Hand-made silk
paintings provide elegant touch
By Heather MacAdam
Casket Printing and Publishing Company, Antigonish Nova Scotia
Newspaper article February 14th, 2007
Beautiful and elegant hand-made
silk paintings are available for any occasion, courtesy of
Corvid Enterprises.
Add a personal touch to weddings,
birthdays, anniversaries, retirements or any other occasion with
a special painting done by local artist Anne Camozzi.
“I started painting on silk three
years ago,” the artist said, adding she was introduced to the
medium by her niece. “I had studied art 30 years ago, did other
things. Then I became quite ill. While I was recovering a
physiotherapist suggested to me it would be a good distraction
from pain.”
Once she began painting on silk,
Camozzi said she immediately fell in love with it.
“It’s a unique material to paint
with really vibrant colours,” she explained. “I was interested
in silk, also, because of my disabilities. I couldn’t stand up
and paint at an easel, and with silk I can stretch it on a frame
and work on it from a stool. For me it was a really easy way to
work. But most of all, I think, it was the vibrancy of the colour
that I was interested in.”
It is similar to painting with watercolour, she said, because once the paint touches the silk,
it “flows”.
Silk painting is also a very old
medium which originated in Asia, she said.
“The technique I use is called
the French serti technique. It means there is a line called a
resist, which holds the paint. If you just put paint on silk,
the paint flows. The line is something called gutta – it’s a
rubber compound, you can get it in different colours.”
Camozzi said she usually draws on
the material with the gutta first, and then paints. The gutta
line is left in and become part of the finished painting. The
paint used is a special paint designed for silk painting, along
with regular watercolour brushes.
Creating a piece is a complex
process, she said, because after you finish the painting, the
paint has to set.
“That involves steaming the whole
piece with an iron. That makes the colour permanent.”
After doing a few silk works,
Camozzi said people began asking her to paint silks for
celebrations or for healing. Once someone orders a painting for
a celebration such as a wedding, Camozzi said she will sit down
with the client and find out what themes they are interested in
and what colours they would like.
One couple commissioned a
beautiful painting for their wedding, she said, which featured
all colours of the rainbow, and was hung prominently on their
big day. They also used the image on their wedding
invitations, and the painting is now framed in their home as a
memento of their wedding.
“They turned their painting into
their theme.”
The silk pieces are a very nice
touch at weddings.
“When the silk hangs, it’s really
elegant and eye-catching.”
Camozzi also does pieces that can
be worn.
“I do also paint scarves and
things that people can wear,” she said, which could be a great
touch for bridesmaids to wear with the dress or as a gift.
Another bride had a painting done
for her parents to give as a thank-you for their help with her
wedding.
“It was a special gift that she
gave to her mom and dad.”
Paintings are available in a
variety of different sizes, and the time it takes to do one
depends entirely on the size and complexity.
“The silk Anne painted for us
defined the spirit and tone for our whole wedding celebration,”
bride Jenny Macaulay, who married Erik Britton in August 2006,
said. “The consultation process with her not only helped us
create a vision for our painting, but was also a creative
process that helped us imagine and define what we wanted our
wedding to be like. Anyone who is looking for that unique and
very personal component for their wedding ceremony will really
enjoy the experience of creating a silk with Anne.”
The artist said she has also done
a series of angel paintings for people suffering from cancer and
other illnesses.
Paintings are available featuring
one’s own unique image, or beautiful, spiritual images ready for
printing. Pricing includes personal consultation and different
packages are available for different budgets.
