Louise MacIntosh-Watson

For twenty years I have been fascinated by colour; the interaction between colours; how a hue is reliant upon those around it for its validity; the emotion of colour and getting the colour balance right.

In my current work, I have combined this passion for colour with my experimental use of the batik wax resist technique. When shading with a pencil, I scribble - I create rapid, fluid movements and I believe these translate beautifully using wax. Layering colours using inks, dyes and wax has provided me with some very exciting opportunities for contemporary portraits. As well as using batik, I have also created portraits using acrylics on canvas. It is this series of work that I fondly refer to as “my girls”.

Born in Liverpool in the 1970s, I more recently moved to Derby where I have been teaching Art in high schools for 15 years. This has given me the opportunity to research and develop my own style whilst simultaneously introducing young people to the fascinating art of Batik.

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Louise is one of the most interesting batik artists I have found. Most batik artists I have found just like to draw pretty pictures, like Jenn Adamson, of things and patterns. Louise has a lot more contemporary style, with the colours she uses and scribbley style.

Illustration

Looking back at this artist it reminds me of the mark making I have done. Also this artist uses a scribbley style in her work.

4 Elements

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These are some examples of Elements, I'm going to look to see if there are any other elements, that different countries have.

Horst

Horst's Art Statement

Wool is complicated. It can be manipulated, made into fabric, and then perhaps sewn, made into something useful. But the way in which it could be constructed was fascinating to me.

Felting was like opening a door in my mind. I could create a sheet of fabric out of wool. This fabric, the essence of clothing, drew me to make something that could be worn. Bit I didn't want to break up the planes of fabric with seams and stitches. I wanted to maintain the textural image, the flow of color. I wanted my pieces to be seamless.

I knew the problems. Wool shrinks considerably when felted. Wool is hot and heavy.

I labored. I tried to understand the material.

So I made it shrink to fit. I made it thin to wear. I made it wearable. I enjoy the complexity. It compels me to move forward. This challenge. Starting with something no longer than the fingers of my hand, and changing it, mastering it, to make a figure, a form that functions, which is one of a kind. Then to see it, transforming the body of its wearer into art in itself. That is the drive.

Biography
Horst was born February 23, 1971 in Akron, Ohio, and currently resides in the Akron area.

Art had always been part of Horst's life. He was constantly exploring various mediums, progressing in its various realms. In high school Horst experimented with photography, painting and sculpture, building a stunning portfolio - portfolio that earned him many awards from various shows, including Scholastic and granted him a full ride scholarship to Maryland Institute College of Art.

However, an unexpected turn of events set Horst onto his fateful path. Finding that he was now a father to a baby daughter, Horst transferred to another college in 1990 to be with her. Criticized for his painting subject matter and method, Horst settled into become an art teacher, gaining his B.A. in art education in 1996, while also gaining a minor in studio art, art history, and secondary education. A few years later, he began to teach in Cleveland Municipals Schools, where he has been teaching since.

Along the way of gaining his M.A. at Kent State University in 2003, Horst found a new medium to experiment with, one that he found a for; felt making, a process of condensing layers of wool into a sheet of fabric. It was an old textiles, and one that he found to have almost endless possibilities. Felting became the key to his expression, designing garments that became increasingly more elaborate in design with each created piece. He pushed the boundaries of felting, revolutionizing the methods he had been taught. The result was garments that drape around the body, which breathe and feel light as air, colors that are breathtaking and flow with the natural movements of the body.

His achievements have given him world recognition. His designs have graced catwalks and galleries, and have been published many times over. His success has now established him as a professor at Virginia Marti College of Art and Design, a position he feels honoured to have achieved.

Orchid

Lagoon

Majestic 

Avocado

Chocolate

Expressions

Sea Breeze

Frost

Frost

Tribal

Violet

My Notes

I absolutely love this artist's work, he makes it look so easy to make things out of felt. I really would love to  try and make a garment out of felt. Horst's work is a lot different to what I have seen before because I haven't seen dresses made using this technique. I normally see felt panels with landscapes or garish patterns on them. Which is okay, we all do it when we start something new but I like how Horst has thought of something different to do. My favourite dresses are 'Avocado' and the white 'Frost' one.

Irina Minaeva

I was born in 1975 and spent my childhood in Uzbekistan, Russia, Germany and finally Ukraine, where I still live, in Odessa.

I first encountered batik at art school, but became fully engaged with batik when I graduated from the South Ukrainian Pedagogical University in Odessa in 1997.

Since then, I have worked with children, teaching batik and still take a great interest in drawing, painting, and

Notes about Regina Benson Research

Regina's batik pieces look a lot more interesting than other artists styles I have seen. I love the earthy colours that come into her work, with the technique. She uses a different materials from the traditional batiking method.

mark-making on silk, rayon, cotton and industrial polyesters. Her work frequently starts with a solid black cloth, from which she discharges the dye, utilizing soy wax and starch

paste resists; then she overdyes with natural, disperse and acid dyes and rusts the surface further with found objects and harvested iron oxide.  These markings are then over sewn,

Regina Benson

Born in Lithuania and currently living in Golden, Colorado, USA, Regina Benson's textile creations emanate from the manipulation of and intentional mark-making on silk, rayon, cotton and industrial polyesters. Her work frequently starts with a solid black cloth, from which she discharges the dye, utilizing soy wax and starch

Jenn Adamson

Jenn has been a teacher and artist for over thirty years and was until recently Chairman of The Batik Guild, a post she held for nearly ten years. She was joint Curator of The Batik Guild's very successful touring

Batik

Batik is both an art and a craft, which is becoming more popular and well known in the West as a wonderfully creative medium. The art of decorating cloth in this way, using wax and dye, has been practised for centuries. In Java, Indonesia, batik is part of an ancient tradition, and some of the finest batik cloth in the world is still made there. The word batik originates from the Javanese tik and means to dot.

To make a batik, selected areas of the cloth are blocked out by brushing or drawing hot wax over them, and the cloth is then dyed. The parts covered in wax resist the dye and remain the original colour. This process of waxing and dyeing can be repeated to create more elaborate and colourful designs. After the final dyeing the wax is removed and the cloth is ready for wearing or showing.