This is the second Festival issue featuring artists and instructors who will be teaching at the 2014 Silk Festival in Santa Fe, NM.  Shibori artist and designer Carter Smith is a teacher at the Festival.  For the Silkworm, he explained what led him to the work he does.  Brecia Kralovic-Logan excerpts from her book, The SPIRAL of Creativity- Mastering the Art of a Spirited Life while Diane Lawrence presents some fresh perspectives on painting on silk.

In This Issue

Carter Smith Does Tie-Dye
by Tunizia Abdur-Raheem

During the ‘60s in America, tie-dye became a part of the youth culture. You might remember dyeing tied cloth in the bathtub of your childhood home or that of your friend’s. Or perhaps it was some class assignment?

The project always consisted of an old white t-shirt and some ribbons, strings and rubber bands. You would wrap and roll those t-shirts and tie them in places – intricate or less intricate, depending upon the nimbleness of your small fingers. Or you’d create small pouches on the cloth by pulling at little pieces of the t-shirt and encircling those small snippets with rubber bands.

At different stages of the tying process, you would dip your piece of cloth – in this case, the old t-shirt – into different shades of dye. After you’ve had fun exploring all the pretty colors, and you’ve watched white fabric turn gold, red or whatever colors you’d chosen, you’d rinse the excess dye with cold water before untying your finished product.

This was always part of the excitement, too, figuring out what it was going to look like when you untied the cloth. And wasn’t it exciting when you’d unwrap your shirt and saw the amazing splash of colors? The discovery was so exciting, so unusual. The cloth was so unlike anything you saw in a store. Who knew you could create your own patterns on cloth.

 (To read more, go to Vol. 21, Issue No. 2.)

Create With Passion and Fuel your Creativity
by Brecia Kralovic-Logan

Creating color, pattern, and texture on silk is a fabulously ensuous and exciting process.  It’s no wonder that so many of us have fallen head over heels in love with this creative and satisfying activity.  My own love affair with silk has inspired two trips to Japan to study sericulture and the many facets of dyeing, stitching, and painting on silk fabric.  Over the years I have enthusiastically enjoyed weaving and knitting with silk. I have loved creating wearable art with silk and currently, I’m absolutely crazy about creating painted silk collages.

I am thrilled to be teaching at the Silk in Santa Fe Festival this July. As an arts educator I invite my students to push past their preconceived notions of what is possible and tap into their inner creative resources to play, explore, and discover new possibilities. Fostering creativity is an important element of all of my workshops.  (To read more, go to Vol. 21, Issue No. 2.)

Fluid Fascination

Fresh Perspectives on Silk Painting
by Diane Lawrence

Every artist has gone through changes in their work. These changes may occur from things that are happening in an artist’s life or a heightened awareness.

As an artist I have tried to let my subject influence the approach I should use. The techniques I use have evolved through much experience and experimentation. As a silk painter we don’t have the luxury of layering on brush strokes of oil paint to develop a painting. Most of the time, thinking, drawing and planning are a part of the creative process before the painting is begun.

The transitions within my work have been varied but nature is always the primary interest. I live in Kansas and am surrounded by vast plains and uninterrupted skies.  (To read more, go to Vol. 21, Issue No. 2.)