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My name is Carol Lewis and I'm a silk painter. Why do I paint on silk? I paint on silk because I love the way it takes on a life of its own after it's painted and because nothing looks and feels quite like natural silk. What's been true for thousands of years is still true today: it doesn't matter how much money you have, you can't buy a more luxurious material than silk. Man made fibres have undeniably come a long way in the past fifty years, but they are to silk as paste is to diamonds, and why wear 'paste' when you can afford the real thing? |
If you buy a printed scarf (or a cushion, or curtains) the number of colours it has will depend on the number of screens used in its printing - if twelve were used (an unusually large number), it'll have twelve different colours, and so on. But by hand painting directly on to silk it's possible to achieve an infinite ranges of colours: for example, I might use over twenty different reds on a scarf which flow and blend on the silk to give continuums of colours. One result of this is that matching what I paint (for example, a scarf or soft furnishings) to other items, is virtually guaranteed - that exact shade of blue or green or whatever will be there! Nature doesn't restrict itself to only a dozen colours, so I don't believe we should either. |
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Everything you see on this site is from an original design, hand painted and hand made (although everything is finished to a professional standard and is fully dry-cleanable). I mostly paint scarves, cushions and wall hangings, but all my designs can readily be adapted for other soft furnishings (curtains, throws etc.) or clothing (shirts, dresses, waistcoats and so on). As I hope you'll see, most of my designs involve flowers and plants because I've always loved drawing and painting flowers. In silk, an organic material, I believe I've found a medium that is able to reflect both the vitality and subtlety of petals and leaves, stems and fruits. |
All the photographs on this site have been taken from actual items that either are for sale, or, as in most cases, have already been sold. I can, of course, replicate any of the items shown here, but, as everything is hand painted, no two items will ever be identical - everything I produce is unique. Much of my work is carried out on commission - as my prices are entirely based on the cost of the raw materials and the amount of time it'll take to paint, it's no more expensive to order something special than to buy 'off the peg'. If you have a special occasion coming up, like a wedding, why not send me a small fabric sample, tell me your favourite flowers, and we can work something out between us. |
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If you'd like further information about the types of silk I use or about my methods, please visit my Information Page. I really hope you enjoy my site, and, if so, please feel free to tell your friends about it. I would also be very grateful to receive any comments you have about my work or about this site - please don't feel that you have to buy something in order to contact me - your feedback would be much appreciated! Please see my Contact Page for more details. I hope you will check my site now and again, as new designs will be added regularly. (If you use Internet Explorer and would like to add my site to your favourites, please click here). |
Please note: All images and designs on this Web Site are Copyright © 2002 by Carol & Ian Lewis and may not be reproduced without prior permission.
