welcome to the online gallery
of

Chuck Kaiser

Batik is a wax resist dye process that dates back at least two thousand years. While the place of its actual origin is unknown, evidence of its practice has been found in most Eastern and Middle Eastern countries, including India, China, Japan, Persia, Egypt, and most abundantly in Indonesia, where it is still practiced extensively today. The batiks produced in these areas are, as one would expect, reflective of each country’s culture, religion, and surroundings.

     To understand the mechanics of what I am doing as an artist, one needs to have an understanding of the batik process as it is traditionally done. The basic idea behind the process is rather simple. If one applies wax to an area of fabric, and then dyes it, the dye will not penetrate the waxed area. In traditional batik, wax (a combination of beeswax and paraffin) is applied (with a tjanting tool) to specific areas of the fabric, and the fabric is then placed in a light colored dye bath. After dyeing, the fabric is rinsed and dried (the wax is left in place), and then a second waxing takes place over specific parts of the previously dyed cloth. The piece is then placed in a second, darker dye bath. It is at this point then, that the artist either applies a third waxing, or removes all existing wax and dye, and starts the process all over again, waxing over the colors and images he/she wishes to retain from the first and second dye baths. These steps are repeated as necessary, until the artist sees the piece as complete. Batiks can range from two colors to twenty (or more) depending on the needs of the piece, and the skills of the artist.

The work before you today utilizes this wax resist dye process as the primary component of a mixed media approach to contemporary art. I start by first neutralizing the acids in the paper to prevent any yellowing or cracking in the future. I then sketch the piece as I would for a traditional batik. From there, I wax the backfield of the piece, thus segregating workable areas. At this point I do a direct application of dye to the unwaxed areas, working light to dark. Once all dye work is done, I wax the entire piece, and follow by ironing the wax into the piece. Some measure of wax remains in the piece, and causes the paper to become transparent, revealing the print from the reverse side, and acts as a preservative for the paper. I then paint either acrylics or encaustics on the surface, and finish with a uv coating. All work is then mounted using conservation quality materials, including uv glass. As for my subject matter, it is reflective of the world today. We are a society that is immersed in news coverage, and for me personally, this immersion is inescapable. As such, I'd like my work to stand as a snapshot of this time in history. As for my relation to the traditional batik process, I respect it and love it, but for the time being, I'll leave it to others. In my eyes, my work is to traditional batik as jazz is to classical music. It isn't that one is better than the other, it is simply that they come from different places.

Enjoy.