What is Watercolor Batik? . . . . . . . . . . .
Originally Batik was an ancient Indonesian artform using melted wax on fabric followed by the application of dyes. The Watercolor Batik process I use involves applying melted paraffin wax (with a brush) to a thin Asian mulberry paper with lots of fibers in it. Then watercolor paint is applied. When the paper is dry, a new layer of wax and a more intense layer of paint is applied. This is repeated until the paper is filled. The wax acts as a resist, preserving the previous color and excluding the next color application. Next, the wax is removed by melting with an iron and absorbing into layers of newspaper. Finally the batik is adhered to a watercolor paper backing for stability. The results are always surprising and usually very pleasing.
