Figures In The Mist

Here is another piece from my exhibition.

©2008 Diana Parkes, FIGURES IN THE MIST, dye, discharge and pigment on silk, 85cm x 94cm; 34" x 37".

I had been looking through some of my images taken in Spain and selected one of a narrow window opening in an 8th century church. I liked the stone blocks which supported this window and, although still at a beginners level in photoshop, I did manage to remove the window and the rest of the stone work.


I transferred, free-hand, similar shapes to some silk

After adding some colour washes to the background, I then decided I didn't like these at all! This is not an unusual reaction (it happens often), but instead of discarding it....

....I put it through a discharge bath and felt much better about the resulting, more subtle colours. I also turned it into a horizontal position. I was then able to introduce further elements to the piece as in the final image above. I often make these radical shifts and am absolutely hopeless at working commissions - I could never stick with a pre-determined design!

Interesting to note that the top photo is a professional photo while those-in-progress are my humble, but faithful, digital camera. The top photo is truer to the real colours. This certainly supports the value of getting photos taken professionally!