“Ebru to me is a deeply personal relationship.  It is the color of my thoughts, a beautiful motion and a charm that opens my senses and my soul. It is a part of my conscious mind and my emotional heart.   I’m still in the beginning parts of what I see as a long journey.  Along the way, I have met lovers and masters of this art with the potential to heal soul and forge new friendships.  I have met and traveled with people from different countries and cultures, and Ebru has been at the center.  I am very proud to mention that through the art, I have created a new challenge to combine my love of Ebru with my experience in sewing and fabric work to create the Ebru Patchwork Project.”

Šárka Duran brings more than 30 years dedicated to her love of textiles, tailoring and selling commercial and personal sewing machines through her company, which is an authorized dealer of embroidery and sewing machines, featuring brands like Bernina, Husqvarna Viking, and Pfaff Yucca.  Šárka is also active in the Patchwork community and has taught since 2001. She participates in exhibitions and shows, and is also the author of the exhibition “Patchwork and Ebru with a Heart” which is organized in the Dobrovice museum in Dobrovice, Czech Republic.

Works from her hands and the work of the pupils are imaginative, beautiful and meticulous in their detail and craft.  Her focus allows observers to spend hours admiring the aesthetic taste inserted into the intricate design.

In 2015, the 9th Prague Patchwork Meeting, at which Šárka is a well known attendee, presented the beauty and mystery of Ebru to more than 6,500 visitors. This year she has also accepted an invitation to participate in the exhibition in Fulnek 2015, as well as the exhibition of textile art: Textiles Prague 2015.

In 2016, Šárka attended the Festival of Quilts & Patchwork in Dubec, where she organized workshops and meetings featuring Ebru for secondary schools, graphic apparel and fashion schools. Šárka also will be teaching in kindergartens to help create a new generation of Ebru Artists. She also teaches Ebru to people with limited abilities. Thanks to Šárka’s effort, Ebru is no longer an unknown art technique in Czech Republic.

Šárka has said many times that the way of Ebru is a mysterious, charming and endless journey. It’s a part of her heart that brings together peaceful people that washes away unpleasant feelings and emotions. “I’m still at the beginning of this exciting journey. Ebru is a long term relationship, not only in its duration, but in its spiritual depth.

Šárka regularly travels with her daughter and her husband to Turkey, the cradle of Ebru, to learn from her teachers and inspirational collaborators, who have taught and transmitted their love of Ebru: Kubilay Eralp Dinçer, Hakime Saraçoğlu, Bahtiyar Hıra, Gülsüm Pala, Atilla Can.

“My first teacher was Kübra Aşık, a Turkish artist and student at Charles University in Prague. Kübra showed me the first drop of paint that touched the surface of the water, revealing the first color ring, and with it, the promise of a wonderful journey.”

In 2015, Šárka initiated a major undertaking, the “International Ebru Patchwork Project”, whose purpose was to unite the work of Ebru artists from across the world into a single piece. With the support of Xenia Sulimenko and Ebru Artists around the world, the project was a great success and will be on display at the event. Information about the project can be found in the section: Ebru-patchwork.