Silk Painter

Having experimented with a variety of media - wood-carving, Chinese brush painting, acrylics, even glass engraving - I discovered the fascinating world of silk painting. Its appeal is its versatility. The vibrant colours can be contained in the most detailed design or they can run wild in the abstract. I gain my inspiration from my surroundings and the challenge of tansforming a client's vision on to the silk. The greatest beauty of this medium is its unpredictability. My designs can be incorporated on to any silk clothes although I specialise in waistcoats, ties (men and boys') scarves, accessories, cards and paintings. Each piece is unique and cannot be reproduced. I have sold my work at craft fairs, local galleries and exhibitions as well as on commission and have also held a demonstration at a three-day Arts and Crafts exhibition in West London. Many of the accessories make ideal personal or corporate gifts. My most taxing commissions have included a tie, which boasted a knight on horseback holding a tankard - a preference to a spear - for a professor of mediaeval history to sea-blue, abstract scarves for a firm's receptionists, complete with company logo. The kids seem to like cartoon characters. I am always open to a challenge. The most notable recipients of my ties have been Sir Richard Branson and Richard Whiteley of Countdown fame. I am a member of BAR (Brent Artists' Register) with whom I showed work at the Camden Arts Festival and plan to exhibit some of my work at an exhibition at Willesden Green Library centre next year. I also work as a part-time journalist on the Ealing Gazette newspaper in West London where I specialise in feature writing and general news. I am 46, married to an accountant, Michael, and we have one football fanatic son, Daniel, aged eight. Address: 16 Derwent Gardens Wembley, HA9 8SQ tel: 0208 904 3266. e-mail: janeandmichaelh@tiscali.co.uk

Gallery Click a thumbnail below to see an enlargement To The Guild of Silkpainters January 2002