Gloria Lanza-Bajo, Chapter President
Artist Profile
I have been silk painting for 20 years. As the daughter of a dress designer, I’ve always been attracted to fabrics, and silk painting dyes and textures speak to my soul. I started by painting silk botanical scarves and pillows and studied with Nina Suarez at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, where I eventually taught beginning silk painting.
I currently paint abstractly since it gives me freedom to explore color and texture and I’m not limited by the gutta serti method. I use soy wax, salt and stamping as part of my repertoire. I’ve studied silk painting with Sissi Siska, Susan Moyers and Suzanne Punch. I am currently VP, Treasurer of Silk Painters International, and President of SPIN’s NY Chapter.
Lydia Bang
Artist Profile
Lydia Bang studied silk painting in South Korea’s prestigious Ewha Women’s University. She has a graduate degree in their Industrial Design Program. In Seoul, she showcased her works in two different group exhibitions. After moving to the United States, for two years she worked at the Palos Verdes Art Center in California as an artist.
In New Jersey, she is working as a member of SPIN (Silk Painters International) and also as a member of New York Silk Painters. In December of 2015 she held a solo exhibition at the Palisades Park Library. In late 2016 she held a group exhibition (Art Pop Up Store) at Chelsea Gallery, New York as well as an exhibition at the Fort Lee Library.
Her goal through silk painting is to use colors as a voice in various ways to inspire a beautiful life. She currently resides in New Jersey, where she works on her pieces.
P J Cobbs
Artist Profile
PJ Cobbs is a former fashion journalist who gave up the Prada for a paintbrush.
The British-born Cobbs was inspired to try painting on silk for fashion and function (“Comfortable Paintings” pillows) while living in Paris in the 1990s, at the same time covering fashion shows for various publications. Her subjects included portraits of friends and custom fabrics for various designers.
She began painting on clothing, included silk ensembles and decorating vintage trench coats. Spotted in her hand-painted designs: Queen Latifah, Heidi Klum, Daisy Fuentes, best-selling author Harriette Cole and many others. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Essence, Continental Airlines magazine, Uptown, New York Post, New York Daily News, Cigar Aficionado, House & Garden, Black Enterprise, Look Online.com, Fashion Wire Daily and Fiberarts.
For her latest works, Cobbs scouts the streets capturing images for her “New York Neighborhoods” series, featuring a subjective selection of locales that appeal to both locals and tourists.
Cobbs has exhibited at the Gallery of Wearable Art, Casa Frela Gallery in Harlem, the American Gallery in New York, Hamilton Landmark Gallery, the Harlem Textile Works and in Scope Hamptons. One of her pillows is in a 911 collection at the Smithsonian.
Her work is sold at the NiLu Gallery in Harlem and online on Etsy.com.
Teaching gigs include the Textile Arts Center, JCC Manhattan and the Brooklyn, Queens and New York Public Library; the Newark Museum of Art, and the Art School at Kapalua; she has also been invited to teach at the Hui’Noeau in Maui.
She works from her hole studio in the East Village.
Christine Cusmano
Artist Profile
Christine Cusmano is a newcomer to the art of Silk Painting. The New Jersey artist has worked in Mixed Media, Pastels, Textile and Ceramic Tile. Her current focus is on framed Silk Paintings and Silk Wearables using transparent liquid French Dyes on white China Silk.
Christine graduated from Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts with degree in Graphic Design and specialty studies at School of Visual Arts, Manhattan and VACNJ, Summit. Exhibitions include Washington Square outdoor Art Show.
Christine owned and operated a successful Art and Framing Gallery for over 10 years and worked in Retail Visual Merchandising for over 20 years. She currently lives with her husband James in Long Valley, NJ.
James Cusmano
Artist Profile
James Cusmano is a native New Jersey artist working in Pastels, Oils, Watercolor, Printmaking, Textile and Ceramic Tile. His current focus is on vibrant nature-themed paintings using transparent liquid French Dyes on white China Silk.
James has a degree in Fine Art and Design from Pratt Institute, NY with specialty studies at School of Visual Arts, Manhattan and VACNJ, Summit. He has taught silk painting at VACNJ, and at the Center for Contemporary Art, Bedminster.
Exhibitions include the Morris County Arts Workshop-Solo, Bernardsville Public Library-Solo, Washington Square outdoor, Gracie Mansion outdoor, Center for Contemporary Art outdoor, and VACNJ Members Shows.
