Autobiography of the Artist

Julie Silvestri graduated from Montserrat College of Art, Beverly MA, in 2001 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a concentration in Printmaking. She moved to Boston and began showing her work in venues around the Boston area.

In 2004, Julie decided to return to school and moved from Boston to Philadelphia. She is currently working on a Master of Science degree at Philadelphia University, majoring in Textile Design and concentrating in Print. In addition to creating prints for fabric, she also designs handbags and sews clothing. Her work can be seen at: www.juliesilvestri.net

The Basis for this scarf pattern comes from Gothic Architecture and sculpture. The ribbons of color are inspired by different shapes found within ancient Cathedrals and museum pieces I had researched. I built the pattern by first painting a large watercolor then drawing the shapes to fit within the repeated pattern. The watercolor was scanned into the computer, and with software I was able to fill the shapes with different areas of the patches of color. The end result was a rich deep pattern of color and shape in which some of the shapes fade in and out of view. I thought the pattern
would be elegant and sophisticated enough to fit the criteria for the SELAM Scarf Competition. I took the pattern and surrounded it with a border of the coordinating linear version for the finished scarf design. I am honored that my design has been chosen as ELAM's 10th Anniversary Scarf.

Julie Silvestri, BA