Imagine the boldest hues of color you can. Did they awe your artistry with inspiration or did they astound you with their brilliance? Now, imagine being fully immersed in a fantastical land of naturally beautiful shades found in clear waters and luscious forests. It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Well, this seemingly fictional place is indeed real and full of artistic wonder. The Isle of Man is a small island which is bordered by 100 miles of blue coastal shorelines. Nestled in the middle of the Irish Sea, it is surrounded by the coasts of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. The lush lands of natural beauty and rich culture entice many locals and visitors to explore it. With so many vibrant hues of green and blue, artistic inspiration is never lacking. In fact, the Isle of Man is a muse to many local and visiting artists. It is also an amazing location for a silk painting festival. The Isle of Man’s Silk Painting Guild hosted the Celtic Kingdom Festival of Silk 2013, which was held in association with Manx National Heritage Art Gallery from September 19 th to the 22nd. It was a weekend full of new friends, new views and new ideas. This silk painting festival was designed to bring in local artists of all skill levels, to teach beginners and to grow those with a little experience. The four days were host to workshops, lectures, a fashion show, an art gallery and many more entertaining activities that focused on a love of silk painting. However, for Joyce Estes it was also a weekend of forming international connections and meeting fellow silk painters that live abroad. With dreams of Ireland tantalizing her desire to travel, Joyce was elated with the discovery that the Isle of Man Guild of Silk Painters was hosting a festival on their island, which coincidentally exists near the Irish coast. With an opportunity to travel to her dream destination and to meet with international silk painters, Joyce could not pass it up. So, she packed her bags and, along with her granddaughter Courtney, headed to the picturesque Isle of Man to begin her adventures abroad. Upon her arrival, Joyce was met with friendly faces and amazing views of natural beauty. Because of the seclusion of Isle of Man and the cost of traveling, Joyce was the only American guest present at the festival. “Jane Buck was the chairman of the festival. She was very helpful in getting my travel information together and in guiding us around, helping us stay over and to enjoy the sites on the Isle of Man.” Although, at the time, Joyce was the Silk Painters International President, she was able to enjoy the festival as a visitor, while of course still representing her own silk painting organization. “I was there as an onlooker and visitor and as the SPIN President. I was trying to reach out and pull other international organizations in and get more people interested in silk painting. We try to keep the lines open so that we can share with one another and expand the world of silk painting.” On Thursday, the festival was already in full swing with culturally immersive events and silk painting courses. Curator Yvonne Cresswell welcomed festival guests with a private guided tour that explored the exclusive works of Celtic artist Archibald Knox, but more specifically his illuminated image ‘Deer’s Cry,’ text decorated with colors and embellishments of design. By viewing his exquisite work, the guests were able to translate his artistry into their own silk painting. Throughout the first day, there were lectures and workshops formed around the Celtic beauty found in local art, which brought cultural appreciation for all festival goers.
Many of the workshops were geared towards beginners. Joyce, an advanced silk painter full of techniques, was still able to learn something new at this intermediate-level festival, proving that it really was fun for all. Having already dabbled in shibori, she had a grasp on different techniques, but was exposed to a new type there. “It was my introduction to this type of shibori. It was a very simplified shibori, with two simple techniques: folding and twisting silk scarves. It’s a lot like tie-dye in ways. The gathering the silk up and putting dyes on it…the more advanced you become, it changes. It always gives you different designs.” Friday was the first official day and although activities were already in full swing, the hosts decided to kick off the festival weekend in the Sayle Gallery, a charitable art museum that hosted multiple festival events, by welcoming all of their attendees. This opening day was all about meeting fellow silk painters and just reveling in the excitement to come. Saturday, however, was a day full of activity and learning, in which several workshops and lectures took place. There were courses about layering colors, creating textures, learning shibori and they even held a beginner’s guide to silk painting for those new to the fine art. These classes were specialized by topic and they offered tools for creating specific looks or textures on silk. Although there was quite a lot of activity going on during the festival, the silk painters still managed to find time to reach out the local public in attempts to enlighten them on silk painting. One of the keenest pleasures in art is sharing it with others, and that is precisely what the festival goers aimed to achieve. The Isle of Man’s Festival 2013 was so much more than bringing together silk painters for a time