Jeri Baumgardner

I was introduced to the ‘French Serti” method of painting with dyes on silk in 1987 by the daughter of a friend who thought I needed to learn how to ‘chill’. Over the years, I have developed my own style and methods, continuing to find that art allows me to still my mind, go inward, and find that which wants to be expressed.

Beginning with 3 colors of liquid dye…magenta, cyan(blue) and yellow, I mix a never-ending rainbow…working with up to 60 custom colors. On a white piece of silk, the dyes pool, travel, blend, and follow their own bliss, interrupted only by collision with other dyes or with resist lines I have applied to form an image.

Each painting on silk is an adventure with color. I work as a child, in constant wonderment and delight as I see the magic unfold before me.

In 2003 I moved to the Big Island of Hawaii and re-committed myself to painting on silk.  The beauty of the islands, the spirit of the land and the people called upon me to offer my love and gratitude with art.

Without any formal art training, I struggled to create images that looked like what was in my heart.  To create a drawing which then I would paint on silk has always been my biggest hurdle, sometimes taking an entire month of effort to create a usable image. Once the drawing is complete, I can paint basically the same image over and over again, changing dye colors, resistance colors, and details.

I returned to live in Oregon in 2021 and yet my heart and inspiration to paint resides in Hawaii. It is the Aloha Spirit that I carry within me, and hope to convey to you through my art.

I can be reached on the southern Oregon Coast, where I currently live, through my email at herimage@earthlink.net.

 

Blue Jade Vine Aloha

 

Ginger Garden Aloha

 

Birds In The Garden