This year's Living Crafts Show was the weekend that high summer hit Hertfordshire. The show has now been moved further away from Hatfield House, so the atmosphere was less romantic, but people still came in their thousands. We had a stunning display of many different silk paintings, all in blues, including a virtuoso painting of Queen Elizabeth I, by Os Teiser. There was an enormous amount of interest and at least one person joined the Guild. Nearly 500 people had a go. It is hard work, but worth it.

The next International Silk Festival being hosted by the South Birmingham Branch together with the Staffordshire and Shropshire Branch is to be held at Rodbaston College, Penkridge, Staffordshire on the weekend of 1st and 2nd August 2009.

The college is set in the heart of the Staffordshire countryside close to Junctions 12 and 13 of the M6 and also the Toll Road. The mainline station at Stafford has a local link to Penkridge which is approximately a mile and a half from the college. Its location makes it ideal for incorporating a family holiday in Wales or the surrounding counties.

There are many visitor attractions within easy striking distance including Alton Towers, Whitwick Manor, Shugborough Hall, Weston Park and the college has its own Visitor Centre housing a range of exotic animals.

Currently, the activities for the festival are being planned for your enjoyment and participation, so please put the date and place in your diary.

More information regarding workshops, exhibition details and celebrations will be included in the next Journal.

Since 1997 Kunstverein Seide e.V., a German artists' association of professional silkpainters from Germany, Switzerland, Poland and Byelo-Russia has presented 8 congresses with qualified further education for silk painters, 4 juried competitions and 21 exhibitions in various galleries and museums throughout Germany.

The last exhibition "Faszination Seide" (Fascinated by Silk) at the gallery of the Regional Administration Building (Regierungspräsidium) Karlsruhe has been a record breaker with 350 visitors at the opening ceremony on 8th May, and an enormous number of visitors till the end of the exhibition on 8th June 2008.

The exhibition featured two- and three-dimensional works created by 26 artists from Kunstverein Seide and 9 works created by guests. Among the guest artists were Lydie Ottelard, Laure Bouissou, Josiane Arnaudet, Ann Marie Caffin (all from D'ART ET DE SOIE) and Marie-Jeanne Weerts (HABOTAI).

Kunstverein Seide e.V. had also invited its Polish artist member Ludwika Zytkiewicz to present some works created by first grade students from Strzeminski Academy of Fine Arts & Design (Lodz/Poland).

During the exhibition artist members of Kunstverein Seide e.V. offered various guided tours through the gallery and informed visitors about silk production and the art of silk painting. In one section of the gallery Kunstverein Seide e.V. presented a selection of works of the competition "Light and Shadow".

The association had received 26 applications from 9 European countries, of which 14 works were selected for presentation in the gallery. Rosemarie Reber (Switzerland) was rewarded the 1st prize for her work "Schatten des Schweigens " (shadows of silence). Ulrike Isensee (Germany) received the 2nd prize for "The dark side of the moon" and Mie Vaale Noddeland (Norway) the 3rd prize for "Im Schatten eines Perlhuhns " (In the shadow of a guinea fowl).

In 2009 Kunstverein Seide e.V. will organize another open congress with further education and workshops for anyone interested. This event is scheduled for 5th till 7th June at Rothenburg a.d.T. The artist association has chosen this venue because the house offers good conference facilities and the possibility to book full board on the premises. Kunstverein Seide e.V. will provide more information on this event in due time.

Venue: Evangelische Tagungsstätte Wildbad, Tauberweg 42; D-91541 Rothenburg o.d.T.; Tel. 0049-9861-9770; Fax: 0049-9861-2605; email: info@wildbad.rothenburg.de; www.wildbad.rothenburg.de

Monika Engel
www.kunstvereinseide.de

From May 17th - 25th, 2008, Habotai, the leading Belgian society for silk painters held its annual exhibition in the Cultural Center Den Blank of Overijse (small city south of Brussels). 20 members gave their very personal interpretation of the theme "Zij-de-Spoor" (to be translated as e.g. spur, spade, spor, footmark, slot, track, trace on or with silk). More than 100 of their paintings were sometimes close to the theme, sometimes very surprising, but always of outstanding quality.

Habotai was very proud that Mrs. Paula Semer, (former) leading lady of National Belgian (Flemish spoken) Television, had accepted to pronounce the opening speech. In this, she drew the attention to the -sometimes very difficult- position of women in the artist's world: centuries ago they were hidden in the Masters' ateliers, nowadays -after a long struggle- some of them seem to get accepted, even appreciated, but there is still a long way to go. On the other hand, where painting on silk mainly has been classified as a skill that only interests women, we now are happy to see that more and more men have discovered the possibilities that this huge material offers.

And the work of the Habotai's members in Overijse has been appreciated by the public indeed. Visitors were invited to indicate their favorite work in an exit poll. They elected Mrs. Rika van der Hark to be the best of all, with her various works. She therefore received the Golden Award. Silver was for Mrs. Marie-Jeanne Weerts for her stunning kimono and wax-and-Chinese-ink painted banners. Bronze went to Mrs. Christine Brughmans, Marleen Wauters and Kris Ilegems, who in a joint effort made three remarkable objects in various techniques (the picture shows one of these compositions).

Habotai now already can announce its next public event: exhibition of painted silks in Kaleidoscoop, Mortsel (near Antwerpen) from February 12th until March 10th, 2009, along with a special program in the weekend of February 14-15th (demonstrations of special techniques, fashion show, etc.).
Direct flights from London City to Antwerpen daily!

Ann Taeymans-Boel
More information on our website www.habotai.be or email info@habotai.be