Ellen Stinger | Middle East Colors | Painting on Silk Fabric with Silk Paints | 2004

My paintings are my interpretations of images, either real or imagined. Each one has a uniqueness or beauty that has been captured to share with the viewer and invites them to explore their own concepts of imagination and reality.

Ellen Stinger

I created this silk painting using the colors I saw all around me while in the Middle East and shopping in the market or souk, (pronounced soo-k).  Over a six year period of time I traveled to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Kenya, Egypt, and Morocco.  The mosque I painted is a compilation of the many beautiful mosques I saw as I traveled throughout the United Arab Emirates.  Each mosque is unique and surrounded by a large open area that is used at prayer when the mosque is full. 

I learned the traditional method of painting on silk while I was in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The first step in silk painting is to outline the design with a special product called “Gutta”.  Gutta comes in many colors and works as a resist to contain the paint in a certain area and also as an accent.  In the U.A.E. the Gutta and the silk fabric that is made for painting on, was only available in special shops and these products were imported.

 I love the way the silk paint flows onto the silk fabric and I have now made scarves, vests and pillow tops – as well as other paintings, on silk.