On your way out

Hand-painted silk scarfs

Soft on touch, gentle wrap around the neck, an ultimate sense of luxury – a silk scarf is a fashion statement.

Until I had my hands on it, I was ignorant as to how intricate the process of designing a hand-painted scarf could be. For a painter in me, a blank silk scarf is a canvas, unusual dimensions and smooth surface novelties requiring technical adjustments, yet my urge is to paint a scene, a composition that will be looked at as if hanged onto the wall. However, scarves are folded, wrapped, tied, layered, rarely seen as a whole, rather as an infinite combo of colors and patterns that come together randomly in various ways of wrappings and ties.

Scarfs are made to match the clothing – color burst with the white summer dress, consciously stated elegance for an official business event; patterns of fall colors with the warmth of thick tweed. The art in them subservient to the wholistic image of a person, an outfit, or an occasion. But, there is also an untamed freedom in wearing scarves. Transparent beach scarfs, batik scarf dresses…

In my earnest attempts to create ‘one of a kind’ silk scarfs, I can’t let go of my urge to paint (or draw) completely – with the comforting thought that tastes are different and that some of my friends may still find the beauty of wearable garment in these painted surfaces. Maybe even a little magic in bold colors of randomly splattered alcohol inks.

I wear them proudly for all the hard work put into them. ..and because I imagined what outfits they would go with while I was struggling with bleeding alcohol ink pens.

Still, I frame and ‘hang’ them on the walls in my display app.

An (abstract) scene of kids playing under watchful eyes of mothers and caretakers, pets running on the playground amongst homes and schools – how can that be a scarf? Can it be both a beautiful, casual, soft wearable, and an art scene you enjoy in a short glimpse before you wrap it up around your neck on your way out?