THE ART OF BATIK

Batik is an art medium and methodology for creating designs on fabric by applying wax to the fabric and then dyeing it. It requires careful planning and multiple steps. The first step involves painting hot wax on the base color to preserve it. Let’s say the original color of the fabric is white. All areas where you want the white preserved must be painted with hot wax. This can be done with a drawing tool or a brush can be used for larger areas. The fabric is then immersed into a dye bath of the next lightest color, for example, yellow. After removing the fabric from the yellow dye and letting it dry, the areas you want to remain yellow are then painted with more hot wax. Then the fabric is immersed into the next dye bath, for example, green, and more hot wax is painted over the areas to be preserved as green. The final dye bath is usually black. The wax in the fabric cracks when it is crumpled and immersed into the dye leaving a design that has black crackles all over it. When the design is finished, the fabric is boiled to removed the wax.

The designs made from batik are often eleborate with numerous vibrant colors and exquisite detail. Although the exact origins of batik are unknown, it is most common on the island of Java, Indonesia. Traditionally, it belonged only to royalty and families of wealth and position. For thousands of years, this ancient art form was a hobby for the royal women. Eventually, the art of batiking spread through the Middle East, Africa, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Thailand, and the Philippines.

The collection of silk scarves at Ten Thousand Scarves includes some fine examples of batik. Because of the nature of batik, each scarf is a rare and original piece of art.