Each silk piece designed by Chicago-based artist
Jennifer Walker is a one-of-a-kind. The technique she uses is called
shibori and is an ancient Japanese resist process using wrapping,
folding, sewing, or clamping and dipping into dye to create beautiful
patterns and textures on fabric and paper. As an addition to the
shibori, Jennifer designs and carves linoleum blocks that are
individually hand-printed onto each piece of fabric. This takes place
after the dyeing process, the colors and patterns defining the
combinations she uses. Her inspiration comes from nature, particularly
sea life, plants, and insects. By focusing on the simple forms that
make up the whole, she captures an abstraction of the form that evokes
a sense of familiarity in shapes that only exist in the imagination.
Jennifer received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ohio University in 1989.
She has been a practicing graphic designer since. In 1997 she took
several workshops in the art of shibori at the Textile Arts Center in
Chicago. She fell in love with the surprising colors and textures she
could create on silk. Using her arts background and graphic design
sensibilities, she has taken this ancient technique and redefined it.
Her "east meets west" approach to color, design, and fashion has
brought to you a contemporary line of accessories including scarves,
skirts, and purses.
