Article 01 :: Silk in Santa Fe by Teena Hughes

 

Fashionista Extravaganza!

The courtyard was filled with eagerly awaiting SPIN member and visitors, wondering what the silken delights would be for this Fashionista Lunch 2004, surrounded by desert in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Like the silkworm, this event has a definite gestation period - two years had passed since the last fashion parade.

As the crowd became quiet, a haunting melody was heard, and in strolled a barefoot man playing a flute, like the Pied Piper, who was about to be followed by beauties swathed in handpainted silk from around the globe. The Pied Piper was wearing an exquisite handpainted silk outfit (including a turban) which he had created himself, an exact replica of a centuries-old design.

Visions in extraordinary colours started to emerge, to pirouette their way through the tables and guests in time to the flute's lilting music, and oohs and ahhs were heard around the courtyard filled with guests who had been waiting with great anticipation for this event.

An extraordinary amount of talent was displayed in so many wearable art pieces, each one a masterpiece of its own; it was hard to believe this represented only a small percentage of the members who were seated in this courtyard, ablaze with the colours and textures of handpainted silk. The models kept coming, more and more designs on display, each one so different from the one before.

The SPIN members seated here created a stunning rainbow of their own, swathed in delightfully unique outfits, and each artist was touched by other silk artists who seemed to absorb the beauty of each piece by osmosis through the touch of a hand on silk ...

For me it was an overwhelming experience, to share these moments with other silk artists gathering in this one spot on the earth, to share the results of their silk painting, to come together to learn and teach, to marvel at the skill with which some artists had created these flowing floating beauties in all types of silken delights.

It was a feast for the eyes, the soul, the heart ... one which I will remember for a long long time to come.

Teena Hughes
Australian Silk Artist : Textile Designer
view Teena's photos of her 3 day class online at:
www.australiansilkworm.com/santafeclass.html

Our silkartist Pied Piper

Tracy Miller looking stunning in a kimono by Addie Chernus