Peonies.  They were not without their challenges.  Unfortunately, on this scarf in particular, the old dye too it's toll.  Although, I doubt it will spoil the overall appeal of the scarf. 

Pink Peony 12" x 12"

Pink Peony 15" x 72"

     This scarf is probably the most intense I have ever completed.  The Peonies look fantastic; however, I wish that the green would have stuck a little more.  Next time, I know what to do.  I think this one is deserving of a "do over".

 Pink Peony 31" x 31"

  I love my Mucha Peony scarf.  It came out relatively unscathed and it looks marvelous no matter which way you place it.  I cannot wait to get a mannequin head so I can start styling my scarves that way.

Red Peony "The heart explosion".

     Do you have a hobby which you are good at and really wish you could do it full-time and still make a living?.  This is it for me.  Painting is so wonderful that I wish I had no other debt and I could do it for the rest of my days.  This painting came in the wake of some shocking news.  News which I will not share; but, I will only say that it will likely take me away from what has become my home for these past blissful seven months.  No matter what the outcome, I will keep painting if that happens.

     However, in spite of my heavy heart, I endured and decided to soldier on with my painting.  Looking at this photo now I almost wish I hadn't finished it.

     There it is.  Initially I wanted to have a deep red boarder and then a black interior; but, since I liked how good the bursting petals looked in my other black bordered scarves, I thought this one would look nice too.

     Here's to my "Bursting Heart".  It took me more days than I would have taken had I been in good spirits the entire week.  Nonetheless, it looks spectacular and I hope that I will be able to complete many more before my time comes to get into a full-time employment situation again.

I'm a Horticultural Purist: Red Sunflower

     When I dreamed of this scarf five years ago, I pictured these marvelous explosions of orange on a black background.  Another one of my "little black dress" inspirations.  I could picture someone wearing this colourful creation during a night out at a place where colour might be lacking.  Everyone donning their penguin suits, a uniform black and white; and then, there walks by a lady with personality.  It's funny what artists think of when creating a piece of art.  No one would look at a Van Goh and says, "Yes, he pictured this hanging in a kitchen", - Although, that's what I think sometimes.

     I decided to make a few changes to this scarf when I began to resist it.  Some ladies at my boyfriend's work were mentioning that they didn't like the stems in some of my scarves.  Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but the piece in question was a Hollyhock and the stalk of a Hollyhock is how a flower grows; therefore, I feel it essential to place it in.  Otherwise, it becomes some abstract bastardization of the glory of nature; however, as I said, if you want me to paint it without, I will paint it without.  I think I'm a horticultural purist sometimes.

     In the end, I decided to omit the stems from this design.  Not because of the opinions of others; but, because I wanted a "firework" effect.  Amazing explosions of orange, yellow and red emerging from a chocolate brown backdrop.  Admittedly, this design might have been more powerful if I had made the background black; but, somehow I wanted to make it a little less cold.  Now, instead of a night at the opera, this scarf has transcended to a less pretentious purpose.  A lady or gentleman could sport a brown leather jacket and these magnificent Sunflowers will pop against it.  I hope I will be able to make some more colourful and tropical scarves in the coming months.  The brilliant blues which can clash against fiery reds and hot pinks can be quite striking.  If you think that this scarf is vibrant now, wait until I steam it.  You're going to require sunglasses just to look at it.

Mucha Peony Scarf 1

     Unfortunately, I couldn't come up with a title with more creative than that.  It seems as though all of my creative juices have been squeezed from me today, and all that is left is this pulp.
    

   
      This scarf took me a couple of days to just resist.  There was so much line work that I had to go back and refill both of my bottles.

   The first picture was one full day worth of work because I had to finish the lines and then get the first of the blossoms in.  Truthfully, it didn't take as long as I thought it would.

     These last two took me a day to complete.  I think the entire scarf took me three full days of work, from resist to finished product.

