Over two years since I last posted! one of those years was lost in a whirl of activities, and a long hiatus from batiking. I had a series of new ideas roaming around in my head that I wasn’t sure how to approach, much less execute. All of them involved adding critters to my batiks.
My inspirations mostly reflect my love of the natural untamed world, and photographs I have taken along the way through. Ive been yearning to find a way to acknowledge these animals in my batiks. But I rarely come across them to photograph, or the sighting is so swift I only have a mental impression.
I was intimidated, which for me leads to procrastination. It took my scheduled show a year out at Butterfield Garage Art Gallery to jolt me into figuring out a plan to produce a new series of batiks incorporating these creatures. I began with lists and habitats, digging thru my photos and researching on the web. A lot of thinking, sketches and talking to friends, who shared their personal glimpses of wildlife , plus poetry (my collaboration with Antionette Libro continues) came were behind the final batiks you see here. I feel like the process has just begun.
Each if these batiks was a building block for the next. What began as placing deer in a believable habitat has evolved into a playful pairing of similar shapes and colors. I am having fun again! and I’ve enjoyed not sharing along the way on social media. The quiet has allowed me to relax with the process. I hope you enjoy the batiks!