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Silk painting is the art of applying pigment to silk cloth. With over 2,000 years of history and technique, the art originated in China. Silk painting is older than the invention of paper, making it one of the oldest surfaces for art. In ancient China, the art was known as 'Bo' painting. Compared to wood, stone, or bamboo, silk was luxurious, easy to cut, and lightweight, making it the preferred canvas of ancient China. Today, silk art can be found all over the world, combining modern materials and styles with the techniques of old Asia and Europe.
This silk painting from the 12th century is a famous, intricate, and impressive design from early China.
Contemporary Silk Painting
Daniel Jean Baptiste is a silk artist from Saint Lucia. He was born in 1963. He was exposed to silk painting when he moved to Canada where he worked for an art company in Toranto. Later, he moved back to Saint Lucia to start his family and continue his silk painting. His vibrant art is inspired by nature, and he uses exquisite colors to expertly execute his work.
Daniel Jean-Baptiste Art
1. Fill the pipette with gutta and prepare dyes.
2. Draw your design on a piece of paper. Use a pencil to trace the design onto the silk.
3. Pin silk on the frame before using gutta. Stretch silk onto the frame and use plenty of pins.
4. Trace gutta over you design.
5. Paint inside your gutta shapes.
6. Have plenty of water dishes for mixing and diluting colors as well as for rinsing the brushes.
The materials needed for silk painting are:
Silk - desired weight and color
Dyes - iron-fixed or steam-fixed
Gutta - wax-like substance used to separate colors
Pipette - transparent bottle used to draw with the gutta
Frame - used to stretch silk over
Silk Pins - used to secure silk to frame
Brushes - desired size and shape
Silk Art
Gutta: Wax-like substance used as a border for dye.
Silk: A fine, strong, soft, lustrous fiber produced by silkworms in making cocoons and collected to make thread and fabric.
Frame: A wooden structure used to stretch and hold silk.
Pipette: A narrow tube used to draw in or dispense liquid.
A silk worm is the larvae or caterpillar of a moth that produces silk. Silkworms live in mulberry trees and eat its leaves. They are native to China (this is why silk was prevalent in early Chinese art), but can no longer survive in a natural habitat, depending on silk producers to live. A lot of the time, silk worms are killed in the silk harvesting process, which is why it is important to buy silk that is made by silk producers that protect their silkworms.