Watercolor Batik By Belle (Martha) Heppard, M.D.
In our new artist series, Belle (Martha) Heppard, M.D. will provide insight into the fascinating world of Watercolor Batik. With a special connection to this medium, Belle will detail the origin of this artform and highlight its place in the artworld.
Introduction Watercolor, as a medium for batik, is a relatively new phenomenon. Artists began working in this medium by at least the millennium and I was introduced to it shortly thereafter. While not initially familiar with watercolor batiking, I first learned of the traditional batiking of textiles when I was 11 years old. I grew up in Honolulu, Hawai’i and attended Hawai’i School for Girls (now known as La Pietra) for junior high school. During my junior and senior years of high school, I attended the then named Punahou Schools. Because of the strong Asian influence in Hawai’i, Asian art and textile techniques were an integral part of my school’s art curriculum. Textile batiking flourished in Asia during the 1970’s, and thus, my classmates and I learned to batik fabric as part of our art curriculum. After following my passion for art for many years and trying to develop a soft style, I was introduced to watercolor batik on rice paper. This method—the technique of batik that I had known for decades—was just what I needed. I fell in love with the process and outcome. Although I still paint in the traditional methods of watercolor and oil, I specialize in painting watercolor batiks on rice paper. The artist who showed me how to create a watercolor batik picked it up from a magazine a few years earlier. While I am not the final authority or originator of painting watercolor batiks on rice paper, I have carried this technique a step further than most other fine-art batik artists. My book, Watercolor Batik; An Artist’s Guide to Watercolor Batik on Rice Paper, will introduce you to the history of batik, the supplies and needed set-up, along with the technique of watercolor batik on rice paper. Four demonstrations are
included, complete with the colors and brands of watercolor used and step-by-step instructions. Additionally, I reveal tips on how to touch up a painting after the batiking process is completed. I also address care for your finished painting, including how to mount and mat it. History of Batik Technically, a batik is a fabric dyed in a wax-resist technique. It is commonly and casually the term applied to describe the wax-resist method used to create the batik cloth or textile.
ArtDiction | 52 | March/April 2020