     I hope I have chosen the colours correctly.  Seeing as I wanted to make all of them a part of a series, I think my decision has been a sound one.  For some strange reason, I feel that I have everything all planned out until I come to the finishing touches.  Perhaps, I'm feeling slightly frustrated with reality at the moment.  Naturally, I paint so that I one day hope to sell my creations.  Unfortunately, others have informed me that a less-than-reasonable price for my work might be extravigant.  I say this with the full realization that since the invention of the printing press, artists like myself have been rendered, pretty much, obsolete.  We are competing with a market that we cannot stand up in.  Trying to explain to people why you deserve what you price your art for feels completely absurd to me.  If you want to take minimum wadge, which in Ontario is $10.25, and apply it to how many hours it takes me to complete a scarf, such as the one that I have finished today, that is, just to paint it; you would be paying somewhere in the area of $246.  That is not including the price of materials.  If anyone would ask me to justify my price I would love to respond with this: 

  "Imagine that your employer dragged you into their office tomorrow and said that you were no longer worth whatever your hourly salary was.  Instead, your time was now worth half of what it was before.  Would that be acceptable to you?". 

     Naturally, it would not.  No one would find that kind of treatment acceptable; so, why should I?.  Why should artists be shortchanged for their time, skill, and effort?.  Is it because there are so many of us?.  Has the printing press really put us out of a job?.  I don't know.  I'm sure I will be back in love with silk painting when I start again this weekend.  I'm just feeling slightly exasperated because my feet hurt and my back aches after bending and reaching over a table for hours.  I love what I do, and I'll be damned if anyone will discourage me.

Sunset Dahlia

     Another weekend passes and another scarf is completed.  This is not exactly what I had hoped the final product would look like.  However, I must remind myself that it is not yet done the process.  This scarf still has to be steamed and washed, and through those processes the dyes will become more vibrant, some will fade, and the overall look will change once I have finished.  I'm sure that someone will find this one beautiful somewhere.  It's the trouble with this medium, you can hope and plan the best you can, and in the end, it just might not turn out the way you wanted it to. 

 
     Now, this one was tricky.  I extended the petals to the ends of the scarf and this is dangerous.  Most of the time, the resist will not hold at the edges and it will bleed into an area that you don't want the dye to go.  I have not yet found a way around this problem, except to never extend my lines beyond the boarder and if I do, like as in this case, I use very light washes. This way, if any bleeding occurs it will not be as noticeable.  It's a cheat, but I would like to eventually find a way around this problem.  There must be a way that it can be done.  In the meantime, I will have to do with resisting layer upon layer at the boarder on both sides of the scarf; in hopes that those layers will be able to dam the bleeding dye.  I will give that a try next time and see if it will work.

     The greatest tragedy about this art form is that it does not make a ton of money.  Therefore, a lot of artists who practice silk painting will offer courses and make books of techniques on order to make extra cash.  These courses mostly focus on teaching people the basics, like making very abstract designs using salt and resist, which is where we have to start I suppose.  However, artists are very stingy when it comes to divulging how they do things.  Which is phenomenally frustrating to people like myself who are completely willing to give tips to people without asking them for money.  I once e-mailed this silk painter in England asking him how he got rid of his resist lines.  This artist replied to me stating, "If you want to know, you can buy my book and it will be able to tell you".  The cost of shipping his book from England, PLUS the fact that his book cost 30 British pounds did NOT make it worth my while.  I can understand, fine, you are a business and are in it to make money; but, ugh, information should be available to everyone.  I guess I am his competition and that is one way to detour competition.  Oh well, I will push on regardless of Stingy McArtist.

Small Peony Scarf

 
     I've finally been bitten by the joy of painting, and it's not letting me go.  After completing my second scarf, and my fist smaller one, I cannot wait to get my brush in hand again.  Five years ago, the Superintendent of the apartment building I was in bought two of my first scarves off of me.  She was an older lady, and after the purchase she mentioned to me that it would be a good idea for me to make some smaller square ones.  The reason for this is because, apparently, older women are somewhat self-conscious about their necks?.  Slightly ashamed to take this advice, as I believe firmly that our "youth obsessed" society needs to grow-the-hell-up; I ordered only five 12" x 12" scarves.  After all, if there is a market, why would I not carry them.  The smaller scarves with a uniform shape could also be worn on the head or framed on the wall.  However, no matter what the use for the artwork, it is ultimately made to be either admired for it's beauty and/or to help the wearer feel beautiful.  I know it sounds vein, but it's true.  Everyone wants to feel beautiful in some meaning of the word or other, even men, because after all: "The clothes make the man".

