What I am Reading

I am enjoying beautiful Colorado afternoons reading my mother’s substantial library of craft books and magazines out on the back deck, glass of ice water and sketchbook at hand.  My own library grew with my recent purchase of Sarah Lawrence’s excellent book, Silk Paper.

My interest in working with silk has been growing since I first put some in a dye bath.  Recently, I have been inspired by my jelly fish sculptures to work with silk paper techniques.  Sarah Lawrence’s book is a great guide for a rank beginner like myself.  She provides concise descriptions of the many different types of silk fibers and clear directions on how to prepare them for art-making uses.

The book also describes how to make silk paper using three distinct methods.  Step-by-step illustrations are abundant and easy to follow.

 

I don’t like “project” books, preferring authors that give lots of details on processes.  ‘Silk Paper’ is definitely a “process” book, but is enhanced with plenty of photos of Sarah’s beautiful work to provide inspiration for projects of my own.