Digging up artists

Margarita Repsiene (from Lithuania now in Singapore) developed her own batik methods for the sea urchin earrings and on the fabric-like belt buckle on the right.

Batik is definitely on the rise again and this version bounced around the world and landed in my lap via Irena Lapasinskaite, Margarita’s friend.

You’ll find a whole bunch of intriguing items on her Flickr, Etsy, Pinterest and Facebook pages. I studied them and kept asking myself, “How is she doing that?”

If you dig up a polymer artist who rings your chimes or piques your curiosity, please send her/his name to PCD. You readers are my eyes and ears in the crazy, huge internet/social media world. I can’t possibly keep up on my own and I count on you. Thanks!

Breezy polymer batiks

Lorraine Vogel (WiredOrchid) brings us more breezy summer batiks. You can feel her home’s Florida influence in the leaves and flowers in her designs.

Lorraine’s been perfecting her own methods using inks and stamps in ways that go beyond shabby chic beads which rely on paints. She’s tried other rustic glazes and effects. She’s dabbled with carving polymer and coloring with washes.

After all that Lorraine has come up with a dyed fabric look that combines the techniques in a new way. She hints that she’ll develop a tutorial that will divulge how she uses inks to mimic the wax batik process so convincingly on polymer.

In the meanwhile, you can admire how she’s refined and evolved her methods on Flickr, Facebook and on her Etsy site.

Indigo polymer

These test squares from France’s Isabelle Larose/Atelierlilaroz were the results of her playing with Pavla Cepelikova’s batik tutorial. Yummy! The indigo colors had me drooling. These are my favorites from her samples here. It won’t surprise you that Anne is also interested in watercolors.

Can I squeeze experimenting with batik into my play at the conference next week? This is where Pinterest comes in handy. By skimming through my favorite board (Be Still My Heart), I’ll remind myself of the patterns, colors and emotions that ring my chimes. That will keep me on track and help me integrate these batik finishes into the work I love. Don’t worry, you’re coming along and we’ll play together. Lots of photos and tidbits.

Big faux

More faux batik beads from Pavla Cepelikova in Prague. These are hollow big beauties that will have you wondering which layer came first.

If you simply must know the answer, you may have to navigate to her Etsy site where she sells the tutorial for her solution to the problem.

Sweet wet kisses

Those vacation kisses from my grandson proved problemmatic and I’m recovering from his cold. All in all, the cold is worth it.

Raking the polymer leaves

Prague’s Pavla Cepelikova captures the feeling of autumn with these graceful multi-layered polymer leaves. She calls the method Fimo Batik and is preparing to teach a workshop about the process.

Ease yourself into a new week with a browse through Pavla’s Flickr pages. You’ll rake in some new ideas.

Faux bohemian batik

This Bohemian Nouveau mixed media wall piece by Heather Campbell leads us down her unusual polymer path. She tends toward large, ornate mixed media pieces that tell fanciful stories.

Heather says, “I am drawn to the wandering nontraditional nature of the Bohemian, which is evident in the shapes and layers of color and the intermingling of techniques. I am captivated by the beautiful flowing scrolls, floral motifs and distinct design elements of the Art Nouveau era. Together they seem to merge into a style and feeling that reflect my own life experience.”

The background on this piece is done with a faux batik polymer technique that Heather details in an article that was published in the July issue of Art Jewelry Magazine. You can download the template (shown at the right) for Heather’s sample batik from the magazine’s website.

Campbell’s faux batik buzz

One of the techniques that built a buzz at the IPCA retreat in Chicago was the faux batik method that Heather Campbell demoed. Faux batik fits perfectly with Heather’s complex, gilded and textured style and looks in sync with the approaching fall colors. She’s uploaded some new samples to her blog.

I missed the Chicago event in July so I’ve spent the afternoon trying to research a bit more about the process. The closest I’ve come is Judy Belcher’s method in her Creative Traditions book.

I’m not sure that’s how Heather is achieving her effects, but either way my mind is reeling with ideas. Already variations on this theme are popping up on the web. Thanks to Lindly Haunani for pointing out what I missed.