Xiong Chengzao

		Xiong Chengzao

I was born in Phoenix town in Hunan province, China. Since early childhood, I have practised Chinese painting. I have always been greatly attracted to the amazing interactions of wax and dye on cotton used by the minority people of China. While in my 30s, I devoted myself to the art of batik.

I learned the traditional technical batik skills from several minority groups including the Miao and Tujia people who are located in the south west of China. I learned to combine my Chinese painting style with batik skills to create my own batik paintings. Rather than applying new techniques of batik, I stick to the traditional skill and through the use of wax and Indigo dye create most of my batik works with a blue back ground.

I believe batik is both art and craft. Through the medium of batik, I try to express the reflection of light, richness of layers, and texture and atmosphere, The natural icy texture on my batik work is somewhat out of the ordinary which makes each artwork unique and irreproducible.

Now I am a full time batik artist and batik is a large part of my life. Although it requires long hours of attention and patience during the repetitive creation process, I can never know the end result until the final minute when the work reveals itself to me. That is the charm and the mystery of batik. Through observation, meditation and creation, I express my understanding of life through pieces of cotton with the repeating process of wax and dye.

My batik paintings vary with many themes, all of which are the expression and appreciation for the beauty surrounding me. Landscapes, lotus and portraits are my favorite topics amongst my collections.

My hometown is a beautiful, mysterious and charming town in the south west of China. Most of my inspiration sources come from the river, buildings on the water and cobblestone streets in the town.

China has a long history of batik. I feel so lucky that I can still enjoy working on such a traditional art and craft. Many of my batik works are collected by the travellers from England, Belgium, Japan and other countries around the world. I hope through this opportunity to share batik paintings with other artists and those who enjoy the art.

We have waited for over thousands of years to meet you through the batik world!