Think couture is just for celebrities? Absolutely not! It's obtainable for us all. Let me introduce you to Muse Silk Paintings, hand-painted silk scarves from Angel Ray. Her work defines wearable art. She creates luxury items while offering a price range that is affordable. Find the perfect one-of-a-kind scarf for you and know no one else will have your special accessory.
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| Watercolor Spring Floral |
Angel Ray, the designer behind Muse Silk Paintings has a background in fashion. She says:
"After my clear love for color and almost obsessive patterns in my paintings, the field of surface/textile design provided a perfect career choice....I have created graphics and textile designs for some very big name designers...I will say that the pressure, limitations and fast-paced environment of a corporate design field do not leave much room for creative expression."
How was Muse Silk Paintings born?
"It was maybe 4 or 5 years ago…. was working 16 hour days, and had lost all memory of what it felt like to be expressive of my own ideas. I needed a creative outlet desperately and started looking through a community college pamphlet for extended learning courses. I saw 'silk painting' and thought I would give it a try. From the moment my brush hit the silk I was hooked! My first silk painting experience took my breath away!...As much as I love painting and drawing, I felt my silk paintings would be more versatile and sell better than prints or canvas paintings, because not only is it a hand painted artwork, but also a unique, fashion accessory. There is something quite intimate about my painting draped close over my clients’ neck rather than stagnant, gathering dust on the wall. Mixing my love of art with my experience in fashion/textile design seemed like a great combination, and so I decided to focus in and eventually start my business. Muse Silk Paintings."
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| Black Cherry |
What is her inspiration?
"I have a slightly obsessive personality, so I go through phases. I’ve been trying to focus my bursts of fascination into seasonal collections this past year. For example, for the longest time all I could do was draw mushrooms and dream of the fairytale landscapes, therefore my fall collection theme last year was “Fairytale Forest”. In general, patterns in nature, such as wood grain, butterfly wings, veins on a leaf and fairytale dreams, and anything beautiful inspires me."
Who is her Muse? What person, artist, or designer does she professionally admire?
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I think my number one muse is the sky. The amount of stunning color combinations and gorgeous cloud formations, sun rays pouring through, etc.just blows my mind!
Fashion Houses: Marc Jacobs, Rodarte, Erdem, Dosa, Pucci
Living artists: James Sienna, Victoria Hunter McKenzie, Linda Monfort, Sally Trace, Mandy Budan, Helen Klebesadel
Dead artists: Hundertwasser, Klimt, O’Keefe, Van Gogh
Fiber/Silk Artists: Lynn Meek, Fiona Stolze, Dagmar, Marcia Ferris, Jan Billings, Carol Law Conklin, Maria Jurmae"
She also offers custom banners:
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| Nouveau Kiss |
How can you find Muse Silk Paintings?
Of her customers, she says:
"My customers are usually women either buying themselves a special piece or a really thoughtful gift for a family member or close friend. Hand painted scarves are a really intimate, yet still classy and appropriate gift for people, teachers, in-laws, and even co-workers/bosses who are sometimes hard to buy for."
She'll be on vacation from her Etsy store in June and July. When asked about her biggest challenge, she says:
"Time Management, hands down. I need more hours in the day! Silk painting is very labor intensive. Between creating my new pieces and all the time and effort that goes into marketing, it leaves little time for anything else. I’m not sure if I’ll ever overcome this challenge, however I will be taking the next 2 months, June and July, to really focus on creating a more reasonable schedule."
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| Scarf Display From Last Show |
"I call my FB fans my Musies, but they are not always my customers. They are made up of friends, family, fellow artisan business owners, silk painters and just, in general, art lovers. Their words of encouragement and candid feedback are invaluable to me."
Her other links:
