"water colors" silk scarves available

Each scarf begins as a photograph of water reflections.  I am ever watching for interesting reflections.  I find them at Swan Lake Gardens, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, in the Charleston gardens, and in Ohio lakes and ponds, just to name a few of her favorite locations.  The photographs are individually printed on 100% silk chiffon.  I use  acid dye inks and a specially converted Epson 9880 printer to transfer the reflections to the silk.  After printing, the silk is steamed in a Jacquard vertical steamer.  The steaming process increases the vibrancy of the colors and renders the silk colorfast.   

I have been drawn to water for as long as I can remember. It is all around us.  It is in the air that we breathe, it is under the ground where we walk, it is in the oceans, lakes, swamps, and marshes on this round ball we all call home. It has been a part of us since conception.  Semen carrying the sperm that generates new life is 96 percent water.  The amniotic fluid surrounding that new life begins as 99 percent water.  The body at birth is approximately 75 percent water and remains around 60% for the rest of our lives.  Without water, life as we know it could not exist.  We may live for weeks or months without other nutrients, but without water, we can survive only a few days.  Water flows through our veins as the water on our planet flows through its rivers and streams. Science tells us we cannot survive without that amazing combination of hydrogen and oxygen. Yet, we take it for granted. 

Each scarf is approximately 20" x 60".  Since each scarf is printed individually, small variations may occur and are indicative of the uniqueness of each item.  Each scarf should be treated as you would treat any fine fabric.  It can be gently washed or dry-cleaned.

Contact me if you would like to purchase one (or more!)  They make gorgeous Christmas gifts, and you'll want to keep at least one for yourself!

"water colors" on Exhibit at Umpteenth Gallery

Photo Exhibit Celebrates Water

THE UMPTEENTH GALLERY

Location:  Arts & Letters Building 
Hours: M-F, 8:30 a.m. -5 p.m.

"water colors"

The University of South Carolina Sumter will feature “water colors” by Margaret van Bulck Smith in the Umpteenth Gallery through December 15, 2014. The exhibit is free and open to the public.


Originally from Sumter, Smith is an award-winning fine-art nature photographer with a career spanning academia, photography, public accounting and economics. She conducts photography workshops and is an adjunct instructor at Central Carolina Technical College. Her photographs and essays have been published regionally and nationally. 

Smith’s work has won regional, national and international awards and has been exhibited in a wide variety of venues. Her current work involves printing large-scale (40" x 60") images of water reflections on paired layers of charmeuse and chiffon with acid-dye inks.  She also works with encaustic to create tactile images of intimate ocean encounters and enjoys printing on metal and metal leaf, working with Van Dyke Brown, image transfers and various other alternative processes.
         
“ I have been drawn to water for as long as I can remember. It is all around us.  It is in the air that we breathe, it is under the ground where we walk, it is in the oceans, lakes, swamps, and marshes on this round ball we all call home. It has been a part of us since conception.  Semen carrying the sperm that generates new life is 96 percent water.  The amniotic fluid surrounding that new life begins as 99 percent water.  The body at birth is approximately 75 percent water and remains around 60% for the rest of our lives.  Without water, life as we know it could not exist.  We may live for weeks or months without other nutrients, but without water, we can survive only a few days.  Water flows through our veins as the water on our planet flows through its rivers and streams. Science tells us we cannot survive without that amazing combination of hydrogen and oxygen. Yet, we take it for granted,” says Smith. 

Smith is completing her Masters of Fine Art (MFA) in photography at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.  She now resides in Bishopville and Pawleys Island.  She is married to Martin Smith, a retired principal from Florence, SC.  She has two grown children, Marc and Sydney van Bulck.
 

 

Van Bulck Photography to be Included in Two South Carolina Galleries

On June 1, Van Bulck Photography moved into Lens Work Gallery in the Village Shops at Pawleys Island.  Previously, Van Bulck Photography was represented by Island Art, also in the Village Shops.  Island Art “went coop” and chose not to include photographers in the coop.  I considered several options in the area, wanting to maintain a presence in Pawleys Island.  Lens Work Gallery, a well-established photography gallery, appeared to be a great fit.   After meeting with one of the gallery owners and presenting my portfolios of wild mustangs and coastal birds, along with a brief introduction to the Water Colors series, I was accepted into the gallery.  Lens Work Gallery is owned by Mark Hilliard and Phil Duvel. 

Van Bulck Photography will also be moving into the Elephant Ear Gallery, an eclectic coop art gallery in Sumter, SC in July. The Elephant Ear includes the work of local painters and sculptors, along with custom embroidery, custom framing and jewelry.   They also have recycled art and interesting crafts.  My photography will add a new dimension to the Elephant Ear.  Being part of a coop gallery like the Elephant Ear will be a new experience.  I’m looking forward to the adventure.

Invited Artist at the Art Trail Gallery

I am very happy to be exhibiting five of my silks (well, actually ten total, since they are hung in pairs) at the upcoming exhibit at the Art Trail Gallery in Florence, SC.  They have moved into a beautiful new facility on West Evans Street.  Although only one pair of my silks has been installed in the gallery (they are to finish the installation tomorrow,) it was really exciting to see what they were going to look like in the new space.  I hope they have a great turnout for the opening reception Saturday evening.  Florence is a great city for supporting the arts, so I feel certain that the exhibit will be well received.

The Creation of Water Colors: Philosophies, Theories and Processes That Guide My Work

          I have a spiritual connection with water.  I have always been drawn to water.  For many years it was not something that I considered consciously.  About ten years ago, my marriage of thirty years began unraveling.  It was as if I had been thrown into a dark hole.  I was suffocating, and I could find no way out. While I was visiting my son in Boston, we took a boat trip in the Boston Harbor to see the lighthouses.  As I stood on the bow of the boat with the mist blowing up into my face, I realized that I was happy, truly happy, for the first time in a very long time.  I felt alive again.  I could breathe.  Obviously, the pain of my divorce did not disappear because of a boat ride, but it did make me aware of how much my proximity to water affects my sense of wellbeing.

          I have been drawn to water for as long as I can remember.  It is all around us. It is in the air that we breathe, in the oceans, lakes, swamps, and marshes on this round ball we all call home.  It has been a part of us since conception.  Semen carrying the sperm that generates new life is 96 percent water.  The amniotic fluid surrounding that new life begins as 99 percent water.  The body at birth is approximately 75 percent water and remains around 60% for the rest of our lives.  Without water, life as we know it could not exist.  We may live for weeks or months without other nutrients, but without water, we can only survive a few days.

          My current body of work is a series of fine art form-based photographs of reflections in water, firmly rooted in abstract landscape photography, with linguistic elements of movement, color, and light that are captured as they affect the appearance of water.   Water is, by definition, fluid.  It moves constantly.  The reflections that I find in water change from instant to instant. What I see at one moment will no longer exist the next moment.  It is this movement that has encouraged me to seek a medium of presentation that accentuates this characteristic.  For this reason, printing on silk is crucial to my vision. The silk is used to mimic the fluidity of the water being photographed. By printing on two different types and weights of silk and hanging the two layers three to four inches apart, I am able to create the illusion of three dimensions. The chiffon is translucent, and the charmeuse print hanging behind it can be seen through the chiffon.  Layering the silks creates a sense of three dimensions, much like looking into and through water.