Featured Artist- Tina Gleave

Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to Tina Gleave. Her work is amazing, bright, and so lifelike. I am so glad to have her join the silk painting team and to get to know her a bit through this interview.

Tell us a bit about you:

I moved to Northern California in 1993 to attend Humboldt State University. I entered college an Art Therapy major, but felt very emotionally drained from the Therapy of Psychology. Ultimately, I earned my Business Administration Degree with emphasis in Management, Marketing and Accounting.

When I started my family, I earned my Early Childhood Education Degree and now own and teach Pre-School.


I ultimately put art on hold for at least 10 years. My children and business were my life. So, in August 2011, when a friend offered me an Art Therapy ‘Scarf Painting’ night out-I was excited to do something artistic again after being dormant for so long.

Why silk painting?

I have always been attracted to Watercolor Paintings, but have never found my skill in that medium. My paper would always end up a holy mess, overworked and never capturing the color I wanted. When I started working on Silk, it literally captivated me! The rich, vibrant colors just struck a chord in my heart that I had never heard before. That first night painting the scarf, I stayed for hours painting my heart out. My friend didn’t have the heart to send me on my way. She could sense something had been stirred in my soul that was literally playing out before our eyes. The silk seems to be like the Watercolor I was always searching for…

What inspires your paintings?

Light and Nature are great inspirations to me. I’m an avid reader and am constantly trying to learn new applications and techniques on silk. I love pushing the limits with my art and get excited for the challenge of that next highly difficult project.

What is your work space like?

My work space is my kitchen table right now. However, I am setting up our recently vacated studio apartment as my NEW Art Space. My family is fed up with all of my stuff overflowing in the main house.

What are you currently painting?

 

Currently, I am on the Steering Committee for the North Coast Open Studios Tour. www.northcoastopenstudios.com It takes place the first two weekends in June. So I’m painting like mad to fill my Art Space for the weekend.

I’m also working with a photographer to bring some new challenge to my art. My Monarch Series is in the works. The first Monarchs “Morning Light” was a great challenge, but I enjoyed researching for it too.

How have you found your niche selling online? What advice can you offer the rest of us?

I try to offer a superior product with excellent Customer Service. I open a line of communication with each client and treat them like gold. Word of mouth has been the best marketing for me.

I’m still very new online with etsy. I opened my business account in 2011, but quickly realized I was not where I wanted to be as an artist. I put that on hold and took two classes with Master Silk Painters. Each have very individual styles and techniques that I wanted to be exposed to in order to learn to be a better painter. So, I’m changing and growing in a very dynamic way and I feel that my clients are enjoying the roller coaster ride of art change too! I take risks, offer lots of color and always challenge the everyday thinking.

What do you do you do when you are not painting?

When I’m not Silk Painting, I’m spending time with my family. We love the outdoors-camping, hiking, biking and fishing-me especially fishing! We all are Archery lovers, but my kids are getting better than me because I’m painting way too much these days.

Find Tina here:

Etsy

Luiza Malinowska- Featured Artist

Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to Luiza of MinkuLUL.
Her work is superb, and the more I see of it the more I am awed. Enjoy our interview with Luiza.


About you:

I'm a painter with a degree in landscape architecture, who always loved to create her own clothes. I live in cold Poland and am constantly dreaming about relocating to sunny Italy. In the snowy months of winter I let my passion take charge and paint my dreams on silk and other textiles: flowers, animals and landscapes.

Why silk painting?

I started painting watercolors many years ago, as a child – my grandma encouraged me and taught me to love nature. Some years ago I stumbled upon the possibility of painting on fabrics, and gradually I moved from painting on T-shirts and jeans to lovely smooth shiny silks, which is quite similar to watercolors, but so much more...! Now I try so hard to find my place on Etsy to support my passion, because now I can't imagine my life without painting (maybe it's a bit of a cliché but still that's the truth) and creating items of everyday wear. I really find this type of art 'useful' and 'purposeful' – it's lovely to see other people wearing your own creations!

What inspires your paintings?

I love nature and find inspiration in floral motives as well as in Art-Nouveau. I love painting landscapes and probably I'm a traditionalist if it comes to watercolors, but painting those watercolor on silk is something I find really challenging and new.

What is your favorite silk painting you have done?

I think it must be scarf called 'Sunset' I really love how it lightens up a person who wears it. As you can see there's almost no gutta used – I'm so proud how it turned up!

Your favorite type of silk, dyes, resist, etc.

