Featured Artist ~ Angel Ray!

Welcome Featured Artist Angel Ray!!

I am so excited to share my very first Featured Artist with you all!  She is amazingly talented and a wonderful preson!  Not only is she an inspiration, but I am lucky enough to call her a friend.    Here she is folks, the lovely, the talented, the beautiful  ANGEL! 

      "My name is Angel, and I am ironically a native of the City of Angels (Los Angeles, California). My grandmother said that age is a state of mind, so my state of mind is 33, and will forever be that age. If I had to describe myself in a few words, I would say I am quiet, obsessive, and reflective, but when you really get to know me, you’ll see that I have a great big heart and can really be quite silly (especially when it comes to pigs).

    

     I’ve loved art since the moment I picked up a crayon. There is something that happens to me when mixing colors and interpreting ideas into an artistic expression. The world around, well, it simply melts away! I get swept up in line work, exploring negative space, can literally sit mesmerized for hours when it comes to repeated patterns found in artwork such as James Siena.

I also just love the organic nature of the incredible Hundertwasser.

And the ornate deco style of Klimt as well.

Of course, I have to say my favorite artist of all time is Van Gogh,

and absolutely adore O’Keefe as well...

the lists go on and on of inspiring fine artist that inspire me so much.

     After trying many different artistic mediums (ceramics, charcoals, print making, painting, etc.), a few years ago I took a silk painting class by Dr. Rosemary Cohen of Atelier de Paris and that was that ~ I was hooked! The dyes spread and mixed colors so beautifully.. it was like magic. This was my first piece. I named it “Celestial Dance”

     Finally my love for color, repeated design and painting could be realized in the perfect medium of silk painting! I wish I could just paint silk all day long, no need for food, water, or sleep (hence my obsessive nature).

     After 2 years of dabbling in silk painting, and after much coaxing and encouragement from my friends and family, I finally decided to do my first show in May 2009 at the Studio City Rotary Art Show.

     It was quite a whirlwind of an experience, but an amazing one at that. I almost passed out when a lady first bought one of my scarves. My hands were shaking and my heart was beating so fast at the notion. Someone I did not know liked my piece enough to buy it! Oh, what a feeling! To read more about my first show, click here.

     Soon afterwards, and still basking in the excitement of the show, I finally set up my Etsy Shop! Running my Etsy shop has been a whole new and wonderful experience, but I have to say I owe much of my rapid learning curve to the amazing and supportive CCCOE team (Calfornia Crafter's Club of Etsy).

     Silk Painting has been around for centuries, but all people have different methods. I personally use pine frames and stainless steel tacks to stretch silks. Once I have an idea of what type of design I’d like to express, I then draw freehand resist lines (like batik wax), and then paint. After the paint dries, the piece is heat set, washed, and pressed. Voila ~ it’s ready to wear! To read more about my silk painting process, click here.

Goals

     I’d like to build the Muse Silk Paintings brand into a luxury gift shop with a variety of price points for hand painted silk products for men, women and home. I’d love to offer silk ties, robes, banners, purses, pillows, table runners, curtains, etc. in addition to my lovely scarves. As an artist, my goal is to become an expert silk painter and be able to achieve any effect possible through this medium with both heat AND steam set dyes.

     It would also be amazing to find a way to partner with a Cancer society. Many of my clients have purchased a hand painted silk scarf as a gift to a loved one, fighting for their life, and going through chemotherapy. It would be so nice to be able to give a portion of my proceeds to help the organizations helping them fight these battles.

Dreams...

     Two huge studios where I have plenty of room to work on large pieces, store all my supplies, and give workshops. I’d like one studio based in Los Angeles and one in Hawaii to work 6 months out of the year. Oh, and I would just LOVE to host artist island retreat workshop/vacations. A huge library of inspirational landscapes, trees, flowers, skyscapes, and geometric patterns, and of course of my favorite artists as well.

10 years...

I would like to have a strong, successful silk painting business, a happy, healthy family, and three Rottweilers. I would also like to have 1 wall in our home completely dedicated to pigs.

Colors...

     I love all colors, and fascinated with mixing and playing with different color combinations. It is SO important in setting the tone and mood of the piece, and the possibilities are limitless!

Family...

     I have the best family, friends, and partner that anyone could ask for. They have all been so supportive with the humble beginnings of Muse Silk Paintings. Having a supportive partner is simply invaluable.

About Muse Silk Paintings

     My silk scarves are all completely stretched, drawn, painted, washed, and pressed by myself. Although I start with an inspiration board (for example here is my Spring/Summer board):

     I do not copy or trace my images ~ they are all from my imagination. I also just delight in taking custom orders. To view pictures of my latest custom work, click here. To view pictures of ALL my sold pieces (both on and off-line) you can visit my SOLD pieces gallery here. Each piece is truly created with devoted care and attention, right down the color coordinating gift wrap that I wake up extra early each morning to prepare correctly.

     A Muse scarf is a luxurious, one-of-a-kind, special painting that can be worn. When you order a scarf from Muse, I want you to be just delighted with the package that arrives on your doorstep. It should not only look beautiful on, but also feel and smell good too! To read past customer feedback, click here:

Shop Muse Silk Paintings scarves on Etsy here.

Check into my Blog every Friday to see the latest styled outfit for “Friday Fashion Finds”

Fan Muse on our Facebook Fan Page and get involved with the behind the scenes creative process, and be the first to know of any special sales or Muse news

Visit my photo galleries on Flickr to see pictures of my custom orders

And if you still can’t get enough of Muse, and you can follow on Twitter! "