Silk Painting, and a New Support Group

If you are familiar with my blog, you probably noticed that I have recently changed the look of this site.  I decided it was time for something new.  I also have become more comfortable with Blogger, and wanted to experiment with different options with colors, background, etc.  I like the background.  It looks like one of the silk scarves I make.
Here's how it is done:  I wet the silk, and stretch it out on a frame so it is fairly taut, and won't touch the table below it.  Then I swirl on silk paint, my favorite combination is blues, greens, turquoises, and purples, with a little pink for accent.  Getting the silk wet beforehand allows the colors to flow into each other, creating infinite shades.  The bubble effect is created by scattering salt on the silk while it is still wet.  The salt attracts the water, making lighter areas where the salt crystals lay, and leaving paint in the surrounding areas more concentrated and darker.  This is an art that I like to do when I feel adventurous.  Because of the way the water, paint and salt interact, there is limited control in how the finished piece will turn out.  You can get similar effects using water colors on paper, by following the same process.
This is generally not a good art to do on the days when I feel like everything is out of control, and I need something I can control,   An interesting observation- On days when my pain is high, it can be good project, because I feel like I need to just let go and let things be.  The results are always pleasing, and often surprising.  Doing silk painting on a high pain day gives me something that I can be pleased with, despite the pain.
There is another change in my blog site that is relevant only to people living in the Cuyahoga Falls/Akron, Ohio area.  I have added a third page to my site, under the tab 'Support Group', located below the header and above the butterfly panel.  This page has information on the new Chronic Pain/Chronic Illness support group I am starting.  Part of each session will be creative, either art or craft, no experience is necessary.  The other part of the session will be educational/discussion on different topics related to living with and coping well with chronic pain and/or chronic illness.  We will meet at my gallery the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month, the first session will be January 19, 2011.  Go to the Support Group tab above for more info and to sign up.
I will tell you more about this support group on a later date.