Jennifer Steinman, who is a Dutch native, uses the traditional French silk painting technique called the gutta and dye method for painting her silk scarves, pillows, wall hangings, lampshades and quilt blocks. She learned her craft while living and working in Switzerland, and perfected her skills under the tutelage of a local artist.

Gutta is a rubber based material that creates a barrier through the silk. This barrier keeps the various dye colors from bleeding together when applied to the silk. Gutta is used to draw the actual design on the silk. The dyes are then applied to fill in the picture. Jennifer “sets” the final painting by steam setting the silk dyes. This prevents the colors from “running” together when washed or dry-cleaned.

Notice how the gutta lines contrast with the vivid dyed colors on the silk to create a stained glass effect.