Saraiya Kanning

I'm a silk painter, creative writer, birdwatcher, and educator living in Tucson, Arizona. My wearable and hangable silk paintings are inspired by wildlife and ecology. These paintings celebrate the places and creatures which many of us city-dwellers rarely encounter. I want to record the existence of colorful, camouflaged, bizarre, and beautiful wild things.

I hope those who wear my scarves are inspired with a sense of majesty. I hope they are reminded that the magnificence of the natural world can also be found within our own beings. This physical adornment resembles the spiritual splendor wreathed about our souls.

My supplies include Jacquard green label dyes, blank scarves, and Jacquard removable water-based resist. I use Jacquard's No Flow primer to layer shading and make fine lines for more detailed illustrations. Occasionally, I like to play around with fancy resists, like Jacquard's Permanent Water-Based metallic resists in silver, red gold, and russet.

Silk painting makes me curious. There are endless methods and styles at a silk painter's disposable. Every day opens opportunities for experimentation and improving my process. It's a never-ending path, but each discovery heightens my excitement and spurs me onward.