Forerunner of the traditional Indonesian painting technique, using hot wax and dyes. Miłka Stawarczyk has been creating her works for 30 years, developing both her technique and her gaze.
batik, 55x45 cm
Batik - a painting technique involving successive application of wax and bathing the fabric in dye, which dyes only the areas not masked by the wax layer. For special effects, the waxing and dyeing process can be repeated many times.
Designs on the fabric, usually cotton, are obtained by covering the canvas with hot wax. A brush, stick, spatula and tjanting (a device for painting on fabric) are used for this. The fabric is then immersed in a cold dye bath. The wax-covered areas are left undyed. After drying, another wax phase of the pattern can be applied and dyed again in a darker dye. This activity is repeated many times. After the designed pattern is done, the fabric is ironed through white paper. Batik is a technique that has been done for generations, most popular in Malaysia and Indonesia and other Asian countries, where animal skins are most often used to form batik items.
