I first experienced batik when living in Cambodia; although Cambodia does not practice batik, a holiday in Malaysia lead to participating in workshops, learning the joy of watching the dyes spread across the cloth and the wax forming barriers. The conditions in the workshops certainly would not meet our health and safety regulations and for years I used fixing chemicals which have long been banned in the west !
Returning to the UK and setting up home in beautiful North Devon as enabled my practice to develop, with the assistance of a few workshops from experts. I am inspired by the oranges and greens of Cambodia and the Buddhist culture, also by the bird life and coast scenery of my new home. I take photographs of the wildlife and countryside which are used as references. Then working mainly on fine cotton using traditional cantings and a mixture of waxes the picture develops colour with proton dyes or natural dyes such as indigo. I also practise dyeing in the shibori technique using indigo and plan to explore mixing shibori and batik techniques. It’s all about the resist.
I studied Art in the Community at the University of the West of England and have a passion for sharing my art skills with community groups.
I exhibit locally and run workshops from my studio.
Please visit my website https://www.artsmajic.co.uk for details of workshops and how to purchase my art.
Bridget's website | www.artsmajic.co.uk |
and Blog | www.artsmajic.co.uk/blog |