Cusmano owned and operated a successful art and framing gallery for over 10 years. His work is included in corporate and private collections ranging from 6” x 6” to 96” x 192”. He currently lives with his wife Christine in Long Valley,NJ.
Calice Fyffe
Artist Profile
Calice Fyffe is a New York native who discovered her love for silk painting when she was transitioning from oil on canvas paintings. After researching various styles of painting, Calice came across a few textile artists whose work inspired her. An opportunity to study with two master silk painters, Sissi Siska and Suzanne Punch was the result.
Through studying with these artists, Calice learned about a variety of silk painting methods including the serti technique, underpainting, wax and alcohol. Calice utilizes both clear and colored gutta in her designs as well as alcohol to add variety to her creations. Calice’s style ranges from abstract, organic shapes to floral imagery. Working with silk dyes gives her the freedom to create paintings that are both rich in color and intricate in detail.
Susan Grant
Artist Profile
Susan Grant is relatively new to silk painting. Largely self-taught, she has been passionately pursuing many forms of textile art for her adult life – in between raising a family in New Jersey and reinventing herself professionally several times. After retiring from the pharmaceutical industry in 2007, Susan has been developing a line of one-of-a-kind wearable art constructed from vintage textiles, most particularly Japanese kimono. Somewhere along the way she began painting on the china silk linings of the kimono she imported – and a new passion was ignited! Susan is still developing her silk painting style and prefers to depict God’s nature, especially landscapes, birds and flowers, often with an Asian flair.
Ronda Lanzi
Artist Profile
Ronda Lanzi studied oil painting at Loomis Chaffee school and took courses in painting and architecture while completing her degree in electrical engineering at Tufts University.
Ms. Lanzi lived in London for two years in the early 2000’s, and as member of the Royal Horticultural Society, took two courses in painting on silk. Her teacher was John Farmelo, an internationally recognized artist, teacher, and member of the Silk Painters Guild. This ignited her passion for the medium.
Linda G. Parker
Artist Profile
Suzanne Punch
Artist Profile
Pushing the boundaries of this ancient medium since 1984 and bringing a fine art sensibility to the interaction of dyes and resist on silk, Suzanne Punch has opened up new possibilities of painterly expression. Suzanne’s work has been exhibited across the US, in England and Japan, in gallery, private and museum settings.
Sissi Siska
Artist Profile
Sissi Siska is a leading American voice in silkpainting. Her work is prominently featured in Susan L. Moyer’s classic book Silkpainting: The Artist’s Guide to Gutta and Wax Resist Techniques, now considered the “Bible” of silkpainting. Her custom fabrics have appeared on the runways of Perry Ellis, Marc Jacobs and Isaac Mizrahi.
Sissi’s framed fine art silk pieces have been widely exhibited and are in collections worldwide. Her large scale banner pieces were a featured part of a joint show at the the US Botanical Garden / Smithsonian Museum in Jan 2004.
Sissi has taught at Penland School of Craft, School of Visual Arts, the Newark Museum, RIT, Peters Valley, Arrowmont School of Craft, and IS 183, among others .
Publication credits include: New York Spaces Magazine, New York Times, Vogue, Mademoiselle, Boston Globe, Surface Design Magazine, Fiberarts, the Guild Sourcebook of American Crafts and Women’s Wear Daily, among others.
Sissi was recently featured in American Artist Magazine (online) validating the work of all Silkpainters as a Fine-Art form.
Johanna Tiemann, Ph.D.
Artist Profile
Fascination with silk’s reaction to dye, and dye’s reaction to silk drew Johanna to silk painting. Johanna’s acceptance that these media drive the direction of the work has allowed her to see that she is merely a participant in the work, not its creator. Painting on silk has taught Johanna to let go of what she cannot control, a profound lesson that reverberates in her daily life as well as in her artistic work.
Johanna has been instructed and mentored by the extraordinary silk painters Sissi Siska and Suzanne Punch. She first met Siska in 2006 after spontaneously taking to the idea of painting on silk. Siska taught Johanna the fundamentals of the art, and then acquainted her with a wide range of tools and techniques. Siska’s inventive spirit encouraged Johanna to explore diverse materials. Punch has cemented her understanding of these basics, and has helped her to expand the complexity and scope of her work. These two mentors have guided Johanna to free expression through this medium.
