I first fell
in love with silk painting on a weekend course several
years ago. It was so exciting to be able to use
stretched silk as a 'canvas' and to paint with an
amazing palette of silk dyes with their luminous,
jewel-like intensity of colour. The silk painting
experience came as a 'Eureka' revelation to me and I
have never looked back!
Having trained as a teacher of art, I have finally
managed to escape the confines of the classroom to focus
full-time on my passion for painting on silk.
For me, silk is the luxurious, exotic fabric of
ancient times, evoking images of the famous Silk Road,
and I find it a truly fascinating medium to work with.
The silk 'canvas' gives the dyes a shimmering,
translucent vitality, which can vary from a
semi-transparency to a vivid intensity, depending on how
the colours are applied. I love the way that the quality
of the silk fibre brings the colours vibrantly to life,
and the fluidity of the dyes always leads me on a
creative journey of discovery, often to unexpected
places!
The versatility of silk painting has led me to
experiment with many different styles, from tight
graphic designs to bold, flowing abstracts. I am
inspired by light, colour, pattern and texture and their
ever changing effects on each other in natural settings
and, more recently, by the exotic, fairytale structures
of the Royal Pavilion in Brighton.
I am especially moved by those magical moments when
fleeting effects of light and shade transform both land
and sky. Silk is the perfect medium on which to capture
these exciting images!
Each silk painting I create is special and unique. I
do hope that my paintings reflect the fun and excitement
I have had in creating them! |
