Christine Davis is a native German currently residing in Charlotte, NC. In 1992, while still living in Germany, Christine studied silk painting and dying. She makes a variety of silk art ranging from wall and window hangings to beautiful silk scarves that can be worn. Each piece is dyed by hand, creating unique one of a kind results. Christine uses abstract patterns as the primary subjects of her silk art.
Currently Christine's art can be found on line but also at
CJ's Boutique Location
6000 Meadowbrook Mall CourtSuite 7A
Clemmons, NC 27012
A little bit about her art:
- Dyed paintings and wall/window hangings use Habotai 8 mm silk stretched and glued on coated metal wire circles or squares.
- She also creates vibrantly colored fabric which she transforms into 'wearable art', such as scarves, ties, broaches and more.
- Most recently Christine started experimenting mounting her Silk paintings onto Canvas.
Her work has been on display in several different local events & she qualified as one of the finalists in the “Art with Heart” Emerging Artist competition in 2006 and 2007.
Christine's beautiful work can be found at the following web addresses and are available for purchase and custom orders:
Below are a set of questions that were asked of her and her responses.......
What is your favorite color combination? blue & more blue :)
What is the first thing you can remember making by hand? How and why did you make it? I cannot remember... :(
What inspires you? Nature, my kids
Where do your ideas come from? all around me, church, nature, my kids,...
Does the atmosphere affect your creativity? absolutely
Where do you create, in a workroom/ studio or in a park? I create in the sunroom off my kitchen, i get inspired and have some of my best ideas while showering or driving - always have a notepad close by
What are your favorite materials? Silk
What is your favorite thing to do with your creativity? I have been known to make donations to charity, mostly to
http://www.artwithheartauction.com/ which benefits domestic violence victims & services
Why should people buy handmade? Pride, quality, Originality
Any tips of wisdom on selling handmade stuff? I wish. :)
Apart from creating things, what do you do? working at Bank of America
What has been the most valuable lessons learned from other artists? Don't give up
***In ten years I'd like to be... <-- less in debt then now? :)
Other links or information you want to share?
http://www.dharmatrading.com/ <-- which is where I buy most of my supplies from. I will keep other events & links coming.
Below Christine takes the time to describe the techniques she uses with her beautiful art.
Techniques used:
- The Serti (closing or fence) technique is the silk painting technique where designs are formed with gutta or water-based resists, which are applied to white silk that has been pre-washed, dried and stretched (on a stretcher). Once the gutta or water-based resist has dried, it acts as a barrier for the dye or paint—keeping the color within the outlined areas of the design and allowing you to achieve sharply defined borders. (Without this barrier, the dye or paint would flow into more of an abstract, undefined pattern.) After the dye or paint has been properly set, the clear gutta or resist is removed and a defining line the color of the original fabric remains. Colored guttas and resists are also available that are meant to remain in the fabric.
- Detailed patterns without resists can be achieved by instead priming the prewashed and stretched silk with a stop-flow primer which is left to dry before painting on the dyes or paints. The color will stay where you put it, rather than migrating. Allows for freehand painting without gutta or water-soluble resists.
- Watercolor-like effects can be achieved by applying dye or paint to silk that has been pre-washed and put on stretcher bars whether or not you are using resists (but not if you are using stop-flow). Dyes or paints are applied to the silk with a paint brush, mist sprayer, eye dropper, or other tools to achieve abstract effects. Spraying the silk lightly with water before adding color increases the flow of the dye or paint. Sprinkling silk salt on the piece when still wet, and leaving till completely dry before brushing off the salt, produces interesting textural effects. Applying alcohol to dye-painted silk also creates beautiful effects.
The process:
- Step 1: Pre-washing your silk
- Step 2: Preparing your design
- Step 3: Making a Stretcher Frame
- Step 4: Stretching your silk
- Step 5: Applying gutta or resist
- Step 6: Applying dyes or paints
- Step 7: Setting/Fixing the color, either with heat, steam or a chemical fixative
Your scarf:
Once you have worn your scarf and it needs to be washed, please use a mild soap and delicate setting, or hand wash using cold/warm water.
If your scarf has a gutta design, please iron on the back side.
