Photo by Wanda Jackson. In her studio, Diane Tuckman shows off one of her long, flowing hand-painted silk vests. Its geometric patterns and colors echo blue skies, turquoise ocean and luscious flora of the islands. "In this piece, you feel casual and carefree," she says.

Published on: Wednesday, June 29, 2011

By Wanda Jackson

“Every time I apply brush to silk, my heart skips a beat,” said Lanham-based artist Diane Tuckman. “The art of painting on silk offers a palette of endless possibilities.”

Tuckman is the co-author of three books about silk painting — “The Complete Book of Silk Painting,” “Creative Silk Painting” and “The Best of Silk Painting.”

“Most silk painters will attest to the idea that silk painting is a sensuous experience,” she said. “When they start to paint they become one with the process. Their creativity is unleashed and the more they experiment, the more they discover that there are no limits to ideas and possibilities.”

Tuckman is co-founder of Silk Painters International, a nonprofit organization that promotes this art form. She also publishes an international newsletter, “The Silkworm,” which provides information about the latest silk painting techniques and networking opportunities for silk painters all over the world.

She teaches silk painting and gives hands-on talks for parties and workshops for schools and groups. Classes range from two-day beginner’s to “one day, one technique” and private one-on-one workshops. She has taught and demonstrated silk painting extensively in a variety of venues including trade shows, conventions, community colleges, children’s programs and art exhibitions.

“Silk painting is a direct paint-on method,” Tuckman explained. “Brilliant translucent dyes (or liquid fabric paints which work on all fabrics) are applied to silk fabrics using an exciting array of watercolor techniques. The colors merge to become an integral part of the fabric. Silk painting is not static. Movement and fluidity are the hallmark of this art form.

“As the hand of the artist delicately guides the flow of the liquid dyes or paints, the colors glide through the silk and generate delight and excitement.”

Silk paintings can be designed as “art to hang” or for function such as for wearable art or home decor. Tuckman primarily produces wall hangings and wearable art. 

Her signature style comes from “textures and colors inspired by everyday shapes and abstractions.”

“My subjects lurk and wait everywhere and they can be anything: things breathing and living, people, inanimate objects,” she said. “Florals, water plants, trees and rocks figure very prominently in my work because they reflect my long held passion for nature, for textures, for colors.”

Tuckman has blended her passion for silk with photography. Some of her photographic images are now printed on silk by a fellow artist.

“My approach is usually eclectic, I often try to catch the instant and bemoan a lost opportunity. I enjoy experimenting with composition. I try to manipulate motifs; I re-shoot repeatedly, reworking images with shifts and growth, with changes in mood and light,” Tuckman said.

“With photography I seek to connect and to share, to prod and to explore. I invite the viewer to take a second look and share a stretch of the road,” she added.

Born in Egypt, Tuckman attended British Missionary School, a private school in Heliopolis, Egypt. She became fluent in English, French and Arabic. Most of her teen years were spent in Paris, France, where she spent the majority of her time visiting the museums of Paris and traveling throughout Europe. In the mid-1960s, she and her husband moved to the United States, initially to Delaware and subsequently to the Washington, D.C. area where she taught French in a Maryland elementary school.

Her love of art, and her father and uncle’s fabric dye and paint import-export business introduced her to the “world of silk painting.” Tuckman is a self-taught artist who has dedicated herself to studying everything about her craft and shares silk painting techniques and vocabulary in her intensive workshops.

Tuckman also participates in juried shows and has received several awards. In the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission show titled “Paper,” Tuckman’s photograph, “Hummingbirds Feeding,” was purchased by the Prince George’s Arts Council.

Her works are in private collections and some of her wall hangings are being exhibited at the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission’s art gallery in Laurel. She sells her works through her website and studio. Select original, hand-painted pareo — sarongs or wraparound skirts—and scarves from $30 to $120 are available at the Brentwood Arts Exchange boutique.

To learn more about the “world of silk painting,” contact Tuckman at 301-474-7347 or visit www.iteachsilkart.com.