One of the best parts of the Artist Colony Retreat is the opportunity to step outside of your comfort zone and try new mediums and techniques.
This past August, Ken Frederickson, an accomplished Bronze Sculptor, tried his hand at creating a silk cowboy scarf. The silk square features a hand-drawn sketch of a moose in one corner and a deer in the opposite corner. Once Frederickson had finished the sketches, he used a kistska (a tool used to place the wax on Ukrainian Easter eggs) to place a wax resist around the drawing. The resist protects the fabric from absorbing other colours used in the centre. The sketches were filled with colour and then the process began to create the Northern Lights effect in the rest of the scarf. The silk was wet with water, and then a dry fabric dye was tossed strategically on the scarf, followed by coarse salt. The salt draws the colours in different directions, creating the unique designs shown in the photo. Once the patterns are complete, the salt is tossed off the silk and the scarf is ironed to set the dye and remove the wax resist. The completed scarf is then ready for wearing.
