The
SERTI Technique of Painting on Silk
The
origins of this time-honored technique date back to the second century
A.D. in Asia. At the turn of the century, Parisian artists introduced
the secrets of this technique to Western Europe and developed the
art form known today as SERTI. SERTI (French for "fence"
or "enclosing") is the traditional French approach to
controlling the flow of water-based dye on silk. The design is created
by applying a "resist" called gutta. The dye spreads to
the resist fence and is halted. Linda uses a very fine silk crepe
from China. Although very time consuming, the medium lends itself
extremely well to capturing the shifting qualities of light found
in nature.
The
outline of the drawing is transferred by tracing through the silk
or drawn free hand directly on the silk. Gutta may then be used
to follow the pencil lines. Repeatedly flooding each area, the image
is created layer upon layer with watercolor brushes resulting in
a dramatic intensity of color.
Once
the painting is completed, the latex is removed from the silk. Made
in France by Sennelier, the concentrated water-based dyes are considered
the best in the world with regards to brightness and lightfast qualities.
When the work is completed, the color is set by steaming it for
a minimum of two hours. This makes the silk colorfast and impervious
to bleeding when washed or dry cleaned. The concentrated dyes have
the same archival quality of light-fastness as the best waterclors.
Like any other work of fine art, it should never be hung in the
path of direct sunlight. |