Rita Oakford

I was born in 1961 Wolfsburg, Germany, at the start of an amazing Subud adventure – Richard Engels, my parents Leuthold and Henriette Aulig and the "Waldkäuze" (Wood Owls) youth group were challenging the status quo in an effort to create a brave new world.

In 1992 I started silk painting as a hobby but after getting married to Howerd I found myself doing it professionally, and now I live in Lowestoft, UK.

Every silk scarf or dress is different, and even I do not know how it is going to turn out when I start. Inspired by inner feelings of natural beauty. Every item is unique, hand-painted silk and made with love. Sometimes I use a batik technique, then there is the salt that makes a marbled effect, and tie-dying or using bottles to restrict the flow of dye to make wonderful abstract images. But my favourite is the traditional gutta serti technique

I also design my own patterns which "just come to me, without thinking about it" making them swirl and flow on the silk. There is a shelf of silk dyes – mostly vibrant colours, some pastels, which I use to build up colour combinations – some are watery, like a turquoise sea or sandy beach, others autumnal with brown and bronze leaves.

All of this creative process is done with a stillness and focus that I can see and feel in the finished product – in equal parts Latihan, concentration, experience and experimentation - for me this is true art.

I started ordering mainly silk from Dharma Trading Co. in 2012. At that time still in Germany then England but there is no better company for a silk artist.

I use for scarves Crepe de chine, Silk Charmeuse, Flat crepe. For Clothing Crepe de chine 16 mm because it gives a silky shine and just flows beautifully.