Friday, March 26, 2010

Spring as a Muse

This week I managed to capture a young calico cat that I have been trying to catch for almost eight months. She spent the winter outdoors and wild with the exception of coming to me for food, but no touching! She was finally captured with the help of a Havahart trap and yummy food. It is a relief to have her . She went to the veterinarian right away, as she had an abscessed leg that needed attention badly, as well as more routine work. She is peaceful and maybe in a month or two will want to be patted.
I've been sketching more ideas for spring batik.I like to work with nature; patterns, seasons, cycles, and fantasy, mythological and primordial subjects.
The crow is a favorite bird of mine. Black and plain looking, the caw of the crow on a sunny day in February is a welcome sight and sound. The form of the black crow stands out in sharp contrast to the white reflecting snow.
I also think of the crow as a jester or trickster. The crow is not liked by many, especially farmers who have just planted a field to corn, but is loved by many others.
The crow is also a form used by shamans as part of the "shape shifting" that is done as a disguise allowing a shaman to explore and deliver messages with out revealing himself.The crow was a common form used in Carlos Castaneda's book "The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge"
It will be at least a month before any Crow batik are completed.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Spring!




It seems as if spring has arrived. I awoke on Sunday morning to a light rain. Looking out the grass was greening. A flock of seven robins flew in; the first I had seen this year. They pecked happily at the ground. Amazingly, one was white with a red breast.
The following days have been glorious sun and 60 degrees in the day. Today there are clouds, but the sun is coming through, highlighting hayfields and pastures to the west. The mountains are a bright blue.
I will be setting up an area outside today to iron the wax out of the batik that I have finished. Ironing the wax from the cloth is quite a long process.It can take from half an hour to one hour to remove the wax from a larger batik 24x 30 to 26x40.
The ironing is good to do outdoors when weather permits or in an open garage with cross ventilation, as inhaling the wax fumes is bad for the lungs. ( see earlier postings).
I use paper towels and plain sheets of newspaper next to the fabric and printed newspaper may be used over these to absorb the excess wax. Printed newspaper cannot be used next to the batik without having the print melt into the fabric.With the plain towels and newspaper next to the fabric the iron is slowly moved over the surface until they are saturated with melted wax. The paper towels and newspaper are changed many times until all the wax that will be removed has been absorbed.
The wax on a batik that has been through all its stages gives it a muted look, but after the ironing has been completed the image becomes clear, the colors brilliant and the fine veining in the waxing process is magically revealed.
The fabric has a parchment like feel to it. the batik is now ready to be mounted on a dowel or carved hanger or it may be stretched over canvas stretchers and framed.
Evening has come. Before the sun sets I walk up the hill behind our house and look off to the west. The view is expansive with layers treees and fields. As a cloud hits the setting sun the light filters down and gently accents layer after layer of mountains. Back home I head to the garage to finish ironing a couple more batik.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Finally completed


Here is the Horse with the Flowing Mane in his final form, on the wall in a frame, with a name "Shimmer".

Horse with Flowing Mane




picture 1 - Wax applied with the tjanting tool for the third stage.

picture 2 - This is the same batik ready to immersed in the dye bath.

picture 3 - Now look at the horse as the batik emerges from the dye bath after being immersed and stirred for 1/2 hour.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Spring!


Last week the fields changed from brown to white! The heavy snow fell softly and silently. All was so beautiful, shrouded in white, the branches low to the ground under the weight of the wet snow. A feeling that nowhere else existed but this quiet peaceful white filled me.Out of the snow three deer appeared and came close to the house to nibble on the shrubs.
We were lucky to not lose the power. I was able to continue waxing the pieces I'd hoped to finish.
Today, March 6th, it is turning to spring. The harsh March winds of the past two days has ceased, leaving us with a still cold night of 15 degrees.The temperature now is 40 degrees and rising. The sap is finally running. There will be some maple syrup after all. The twenty inches of snow that we had, has mostly melted and large patches of brown grass fill southern facing fields. The fields sloping north have held onto the snow, but there's not enough to go cross country skiing on.
I've been working on many sketches for designs for new batik.Our mountains, the coming pastoral scenes with sheep, cattle, horses, and the ever changing light and colors of mother nature - my favorite subjects.