   This scarf was not without it's problems.  While painting the boarder some black was flecked onto the delicate pink petals.  This was so upsetting to me because it's extremely hard to remove that dye once it's on the scarf.  So, with much haste and fury, I took my trusty Q-Tip and dampened it; but, instead of scrubbing furiously with both the damp and dry end, while blowing like "The big bad Wolf"; I took a kleenex and placed it under the spot.  After, I applied the damp Q-Tip and VOILA!.  The black fleck was pulled through the underside of the scarf, another application ensured that it would mostly disappear!.  Fantastic!.  What was surely to ruin my scarf, was lifted away with only a couple of small places were the mistake can be seen.  I know I've said this before; but, this is not an art for a Type-A personality.

  Silk painting, it gives me the most joy.  It's that feeling you get while you're doing what you love. I just hope that I can make a go of this small, very small business.

Peony Scarf

 

     This project began in 2009 when I drew my peony template.  I had this marvelous plan to make a stunning scarf of the many petaled flower which flourished in my families garden, until my home was demolished in 2012.  Over the weekend, my Mother told me that she remembered where she got our peonies as they were not purchased in any store.  The story goes that my Mother went over to an old doctors office in the neighborhood, as it had been gutted and left in between ownership, and she took the peonies which were planted there.  She saved them and then transplanted them into her own garden along side our home.  Recycled and tended to with care, the flowers were split many times over the 20+ years they thrived in our garden.  With fond memories of the lush electric pink peonies which bloomed without fail, I desired to create a scarf which would reflect all of their glory.

      The template, the plain drawing, took me three days to complete.  I originally wanted to make the scarf without a boarder; however, anyone with any experience with silk painting knows that to paint a white scarf ANY colour at all, and keep that colour even and flawless over large areas is practically impossible.  Therefore, I split my painting up using the leaves of the peony and the boarder.  Until I master the art of painting larger areas without flaw, I will use the boarder to help the transition.

      The above photo is three days worth of painting.  As I have listed before in my blog, resist cannot keep on the silk longer than five days.  The longer is sits, the more the wax within the product spreads, thus making it difficult for the dye to hug the resist lines.  Something which I was experiencing into day two of my painting.

     In the end, this scarf was a marvel.  I have not yet steamed it and I am a little concerned with it's welfare; that is why I took so many pictures of it.  This is the scarf where I have broken all of the rules of silk painting.  I have not purchased any new supplied since 2010, they are expensive and I have lots and lots of the old ones.  The problem with my particular silk dyes is that they are advertised to last only two years on the shelf.  For mine, it's been at least five.  As for the resist, I purchased and did not open 1L of resist in 2011.  It has been three years, and when I finally opened it, there were little flecks of mould growing in it at the lid seal.  I have shaken up all of my dyes and stirred up my resist, and the below picture is my final result.

  
     Peony scarf: 15" x 72".  I have broken every rule in the silk painters book with this one and I am excited to see what it turns out like.  In the end, I am very satisfied with how it turned out and I hope to make many more in the future. 

Finally: New Dahlia Designs

   

 Dahlia: 12"x12"

      It has been so long since I have updated this blog!.  Finally, after four years I can, hopefully, ignite my passion for silk painting again.  For four years I have been thinking and dreaming up different patterns in a variety of sizes.  Now, they are beginning to make their way to paper and I could not be happier.  Still the same subject matter, in honour of my parent's garden; however, I have some ideas to spin.  These are the first templates with the last of the paper I bought seven years ago.  The new paper lacks tooth, which is a little bit of a disappointment; but, I'm sure I'll get used to it.  I look forward to sharing the finished products with you.  Keep your fingers crossed.

Dahlia: 31"x 31"

Dahlia:  10"x 55"