Silk Painters International – New York Metro Chapter

New York Metro Silk Painters is a Chapter of Silk Painters International (SPIN), an organization of silk artists, painters, practitioners and educators, whose mission is to promote worldwide recognition of silk art.

Our Chapter is a group of artists in the New York Metro area who create art on silk and desire to share our journey with others working in the same medium. We meet quarterly to learn different techniques, visit museums or galleries, encourage one another, collaborate and plan exciting future exploits. Located in the heart of the art and fashion world, we welcome members from the region who would like to join us.

Our group has many experienced silk artists, some of whom have been painting on silk for more than thirty years and some who have more recently begun to explore this art form. Several members bring experience from the fashion industry, have degrees in fine art and graphic art and are currently teaching. All are creating beautiful artwork, some of which you can see on this site.

In the bios, there is a link to each artist’s website where you can see more of their work.

Click here to learn more about our parent organization SPIN.

What is Silk Painting?

Silk paintings are created on white silk using a paint brush, the dyes are painted onto the stretched surface of the silk. The dyes flow into the fiber and bond with the proteins, becoming a part of the silk thread. This is different from oil, acrylic or watercolor paints which sit on the surface of the support. Silk paintings are steam set, locking the dyes into the fiber and making the color of the painting reasonably lightfast and washable.

Silk painting has existed for centuries. There was a resurgence of interest in silk painting in France in the early nineteenth century with the discovery of gutta. Gutta is a rubbery resist that can used to create boundary lines on silk. The dyes that normally flow through the silk are stopped by the barrier created by the gutta. This gives the artist control over positioning the dyes on the fabric allowing them to create images.

There are also more recent materials that help the artist control the way the dyes move through the silk. Many artists use a dye thickener or an antifusant on the surface of the silk to slow the flow of the dyes through the silk. There are many techniques used by silk fine artists to express themselves in the medium.

For more information about SPIN and the range of silk art techniques, we invite you to visit www.silkpainters.org.

Contact Gloria Lanza-Bajo, Chapter President glbsilk@earthlink.com