Batik art

Batiks are cloths that mainly are manufactured into clothes in amongst other places Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand etc. This tradition, which is namely centuries old has propagated many artists who from generation to generation have passed on the techniques.

It has so evolved into a separate form of art by artists that started to make canvasses especially made for wall decoration. These exotic panels are artworks by themselves and are of outstanding quality. They are not inferior to a lithograph or water painting. The art of batik is very old, there have been made discoveries in the middle east and India that date back to 2000 years ago.
The main producers of batiks are Malaysia and Indonesia, but Thailand, India and the Philippines also have their share of the market. Our batiks come exclusively from Middle-Java, Indonesia.


Hand made batik, gaining popularity during recent times has provided to be an effective medium of art. It involves a process that requires the application of a wax resistant to cloth which is then dyed. By combining the right kind of art work, skilled waxing, selection and use of appropriate colors make each hand made batik into a unique work of art.


The cloth is most commonly made of linnen or cotton on which a pattern is designed, first with charcoal and then with bee wax. Thereafter, layer upon layer is drawn with either ink or wax. This is applied with the so called Tjanting, see picture. By submerging the cloth into hot water, the wax dissolves. Thereafter, the next color can be applied. By this method it can be avoided that the ink leaks through. This procedure is repeated until the desired result is accomplished. That is why the prices of the paintings fluctuate drastically. The choice of the wax differs for each type of effect that is desired. Depending on how much "krakelé" is desired, if at all, one wants to cover vast sizes of cloth or work with the Tjanting etc... for each technique, there is a specific washing procedure. The temperature and the method of application of the wax also influence the desired result. The most common recipe is a mix of 30% bee wax (elastic and flexible) and 70% paraffin (brozer). The more paraffin is applied results in more krakelé effect. On the contrary, the more bee wax is applied, less krakelé effect is visible. One may also add different types of raisin to the recipe. There are as many many recipes as there are batik workshops.