Best-selling “World of Rozome” book by American master of Japanese wax resist Betsy (now Kiranada) Sterling Benjamin is out of print – but no matter. You can study with her via CD with bonus material added. Or get her instruction on Ro-kata, or wax stencil resist, from her latest DVD. It’s all here!

The American Batik Design Competition was conceived as “soft diplomacy” to “allow people of other cultures to incorporate it into their culture and come up with something new.” Over 100 designs by artists & designers from 18 states were submitted. SDA member Kelly Cobb’s design was among them – and it won her the grand prize!

08/31/2011

Rozome in the Land of Batik

by Dh. Kiranada Sterling Benjamin

This eye-opening narrative describes how long-time SDA member/Rozome master Kiranada Sterling Benjamin negotiated expectations across cultures to pull off a well-received exhibition of her work last spring in green and distant Bali, Indonesia – where batik reigns.

08/27/2011

Link About This! New Web Picks from Mickie

by Mickie McCormic

Let Mickie be your guide to more resources on the web. This time it’s Green website at the Textile Museum, Art Blog Venetian Red + UK batik, African textiles & toppers then fiber bunnies made from recycled butts. Cigarette, that is. Link about it!

If you want to make a living making art, it takes business savvy as well as creativity. Invest in your future, support your vision and boost your skills by registering for this Confluence pre-conference workshop led by internationally recognized master dyer Mary Edna Fraser. PLEASE NOTE: This workshop has been cancelled due to low enrollment, but you can still read art of business insights by MEF here!

In the forward to this new book, Rudolf Smend writes, “Rita Trefois has managed to create a record that presents contemporary batik art in a timeless fashion, as well as expertly incorporating the history and, in particular, the batik technique….This publication is an important milestone in the long history of batik, as well as a prototype and inspiration for the younger generation.” Read Rita Trefois’s introduction to her long-awaited book here!

09/23/2010

Crossing Mediums: A Dip into Wax

by Surface Design Journal Editor Patricia Malarcher

The 2010 Encaustic Conference (June 11-13) offered lots of reasons for artists working in fabric, thread, and paper to explore the medium of wax. A stimulating cluster of exhibitions, knowledgeable sessions on materials and processes, a brilliant keynote address, and an insightful panel on art and business sent participants home with heads full of information and inspiration.

07/23/2010

Web Links to African Sampler: Summer 2010 SDA Journal

by SDA NewsBlog Editor Leesa Hubbell

Textiles serve as a lens through which to sample Africa’s diversity in this latest issue of the Surface Design Journal.
Articles focus on artists engaged in printing, dyeing, batik, weaving, stitching, quiltmaking, graphic arts and applique.