Floral Paintings on Silk - 2005 Collection

Connecting Through Technology: Real or Not?

I visited Urth Cafe over the weekend and as I was scanning my surroundings, I noticed that most of the single people present were completely engrossed with their gadgets, iPhones mostly.

The statement I receive from observing this behavior is, "Even though I'm here by myself, don't judge me as being a loner. I'm "connected" to the entire world through my gadget. I don't have to look at you, to notice, that you notice my loneliness."

It's strange to be connected but at the same time not be connected. Like the picture below, regardless of the type of relationship these two individuals have, they were more involved with their computer than with each other. They arrived together, they sat down with each other, but there was a wall made of laptops between them. They didn't look at each other, they didn't speak to each other, and the guy even had headphones on.

Are we going to let these devices that are supposed to connect us take away our opportunity to look around? Are we are going to let them tell us how to be?

Connecting through technology let us remain "safe" and not show our vulnerability to each other. If we don't want to communicate with someone we can just "delete" them and pretend they never happened.

All this technology, online social networking, and texting have become the fastfood of connection. They are readily available and satiate your hunger, however, its's fake, has zero nourishment, and very soon you'll be feeling empty again.

I hope that one day we get to the point where our differences are seen as beautiful and not as a threat, so that we can connect in a true way.

This TED Talk is great Sherry Turkle: Connected, but alone?

Santa Monica, California - City of Shocking Fashion

A simple morning trip to Lazy Daisy and to RiteAid produced the pictures below. It appears to be that Walmart isn't the only place that is frequented by people who like making shocking fashion statements.

If you go to Macy's right now, it is difficult to find a chic, elegant, simple, outfit for a person who wants to look well put together without sending a bold statement. Manufacturer's shape the way society dresses. I recently observed many clothing items that are age inappropriate. Manufacturer's make clothes for children that look like they belong on a young adult, and they make clothes for older women that look like they belong on a teenager.

Every designer has his or her own touch for presenting their design, color, and texture to the world.  Designers don't only make clothes; they actually distribute a point-of-view. Each design has a message and ALL fashion makes a statement.

Fashion signals the time that we are living in and what is happening around us. The way we dress sends messages about our lifestyle, our problems, our insecurities, even our level of anxiety. It talks about obesity, it talks about wanting to blend in the crowd or attempting to standout, it even talks about our political views. It can also sends a message about our state of mind regarding richness; meaning richness of the soul and how capable we consider ourselves.

Today's predominant message of fashion is, "I don't care what people think about me." This is a blatant statement of denial. It says, "I don't matter so I cannot make a fashion statement; I cannot make a statement about me; I cannot get the attention I desire; I cannot make an impact on people; I am invisible; I cannot be as beautiful as I want to be so I just won't try."

"I don't care what people think about me" is a statement of self-negligence. It is not a statement of self-confidence and it is actually far from it.

 He had a white feather on his top-hat and a long feather as an earring.

His outfit is saying to me, "I am different than the rest of the people, but I am clueless about fashion."

This lady is wearing her sports-bra on top of her gym shirt.

Her selection in layering order is saying to me, "I don't care about anyone else, and I definitely don't care about myself."

It takes effort and discipline to look presentable and the amount of effort you put into the way you look always shows.

We need to stand by our skills

Silk painting is very critical but many people do it.

The gracefulness of silk allows for mistakes and low skills to look presentable because it is so generous and lets paint spread beautifully. When people take silk painting lightly their technique remains very basic. Their silks look like they let a cat walk over them with paint on its paws. When Andy Warhol painted naked women and let them crawl on his canvas the idea was fresh and original, but he had a strong art background.

Of course, I'm old school, I appreciate refined skills. I don't believe in praising work that does not deserve praise. Being politically correct holds us back from giving clear criticism and the praises that are given hold artists back from improving their art.

As artists we need the guts to give our opinion to each other instead of giving each other hollow words.  

Leyla Navab ArtSilk

Shawl Collection

May 22, 2012

One Shawl, Different Looks

Purchase this Purple Iris Shawl here

Purchase this Purple Iris Shawl here

Constructive Criticism

I love to do a lot of market research and I'm always looking at the work of other silk artists and fashion designers. I sometimes become deeply inspired by the color, design, and skill of artists and designers; however, I also become disappointed to see a lot of mediocre silk art posing as "unique", "labor intensive", and "high-quality". It seems to be that individuals practicing silk art become scared of stepping out their boundaries or afraid of creating something that will overstep the boundaries of the "commercial".

