Fine Art Batik from award winning Colorado Artist, Kathleen Theriault

The Batik Process

Briefly, the process involves the application of molten wax to specific portions of fabric which acts as a resist when the fabric is dyed. Generally you work from light to dark. The process of waxing and dying is repeated many times, depending on the complexity of the design. The wax is then removed from the fabric by ironing the batik between layers of newspaper and/or having it dry-cleaned. Batik is one of the earliest known methods of fabric decoration and has its roots in many different cultures. Traditional methods of producing a batik have varied from continent to continent but all have in common the use of some sort of "resist", (most commonly different types of wax) and dyes, to produce an image on cloth. The ways in which the wax and dyes are applied are as varied as the artists themselves who choose batik as a means of self expression. Not necessary for the batik process itself, but essential to Kathleen's Fine Art Batik paintings, is the drawing phase. Many creative hours are spent refining an image so that the light, medium, and dark shades of a composition are clearly defined in order to facilitate the translation into batik. The drawing is transferred onto fabric using a black pen, which will remain visible throughout the batik process and wash out afterwards.

"Tools of the Trade"

Kathleen in her batik studio applying hot wax with an electric tjanting (pronounced chanting or canting). This is a tricked out version of a traditional Indonesian wax applicator. The copper well is filled with hot wax by dipping it into a receptacle that heats the wax, and flows onto the fabric through a tiny copper tube. The temperature of the wax can be controlled, changing the viscosity of the wax, which in turn alters its effectiveness as a resist.

Kathleen applying table salt to the batik to create texture. The batik was previously dyed by using spray bottles and dye concentrate. The waxed portions of the fabric will remain as they were and will resist subsequent dyings.

The batik is submerged in a dye bath. Only the unwaxed portions of fabric will be affected by the dye.

A Word About Safety Although the chemicals and products used in the batik process are advertised as being fairly benign, my own frequent and careless exposure over the years have severely limited my ability to work in the medium for any length of time before it takes its toll on my health. Although they probably would not pose health risks to most people, I would strongly recommend using every available precaution when mixing dyes, soda ash, and breathing wax fumes. This includes a Niosh approved respirator (most sources for fiber reactive dyes should carry proper respirators), goggles, and rubber gloves to avoid contact with skin. Keep your work area clean! I have been using soy wax instead of paraffin lately and find it to be less of a problem for my lungs, I think partially due to the fact that it has such a low melt point and does not give off the nasty fumes that paraffin does.

 

A Word About "Traditional" Verses "Non Traditional" Methods of Batik

For many years I worked within the confines of what I had considered to be "traditional" batik methods. This philosophy was one I grew to appreciate and abide by, in many ways, because of my isolation as an artist working in a medium where I had no one but myself and my intuition to confer with. I would live and breathe batik and often times the solutions to my technical dilemmas would be answered in a dream. The meditative quality necessary to produce a traditional Indonesian overdyed batik is quite magical and can never be overstated. My method for years was to work the medium, control the medium to the point where it was detrimental to my health. I believe that the pieces I produced during this phase of my career were as close to technical masterpieces as I will ever get, yet the creative aspect of my work was becoming a thing of the past. Technique became my main focus and I lost the heart/mind balance that truly inspires art. It was not until I had the good fortune of meeting with other batik artists from all over the world that my self-imposed rules and judgements about the batik process were challenged. I began to see that there were as many different ways of producing a batik as there were artists working in the medium. I respect tradition, and appreciate it as the bedrock of many great things in life, but when tradition interferes with the evolving creative process, it can create stagnation.

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