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.