batik: part two.

This weekend I also went back to finish up my batik course, now that the dyes had completely dried. I went back to the studio on Sunday morning to paint silicon on top of the dyes. This locks in the color, so any part I didn’t completely coat in silicon would lose most of its color.

We then left to let this dry for most of the day. I went for a run & swim, made tortillas for dinner, and went to home church. We went back around 4pm to find the silicon dried and the fabric dark and stiff. Our teacher showed us how to wash out the silicon with cold water.

For the final step, we boiled each piece in water with laundry detergent and some sort of acid mixed in.  There are a few photos of my pieces wet below, and then at home after they had dried.

I can’t say either of my pieces turned out exactly as I envisioned. Nor am I sure what to do with them: a large “napkin” of a tree and a scarf in Thailand? But, I loved the process. It was such an experience to learn the age-old techniques, enjoy the teaching of local Burmese artists, and simply use my right brain for awhile!

On a side note, more pictures of Stephen to come. He tends to be behind the camera more than in front of it, at least in the good photos, but I’ll work on changing that.