~Inside Us All Series~
Inside Us All is a series of six batiks that portray
representations of the nude female figure in positions that convey
the mental and physical exertion that stress has on the mind and
body.
All artists have anxieties in their lives and in the creation of their art. For this series I decided to use such anxieties in my work by taking the negative energy that came from my life and using it as a positive fuel. I used the stress and chaos in a constructive manner by translating these feelings into batiks. Though batiks are often viewed as a decorative craft, I hoped to push at the audience’s expectations of the medium. This idea was executed through the representation of the nude female figure in positions that convey the mental and physical exertion that stress has on the mind and body.
Inside Us All was created during a time in my life when there seemed to be an overabundance of stress. During that time, I considered the batik medium to be very symbolic. The batik process involved using wax as a protective shield to block out unwanted color. The staining that occurs with the dye used in the process can symbolically be viewed as the experiences that are encountered in life and the wax as our resistance to these things. In the batik process an image is created through multiple dye baths and waxes. The crackling that occurs in the wax can symbolize how our defenses may not always be effective in protecting our mind and body. The accidental marks that occur through dripping are almost like emotional scarring and how we are imprinted by the situations that occur in our lives. In addition to this, the process of layering both color and wax and then stripping them away to reveal a finished product can reflect the way in which we, as individuals, are shaped by the stressful situations we encounter. I wanted to utilize the accidental marks that occur through drips and crackling. Using the effects that are produced to represent the emotional scarring that can occur with stress.
All artists have anxieties in their lives and in the creation of their art. For this series I decided to use such anxieties in my work by taking the negative energy that came from my life and using it as a positive fuel. I used the stress and chaos in a constructive manner by translating these feelings into batiks. Though batiks are often viewed as a decorative craft, I hoped to push at the audience’s expectations of the medium. This idea was executed through the representation of the nude female figure in positions that convey the mental and physical exertion that stress has on the mind and body.
Inside Us All was created during a time in my life when there seemed to be an overabundance of stress. During that time, I considered the batik medium to be very symbolic. The batik process involved using wax as a protective shield to block out unwanted color. The staining that occurs with the dye used in the process can symbolically be viewed as the experiences that are encountered in life and the wax as our resistance to these things. In the batik process an image is created through multiple dye baths and waxes. The crackling that occurs in the wax can symbolize how our defenses may not always be effective in protecting our mind and body. The accidental marks that occur through dripping are almost like emotional scarring and how we are imprinted by the situations that occur in our lives. In addition to this, the process of layering both color and wax and then stripping them away to reveal a finished product can reflect the way in which we, as individuals, are shaped by the stressful situations we encounter. I wanted to utilize the accidental marks that occur through drips and crackling. Using the effects that are produced to represent the emotional scarring that can occur with stress.