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Kathleen Stuart - Artist
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My Silk Painting in Places Near and Far

10/20/2015

6 Comments

 
 I've had a lot of interest and questions about my silk painting in the Terrace Art Gallery show so thought I could share the making of this piece on-line. Blue Morpho, Poison Dart Frogs and the Resplendant Quetzal began life as several watercolour paintings but I couldn't capture the iridescent colours as I saw them in Costa Rica. I had just purchased a sampler set of water-based G&S Liquid Colours after watching silk artist Jean Batiste videos so decided to play with the new products. I usually use silk artist Leonard Thompson's technique of "hidden" gutta lines in my silk paintings but tried Jean Baptiste's acetate cones to apply a coloured resist. I mixed up the water based resist, added black Liquid Colour, got a nice flowing consistency and got to work simplifying my sketches directly on the silk with the resist. The cones when I figured out how to vary the size of the openings work very well and are very kind for arthritic hands!
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At this point I am happy with the design and added pure and diluted colours.
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Everything seems to be going well, no big splotches and resist lines are holding nicely. After a day of toying with different layouts for the backgrounds, I choose my sketch and use the same black water-based resist.
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I continue on, playing with Jean Baptiste's shimmering light technique until I am finished painting. The Liquid Colours are fixed with a warm iron, no fussing for hours with a steamer, then G&S Dyes recommend waiting a few days before washing to retain colour brightness.
I cannot begin to tell you my dismay when I washed the silk and saw the black in the resist float off into the water! All those hours gone in 2minutes in the wash! BUT I ironed the silk, looked at the lovely soft grey resist lines and liked the finished piece better than with the heavier  black lines I had planned!
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I am delighted to say that the piece sold at the opening reception and is off to a new home when the show closes on Saturday October 24.

And two lessons learned: 1)  read instructions before using new materials [I should have substituted black Liquid Colour for water in mixing the resist, not added black to water mixed resist] and 2) accidental experiments can be very rewarding!

You can see the rest of my pieces in Places Near and Far on my Picasa public site.
6 Comments
Carol Martin
10/20/2015 09:45:49 pm

I love the description of the process and also the finished work. Just beautiful!

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Joan Conway link
10/21/2015 12:36:01 pm

Very important lessons to be sure. Thank-you for sharing your process. I was really taken with this piece, along with many others of your work and love the attention, thoroughness and beauty that you invest in your pieces. Congratulations on a magnificent show

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Margie Waldie
11/11/2015 12:38:45 pm

Our oil painting group in Smithers got chatting and your name came up. Dawn Remington was eager to see your work online. She had heard Sarah Holben sheen sp? and I trying to look up your recent show as we thought we'd take a trip out together, but alas, it was over.
Both gals send their regards. I sense a plien aire session for us out your way in warmer weather, maybe Onion Lakes.

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Diane Stawicki
6/10/2019 05:25:51 pm

Hello..I was reading that you have used Leonard Thompson Hidden resist lines .....I have read it so many times...Could you explain how to do it ? I'm not understanding. Do you apply the clear resist then add dye next to it ....do you have to wash out that line? Then apply another resist line on top of dye? otherwise don't you still have a white line? I would really appreciate help...

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Taylor Roberts link
10/24/2022 09:33:24 pm

Various seven relationship attention left certain court meet. Agree if our heart into fish figure beautiful. Where say town interest lose.

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Samuel Peters link
11/12/2022 02:52:34 am

House value visit. Computer but admit mention performance. Often interesting early none activity song Republican.
National purpose station. Quality among piece why.

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    Kathleen Stuart is a paper and fibre artist who lives in northern British Columbia, Canada.

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