A NOTE FROM THE ARTIST ABOUT MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUE: "White silk is stretched on wood frames and brush painted by hand using dyes specifically for silk painting. Specific designs are freehand drawn using a water based wax resist. No tracing, forms or stencils are ever used. All dyes are painted by brush and by hand. To create unique colors, dyes are layered many times by brush. After painting the silk is steamed in a specialized steamer for several hours to permanently set the dyes. After steaming, the silk is washed several times to remove any excess dye so there will be no dye transfer and the dyes are permanent. Any gold or metallic resist is applied after washing. The fabric for the kimono jackets are cut out then sewn using silk thread."