‘In Step with Silk’ an exhibition of silk paintings by Romaine Ferdinands

Friday, 22 November 2013 00:34 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

In Step with Silk is the third solo e

xhibition of Romaine’s work on a rare artist medium. Not many artists select silk as a medium of expression due to the greater challenge of the medium’s surface. However Romaine finds this medium challenging and beautiful and hence made it her choice of expression. Silk yields an art form that is extremely rare and beautiful as silk has an exceptional trait of reflecting colour as no other material can. “Mesmerised and smitten from the moment I first laid my eyes on a silk painting I decided to venture out, challenged to bring out my artistic abilities to a higher plane on this non-submissive medium while I try to bring a medium that is restricted to textile art to the field of fine art.” Romaine uses water colour technique extensively in her work preferring the freedom of brush stroke to the confines of ‘gutta’ a masking agent that is used in silk paintings to prevent the excessive flow of paint. As a result the technique she has adopted requires more time, more skill and concentration as every stroke has to

be perfect; mistakes on silk cannot be erased. The result is a painting of unhampered flow of brush strokes that are unique in character. The unhampered brush strokes that Romaine uses builds her picture borders on mastery and boldness.Her third collection of paintings features landscapes depicting significant places of the country, and a series of figure drawings of dance form. All paintings carry a ‘surrealistic impressionism’ that is hard to be duplicated even by the artist herself due to the technique she employs creating in her works a one of a kind timeless painting. This exhibition of silk paintings features her work over a period of nine years and will be held at The Harold Peiris Gallery (Lionel Wendt) from 23 – 24 November.