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.
