June 2025 - Magazine - Page 33
Silk Painting
T
he June meeting saw us ‘having a go at silk painting’! Elitta Fell is a silk painter and
water colourist, who enjoys giving talks and demonstrating how it’s done.
Painting on white silk originates from China and has been around for over 2000 years.
A substance called ‘gutta’ was invented in France in the 19th century and is used to
create boundary lines on the silk to prevent the paint from ‘bleeding’ into the other
colours. It really is a beautiful art!
On each of the tables there was a pot of water, paint brushes, a palate of colours (red,
blue, green and yellow), sheets of kitchen roll and an empty palate to mix our own
colours. We were given a choice of pictures consisting of birds, animals and flowers,
with the silk stuck on paper. Elitta showed us the technique (she made it look so easy)
and we got down to work. The results were astonishing and we all thoroughly enjoyed
the creative evening, taking home our masterpieces to make into greeting cards or
framing them.
Matfield WI will be in the Pavilion at Matfield Village Fete on 12th July serving tea,
coffee and homemade cakes. Our next meeting will be on 2nd July at 7.30pm at the
Matfield village hall. This time we will be ‘Up the Garden Path’ with Jane Scotchmer.
Visitors are always welcome.
Sue Hollings
33
