I’ve been a marbler for twenty six years!

My studio is in my home. I work in my kitchen, iron in my living room, store my raw silk and finished pieces in the “computer room”,
I enjoy every aspect of Silks by Lucia, the creation of new ideas and the marbling process itself,

The marbling process goes like this: I buy untreated white silk. The silk is prewashed in a solution called Synthrapol, which is a detergent that rids the silk of impurities. The silk is then treated with alum, a chemical that changes the molecular structure of the silk, and allows it to accept the marbling paint permanently.
My next steps are to iron the alumed silk to make it smooth, and prepare the marbling solution. The marbling solution is a combination of carrageenan (powdered algae) and water. This amalgam is poured into large trays. Marbling paint is dropped on the surface of this thickened water

The paint droplets are now combed with styluses. Once the marbling paint is combed properly, the silk is laid on the surface of the carrageenan base, and the silk permanently accepts the combed design. The final steps of marbling are to rinse, dry, heat set, and iron each piece. All my work is now permanently set, individually unique, and hand washable.