A CHINESE PROJECT

Imagine my surprise when out of the blue my grandson's teacher asked me if I would do some silk painting with the children for their China project. When I recovered I said "Yes, I'd love to." Then thought, what have I let myselfin for! Eventually I decided to provide each child with a pieceof silk A4 size ironed on freezer paper, six very different iron fix paints, two paint brushes plus fine and rock salt. Then I realized there would be 6 metres of silk to iron onto freezer paper! Ah well, a labour of love.

I had the children in groups of 4. It was fascinating to watch the different ways they approached colouring theirsilk, some bold, some tentative. My idea was that they should freely apply the paint to get a feel for the spread and interaction of paint on silk, no gutta. We finished up with 50 very different pieces.

Note: This is an extract from a review by Barbara Hill published in the Summer 2008 issue of The Journal. To receive your own copy of the Journal four times a year and enjoy reading articles like these, click on the Membership link to join the Guild of Silk Painters.