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Batik is an ancient fabric dyeing technique which utilizes wax as a resist. Used
in many cultures throughout the world such as Indonesia, Africa,
and China, batik decorates fabric used for clothing and home décor
as well as fine art. A design in melted wax is applied to the fabric, which resists
the dye. After successive waxings and different colored dye baths, the wax cracks,
creating the characteristic batik crackle. When the wax is removed, a unique
work of art is revealed.
When
I think of what inspires my work, it all boils down to two things: my delight
in color and in nature. Most of my batik paintings are of flora from around the
world. Some are flowers and foliage I saw in Belize and the Caribbean, and some are from
my New Jersey backyard. Some
are stylized depictions, some more realistic. All these batiks reveal my fascination
with colors – combining them, mixing them, savoring every slight difference in shade.
Colors strike an emotional chord within me – seeing the right combination of a muted wheat-like yellow and a
not-quite barn red can lift my mood immediately.
Although I first tried batik many years ago as a teenage art student, I was drawn back to it in 1997 when I found the
batik I created, a patterned skirt, folded away in a corner of the basement. Thinking
it would be fun to try it again, I began to batik, and I haven’t stopped since.
I love the tactile part of it – feeling the cloth, smooth when it is new, then rough when loaded with layers
of wax, smooth and shiny and stiff when I iron off the wax, then silky and supple again when I get the last remaining wax
out. I love swooshing the cloth in the dye bath, watching the color develop,
and then hanging my batiks up to dry. On a warm spring day, my backyard is enlivened
by my colorful clothesline. I love the planning part, which is like solving a
puzzle. Because the light colors must be applied before the dark colors, reverse
sketches and some imagination is required. But all the planning and imagining
cannot guarantee the results. Dyes are always a little different, and factors
such as air temperature and humidity affect the way the wax penetrates the fabric.
Much like the flora that inspires my work, batik is an imperfect perfect art.
As no two leaves are alike, no two batiks are alike. Just like the colors
on a flower’s petal, the dyes on a piece of fabric blend a little differently each time.
My anticipation and delight in each blossoming flower reflects my hope and joy each time I remove the wax from a completed
batik. Through practicing the art of batik, I have found that, to me, there is
perfection in the astounding range of colors in the world. The beautiful imperfections
in the batik process have taught me to value the unique and enjoy the unexpected.
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