‘Palimpsest’ handpainted silk blouse Carole Waller

‘Palimpsest’ handpainted silk blouse Carole Waller

This is a smaller scale silk blouse with a rever collar and a centre back pleat. It is painted in blues – cobalt, sky, teal and turquoise with bits of soft pink, soft moss green and vanilla. The layer of overlayed screenprinted images of architectural detail of the Duomo in Barga is cinnamon and blues. The ‘Palimpsest’ refers to the bricked up windows seen from the window of a flat I stayed in in Italy. A fab word: Palimpsest is a re-editing process in which the existing layers of objects or traces were covered or removed, partially or completely.

The main photograph and one of the detail pictures shows the blouse worn with a matching silk scarf which is available seperately and is £175. It will be found in the scarf section of the shop. Similarly the unique handprinted aluminium cuff is in the jewellery section and was made in collaboration with Annie Beardsley.

This clothing collection is directly inspired by an hilltop town called Barga near the Italian walled city of Lucca.

Colour is everywhere and constantly changing as the sun moves around and briefly illuminates surfaces before it drops away to other surfaces , and there are some fantastic sunsets. The texture of stone, terracotta and paint against a backdrop of blue sky and endless astonishing mountain vistas is a heady mix! This piece is a colour of blue seen between the high rooftops.

The Duomo crowns the hill, and the town. I made many drawings and prints of the building with its simple arches inside and out during the summer of 2024. Amber coloured alabaster windows convey a soft warm light inside the space and the pale white marble arches on the outside create sharp and soft shadows as the sun moves.

Barga is full of light and shadow with tall buildings with narrow alleys conveying darkness and light both soft and stark. I spent a month there as artist in residence at Quattro Archi Studios and Gallery. and look forward to having an exhibition of paintings and clothing in the stunning gallery there in 2025. I shall also be teaching at Quattro Archi, of which details in the ‘Workshops’ section on this site.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                The gallery is built in a disused cantina underneath the printmaking studios, which in turn are two minutes walk from the fantastic ^11th century Romanesque  Cathedral  of San Christoforo. The Duomo became my main inspiration for its simultaneous simplicity and complexity and this is reflected in the density of layering prints from drawings of surfaces and walls.

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‘Palimpsest’ handpainted silk blouse Carole Waller

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Carole Waller art to wear:

Each painted garment and scarf by Carole Waller is unique wearable art – art to wear. My technique is to handpaint each piece at the studio – which is just outside Bath. My fabrics are unprimed ‘canvases’ and the paintings evolve as I work, and consequently no two pieces are the same.

I also make bespoke commissions and would be delighted to work with you to create the style you prefer, in the colours and cloth of your choice. Despite the fact that I cannot colour match,  I can promise you a unique artwork. Visitors are welcome anytime, by appointment.

Waller&Wood.

Waller and Wood is our gallery name from the time we had a retail gallery in Bath between 2015 and 2020. My studio and small showroom is now at our home 4 miles east of Bath on the A4, with good parking and coffee.

Main Photo: Egle Vasi

The code for this specific piece is AW24/27