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Colors of Silk is a small independent artist enterprise started by Sharon Lewis and is based in Columbus, Ohio. Sharon is a self-taught silk painter who learned about painting on silk through craft books and magazines. Starting out with a few bottles of silk dye and scarf blanks, Sharon was totally captivated by the beauty of this unique medium. The natural world such as landscapes, seascapes, flowers, trees and leaves provide many of the ideas and color schemes for Sharon's silks.
All of Sharon's items are individually hand painted using French silk dyes and fiber-reactive dyes. The dyes are applied in a manner similar to watercolors. Salt is added to the silk while it is still wet with dye in order to achieve the mottled or marbled effect. The floral and geometric designed scarves are created using a special rubbery liquid called gutta. After the painting process is completed, each silk item is placed in a special steam pot for setting the dyes. The silk is kept in the steaming pot for 3 to 4 hours. This steaming process creates a chemical reaction between the dye and the silk cloth, allowing it to form a permanent bond with the silk fibers. This allows the colors in the silk to be washfast and permanent. Every scarf comes in a white or tan gift box wrapped in tissue paper. In the near future, more silk wearable art items such as ruanas or large wraps will be added.
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