Spilt Water Ends Up Creating A New Batik Painting Style

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How did this style happen? In 1996 on the island of St. Lucia while painting a silk batik for a client I was visited by my 3-year-old daughter Helen in my studio. She always runs over to hug me, but on that day she was holding a cup of water which ended up all over the still drying painting. I was blown away by the effects created by the water so much so that I started trying to recreate it. The rest is history, a new style of painting had been born, the dotted wet on wet application of silk paints resulting in textures and hues never before seen.

More info: jean-baptiste.com

Oasis

Spilt Water Ends Up Creating A New Batik Painting Style

This piece shows the complex results of painting in a wet on wet style on silk. You actually feel as if you are underwater with the turtle.

Wax resist on silk

Spilt Water Ends Up Creating A New Batik Painting Style

The wax resists hand drawn onto the silk to create the outline for the art composition.

Stretched silk

Spilt Water Ends Up Creating A New Batik Painting Style

The silk is suspended onto a stretcher frame so that liquid water based silk paints can be applied using tiny Sumi Pony hair brushes.

Spilt Water Ends Up Creating A New Batik Painting Style

Shimmering Light Water Technique

This is the painting technique which I invented in 1996.

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Daniel Jean-Baptiste

Author, Community member

Daniel Jean-Baptiste is a Caribbean artist of Dutch Jewish, African Kalinago Carib descent who resides in St. Lucia and Canada. His art focuses on underwater scenes, game fish and their prey, tropical botanical themes, and exotic animals. He was inspired by his childhood spent fishing in Choiseul and hopes to bring attention to the beauty of his island home through his artwork. He uses 10mm Habotai silk as his canvas and is the originator of the shimmering light water technique, which involves painting with liquid paints on wet silk using Sumi bamboo brushes. The finished product is water-resistant and vibrant due to the translucency and natural luster of the silk.