16 Artists Magazine December 2019
Build TUTORIAL
RESISTANCE TRAINING
HELEN BROWN shows how to apply a watercolor batik
treatment by manipulating paper, paint and paraffi n.Originating in the Indonesian island
of Java, batik produces colored
designs on textiles by dyeing them
after having first applied wax to areas
to be left undyed. When a similar
process is used on textured paper
with paraffin and watercolor, the
texture shows through without any
additional effort. I became familiar
with this method several years agowhen I read an article by artist Kathie
George. I found that painting in batik
on rice paper gives my work a looser
appearance and creates a luminous
effect, thanks to the many thin lay-
ers of watercolor and wax. It’s a look
that can’t be imitated by traditional
watercolor methods. Turn to page
18 and follow along as I demonstrate
this method.ABOVE
Hive Alive
from the Struggling Species series
watercolor batik on paper, 34x12LEFT
A Quiet Day (watercolor batik on paper, 24x18)
is part of my Lewis and Clark series, which
features sites in Montana and Oregon that the
Corps of Discovery may have seen on its
expedition from St. Louis, in 1804.