Ann Graham's Scenic Scarf

The judges of the Hot Tropics show selected Ann Graham's silk scarf for recognition. Ann says, "The design for the scarf originated while walking within the campus of a woman's college in the UK. I made a few sketches of lichen growing up a stone wall and some old vines that had crept along the wall. There were other elements of that walk that were sketched out but were not incorporated into this scarf. The color palette was consistent with spring in the UK - wet, green and gray! When I got home, I made a rough draft of the placement of the elements and used watercolor paints to test the various hues. I think the muted colors and chromatic grays are successful in capturing the weather that day."

Here's Ann's description of her technique: "The scarf was painted with French silk dyes (Pebeo Soie) and a water-soluble resist (Resistad) available from ProColour, a New Zealand dye company. There were no thickeners used. Using a water-soluble resist requires carefully stabilizing the scarf on a frame that is just larger than the scarf, using a resist applicator with a fine nib, and applying the resist with a steady hand! Once the resist is dry, it needs to be ironed before applying any dyes. The scarf, once completed and dried, was steamed for three hours, washed and pressed. With a water-soluble resist, the need for dry cleaning is eliminated."


This close-up of the scarf shows the detail Ann was able to achieve with this method. You can see the whole scarf on our January 12 post.

Getting in the Holiday Spirit

Hello and welcome to the Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery (PFAG) - my name is Ann Graham and I'll be your host and tour guide for the month of December, 2010. As you may have already sensed from earlier posts, PFAG members exhibit and sell juried items in the gallery, so we hope you'll stop by during the holiday season to find that special, unique gift - for a loved one or for yourself!

I work with silk materials, using silkscreening methods with different methods of resists. My goal is to create multiple layers of color, images and textures on one piece of art to add depth and interest to the silk.

During this month, I'll be explaining what silkscreening is and then demonstrate different resist methods that can be combined with silkscreen techniques. If you have any questions or comments, please submit them and we'll respond as promptly as possible.