Ursula Schroter

Artist Bio

Graduated from the University of Essen, Germany with the subjects 'Physical Education' and 'Arts with special emphasis on textile creation' for teacher ship. She completed her teaching degree with a subsequent two year internship at various school types in Germany.

In 1987, she made first experiences with painting on silk. What started as an experiment became a long-term hobby. She has been creating fine art paintings as well as functional accessories like scarves, clothing, jewelry and home decorations or cards on various types of silk using a variety and combination of different techniques.

Since 1993 Ursula not only has been an instructor for silk painting giving classes and private lessons, but has also been presenting her work in exhibitions and arts and craft shows in various countries (Canada, California, Germany). She has sold her wearable art at retail stores and her silk paintings at art galleries.

Ursula has received several awards for her paintings at monthly shows and open shows at different galleries and the San Diego County Fair.

She loves to experiment and to try new ideas on silk because of her fascination with the interaction between dyes and sensuous silk fabric. Most of her inspirations are drawn from nature and her environment. Her paintings include abstracts, landscapes and flowers as well as animals.

Ursula is a member of the Carlsbad-Oceanside Art League www.coalartgallery.com , the Escondido Art Association www.escondidoartists.org, of the San Diego Silk Guild www.sandiegosilkguild.org and of Silk Painters International (SPIN) www.silkpainters.org.

Artist Statement

I create paintings using silk as my canvas. The brilliance of the color using silk dyes on luxurious silk is amazing. Every time I start a new painting it is breathtaking when the brush touches the silk and the dyes begin to flow.

Each single piece I create is hand painted on silk with steam-fixing dyes. For this, the silk has to be tightened to a frame and is then painted using various techniques. Depending on the kind of technique I use it takes several hours just for the painting process for a bigger silk sheet. When the painting is finished the silk pieces are prepared for steam-fixing by rolling them between two layers of paper. The silk is placed in a special steamer and “cooks” (stays in the steam) for about 3 to 8 hours. The steaming process not only sets the dye permanently and bonds it with the silk, but also develops the color to bring out all its brightness and intensity. Then, the silk has to “breeze” for about 1 to 2 days. Subsequently, every piece is hand washed and rinsed under clear water to remove any excess dye. After ironing dry the silk has its natural softness and luster.

After the long process of preparing, painting, steam setting and after-treatment a unique piece of art has been created