JANET SEARFOSS IS A PAINTER OF BATIK, THE ANTIQUE APPEARING PAINTINGS DONE WITH HOT WAX AND DYES THAT OFTEN RESEMBLE STAINED GLASS IN FABRIC FORM. BATIK IS AN INDONESIAN WORD THAT MEANS WAX WRITING. IT IS A 2,000 YEAR OLD ART FORM. BATIKS HAVE BEEN FOUND IN THE TOMBS OF THE PHAROAHS..
THE PROCESS OF CREATING A BATIK CONSISTS OF APPLYING HOT WAX ON FABRIC AND THEN IMMERSING INTO A DYE BATH OR DIRECT APPLICATIONS ONTO THE MATERIAL. ONLY THE UNWAXED AREAS RECIEVE THE DYE. AFTER FABRIC HAS DRIED THE PROCESS IS REPEATED MULTIPLE TIMES TO ATTAIN EACH NEW COLOR. THE COOLED WAX CRACKS ON THE SURFACE . THE LATER DYE BATHS SEEP INTO THE CRACKS GIVING THE BATIK THE CHARACTERISTIC LINES OF COLOR WHICH ARE REFERRED TO AS "CRACKLE". THE WAX IS REMOVED THROUGH IRONING ONCE THE IMAGE HAS BEEN COMPLETED.
STEPS SHOWING THE FABRIC AFTER EACH DYE BATH GOING FROM LIGHT TO DARK,
DYE BATH SEQUENCE
JANET IS APPLYING HOT WAX ONTO THE STRETCHED BATIK. THE BOOTH HAS A FAN THAT REMOVES THE WAX FUMES. JANET IS USING A MIXTURE OF PARAFFIN AND BEESWAX.
BATIK BOOTH
BATIK TOOLS
THE BATIK IS IMMERSED INTO THE LAST DYE BATH WHICH IS THE DARKEST. THE DYE WILL SEEP INTO THE CRACKS OF THE WAX GIVING THE BATIK THE "CRACKLE" LOOK.- FINE LINES OF COLOR ,
BATIK IN DYE BATH
HOT WAX IS BRUSHED ONTO THE AREAS THAT WILL REMAIN LIGHT ORANGE. NOTE THE APPLICATION MAKES THE WAX APPEAR DARKER AS IF YOU WERE TO PUT THE MATERIAL INTO WATER. THE WAXED AREA WILL RETAIN THE COLOR WHEN THE MATERIAL IS IMMERSED INTO THE NEXT COLOR.
APPLYING HOT WAX AS A RESIST
HOT PLATE SHOWING BATIK TOOLS USED TO APPLY HOT WAX TO THE FABRIC.
WOOD BLOCKS , TJANTINGS TOOLS , TJAPS
METAL STAMP HEATED IN HOT WAX. THE TJAP IS THEN STAMPED ONTO THE MATERIAL LEAVING A WAX IMPRINT. THE WAX IMPRINT WILL RESIST THE NEXT DYE COLOR.. THIS TJAP IS AN ANTIQUE TJAP FROM INDONESIA.
