Silk Scrolls - The Vision

This was the second painted silk scroll from the Ornaments series, which again belongs to my Asian style paintings on silk. I would like to show you The Vision in detail.

This scroll could be "used" in a meditation room - looking at it makes you feel calm and easy, giving you a dreamlike feeling, wonderful for relaxation and getting off the daily duties. There is an aura emanating from these faces that cannot be described although painted in a very simple manner this is a kind of serendipity and was not planned in detail. The decent colours calm eye and spirit and the landscape with the ethereal Buddha faces make you feel entranced.

“The Vision”

53″ x 22″

 Silk Scroll

I believe that it is extremely important that you have a place where you can calm down and give your thoughts a pause. Our psyche needs some time now and then where problems have to give path otherwise we are becoming ill. This is not esoteric nonsense but a means to stay healthy. Running from one appointment to the next is not the purpose of our lives. So we all need a pause for taking a deep breath and stop for some time, looking inside and then taking the next step.

Working on this scroll was a great joy. Not only because it reminded me of my wonderful travels to Asia for many years but also of the landscapes even here in Europe: landscapes you can experience in the early morning hours during summer time, when the cold air is rising from the lakes and where you don’t hear anything but natural sounds. Yes – even in the crowded and overpopulated regions here in Europe you can find this.

And while meditating on your memories it can happen, that images blend with one another and become a wonderful feeling. Exactly this feeling I tried to re-create in this painting.

Here are some details of this silk scroll....

There is nothing new to add to the working process of this painted scroll. The details have been described already in the post about The Weaver I used the same kind of thin silk (Habotai), transferred a drawing to it and then painted the middle piece. The landscape has been painted directly to the silk.

Also on this scroll the filigree ornaments on the head and bottom piece shall remind of the sophisticated textils prints in India and Indonesia which are processed manually with handcarved stamps in many many working hours.

The delicate pattern here is not a print but painted separately. First I created a drawing as a template. Using a light table (self made) this template was transferred to the silk. For painting the very delicate lines on silk I used a textile pen with an extra, very thin tip and a brush that was nearly dry. You need a lot of practise for this kind of work on silk as silk paint is easily flowing like dye – mostly in the wrong direction. You cannot repair any mistake.

Also in this case I have added a virtually framed version of the scroll below. Similar to the fine art prints I am offering on Etsy the original scroll could be handled like a silk painting by framing just the middle piece.

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Special Acrylic Painting Techniques on Rayon - Triassic Prints III

This is the last acrylic painting of the tiny Fossils series - Triassic Prints III. I am collecting minerals, crystals and fossils. But not only that I am also digging them up when I find the time and the right place. It is so much fun and very relaxing. The name comes from the imprints of fossils you can often find in stones. Ferns are the oldest plants on our earth - I just love them because they are ancient, reminiscent of life that is millions of years old and that has survived since.

This series about Fossils started with a special painting technique I am using normally on silk only - dye resist painting. This means the shadowy patterns of the ferns have been created with dye paint resists in several layers just similar to the batik techniques only that instead of wax a water soluble gel has been used. It was an experiment because this technique is commonly used on thin cloth such as silk or cotton batiste not on rather thick rayon fabric I used here.

"Triassic Prints III"

40" x 13"

Acrylic on Rayon

 Here are some details again....

I have also added an image of an example how this painting could look like mounted on a sophisticated frame. There are endless possibilities....

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Silk Paintings - Tassili I

The original paintings of the Tassili series are painted on silk and reflect the rock paintings that have been found in the Tassili N'Ajjer, which is a part of the Sahara and belongs to Algeria. The size of the Tassili desert is twice the size of Switzerland and is one of the largest national parks of the world. Unfortunately it is not easy to access due to the political situation.

Tassili N'Ajjer means "Plateau of the Rivers" in Arabic and stretches between the borders of Libya and Niger. According to Wikipedia the mountain range is "noted for its prehistoric rock art and other ancient archaeological sites, dating from the Neolithic era when the local climate was less dry, savannah rather than desert. The art is no older than 9–10 millennia, according to OSL dating of associated sediments, but may be younger. The art depicts herds of cattle, large wild animals including crocodiles, and human activities such as hunting and dancing."
According to UNESCO, "The exceptional density of paintings and engravings have made Tassili world famous as from 1933, the date of its discovery. 15,000 engravings have been identified to date."

These cave and rock paintings are so fascinating because they seem to be timeless. Although thousands of years old they reveal a modern elegance and have been inspirational to countless artists. I just loved to see them and they sparked a variety of images in my head which I tried to transform on silk...

"Tassili I"

40" x 13"

silk, stitched

Here are some details of the silk painting....

This silk painting can be acquired at the BoxHeart Gallery in Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

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