~The Art of Silk Painting~

Silk is a beautiful gift from nature that has been cultivated for over 3,500 years and has been enjoyed for over 4,000 years. Ancient colorants and resist techniques were developed to adorn the woven cloth of silk and cotton that came from India and China. The wax resist techniques of India have been documented back to the second century A.D. and two-hundred years later the wax techniques filtrated into Java, which became the center of the Batik industry.

Gutta is most likely a more recent development in the history of resist techniques; however, the origin of the craft remains somewhat of a mystery. It could be surmised that the art has its origins in the Indonesian islands, where the Pallaquium tree (from which gutta-percha is obtained) grow naturally. Resist techniques have long been part of the culture and industry of this region.

Silk is created by silkworms - the bombyx mori moth. This moth is one of the earliest domesticated animals. It needs human intervention to survive because it cannot fly. Silk is created by insects and this may be why no insects will eat it. Silk is an animal protein similar to our own hair; which is why it has a sensuous, warm, luxurious touch. 

The beauty and rich feel of silk has made it a valuable source of trade for many centuries. It is the strongest of all natural fibers. For its weight, it is stronger than steel, and as a result of this silk has been used as sails on boats, as parachutes, in hot-air balloons and as protective armor. 

Silk is able to absorb up to thirty times its weight in water and it is warmer than wool. Silk has been with us for centuries. Records indicate that silk has been in production before 6803 B.C. and silk is archival. There are examples of still brightly colored silk found in China from the third and fourth century B.C. Silk was the painting support of choice long before canvas or paper was ever used. 

Silk paintings are created on white silk. The dyes are painted onto the stretched surface of the silk using a paintbrush. The dyes flow into the fiber and bond with the proteins, becoming a part of the silk thread. This is different than oil, acrylic, or watercolor paints which sit on the surface of the support. These paintings are steam set, locking the dyes into the fiber and making the color of the painting reasonably light-fast and washable. 

As the history above suggests, silk painting has been with us for a very long time. There was a resurgence of interest in silk painting in France early in the 19th century with the discovery of gutta, (mentioned above). Gutta is a rubbery resist that can be used to create boundary lines on a silk. The dyes that normally would flow through the silk are stopped at the boundary created by the gutta. This gives the artist control over positioning the dyes on the fabric, allowing them to create images. There are also other more recent materials that help the artist control the way the dyes move through the silk. Many artists use a dye thickener or an anti-fusant on the surface of the silk to slow the progress of the dyes through the silk. 

Painting with silk is a multi-faceted process, such as with the fabric itself. Many strands or processes are combined and woven together to produce the 'whole' cloth. At the point in time when the exquisite silks are even further enhanced with exceptionally brilliant liquid colors and merge together, becoming an integral part of the fabric; an extraordinary and incomparable synergy of art and beauty is created.

Silk painting is not a static art form, in fact, quite the contrary. As with watercolor, the hallmark of silk painting is its movement and fluidity. Unlike paper, working on silk is truly a sensuous experience. While your hand delicately guides the movement of the liquid colors, these colors flow and glide through the silk. When the artist begins to paint, they become one with the process and find a 'connection' between the medium they're creating on and their personal desire to express themself in an emotional way.

Painting on silk is creating Art on fabric, with the silk as your canvas. The term Momme, actually pronounced 'moe-me' and represented with (mm), is a unit of measurement for silk fabric. It is a measure of the weight of silk fabric and is one of the factors used to determine the quality and value of silk. The higher the Momme, the higher the value is.

Silk painting can be done on different surfaces, with or without the artist's control, in styles ranging from intricate to free form. The transparency of silk is so exquisite and delicate that you will soon discover colors  you never imagined!