About Painting on Silk
For thousands of years artists have been using various techniques to paint on silk. The method I use has evolved from Russian refugees working in Paris 150 years ago.
When a liquid paint is applied to silk, the fabric absorbs the pigment, giving a ‘spreading’ effect until the paint has completely dried. To control this a ‘gutta’ can be used. This is a liquid water based gum applied using a plastic nozzle bottle with a fine metal nib. This dries, blocking the fibres of the silk therefore preventing the spread of the paints.
Applying gutta is an art in itself, as the silk has to be stretched on a frame and there is nothing for the artist to rest their arm on whilst applying an even pressure on the nozzle bottle to extract a consistent line of gutta. The line needs to be continuous; any irregularity in pressure forms either a ‘gap’ or a ‘blob’. Any ‘gaps’ in the line will allow the paint to flow freely through, often to where it was not planned to go.
If the gutta is applied well, then the paint can be placed within the gutta line and will only spread to where the gutta has now blocked the fibres of the silk.
Over the past twenty years I have found that, with careful use of brushes, the paint can be applied in such a way to control the flow, reducing the need for a solid gutta line to be applied. With increased speed, I was able to gradually reduced the thickness of my gutta lines, building up texture with dry brushwork and many layers of paint.
Over the past two years I have been working on my portraiture on silk, and found that, for best results, I needed to work without Gutta. This process can take many months to build up enough layers to finally be able to paint fine detail onto the surface of the silk. Also by working on thicker silks and satins I could control the flow and intensity of the paints.
From what I had developed with my portraiture, I was able to return to floral paintings with a vast new resource of techniques. Although, each layer of paint needs to be applied with speed and accuracy, as no mistakes can be rectified. By working on several paintings at any one time, I am able to retain the freshness of the subject despite the many weeks of work each one takes.
Most of the flowers I paint are painted from life, holding the stem in my left hand whilst I paint with the right. I grow my own orchids, lilies, strelitzias, roses and cannas, and the other flowers I carefully select from friends gardens or markets. If I am unable to complete a painting during the flowers life I take many photographs from which I can complete the painting.
Paula Carnell Gallery
Floral
I began my silk painting career by painting flowers, although usually in vases with backgrounds. Now...(more)
Portraits
Since early childhood, I have been fascinated by portraiture and people-watching! It has been a goal...(more)