"Wild Things " ``By Mysticsilks

OK. Here we are with the last three in my "Wild Things" six silk series.
As you may have heard the total large wild cat population is declining. And if the decline continues at the same rate as it currently is, the only large wild cats you'll see will be in a Zoo.
So, to represent the large cats I've used the King of Beasts, the lion. And how regal they are!

Next are the whales. And if you've been into the Discovery series, Whale Wars you'll know that their population is declining due to the killing of whales.


Thirdly, I've created the hummingbird, not because it is at risk , but because it is so wild and free.
Please enjoy!

http://mysticsilks.etsy.com/

Wild Things```by Mysticsilks

"Wild Things"

Loving the beauty of every creature on this awesome earth the way that I do,I wanted to honor and bring awareness to the fragility of all the 'wild things' that inhabit this planet.
So, in an inspirational moment, the idea of hand designing silk scarves with six of my favorite 'wild things' came to fruition.

The 1st in a series of six silk scarves, and to the bottom right is my tropical fish, or as I like to call them(fishies) which make their home in the coral reef. And because of ocean pollution the coral reef around the world is declining.
The 2nd silk scarf , and to the upper left is the proud and powerful elephant. There is a decline in both the African and Indian elephants due to killing of these animals for their ivory tusks, and because human population has consumed great portions of the elephants territory for farming. Unfortunately elephants have traveled those particular areas for centuries, and now humans have taken over. The elephants on their age old journey simply walk over fences, power through barriers, eating and trampling farm crops along the way.
Humans always seem to have the right-of-way, and as a result many elephants are destroyed.

The 3rd 'wild thing' is the Amazon Tree Frog. That tiny ,pretty green frog sitting on a tree limb represents the 'rain forests' of the Amazon. Again , many acres of the rain tree forest have been cut down to create farm land, for mining, and the search for other natural resources :" The Amazon rainforest, also known as Amazonia, is one of the world's greatest natural resources. Because its vegetation continuously recycles carbon dioxide into oxygen, it has been described as the "Lungs of our Planet". About 20% of earth's oxygen is produced by the Amazon rainforest. Please read this article:http://rainforests.mongabay.com/amazon/amazon_destruction.html

I will post the 4th in my silk series on another day.
You can see the entire series of "Wild Things"awareness silk scarves at: http://mysticsilks.etsy.com/

Thank you for reading
Mysticsilks

In Flanders Field by John McCrae

In Flanders Field

In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie, In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. John McCrae

I Vote For iCraft.com````MysticSilks

I am slowly falling in love with iCraft.com.
Why? you ask.
Because of all the other online selling venues I sell on, and pay a hefty monthly fee for listing and sale's commission, I have never been a featured artist on their site. Nor have I seen any of my creations featured in any of their monthly sales newsletters.
And of the many treasuries I have created, not one has ever been picked to be on their front page.
And yet, although I do not have a paid monthly subscription on iCraft(which I am looking to upgrade shortly ), they have made me a featured artist, and I've seen my products often in their sales newsletters that are sent through-out the internet.

Thank you iCraft.
http://icraft.ca/index.php

MysticSilks
http://mysticsilks.icraft.ca
http://mysticsilks.etsy.com

What To Do When the Art Muses Go on Vacation~~~ Mystic Silks

What do you do when your spirit of creativity just seems to elude you?
You seem to lack any imagination;you're feeling a funk? This seemingly desertion of the artistic muses happens to many of us;it's happened to me.
Lets look at what could be taking place.
You're holding down a full-time job: You've got a home , children, and husband, that you devote much of your time to.
You walk into your workshop, studio, your office, wherever you create, and nothing happens. No new ideas come to you. That page of poetry, or the story you were writing sits blank, and glares back at you. That piece of canvas remains white;lacking images, bare of color. You heave a big sigh, leave the area, and go back to the kitchen to finish the dirty dishes.

Now here's a secret, be gentle with yourself. Do some self talk, like," this weekend, I am devoting 3 hours to my creative spirit. I will find someone to keep an eye on the kiddies." On the weekend let the dusting go till the evening: Who needs to sit in front of the boob-tube anyway.

When my four children were small, I used to get up early in the morning , at least an hour or two before I knew they would begin to stir. I'd brew my coffee, and get my paints out and work away right at the kitchen table. Oh, my those were the most inspirational time, the early morning hours. I discovered later in life, that the wee morning hours were the best for poetry, too.
Now, many of you may not find the wee hours your best time. OK, then you create your own best time, and stick to your guns!
Those art muses will return when they see you have set aside the time just for them! It just works out that way;trust me.

Thank you for reading!
Mysticsilks

http://mysticsilks.artfire.com
http://mysticsilks.etsy.com

The Other Three Silk Beauties For Summer``Mysticsilks

Here we have the remainder of the six summer silk scarves series.
"Purple Pansy" with a hand-painted embellishment on each side of the silk scarf.
This came about due to one of those mysteries in dying silk.
The entire scarf was dyed using pansy violet
and lavender French dyes. When the steaming process was complete and I unraveled the scarves from their metal cylinder , on one side of the scarf was a completely blue white demarcation. How this occurred is anybody's guess. It looked like a lightening strike!
So I used my French silk paints to add the seen embellishment to both sides of the scarf.

The scarf to the right of the "Purple Pansy", I called "Pink Cotton Candy." The color reminded me of that delicious pink cotton candy I watched them spin back in the good ole days of local carnivals and amusement parks.
Now the last one on the right I named " Light My Fire" It's a combination of French lemon dye, doted with just a tad of magenta. After the steaming process it reminded me of little flames of fire.

You can view all of these and more at: http:mysticsilks.etsy.com, or http:mysticsilks.artfire.com

Thank you for reading .
Mysticsilks

A Summer Selection of Silk Scarves`~MysticSilks

Here we are with three of the new summer
silk satin scarves selections offered at http://mysticsilks.etsy.com, and http://mysticsilks.artfire.com.

We began the process of creating them back in February when I ordered the blank white silks; I ordered twelve in all, only because the price of the silks continue to rise.
However, I washed and rinsed the silk worm residue from just six of them. Dealing with six is challenging enough!
You can see me in the upper right hand corner with several silk scarves that I had attached to my wooden frame in order to dye the scarves. I use only the finest of French dyes.
Once the dye has dried , an overnight process, I then take the scarves usually 6, wrap each one in blank newspaper sheets, then roll them onto a metal cylinder.
From there the silk scarves are lowered into a steaming container, and left to steam for 2-3 hours. Then the scarves are removed/ unrolled from the cylinder, and are allowed to dry overnight. Next day the silk scarves are washed in a special soap water and rinsed several time to eliminate residue dyes. Even with the numerous rinsing some dye will still wash out of the scarf at later washings.
Each scarf is ironed, and placed ready to photograph. I usually take 5-6 photos and pick from the best of those. I then edit each photo. Later I upload the photo, to my etsy , or artfire website. Fill out a full description ( each one different for both website), add the price, S&H.
I'd say from start to finish each scarf takes about 20 hours.

So please enjoy the wearing of these scarves.

Please visit http://mysticsilks.etsy.com/, or http://mysticsilks.artfire.com/

Thank you for reading.