So Po Art Studios: A Dream Come True!

The life of an artist can be a solitary endeavor, so I'm always on the lookout for ways to build community. One of my favorites is an awesome group of women artists! We get together once a month to support each other, swap ideas and give (and get) feedback on everything from shows to marketing to manifesting our dreams for the future. Susan, Laurie, Kendra, Lisa, Claudia and Maggie have been a great support and comfort to me! Lucky me!

Last week, two members of this group, Laurie Spugnardi and Maggie Bokor, took the big step of partnering to create a new small business: So Po Art Studios. Laurie is a tile painter and ceramic surface designer, and Maggie is a jeweler and painter. They hope to create art, community and a living in their new business home at 855 Sawyer Road in South Portland, Maine.. Congratulations Ladies!

You can get more info about this new business at their Facebook Business Page. If you would like to find out more about each of them check out their websites: Spugnardi Design and Maggie Bokor.

A great example of dreams really coming true!

Next Step: Painting with Dyes

There are two ways to color your fabric: Paint the dye on or dip the the fabric in a vat (bucket) of dye.
Today's post features painting on the dye.

Here is the waxed fabric before I start to paint.





I have started to paint with yellow paint that I will mix with some blue to create green.







Adding some green paint now to fill in the leaves.









Now I am painting the back ground with the bright blue paint.









Here is a close up of the finished piece of fabric. After drying for 24 hours I will rinse it out with hot water to remove the soy wax and excess dye.










The finished fabric.

Next post -Vat Dyeing!

The Batik Process- Waxing

The most common question I am asked is, "Exactly what is batik?" So, over the next few posts, I thought it would be fun to do a virtual demo of the batik process, complete with photos of each step. Ready?

What is batik?....Batik, an Indonesian word meaning, “wax writing,” is a process in which an artist “writes” or paints on fabric or paper. The wax prevents the dye from being absorbed by the fabric when it is either immersed in or painted with the dyes. A new waxing and dying process must be repeated for each color and layer of the design.

Here is my work station: tools, melted wax and cotton fabric.



Getting ready to paint with the melted wax.






Here I am painting the fabric with a sumi brush and the melted wax.











More progress.











This piece of cotton is ready for dye!








Tomorrow...painting with the dyes.

Also check out my new business page on Facebook!