"Maru Pois"
Handpainted silk velvet fringed wrap
72"H x 15"W
Direct application with fiber reacting dyes
One of a kind
When not being worn, hang the scarf on a dress form or drape over a pole or hanger. Do not use clamps or clips: will crush velvet.

Linda Gravina Ridings Biography
Classically trained at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence Italy,
Linda Gravina Ridings is a highly skilled surface design artist using hand and eye to produce one of a kind creations that speak volumes about color and texture. Her hand painted silk velvet scarves and wraps evoke tactile memories with the brilliance and depth of Italian pietra dura, malachite, lapis lazuli, the rich gold and bronze of tortoiseshell and other images inspired by nature.

Living in Tuscany for 20 years, influenced by her Venetian mother and the heady environs, Gravina Ridings experienced first hand the sensory delights of fine Italian arts and crafts. After earning her Master’s of Fine Arts in Surface Design, she launched a highly successful ornamental design business, Artemura, that teamed her with nationally recognized interior designers who relied on her sense of color and style to create unique spaces and furnishings.

Experimenting with reactive dyes on silk fabrics, Gravina Ridings soon realized that she wanted to return to her true passion - textiles. “ Having worked as a color consultant in my design business, I felt an intuitive pull to the whole process and range of dyes. This work allows me to use my knowledge of color to its best advantage” said Gravina Ridings.

Her passion for the work did not go unnoticed; clients, friends and design cognoscenti quickly snatched up her first series of hand painted velvet wraps. Jane Fonda and celebrated Baltimore actress and dancer Maria Broom proudly wear original Gravina Ridings creations. She has exhibited at ART Baltimore and the Washington National Cathedral Flower Mart since relocating to Baltimore with her husband, painter Cornel Rubino. Her work has been featured on Maryland Public Television’s, “ Artworks This Week”, hosted by Rhea Feikin and Nate Howard and was the subject of a profile in Style Magazine in 2005.

Linda Gravina Ridings’ design work has appeared in publications such as House Beautiful, British House and Garden, Women’s Wear Daily , Southern Accents, Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles and books such as the House Beautiful Great Style Series, Nouvel Objet Korea and Fabrications.