Silk Art Techniques and Packing

Silk Paintings on Stretcher Bars

Fine Art Silk Paintings are mounted on stretcher bars - similar to the canvas of oil or acrylic paintings. The only difference is that the canvas is replaced by a stitched sandwich of painted silk, a thin layer of poly batting and a backing from other fabric. 

The stitching of the painting (and what the batting is for) adds depth and texture to the painting. It also adds some interesting shading to the depending on the incidence of light.

These fine art silk paintings are gallery wrapped (have clean sides) and are therefore ready to hang with or without additional frames. See images above.

Paints used on these works are water resistant and lightfast although they should not be hung in direct sunlight or under strong lighting spots. It is also not recommended to use glass or plexiglass coverage - this would destroy the special magical impact silk always has on the viewer. Dust can easily be removed with a fine brush or a vacuum cleaner on lowest power. No other special care is necessary to keep these works in excellent shape for many years.

Packing

The paintings are packed in acid free paper, edges are additionally protected, wrapped in bubble wrap and in extra plastic, then in an extra layer of cartonage in order to protect the sides. See following images:

Painted Silk Scrolls

Fine Art Silk Paintings on scrolls (or painted silk scrolls) are inspired by ancient Japanese scroll paintings but technically completely different (all silk and other fabric - no paper) from traditional scroll mountings. A new component has been added - stitching - in order to add texture and depth. The painted silk scrolls consist of 3 layers: silk on top, thin batting on the middle part and the whole scrolls is faced with a backing. The scrolls can be hung on dowels (which are normally not shipped with the scrolls but can be provided if you wish - in this case they would be hand made black wooden dowels).

The dowels can be removed easily while slipped through the sleeve on the reverse side (btw - same applies to the art quilts meant as wall hangings - see image below) - as opposed to traditional scrolls where the scroll is firmly glued to the wooden dowel.

The fine art scrolls as well as the fine art silk paintings are mainly painted with silk paints from Javana and heatfixed with an iron. Sometimes acrylic paints or pigments are used for additional accents. All scrolls and paintings on stretcher bars are therefore water resistant. Although all paintings are lightfast they still should be protected from direct sunlight as any other textile wall hanging. 

Packing

The scrolls are rolled with a sheet of acid free paper, wrapped in plastic foil and bubble wrap and finally packed in a cartonage tube.

Silk Carvings©

Silk Carvings© are silk reliefs or silk sculptures. The surface of the silk is transformed completely into a bas-relief. The upper layer of a silk carving usually is one single piece of silk sculptured into a 3-dimensional form. Additionally various painting techniques are used to create different visual impacts and to enhance the impression of depth and distance (trompe d'oeuil). Thus silk can paradoxically look like stone or metal or any other material. The result is a fine art silk sculpture that appears different from any angle and changes again depending on the incidence of light. Silk Carvings© are hung on a dowel through a sleeve on the back (which are normally not shipped with the silk carving but can be provided if you wish - in this case they would be hand made black wooden dowels).

Painting materials and handling are the same as above.

Packing

The silk carvings are usually loosely rolled with a sheet of acid free paper, wrapped in plastic foil and bubble wrap and finally packed in a cartonage.

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