A recent road trip to Florida turned into a batik-themed adventure. It started with an African Wax Prints exhibition in Melbourne and wrapped up with a Malaysian Batik Painting Experience in Miami. Both activities were fun and interesting‒especially for someone as intrigued by batik as I am.
Batik is the art of decorating cloth using wax and dye. The UK-based Batik Guild explains it this way: “To make a batik, selected areas of the cloth are blocked 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 colour …. After the final dyeing the wax is removed and the cloth is ready for wearing or showing. Contemporary batik, while owing much to the past, is markedly different from the more traditional and formal styles.” For instance, painting the fabric with brushes and fabric dye is a popular alternative to tub dyeing. Here’s an example of a beautiful batik piece done with wax resist and brush painting.
Here’s a closer look at the color and design of the angel fish. The white lines would have been covered with wax before the color was painted on.
In the more traditional approach, complex designs are achieved by repeating the process of waxing and dyeing to layer color and create elaborate designs. Certain wax blends will crackle during handling which causes jagged lines of color to peek through. A batik master uses these cracks to produce fine detail lines in the design. Notice the subtle color change and crackle lines behind the dragonflies and bamboo in the painting below.
My interest in batik goes back several years to when I lived and worked in Singapore. I had the good fortune to attend a series of Saturday morning workshops taught by a well-known Indonesian batik artist. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn from an expert. Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos of his work but I still have the pieces I completed. No masterpieces here‒I was obviously still learning!
When I had the opportunity to visit other countries throughout Asia, I sought out batik artwork. The tropical fish and dragonfly pieces shown above were purchased in Ubud, Indonesia. Batik has been made in Indonesia since the 12th and 13th centuries. Today, the island of Java, Indonesia is recognized as the area where batik has “reached the greatest peak of accomplishment”. Javanese batiks are considered a delicate art form. Here’s another batik piece I purchased in Indonesia.
Given my long-standing interest in batik, I couldn’t resist taking a detour to visit the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne. The exhibition, called “Wandering Spirit: African Wax Prints“, was excellent. I’m grateful to have caught it just before the exhibit finished its term. The exhibition was presented as “a tribute to African Wax Prints, the common name for a textile that had its origins in Indonesia, was imitated by Dutch textile manufacturers, and ended up marketed to an African and global audience.”
A wide variety of fabrics were displayed along the walls‒each with an explanation of its origin and significance. The vast majority of these fabrics were manufactured by Vlisco from the Netherlands.
Here’s a closer look at the design at the top right. As explained on the exhibit card, this design is called “Rolls Royce and also known as HekWerk“. It is a Dutch Wax Block on cotton and was introduced in 1979. “Thought to impart healing, success, and good luck to the wearer, “Rolls Royce” is an established, popular pattern in West Africa, particularly among the Igbos of Nigeria. One of the perennial patterns of Vlisco, it is called “The Wedding Bouquet” in the Ivory Coast, and known a “HekWerk” (“trellis work”) in the Netherlands.”
After visiting the Wandering Spirit exhibition, I was eager to give batik another try. Fortunately, I’d already scheduled an art workshop to “Make and Paint a Malaysian Batik Scarf” in Miami. I booked the workshop with my sister and friend through Airbnb Experiences. See More Info below for details. The workshop was hosted by Munirah‒a delightful and talented Malaysian artist. Munirah’s passion for batik is evident and she generously shared her knowledge and expertise. The workshop space was filled with examples and inspiration like those shown below.
Munirah introduced us to intricate tjanting techniques and we tried the Tjanting tool. Interestingly, this is the same tool I learned to use back in Singapore at those Saturday morning workshops.
Then we selected our designs and started painting!
By the end of our 3-hour workshop, my batik painting looked like this.
Here’s a peek at all three finished projects. Special thanks to Marian and Denise for joining me and making it a fun day!
We left our paintings with Munirah to dry. Then she removed the wax and mailed the finished pieces to us a week or so later. Here’s how my batik painting looks in its finished state. Not bad!
More Info
You can learn more about batik at the UK-based Batik Guild website.
The Wandering Spirit: African Wax Prints exhibition has closed. But check out the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts website for other textile-related events. Here’s a link to Vlisco, the Dutch company responsible for many of the fabrics at the exhibition.
If you’re planning a visit to Miama, Florida, USA and have an interest in trying batik, don’t miss the opportunity to meet Munirah and join her Malaysian Batik Scarf Art Class. She’s a delightful hostess and the class is great fun. Plus you get to make something beautiful to take home.
Today’s Takeaways
1. Are there any art/craft disciplines that you find particularly intriguing?
2. Be curious and seek opportunities to learn more about it. Studying the work of others is a great way to grow your knowledge.
3. Consider experimentation, either independently or under the guidance of experts, to build your skills with various techniques and materials.
