rooster

70x70cm, batik on cardboard
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In continuity from the cardboard furniture, I decided to make another batik on cardboard. (in the same chinese-y theme).

It's interesting to work with cardboard; it soaks dye like cloth, but since there is no crackling of the wax, the variations in texture come from how well (or not) the hot wax has sealed the colour.
Then ofcourse, there's the factor of trying to keep it from curling in between each dye layer as it dries.  I finally settled on keeping it weighted down with layers of books while it dried - makes for much longer drying pauses.

I'll mount it on mdf board, glued down flat, then seal it with glossy varnish.

batik on cardboard furniture

made for a collective exhibition to be held in Grenoble over Easter weekend

batik (and a little bit of blue dry pastel on the background) on a cardboard bedside table.
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several challenges to this :
- the base is cardboard beige
- the glue and paper tapes used to assemble the bedside table react differently to the dyes
- its paper! it tends to ondulate with the wet dyes
- working in 3D means you see one face at a time, so not the 'entire picture'
- I coudn't get pale colours, or even pale variations of colour, the dye had to be pretty intense for it to actually colour the cardboard
- when I ironed the wax (with paper towels on top) most of the wax was soaked up by the cardboard, making the colours even darker; which is why I added in bits of blue texture into the background with dry pastels.

To protect it all at the end, it's been sprayed with fixative for the dry pastels, and then varnished.
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you can see the 23 artists' transformations presented at the exhibition here : http://exporigin.blogspot.fr/

up next!

batiking on cardboard furniture.. a whole new ballgame.. hope it turns out well!

lotii

on cotton
100 x 100cm

and I'm back!

Athena
on linen-silk, 41 x 38cm
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a couple of friends asked me to make a portrait of Athena (one of my favourite dogs)

took some time to get out of 'the creative slump'; but it's nice to be back!

itsy bitsy..

on silk
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made last summer

Art Shopping Fair - October 2011

Four batiks made for the Art Shopping Fair at the Carousel du Louvre in Paris.
I decided to change size (140 x 45cm; and 40 x 85cm) and format, and also to stretch them like painting canvases.

It was an interesting but tiring experience.  Hundreds of artists participating, so I walked quite a bit and got to see what other contemporary artists are doing.  An immense variety.. I guess there was art to cater to every taste there.
A LOT of colour, a surprising amount of art using collage... may be the current trend.

she's tied up in 'nice'

on cotton
60 x 63cm
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the thought of how sometimes you get imprisoned in being the 'nice' person you're supposed to be.

rooftops

on cotton
41 x 70cm

Competition - Cabanon de Haut Beylière

The organisers of the Arts et Vigne festival in Chatillon also held a competition for the participating artists.

The theme was 'Le Cabanon e Haut Beylière' - one of the stone cabins in the vineyards of this region.  Particularly interesting because it is 2 storeyed, and has a 4 sided roof.  It is also in the vineyard that produces te best white wine of this region - Le Clos de Beylière!

I won second place with this batik.

batik on cotton

43 x 44cm