Silk Creations by Janey hand paints every silk by brush. No vat dipping, tie dying or stenciling used in the process.

At almost every show, I hear comments from people saying "oh, I have done this at a fair" or "my son (or daughter) did that in camp".  I understand the comments are because there is a misunderstanding about my art and the process that I go through when I am painting my silk.

First and foremost, I do not vat dip or tie dye.  That is what people do at fairs, festivals and camps.  It is fun.  It IS really cool. BUT it is not what I do. 

Each and every one of my pieces of art are painted by hand, by brush.  I have never used a vat nor do I tie dye.  Each silk has from 12 to over 30 layers of dye on them.  They are then steamed for hours to make sure that each of the colors is permanently set.  After the silk is steamed, the silk rests in the newsprint paper it was steamed in for over 24 hours.  At this point, each silk has another 1.5 hours of heat and hot water processing to make sure the colors are set and any excess dye has been removed.  This is why the silks ARE washable. 

Now, please keep in mind that I know a lot of incredible artists who vat dip and also tie dye.  The best artists create amazing pieces.  Hand painting silk by brush is a much different form of the art.  It takes a lot of time, space and patience.  I truly LOVE what I do and each layer creates a new and incredible dimension to the silk.

Silk Creations by Janey Show Set Up is a lot harder than you think.....

As an artist, one spends a lot of time trying to share his or her passion with the world.  One of the best ways in this day and age is to participate in shows.  These shows can be either local or national.  The bigger and more national shows are VERY expensive and yes, we pay to participate.  Sometimes, local shows are inexpensive but it still means you have to set up your "store".

This past Saturday, Silk Creations by Janey participated in the Dupont Circle Art Rave.  Arriving at 8:30 a.m. to a completely empty parking lot, it took 2.5 hrs to create this....

And then we closed at 5 p.m......and by 6 p.m., the parking lot was empty again.  It is a pretty strenuous job especially since Silk Creations by Janey is staffed by only one person....me.  All of the set up is done alone and keep in mind the grid walls weigh up to 80 lbs each.  Great workout!!!  Lol!!

As you can see, there are the parking space paints below the flooring I put down to create my "pop up" store.  So, this post is to let you know that original and one of a kind art work is not just the work on the piece....it is also what we do behind the scene.  That is why one of my creations is not the same price that you can buy a rayon scarf at Marshalls.  I love my work and each and every one is a unique and one of a kind piece of art you can wear.  Oh!!  And they are also washable!