Batik and the Environment

My deep respect for all living beings Mother Nature hosts and the choices I made to live in harmony with all of Creation made it essential for me to develop a technique which is in synchronicity with my heartsong. A batiked clothing line I designed and batiked in Lago Atitlan, Guatemala, in 2002 clearly revealed to me the impact of each of my creations on the environment. After dyeing the batiked clothes, I had to dump the dyes straight onto the earth I was honoring in my creative expression. Since that life changing experience I was determined to figure out a different technique. I stopped batiking clothes and started expressing my creative journey on tapestries. Through a humbling process of trial and error I have come to a more time efficient and eco-friendly technique, leaving hardly any toxic residue.

My Technique

In Holland, my native country, children eat a candy called "Magic Ball." Sucking on the candy, layer after layer of different colors appear to the surface, always leaving you in wonder about the next color magically appearing. The batik medium works in a similar but opposite way, because you add layers in this reverse technique. With each layer of dye (starting with light colors) and wax applied on silk, a pattern of different shades evolves. During the creative process I can not really foresee the outcome of the batik. Like taking the magic candy out of your mouth and checking which colors reveal themselves then sucking on it some more to reveal the next layer of color, the true design of each batik slowly reveals itself while melting off the different layers of wax as one of the last processes to set the dyes. Not until the very end the magical veil drops and shows the completed image. This unknown result keeps this medium so appealing to me.

How does an image evolve to be? First I think of a design ''backwards''. I draw a design on paper, and then I copy the design on silk with a pencil, thinking ahead which colors to apply first to create the different shades as batiking is a reverse dye technique. I trace the pencil lines on silk with a mixture of melted paraffin and beeswax. The hot dripping wax is applied with a copper tool called "tjanting" to the parts of the drawing which are to remain white. Instead of using different dye baths with each layer of color (as is custom with the ancient tradition) I use brushes and sponges to apply the different shades. This environmentally friendly technique is more time efficient and respectful to all living beings.

A second layer of wax is applied to the areas which are to remain the color of the first applied dye. Then a second layer of dye is applied, and so on. To create the crackle look you see on many batiks, a last layer of wax is applied covering the parts that require the crackle look. By hand I crackle the wax, and then a last layer of dye penetrates into the crackles, creating the well known trademark for batik.

After the fabric has dried, the most exciting part of this creative process takes place: removing the layers of wax by using an iron and newspaper. For a final setting of the dyes and to remove the remaining bits of wax I use a steaming technique.

If you are interested in learning this diverse art medium more in detail please visit my Workshops page.