Claire Vassort first learned how to paint on silk when she was a teenager in her native homeland of France.
When she moved to Pennsylvania in the late 1980s, she made sure to pack all her art equipment, but little did she did know, she would have to set painting aside as she found and followed other passions.
“I used to be part of the U.S. Women's Hang-Gliding Team,” she said. “It was my number one passion for quite a while. “It's so beautiful up there and it actually did inspire some of my artwork. ”
Vassort earned a Silver Medal and was part of the team from1992-2005. She said her last flight was in 2014.
Being close to Lookout Mountain Flight Park was one of the reasons she moved to Rising Fawn, Georgia in 2001. It was here where she designed and helped build her dream cottage in a lush natural setting.
The self-taught artist creates floor and desk lamps, framed pieces, scarves, greeting cards and makes prints of her artwork too. She likes to display her art at shows and enjoys teaching her craft. She taught free three-hour workshops in February and March of 2020 at the Cherokee Regional Library System. These classes led to art installations in all four libraries of this Northwest Georgia library system.
She led a public art project for the Chattanooga Downtown Library in 2019. Free workshops generated an installation that involved the community through a series of eight silk painting workshops in the Maker Space of the Chattanooga Library. Over 100 students participated and painted a total of 44 large banners and nearly 100 practice pieces.
She said she loves the versatility silk painting provides as an art form. “I'm thankful that the silk painting medium lends itself to so many different outlets and display avenues,” she said. “I'm truly grateful that I can offer my artwork in so many configurations and can continue to do so while discovering new forms.”
Her home is more than a dwelling, it’s her escape, music area, art studio and showroom. She is surrounded by trees, nature, her rescue cats, and her well-tended vegetable garden. Inside, the home is welcoming. A piano sits in front of the entrance with French sheet music on the music desk. She admits she is still learning, but playing the piano soothes her soul and reminds her of her French heritage. And then of course, there is all her art.
“I moved here and again the boxes full of art supplies followed me,” she said. “I opened everything and it’s in 2001, after I moved to the Tristate area, that I got serious about it.”
She re-immersed herself back to what was her former passion. Her mom had taken a workshop but quickly realized she didn’t have the time to devote to silk painting, and she taught Vassort the bare basics.
“I remember the day she opened her box on the kitchen table, and she said, ‘Claire, you do this, you do that’, And then she said, ‘Go play’. And I fell in love,” she said with a smile. “I totally fell in love with the way the inks move on the stretched silk, the results, and from then on, I experimented with it. And here I am today, 40 plus years later.”
We ventured upstairs to her guest room and art studio. Wood ceilings and walls make you feel like you’re staying in a cozy log cabin, which she said was the vibe she was going for. She said she worked with a contractor she knew and who allowed her to be a big part of the process.
Motion, bright colors, deep edges, and nature are what jumps out at you when viewing her silk art. Bold shades of blue, brown like shades of beach sand, green hues of growth and promise, purple pops of light and determination, and all the natural elements of earth, air, fire and water.
First, she sketches her ideas. Then it’s a four-step process:
- The silk is stretched as tight as possible on a wooden frame to hold it in place.
- She uses a special glue called Gutta to draw her concept on the silk. Gutta lines prevent the ink she uses from bleeding out to other sections of the silk. It acts like a barrier holding each color in place.
- Then she paints the silk.
- The finished product is placed in a special tower where water is used to steam a batch of rolled up works of art. The artwork is steamed for about three hours. This sets the colors and dissolves the Gutta glue lines. After this process the silk art is ready and wearables like scarves can be washed without losing any color.
Her artwork is mesmerizing. The silk has layers, just like the earth, ground and mountains. The tree branches bend and move with the wind. Blue colors light up the skies or oceans. Her work is connected to her passion for nurturing the world, compassion and empathy.
Vassort is participating in the Rising Fawn Studio Tour set for Dec. 13 and 14, 2025. Local area artists will open their studios to the public to show their creations and sell their artwork. The public is invited to meet the artists, learn about their crafts, and enjoy their art.
To see Vassort’s artwork and learn more about her upcoming events and shows visit her website at www.clairevassort.com