Ruth Temple

I am in love with color, and with the gifts of function and natural forms, whether a piece is decorative, as a colorful scarf to wear and delight in, or a hand-bound blank journal that welcomes you to write and draw your inmost thoughts in.

The daughter of a fiber artist and teacher of color theory and design, I grew up surrounded by and immersed in a world of creating art and playing with light. Some of the techniques I use today I learned at my mother's knee, and I have never stopped learning new forms. Continuing to explore familiar themes such as natural figures in each new technique I learn, continues deepening and enriching my visual work and ongoing explorations in new work.

Beautiful silk scarves are handpainted in a centuries-old Japanese technique, being explored by modern artists worldwide: Arashi Shibori. Silk is folded and wrapped around a core, then scrunched to make a pattern of mountain-and-valley folds. The manipulated silk is then hand painted with dyes, the palette of colors mixing further in the brushstrokes and in the drying process. Heatset to be colorfast, the scarves are then given a final rinse and ironed. I choose to honor those I learned from and artists in this medium who came before me by choosing the best materials to work with. May my love for this work shine in each piece and add to your enjoyment!