Featured Artist : Marla Alexandra

My name is Marla Alexandra, and I have created a line of hand painted and embellished fabric pieces using the Dye-Na-Flow silk paints and Lumiere metallic paints.

I work at Fabrique Fashion Fabrics in Richardson, Texas, where I am exposed to an abundance of beautiful, quality fabrics. I have used the silk paints on anything from raw silk to cotton and linen. I am learning quickly how the paints react to various fabrics and how to control them using the resist or thickener that I also purchased through Dharma.

Each animal is painted on approximately 1 ¼ yards of fabric, and after I paint each animal, I imbue it with personality by various methods of hand embroidery and/or sequins and crystals. They are panels that can be used for the backs of jackets, skirts, shirts, pillows, or just to be framed depending on what each person is inspired to do with them.

I have a degree in fashion from the Savannah College of Art and Design, and after a couple of years of sewing custom clothing for the public, I decided to approach my passion for painting. Thinking of a way to use both my degree and a long lost love of painting, with the help of my boss Lora Simonds, I began painting on cloth. I hope that my pieces inspire others as much as I have been inspired to create them.