Artist's Statement

I have been a batik artist for nearly 25 years. Batik is my passion, my vocation, my work. I am continually enthused by the process. I love the use of wax and the application of dyes onto the fabric; the process is freeing and relaxing and never ceases to delight me.

Over the years I have experimented again and again to stretch this medium as far as I can. I now rework images vigorously, bleach colour out of fabric and generally pit myself against the skills and techniques I have in order to break down boundaries and discover new areas.

When I am creating a batik I never have an idea of what it is going to look like in the end. It is a magical mystery tour. As a starting point I may look at other artist's work where a single element may catch my eye. Sometimes the simple line of a Japanese or Chinese character is enough to begin my process; at other times it might be the creases in my pinned-up fabric.

My creative journey is a bit like playing a game of chess. Each mark leads to the next and each finished stage dictates what colour or marks are used in the next part of the journey. The story I am creating is organic and unfolds gently, although not always easily, over many hours of work.

In every batik I make there comes a point where I get stuck, where I feel as if I have come to the end of a road and cannot see my way forward. This is when I have to be brave, to take risks, to stop thinking about producing something visually attractive and allow the new moves to happen that will lead to something unique being created. It is from this place where I seem to have lost direction that something special happens. I create for these moments!