Sara Antion

I learned silk painting when I was teaching screen printing at a university arts studio in Massachusetts. I now live in Iowa, where I have taught a variety of art classes, from drawing to photography, stained glass, bead weaving, and my favorite, silk painting. I am most inspired by the movement of water and air, and I paint on silk for its sensual beauty. Most of my imagery is spontaneous, but I also enjoy painting mythical creatures for Renaissance Faire demonstrations.

The paintings you see have all been created on scarves made of 8 mm Habotai, which I use almost exclusively, along with Jacquard Clear and Black Guttas, and Pebeo Soie dyes. I have also used Jacquard Silk Colors, and often combine the two brands. For teaching, I prefer colored Pebeo Water-Based Resists because of the ease of the individual tubes, to be used with both Dye-Na Flow and Setasilk Silk Paints. This way students can finish a project at home by ironing instead of steaming.

Of all the mediums I work with, painting with dye on silk is by far the most relaxing, most joyful for me, and I love the way it helps me let go of my attachment to perfection. I always tell my students that "there are no such things as mistakes in silk painting-there are only new directions!"