Watercolor was my introduction to the art world. When wintering in Florida I took a watercolor class. The craft room was full of beautiful silk pieces. "Could I do this?“ That began my journey with Batik art.

My instructor was Shalini Tandon. She is from India and I learned the art of Batik from one of the best. Since then I have continued to work on my own feeling my way around the field of Batik art.

Batik is an ancient time consuming process. It is a form of art applying wax resist dying techniques in fabric. The fabric is stretched on a wooden frame. The design is delicately hand drawn using a "janting", a small copper container with a wooden handle through which the wax flows. Once the wax hardens the silk is painted with quality dyes. The wax painted areas resist the dye and stay white. The process can be repeated to add additional layers of color and wax-resisting areas.

Once the painting is completed the dyes need to be steam-fixed to become colorfast. This process takes from one to two hours and makes the colors brighter and more intense. The colors in Batik are much more resistant to wear than those of painted or printed fabrics because the cloth is completely immersed in dye. The areas not protected by resist are allowed to absorb hues to the extent that the colors will not easily fade. After steaming the silk is washed to remove any remaining dye and then pressed.

This is something I never dreamed I could do and am enjoying every minute I spend in my home studio. Silk is my fabric of choice and each piece I do is unique and one-of-a-kind.