Hello and Welcome!
My name is Paige Mortensen and I am a watercolour batik artist living in Saskatoon, SK Canada. My batik pieces are created on a thin Japanese paper called Ginwashi. Once finished the wax is ironed off and the paper is mounted onto a canvas. This is then sealed with a UV Protective Varnish. The finished pieces have a quiet, intimate presence that fascinates viewers with their soft colours and rich textures.
My batik pieces are held in the public collection of the Mann Art Gallery as well as private collections across Canada. I am a juried member of the Saskatchewan Craft Council, and an active member of The Batik Guild. I have had numerous solo and group exhibitions across Saskatchewan and am represented by Black Spruce Gallery and the Saskatchewan Craft Council Boutique.
What is Batik?
Wax and watercolour don’t mix, and that is the key to watercolour batik. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the batik process the brief description is that it uses wax as a resist to prevent the dye or colour from going where it isn’t wanted. In my case I am working on paper and the first step is to put wax wherever I want the paper to stay white. Then I apply the lightest value of watercolour that I want in the finished piece. I let that dry and repeat, placing wax where I want it to stay that colour and adding another layer of watercolour. Working this way I build up the layers from light to dark. When the final darks are added I iron all of the wax off revealing the finished piece!
