Fine Art Batik Paintings from the award winning Artist, Kathleen Theriault

 

About the Artist

"My work is an expression of gratitude for the beauty that surrounds me in this life. When my work strikes a chord in someone's heart, it is part of the cycle of inspiration that fuels my soul. It validates the time spent in my studio contemplating beauty, and the realization that my interpretations can evoke similar emotions in others is the ultimate reward. My work is about colors that make me feel good, images that make me smile, the way light can fall on even the most mundane scenario presenting an opportunity for creative translation. I often wonder if I chose the medium of batik, or if it chose me. I have been intrigued with the mysterious interactions of wax and dye on fabric since early childhood. Although I have dabbled in other mediums, and make time to paint and draw regularly, I will always come back to batik. It is what I know, it is what I love..." K. Theriault Fine Art Batik

Artist Bio 2004 "It seems like batik has always been a part of my life. From the first exposure to the medium through my mother when I was four years old and later when batik was offered as an elective in high school; I have been captivated by the mysterious interactions of wax and dye on fabric."   Kathleen's career as an artist began in earnest with the birth of her children in the early 1980's. Spawned by the desire to be an "at home mom" and by the need to contribute financially, "Practical Arts Batik" was born. For six years she designed and batiked children's clothing, traveled the country peddling her wares, and had a successful mail order business. "Practical Arts Batik" - 1983 - 1989 From a technical standpoint, this experience was invaluable. Working intensely with the wax and dyes and on a fabric as difficult as cotton knits amounted to hours of hands on experience where Kathleen learned the hundreds of different variables that can influence the outcome of a batik. As her children grew and became independent, so did her desire for a more personal expression, and the desire to explore batik as "fine art". "Wood Lillies" - 1991 Batik Painting Inspired by the natural beauty of the Rocky Mountains, Kathleen's main focus became landscapes, wildflowers, and aspen trees, working meticulously to create a likeness. As she ventured into doing more figurative work, she became frustrated at the difficulty of achieving a sense of realism in batik in regards to the human form. "Famine" - 1998 Batik Painting Kathleen began taking drawing classes and was intrigued by the ease with which a three dimensional likeness could be achieved using different shades of essentially the same color. She began to apply this same idea to her batiks through a lengthy process whereby the entire batik was done first in shades of grey. The wax was then removed and a colored batik was done on top of the monochromatic batik. The influence of the initial batik "underpainting" was crucial to the development of the three dimensional quality of the finished batik. The results were stunning and the quest for capturing a three dimensional realism in batik were satisfied. "I'll Bring the Salad" 1998 Batik Painting In the fall of 1999, Kathleen was invited to travel to Belgium to exhibit, teach and present slides at the second "World Conference for the Promotion of Batik as a Fine Art". Due to the obscurity of the medium, it was her first real interaction with other batik artists. This experience allowed her to redefine batik, to loosen some of her self imposed rules in terms of working within the confines of traditional batik methods. In 2000 Kathleen took a break from batik for health reasons and began exploring other mediums. She played with clay, wood, watercolors, and pencil. "I love the pencil drawings and it seems effortless compared to batik. I can easily produce the realism that I love, and exercise control in graphite, ultimately freeing me up to be more playful with my batiks." Click here to see pencil drawings   Painting with watercolors has had a big influence on Kathleen's batik work and the way in which she views color. She rarely starts with a white background anymore. Instead, she starts with a piece of fabric that has been previously dyed, folded, salted, twisted and otherwise manipulated to create a background palate. The batik is then done on top of this textured fabric. The process seems more interactive and playful; spontaneous and inspired. Background Batik Palettes In the Fall of 2002, Kathleen was invited to Japan to participate in a museum show for the third "Promotion of Batik as Fine Art" conference. The exhibition featured 23 artists from 18 different countries including only two from the United States. "The stimulation of being connected with others working in the same medium has been awesome for my growth as an artist." International Batik Exhibition - Japan "2002" Kathleen's family has been one of her main sources of inspiration and many of the images she uses in her work come from the hundreds of photos she's taken of them over the years. Some of the images come from the places she's traveled, and she finds still lifes to be particularly cooperative. Kathleen is interested in representational rather than realism with her batiks these days, and although her goal is to keep it loose, there are still times when her vision requires diligence and control to achieve the desired results. The challenge is to recognize the difference in the way these two approaches feel and to find the balance between them. Kathleen's work has been exhibited nationally as well as internationally. She has taught workshops to people of all ages and abilities for many years. Kathleen's batik work has been awarded several blue ribbons for "Best of Show", and can be found in private collections throughout Colorado and the West as well as Japan, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.