The batik sketches I started at Lakeview in Kintamani, Bali are finally complete having had the wax removed, giving them clarity and depth. It is good that I started these experimental batik artworks while I felt full of ideas because they are forming the foundations for my new work, inspired by traditional Javanese batik motifs.

My studio is chilly but I am busy every day, working at the wax pot, brushing up my batiking skills and feeling humbled by the fine artistry of the batik artists of Yogyakarta. Incredibly they made the wax flow as freely and as accurately as ink from a fountain pen and I wonder at how they avoided blobs or splashes of wax in unwanted areas of their work.

The batiks I am working on are evolving and combine traditional elements of batik with bold canting work, to make contemporary, abstract designs. I am studying the variations of the Parang, Sawat, Alasalsan, Ceplok and Kawung motifs and hope to integrate them successfully in my new batik work. All these designs are embodied with religious and mythical symbolism dating back centuries, which I want to understand so I can use them respectfully and with confidence. I will endeavour to explain the significance and meanings of the motifs I research in further news blogs.

My new batik artworks will be exhibited in May in the PWA Art Exhibition at Lenham, Maidstone, so I have to get cracking ! (Pilgrim’s Way Artists).