Artist Statement by Manisha Singh
Art on silk is my passion. I began as an amateur, experimenting with fabric painting till I settled on silk. Silk is absolutely unsurpassed as a medium for vibrant colors depicting nature in various hues.
My paintings are executed on the finest silk from the famed silk weavers of Mysore, India. I use the Gutta Serti technique of silk painting which had its origin in the court of Russian Czars and was perfected by the French artists. The technique requires sketching of the outlines of the design with Gutta resist, an extract from the Malaysian rubber plant, which prevents the colors from spreading and intermixing. The colors are fixed by steaming the painting for hours in steel containers through a special process. It is then dry cleaned to wash off the Gutta resist. The result is silk painting of vibrant colors with original luster of silk intact because the colors become an integral part of the silk and appear on both sides.
My paintings are inspired by my deep love of nature and depict a variety of themes from flowers, birds, butterflies, and underwater life to traditional Hindu icons and mythical creatures. Recently, I have branched out into the realm of “wearable art”, to reach out to people who prefer to express themselves artistically through clothing or home décor. Like my paintings, my hand-painted scarves, cushion covers, and tunics are one-of-a-kind.
Website: www.silkmuse.com
Email: manishasilk@hotmail.com
Visit thirdintheburg.org for additional art venues.
If you create large scale artwork and are interested in showing your work in our gallery space, please send a brief bio and images of your work to staci@mangiaqui.com.
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272 North Street, Harrisburg, PA · 717.233.7358