Blooming Silk - Susan Wierzba

News & Classes

Sue offers classes for children as well as for adults. Upcoming classes include an 8-week series exploring silk painting techniques. Please contact Sue for a schedule of classes and art shows.

I Can Paint
One-on-One painting with 2-6 year olds with artist watercolors. Usually 1-2 hours with a cookie break. Child goes home with a picture of them painting and a framed piece of artwork and 2 to 3 others. Nice for Mother’s Day, Birthday or Christmas. $50

Silk Scarf Painting Workshop
Adults Each person completes three scarves using each of the techniques of dyed silk on a frame, shibori on a pole and vat-dyed. Usually 3 hours or all day. The scarves are picked up a few days later after they are steam set, washed and ironed. Great for Birthday or Christmas gifts. $75

Silk Painting Classes
Weekly classes to be offered in Fall. Each class will have a demonstration, instruction and lots of time for experimentation. A continuing program of new techniques, new materials, news from other Silk Painters and organizations and guest teachers. Every week we will have a show and tell. Silk pieces will be steamed, gutta and wax used removed, then washed and ironed, ready for the next class. Eventually, each student will be instructed on how to steam their pieces.
$250/ 8 weeks Supplies extra.

If you would like further information about classes, or upcoming shows, or if you are interested in purchasing any artwork, please contact Sue Wierzba. We now accept all major credit cards.

e-mail: susanwierzba@gmail.com

Cellphone 207-475-8200
Home phone 207-361-4541

Gallery Representation:

Bradley's Art and Frame

York, Maine

Steps in Creating a Serti Technique Painting The Serti (French for closing or fence) technique is the silk painting technique where designs are formed with gutta (made from Gutta Percha or other natural rubber), which is applied to white silk that has been stretched (on a stretcher). Once the gutta has dried, it acts as a barrier for the dye or paint - keeping the color within the outlined areas of the design and allowing you to achieve sharply defined borders. (Without this barrier, the dye or paint would flow into more of an abstract, undefined pattern.)
	Step 1: After being stretched, the design is drawn onto the silk with a washable marker or with watercolor pencils. Then the drawing is underpainted with diluted dyes in the pigments that will be used later. The resist lines will then not be stark white when finished.
	Step 2: Then gutta is used to block out all the areas that you don’t want colors to mix and flow together. Great care should be taken to make sure that the lines are not broken or else the dyes will flow through even the smallest opening. The gutta is transparent and will remain on the silk until after steaming, when it should be removed using dry cleaning fluid (naptha) or sent to the drycleaner.
	Step 3: Dyes are then brushed onto the silk, making sure that you don’t flood the gutta sections and cause spillover. After initial painting of areas is dry you can come back and do some additional work by using small drops (as in the center of the flowers) or lines which create line-building. Dyes always need to be dry between additional applications of dye if you don’t want them to completely flow together. A background was put in at this time and, after drying, additional gutta was applied over to create more flowers which appear to be set back further.
	Step 4: The finished piece now needs to be steamed for 2-3 hours, gutta removed, washed, and ironed. Additional embellishments, like beads and colored gutta details, can be added at this point. click on picture of the Hollyhocks to enlarge


Scarves are stretched over frames with suspension hooks that hold the silk taut prior to painting.	Above is an example of Shibori. This technique is similar to Batik, in that the silk is folded in a particular way, then it is draped around a pole, carefully wrapped with string and gathered together tightly. The dyes are stroked on in several colors in different directions and amounts of saturation depending on how much white you want to leave. The pole is then left to dry for 48 hours. Then it is unwrapped, steamed, etc. This is a scarf which can be worn or framed as a piece of art. To be framed it first needs to be sewn to acid free flannel which has been stretched over wooden stretchers. Classes with Sue Wierzba are fun!

When framed with conservation glass, silk paintings will compliment any decor, whether traditional or contemporary, for many years.