I try to get my supplies locally and support polish business so I use polish paint (which you can buy only in few shops here). I love Javana gutta but I had some problems with theirs paints (one just won't stay on the silk, the others leave stains). I really don't recommend Deco Gutta from Lefranc & Bourgeois – the colourless one will be almost invisible after drying and you won't see it on your silk.

Please share a tip for other silk artists or those interested in silk art

I really encourage everyone to try painting without using gutta: its' really possible to get general sharps of landscapes for instance, you just have to “fight” one color with another by controlling the spread with second brush. Oh, and a simple syringe from a pharmacy will make a great pipette for taking your paint out of the jar without spreading it all over your workplace!


You can find me here:
Etsy shop
DaWanda shop
Deviantart account
Facebook accout
Twitter
Pinterest

Maria Jurimae: A Featured Artist Interview

Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to Maria Jürimäe. She is one of the leaders of our Silk Artist's Team on Etsy. It has been a pleasure getting to know her a bit over the past year or so and you are in for a treat with her story today. 

 

About you:

I am an Estonian silk artist, I have painted on silk and taught silk painting for over 16 years. I am member of SPIN and one of the leaders of Silk Artists Team in Etsy. I also work at the University of Tartu in the field of education. I have two lovely daughters, 6 and 8 years old and sometimes they participate in my silk painting or develop their own creations.

Why silk painting?

I have painted with watercolors as long as I remember myself - my father is an artist, so painting was just a natural part of living. Watercolor didn't have a bad smell (like oil paints had) and the transparency and blends were enchanting. I also loved the thinking part - you had to plan your work in advance to get the dreamed result.

I discovered silk painting as a student and fell in love with it immediately - compared to watercolor it allowed even better blends, the color of steam fixed dyes was just irresistible! And silk had a distinct character – it was a living material and in the beginning it seemed to me that I have just two options – to let silk to whatever she wants (and just admire it and help the process by adding some dyes, water, salt, etc.) or to try to do what I want and end up with disappointment. Learning to accept silk and cooperate with it was really a rewarding experience. And eventually I have learned to think “the silky way” and am able to express even the most complex ideas on silk – not forcing my will over it, but with cooperation this wonderful material.

What inspires your paintings?

The nature, the God, the Angels, the music. . .
I love to be the medium. Most of my scarves just “come to me” from somewhere – I just have to let the brush to do its work, and sing my songs. It is a wonderful feeling.

I also love to make made to order scarves – to use the ideas of different people (even the craziest ideas can be expressed on silk) and make them alive on silk. People, their stories and their problem they would like to find solutions inspire me. Most of my clients have told me that the result is even better than they have imagined, so I have become quite confident in it ; )

What is your favorite silk painting you have painted? 

 It is almost impossible to pick one favorite. But because it is spring I will choose one of my signature scarves: Lily of the Valley.

 

Your favorite type of silk, dyes, resist, etc.

I love silk dyes fixed by steam. I have mixed the dyes by myself and used Pebeo, Marabu, Schjering. I just love those bright colors! Nothing can be compared to steam fixed silk dyes. My favourite guttas are from Marabu – they work well and don’t add extra texture to silk.

I love the softness and tender touch of silk. This material is perfect for feeling. . . so my favourite types of silk are crepe satin and ponge. I hesitated a long time before opening an Internet shop – because photos are just 2D images of my soft, shiny, living scarves. . . but it seems that the magic of silk can be somehow captured even via photos.

I have also loved to learn very thin and transparent chiffon silk – it is hard to paint because it is so transparent, but it gives a really rich and elegant result especially in evening wear.
I order most of my scarves, dyes, and guttas from Estonian resellers Vunder and Scanimpex.

Please share a tip for other silk artists or those interested in silk art

If I have to pick up one tip, it might be – cooperation with silk. I almost never pre-plan my silks in detail by drawing a 1:1 size paper with the design. I begin to play with colors on silk and adjust my design ideas according to results. This way every scarf or tie will be one-of-the kind (I have painted for over 1000 scarves) and the energy of scarf will be free-flowing, not forced.

If something goes “wrong” it actually is a sign to continue the work in (a bit) different direction – learning to read those signs takes some time, but it is surely worth of learning.

OK, this is more philosophy as tip. So something more practical too: to avoid the back-flow from pre-hemmed edges I suggest firstly to paint the right side of silk with quite dry brush (especially the edges – when the brush is wet the silk absorbs it and later it results with back-flow) and when the silk is ready, to add just very little paint with large, but dry brush to those areas of back side that have remained white.

And using a large, sharp ended watercolor brush (not too wet!) is helpful by filling tiny areas too ; ))

You can fine Maria here: 

Shop: www.etsy.com/shop/singingscarves