of learning and enjoyment, but it was also about reaching out into the local community to educate the public on silk painting. By exposing the public to a new artistry, it not only encourages them to try silk painting themselves, but it also shows that it is more than a craft and is a fine art that deserves to be seen as such. By exposing the unknowing public to the fine art, silk painters have the opportunity to not only educate them on the basics, but can also show silk painting’s relevance and timelessness in today’s art industry as well. “In the United States, silk painting is turned into a craft instead of a fine art, and we want to show people the varieties that it offers. Our mission is to bring silk painting into the fine arts.” By exposing the public to a fine art that is often wrongly associated as a craft, silk painting organizations can slowly build their authority in the art world by displaying their works. The festival set up a booth inside of a local mall where they displayed their own artworks and allowed the public to interact with silk painting by trying it our firsthand. “They had an area in a mall that they opened to the public that showed the pieces the artists did and got the public introduced to silk painting. It was quite successful. It really was an open invitation to get them involved, as well as to display the artist’s pieces for selling.” What is a festival without an art exhibition or fashion show? Well, on Saturday evening they hosted a dinner and a fashion show, which allowed for all of the guests to reflect on what they learned and to show off some of their work. This fashion show was a unique event, because it not only showcased works of established silk painters, but it also partnered with a local hospice to display their pieces as
well. Marvelous oeuvres of luxurious silk paintings were not confined to just the show, but they were also exhibited throughout the weekend (and on) in the Sayle Gallery. It displayed a wide range of works from the guild’s member as well as works from other organizations on the island. That evening also provided a surprise guest, the island Governor Adam Wood, who made an appearance during this evening full of celebration and gave an added excitement to an already amazing event. With all this buzzing around, Joyce still had an amazing time attending the festival events and she even did a little sightseeing. “The weather was great; it reminded me of our American crispy fall time,” Joyce said regarding a question about seasonal differences between the Isle of Man and America. Fortunately, it stayed mostly dry and she and Courtney were able to explore the island and to appreciate all it had to offer. “We got to do a little sight-seeing, but the Isle of Man is a small town and area. There were lots of sheep and grass that overlooks the water. The city was very old and the hills were so huge that you had to walk up it. And we chose to walk as much as we could. Everyone was so friendly and helpful in making us enjoy our trip.” As the festival came to an end, Joyce said goodbye to her new friends, stored away her happy memories and set off for Ireland. She extended her trip abroad to see different cities and sights that Ireland had to offer and reveled in the fact that her dream of visiting there had finally come true. “We joined a tour after the festival to see Ireland. We went to Belfast and saw the Titanic exhibit, how it was made and saw pictures. A special cart would take you up and down building the Titanic and made you feel like you were part of it. We also went to a theatre in Dublin and saw the new company that produced river dancing; all of the cultures of Ireland were brought together in one production.” It has been approximately one year since her trip. Reflecting on her time spent in Isle of Man, and of course Ireland, Joyce is reminded not only of the people she met and views she saw, but also of the importance of creating bridges with international silk painting communities. This notion of sharing and receiving knowledge, ideas, techniques and more can enhance the Isle of Man Guild as well as SPIN. Now, Joyce stills sees this importance and hopes to maintain those friendships and connections, as well as to network SPIN with more international communities. We live in the age of technology and information, meaning that no era before this has had the kind of quick access to information and other cultures that we do. By typing a few words into google or a website, one can easily be connected to a web of like-minded individuals living thousands of miles away. This access to technology (the internet) allows organizations like to easily connect with others abroad to share ideas and information. SPIN is actively encouraging all members to do the same, to connect with people in other cultures to expand silk painting knowledge. It would be even more exciting to one day visit a silk painting organization in a foreign culture, just as Joyce did. Nothing is more exciting than traveling to a foreign place and finding people there who share your same passions for silk painting. Imagine being able to not only teach them about what you know, but to also be able to learn more techniques that may have never occurred to you. Each silk painter has a different outlook and experience with silk, therefore giving them the knowledge to share with their fellow artists. Being able to expand the walls of swapping information would be nothing but valuable.