Susan Fox

I've always loved the beauty and wonder of fine art.  As a child, I would take the bus downtown with my mother, or by myself, to attend art history lectures and special exhibits at the Art Institute of Chicago. This love of art appreciation and color has stayed with me throughout my life.  I continued to drop in at local art museums and exhibits, and when I traveled overseas for work, I made a point of going to the many galleries and museums.

 

Although my mother was a watercolorist, I didn’t start exploring my own creative spirit until later in life mostly to balance out a stressful job. About 15 years ago, I began taking various art classes, but when I attended a weekend Silk Workshop, I was hooked. I loved the way the dye spreads and changes on the semi-transparent, shimmering silk. It warms my soul and quiets my spirit to paint with dye on silk. 

 

Since then, I have taken in-person and online classes from Master Silk Painters (MSP) to learn various techniques associated with silk, including using resists and the sizing technique to control dye spread, creating free flowing designs, the use of Japanese shibori methods, and most recently learning a wax layering process, as well as using a microwave to dye. I have attended a week-long workshop in Seattle to learn the silk sizing technique directly from Karen Sistek, MSP where no resist is used, and the silk work is mounted on canvas. Furthermore, I have attended and taken classes at the Silk Painter International (SPIN) Conference, as well as their online classes. Additionally, I have taken silk and color mixing classes locally and online from recognized silk painters.  

 

My art primarily includes wearable silk: scarves, wraps, and ties, as well as mounted silk of botanical designs. I donate scarves for cancer patients to the Little Red Door Cancer Agency in Indianapolis. In addition, I belong to the society of Silk Painters International (SPIN). I have sold my work through the Charlotte Art League, social media, my ETSY shop (DyedSilksBySusan), and at the Gallery on the Square in Danville, Indiana.  I regularly teach silk classes at the Gallery on the Square.