Christy Strickler: Silk Painting with StencilGirl® Stencils!

From the moment I saw the class offering, I knew I wanted to learn how to paint on silk. My name is Christy Strickler and I am always keen to learn new techniques. Silk painting has offered me a way to relax and slow down a bit when I work. When I say slow down, I say that not because of drying time( silk painting can go pretty quickly), but rather because of the way the silk paint flows from the tip of the brush onto the cloth. You can’t help but become a bit mesmerized by it much in the same way ink or watercolor moving on paper can be a bit hypnotizing.

Of course, the mixed media girl inside me can’t help but to bring in other things to layer in with the silk painting. Don’t get me wrong, I love how it is so much like watercolor painting and yet not. I love how it can be simple or complex. Once I started and got the gist of how silk painting worked, I needed to experiment.
Art Nouveau Inspired Camel on silk by Christy Strickler, stencils used:
Decorative Medallion Repeating Corner
Art Deco Medallion

My first experiment was a simple one. I have been taking a silk painting art class. When our instructor encouraged us to use stencils, I chose to bring a few StencilGirl® stencils with me. I combined them with a freehand drawing of a camel.The piece is blend of art nouveau inspiration with a bit of my current camel obsession.

Many people choose to mount their silk painting to a matte and have them framed, much the way you would with a photograph. As an expat, this idea was not appealing to me. I wanted something more lightweight and portable ( glass often gets broken during moves, especially international ones). Instead, I stretched my silk piece over a blank canvas and stapled it to the frame. I can carefully remove the painting when I am ready to move and save myself the worry and cost of a glass frame.

Art Molecule by Christy Strickler, stencils used:
Boho Striped Circle

Mounting the camel painting sparked an idea. After mounting a silk painting to canvas, why not stitch and paint directly onto it? At home, I chose to do just that. In this process video, you will get a closer look at how the camel painting was made as well as this more abstract piece. I chose to add stitching and beads with touches of acrylic paint.

I had a lot of fun creating this canvas. I literally just let my intuition take over as I placed the stenciled images randomly than marked the canvas with needle and thread. Stencils are a wonderful tool and so versatile. I am looking forward to bending these designs to my creative whim on future silk paintings. Who knows...the Art Molecules may even become a series of paintings.

If you are curious about my other work, please feel free to stop by my blog or instagram account. They are both a bit of randomness. I make whatever the mood I am in tells me to from scrapbooking and crafts to fiber arts and mixed media with bits about my expat lifestyle blended in.

Christy