Spirit Oaks Studio & White Bear Creations

09/16/2022

08/16/2022

Commonly called shot silk, or change taffeta this particular material gains its iridescent look by weaving one color on the warp and a different color on the weft. A “shot” is a single throw of the bobbin that carries the weft thread through the warp. Using silk to create this fabric achieves the most spectacular results since silk fibers are a natural prism when viewed in cross section. Undyed silk is also translucent, allowing light to refract through the three sided form of the fiber.
A remnant of a clerical vestment from about 698 CE lets us know that this method of weaving has been around since at least the 7th century.
This delightful portrait got me thinking about shot silk. No surprise there.

Portrait of a Lady, 1837, by Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller.

05/12/2022

Do you ever poke into something, thinking it will be a smidgen of a thing to work though, then, as you do so, you realize there is a great deal more going on than you imagined? Does it feel awkward to have things so beyond your control? Yeah, me too. We aimed to fix a leak in the kitchen ceiling her...

04/25/2022

Here’s something I have been doing lately before I set a stone just in case a 100 years from now someone pulls the stone out for some reason or another you never know right. Stay Creative everyone and god bless.

04/10/2022

This artist has mastered the unruly nature of his medium to mimic the fuzzy bodies and erratic movements of cats.

03/31/2022

With all types of property in St. Petersburg getting harder and harder to come by, a new project is offering local artists unique opportunities for affordable studio space. Tyrone Square […]