Parrot Tulip Bowl by Sheila Ary

When working with silk fibers to make silk paper, or silk fusion, the outcome is largely unknown until the piece of silk fusion can be lifted from the netting or mold on which it has been dried. The final appearance of the fusion can then be seen, especially in terms of the flow of colors. These can sometimes give the artist a direction to follow in further work, as in this case, where I clearly had a parrot tulip, though I had not known what to expect.

The hardest part of finishing this bowl was in deciding how, and how much, to embellish what I already had to work with. I tried beads, but even the smallest were too clunky, and stuck out too noticeably from the smooth surface. Silk threads or cotton floss, even a single strand, were all too bulky. Finally I settled on a very fine gold thread, which, combined with the gold feet, finished off the project to my satisfaction.