Art from Indonesia: Batik Art

Wax, dye and patterns can define Batik Art. Today, our visiting artist in the UCM Gallery of Art & Design, Helen Sanders explained to us her work with Boonville High School art students and how Batik Art is made.

Batik Art is part of an ancient tradition in Indonesia. The batik cloth is very colorful and is considered both an art and craft due to the long process that this technique requires.

Helen Sanders emphasized to her students that the batik process requires them to make several layers of dye and wax to create a good design. She starts with drawings and patters sketched on the cloth and then adds the dye and wax.

Helen Sanders - Batik Art
Photo by Katherine Urquijo

The process according to Batikguild.org to make batiks is the following: After you selected the areas of the cloth you want to draw in your design, you block them out by brushing or drawing hot wax over them, and the cloth is then dyed. The parts covered in wax resist the dye and remain the original color. This process of waxing and dyeing can be repeated to create more elaborate and colorful designs. After the final dyeing the wax is removed and the cloth is ready for wearing or showing.

Helen Sanders - Batik Art
Photo by Katherine Urquijo

Helen Sanders mentioned that she uses cotton and silk and sometimes even sheets. Sometimes is good to incorporate other media to the batik design to make it more elaborate and pretty. Some students even quilt on them to make them resistant and interesting looking. The art teacher also said that she likes to experiment with textures and then apply those too to create something more elaborate and interesting.

One of the experiences that Helen explained on her lecture was the creation of story quilts. Her students incorporated to their designs poems and other types of pictures using batik art and mixed media.

Helen Sanders - Batik Art lecture at the
UCM Gallery of Art & Design
Photo by Katherine Urquijo

If you attended to the lecture or you are interested in this type of technique leave a comment. We are interested in your feedback!

 By Katherine U.

Sources: Batikguild.org What is Batik?