Stay Covered in Meaning-Full Art’s Water Marbled Silks By Patty Middlebrooks

Since its inception, silk bandanas that are hand painted through the process of Water Marbling have been elemental to Meaning-Full Art, but they never could have anticipated just how sharply their meaning would transform in the wake of COVID-19.

Meaning-Full Art, located at CRAFTED in the Port of LA in San Pedro, is a hands-on Water Marbling studio where guests are encouraged to “spread their creative wings.” Water Marbling may be at the height of the craft scene right now, but its origins date all the way back to Ancient Japan and Turkey. Using a homogenous mixture of water and dried Irish Moss, fluid acrylic paint is applied to the dense surface and floats atop like an idyllic ballet. The artist then uses tools to manipulate a design before transferring their work onto their chosen surface—at Meaning-Full Art, they opt for hand-woven silk.

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In-studio, their mission is simple and bright: “Bringing people together for creative play; enriching relationships and creating treasured memories through fun and memorable art experiences.”

In March, when the studio closed its doors temporarily in response to the Coronavirus, Patty Middlebrooks, owner and Lead Artist at Meaning-Full Art, made a bold decision: open another door. Inspired by the strength and creativity of the SoCal community, Meaning-Full began creating custom water marbled silk bandana facial coverings to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

For a studio whose pillars stand on the shared experience of the artform, cultivating a sense of collaboration through the screen was essential. After choosing your colors and water marbled design, Meaning-Full Art offers you two options: watch them water marble your bandana live, or they’ll send you a video of the creation process after it’s finished.

While the studio eagerly anticipates its return, keep up with them on Instagram for updates, water marbling creations, and positive messages.

FYI we are opening June 6th!! YAY!!

We’ll be open Saturdays and Sundays 12-6pm and may expand to Fridays 12-6pm in August.