Silk Painting Gallery

Paintings on Silk by Warren Hartz
 

Hand painted with dyes, which merge with the silk fibers, leaving it soft and silky with a luster and depth that sparkles in the light, while paint sits on the surface and stiffens the fabric.

Resists and thickeners are often used for crisp definition, as dyes will all flow together like wet watercolors unless contained.
 

Mountains and Trees Painted on Silk
 

On the left is a hand dyed silk painting inspired by Cascade Mountain peaks and valleys, as you might see on hikes around here. The dyed is silk stretched around a 9" x 12" wood frame.
 

For the "Trees in the Fog" silk painting, resist made from casaba root was mixed with varying amounts of green dye to make some trees appear lighter, thus more distant.

Paintings hand dyed on silk are beautiful with light shining through from the back, since the dyes become part of the fiber of the silk. UV from bright sunlight will weaken silk over time, so LED or indirect light is best.
 

Custom Silk Paintings - A Unique Gift
 

Looking for a unique gift for someone special? Email or call me if you'd like a silk painting. You can see my specialty is mountains, trees, leaves and other natural subjects such as sunsets and waterfalls, but anything is possible.
 

Autumn Leaf Earth Tone Scarf
 

For this autumn leaf scarf, the leaves were outlined with colored resist, then each leaf was dyed and sprinkled with salt. The background was then blended with dyes applied with sumi brushes. The resist rinses out after setting the dyes, leaving the silk soft and luxurious with rich beautiful colors.
 

Painting on Silk from Your Photos
 

Mountains near Mt. Robson, Canada are painted on silk using dyes and resists in this 14" x 22" painting of Mica Mountain, B.C., a composite of 3 photos emailed to me by a bed and breakfast. The clouds are made by brushing on water between dyes, much like water colors. I love how the shadows give the mountain depth.
 

Glacier Peak, North Cascades
 

Surrounded by other mountains, Glacier Peak makes a classic mountain picture but is not seen from many roads. The painting on the left is based on a photo from a fairly easy, very scenic hike up Johnson Ridge near Skykomish, Washington, with beautiful views across the deep forested valleys to snow covered Glacier Peak.
 

Hot Air Balloons in the Sunset
 

Graduated from orange to red, to purple, to black, the balloons, sun and water were drawn with colored resist, then the sky blended like watercolors.
 

Stone Pattern Silk Pillow
 

Decorator pillows can add some character to your room - this one dyed with a design based on sedimentary rocks.