Аляскинцы научат рисовать шелковые шарфы с помощью соли и гравитации

‘The salt does the magic’: Alaska couple teaches art of silk scarf painting ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - An Alaska couple spreads joy and community through classes that teach participants how to hand-paint silk scarves. The couple behind the creativity says you don’t need to be an artist to paint a scarf. Gina Murrow has been teaching the classes since 2014. “I love to paint. I love to teach people to paint,” Murrow said. “So I started doing silk art, and this was a way to make it successful for just anybody, whether they picked up a paintbrush or not.” After taking a break from teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gina and her husband Dave started classes back up in the last couple of years. During the classes, Gina guides participants through painting a scarf with different designs, from fireweed to waterfalls to salmon. Gina said to use lots of paint and start at the top, allowing gravity to do some of the work. Gina starts with a wet scarf that hangs vertically on a patented hanging device that allows the paint to flow similar to watercolor paints. Once the design is complete, a special ingredient is used; salt. “This moves the pigment and the water into rivulets,” Gina said. “So just like when you put salt on an icy sidewalk, this does the same thing, only it has pigment to add some excitement. “The salt does the magic. It really does. It helps preserve the color and keeps it more vibrant later, and it puts this beautiful visual texture. You can’t feel it once you take the salt off.” Business origins Dave said Gina wanted to share her art with everybody. “She realized that this is a way that people could do art and have success every time,” Dave said. “So we started painting at bars and restaurants around town, which you still can do.” Dave pointed to a pink scarf on display. “My seven-year-old granddaughter did this,” he said. “It proves that it’s not hard to paint a scarf.” Popular designs “Our most popular design is actually ‘Under the Sea’ because it brings out the turquoises, the blues and the greens with a touch of purple,” Gina said. She also pointed to a design called Blue Poppies, which she described as “almost foolproof.” Murrow said a premium design “takes a little more skill, but is easier than you think.” Finished product and care instructions Gina said the scarves are hand washable. “It’s better to just use water,” she said. “Soap doesn’t hold odors.” She said one scarf on display was 10 years old and still vibrant, adding, “they’re pretty tough. They’re tougher than they look.” Gina advised against dry cleaning the scarves. She said people also use the scarves as wall hangings, on hats, or occasionally on a purse. Asked what she enjoys most about the classes, Gina said, “I love to see people succeed and come back and see their finished scarf, and the light in their eyes and their mouths dropping open never gets old.” How to participate Dave said the business paints at Embassy Suites Wednesday and at The Workshop on Huffman Road other days of the week. “It takes an hour to train and paint, and then you have an hour for dry and dine,” Dave said. “That’s when you spend time with your friends. Everybody wants more friend time these days ... That’s really the best part of painting a scarf. We hear that over and over again. I needed this time with my friends.” Dave and Gina said locations and schedules are available on their website, with about four more sessions remaining before the season ends and the business returning around Christmas time. See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to [email protected] Copyright 2026 KTUU. All rights reserved.