Evanita W. Montalvo - Wildlife and Nature Photography

Silk Fusion Prints and Great Lakes Fiber Festival

May 18th, 2008

Over the past few months I have been working on a project to combine my love for photography and fiber arts. While browsing around for fiber art related stuff I came across a process called Silk Fusion which allows you to make paper from processed silk fiber. I have previously worked with photography processes that require hand coating paper. I wondered if it was at all possible to combine photography with the silk paper. After researching Cyanotypes and Vandyke Browns with silk I found a few artists who worked with Cyanotypes on silk fabric and also worked with the silk fusion process. However, I was unable to find anyone who worked with both processes together.

After researching the Silk Fusion process and sending a few emails out to artists it didn't seem like the process was going to work. Those I had received responses from thought the paper would most likely fall apart due to the excessive rinsing that both photo processes required. I was quite disheartened, but I had the supplies and wanted to give it a try anyways. Luckily, all the hard work of researching, learning how to make the paper, and trial and error paid off. The following three prints are my first attempts at working with this process and I hope to continue making more. The Cyanotype Stargazer is on silk and the other two are on bamboo. Click on the image to view a larger version.

Next weekend I will be heading to Wooster Ohio with a few friends to go to the Great Lakes Fiber Festival. We're going to camp there for the weekend and from everything I've heard about the festival it should be a ton of fun. :)

EWM