David Lucht
relocated from San Miquel de Allende, Mexico
My approach to batik elevates this ancient craft to fine art. Batik originated in the world of craft where people create objects that contribute a sense of grace and beauty to their daily lives. I try to bring forward that history of desire for commonplace beauty and use it as a support in developing my own imagery.
In batik the image and the cloth become a fully integrated thing. There is no surface decoration in batik. The image is established in the fiber of the cloth. I find that to be a very powerful idea.
Batik painting offers solutions for me. It provides an escape valve that allows me to see the history of art differently. It comes from the world of craft and that appeals to me in many ways: as communal, as beauty in the utilitarian, as an anti-elitist alternative. Batik is undiscovered territory. It has magical qualities of obscurity and revelation. The finished work is only seen in its entirety at the very end of the process, when the wax is removed and the image revealed.
Cowango Studios
517 N. 8th st
Paducah, KY 42001
270-908-0755
www.cowango.com
open by appointment only
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