Silk painting

‍Artists in Residence:

April  we had a few artists that came to share their work with us. We started the quarter with Ashley Hutton, a graduate of Hoonah High School, and daughter of Bob and Glenda, former teachers. What an amazing experience we had learning to create silk scarves/banners. From creating our unique design to applying the gutta to playing with dye, these masterpieces built community fun and a great social opportunity for all involved. Ashley brought with her a wealth of knowledge on silk painting and all were successful as we had our final display in the hallway at the spring Ḵu.éexʼ.

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A note from the instructor:

“Silk painting isn’t actually working with paint. You are working with dye, applying it to silk, and then the dye must be “set” into the silk using a fixative or a steam bath. To create designs, students use what is called guda, a type of rubber cement compound. When you outline your design in guda, you can dye the separate sections to create your design. Hoonah kids came up with so many colorful and original designs, I was really impressed. I so enjoyed working with Hoonah City Schools students, many of whom were the children of my peers growing up. I was excited to show them how to create colorful silk designs, and they were so excited to learn a new art form. The kids were respecIul, fun, and kind, and I would do this again in a heartbeat.”