Inspiration

Throughout time Batik has encompassed a vast amount of intriguing personal and cultural visions. As one of the oldest known art forms, Batik has been a widely traded form of personal expression. It has been used for a variety of purposes such as clothing, a form of communication across the seas, a documentation of cultural time-lines, and both decorative and spiritual art. Batik-ed cloth has even been used to protect sacred spiritual text such as the Koran.

Like the river flows so too does the vast creative visions of the Batik artist. Every culture views the art form from a different perspective. It seems that nearly every culture has integrated Batik into their daily lives and nearly every component of a Batik piece-- from color to texture to overall tone--reflects the unique qualities of the culture from which it was borne. Like other forms of art, Batik gives us an insight into a cultures everyday life. Artist's often brought their indigenous plants, animals, and even local geography into their pieces. The culture's spiritual beliefs also played a major role in the content of the work. Being composed of elements from the environment, and influenced by spiritual beliefs, Batik therefore is a communication to other cultures, providing surrounding lands with a colorful view of the natural landscapes, clothing, wildlife, and beliefs of its place of origin. The art form of Batik is a very powerful one--One that I am very blessed and privileged to be a part of ! I hope that some of these images will engage and inspire you as much as they have engaged and inspired me. So here are just a few representations of the cultural power of Batik...