As artists we should have the courage and sincerity to give each other honest criticism and to help each other grow artistically. Giving each other sugar-coated criticism or praising something that does not deserve praise is damaging to our work and our skill growth.

I admire the courage and the effort that it takes to take up silk painting but I believe that it's important and necessary to take skill-building classes, give each other constructive criticism, and support each other by being sincere and honest.

Stylized Flowers on Silk Chiffon

More New Collection 2012

I love love love my new collection. I was inspired by nature such as a flying peacock. They inspire the colors I create when I paint the tulips. I think nature is a great source of inspiration for silk artist because silk itself comes from nature.

Christian Dior Spring 2012 Couture

The Christian Dior Spring 2012 Couture fashion show was one of my favorite collections. It was very classic and conservative, and it reminded me of a mix of 1950's silhouette and 1980's design. The sheer fabrics used are very feminine and the waistline was very pronouced. The colors were monochromatic but they were gorgeous. It was all very elegant, glamourous, and sophisticated.

Finding opportunities at shows that are not meant for fiber art...

Hi Silk Painting Network!
I would like to share the experience I had when I participated at a show that was not specifically catered for fiber art.

Last year I was looking for different opportunities to present my art, which is mostly inspired by flowers. I found the Santa Barbara Orchid Show and wondered if I could participate in it even though I am not a flower vendor. I contacted the organizers of the show and I was happy to receive a reply that said I could participate in the show as a fiber artist. I wasn’t quite sure how to prepare for the show. I concluded that I would make orchid frames and paint orchids on a couple of silk shawls.

The day that I arrived I felt a little out of place because I was the only fabric vendor. However, being in the presence of so many orchids was fascinating. On the first day of the show the orchid silk shawls sold immediately. The orchid frames did not go as fast but I immediately understood that selling opportunities exist everywhere

That is what I want to share with you. We are all able to think outside the box and to find new avenues where we can sell our art. Remaining curious still motivates me to find new places to expose my art to the public.

I'll be participating in the Santa Barabara Orchid Show again this year. I cannot wait! :)

My experience at the Paseo Arts and Holly Fest

I participated as a vendor in the Paseo Arts and Holly Fest, which happened December 17th and 18th at the Paseo Colorado outdoors mall in Pasadena. This mall has a lot of space in between the retail stores and the booths were located in this space. The promoter was very nice and he had volunteers to help vendors set up and to take down the booths.

The name of the show has the word "art" in it but the vendors did not match up to the title. There was a variety of vendors and some were artsy and some were not. It also seemed that the people at the mall were there as frequenters of the mall and not because they were interested in the Paseo Arts and Holly Fest. I didn’t have any customers that were interested in art.

I do not consider this place a good place for artists because the retail stores were offering high discounts and customers wanted discounts from me, which I could not afford to give. I cannot compete with retailers. This was not a good show for fiber art artist like me.

This experience helped remind me how much I have to research the shows I participate in before I sign up.

However, I met a great artist at this show and I am so happy that I met someone like her.

Upcoming Shows!!

Leyla Navab ArtSilk participates in different arts and crafts shows in California. We really like meeting our customers and getting to know what they like and what they are looking for so that we can better serve their needs. Also, we get to meet other artists and enjoy their art or craft.

These are the shows we are to participate in:

May 14 & 15 - Paseo Spring Fest: This show takes place at the beautiful outdoor mall Paseo Colorado in Pasadena. Paseo Colorado, 280 East Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101. Booth number pending.

June 10, 11, & 12 - Contemporary Crafts Market: This shows occurs semi-annully at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. 1855 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401. We have been lucky enough to participate in this show for several years now.  We will be at booth #376.


September 24 & 25 - Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival:  This show takes place "magical redwoods at the foot of Mt. Tamalpais, in historic Old Mill Park". This will be our first time attending this show so we're really excited! Booth number pending.


If you know of any other shows please email us the information. We are always looking for new arts and crafts shows that we can be part of.