Silken treasures.
| Auteur | Clark, Susan |
| Fonction | EXPRESS YOURSELF |
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We moved to Basel in 2006 after more than a decade near the centre of one of the world's largest and most exciting cities--Tokyo. Originally from Canada, we didn't speak a word of German when we arrived and could only bow politely when people greeted us on the streets. We must have looked ridiculous, but it is hard to erase the deeply ingrained cultural reflexes we acquired in Japan.
Little did I know coming to Basel would complete a circle in terms of my art. I had been a silk painter for over 20 years using the modern-day equivalents of the synthetic dyes originally developed in the late 1860s from coal, then manufactured and used extensively in the local textile industries of Basel, and Mulhouse across the border in France.
The development of synthetic dyes brought a previously unimaginable range of colours to textiles. For the first time in history, people could wear clothes with brilliant colours, since natural dyes offer a far less vibrant range and are more prone to fading. The synthetic impact on fashion and textiles is akin to that of Microsoft, Apple and the Internet on the information age.
It is to thoughts like this that I turn during the solitary hours spent sketching plants and flowers. Drawing inspiration from gardens and flowers, I make botanical drawings en plein air (in the open air) and then transfer them onto glossy reflective silk satin. I then use these silk paintings, together with silk copies, to create one-of-a-kind upholstered art chairs and soft furnishings like quilted hangings, embellished with quilting, embroidery, pearls and beads.
At the fountainhead
When I started as a painter in Canada, I was fortunate to have a teacher who had apprenticed for 15 years in a kimono-dyeing studio in Kyoto. Bill Morton brought his expertise back to Canada, where he taught at the Alberta College of Art and Design. He taught me many techniques, including the layering of dyes and use of wax resists, called roketsu-zome in Japanese.
After studying for a number of years, I moved to Tokyo. I had always wanted to live in "other worldly" Japan. Silk painting is high art in Japan, revolving primarily around the kimono industry. A single kimono, the national dress, can cost as much as $20,000, not including accessories such as undergarments, shoes, hand bags and hair ornaments.
The traditional Japanese kimono-dyeing studio has a clear division of labour. Artisans become expert in one exclusive technique, such as...
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