Ruthellen Kellogg

I love the mystical look of batik. I first saw batik some 20+ years ago in college when there was a gallery showing of contemporary batik paintings. I thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and immediately knew I had found my medium.

However, I could find no one who knew how to do it. My crafts studio professor told me, "You're going to have to teach yourself, because I have no idea as to how its done." So I did.

With the help from books like Contemporary Batik and Tie Dye and instructional sheets from companies like Dharma Trading, I was able to learn everything I needed to know about immersion dyeing, direct dyeing, and more - even about other projects that I might be interested in, like printing photos on fabric, marbling, stamping, and many more.

I do batik paintings using immersion, direct dye and colored wax batik techniques. My subjects are varied, from nature to house landscapes to celtic images.

I use primarily Procion MX dyes, but over the years, I've used so many fun and interesting products, including Identipens, Setascrib markers, printing plates, and squeeze bottles with different resists. I'd be lost without my wooden frames, tjantings, and brushes. And I think that the batik wax beads are the greatest thing since sliced bread. The list is almost endless. I've purchased my fabrics, t-shirts, and bandanas (don't have to sew all those edges!) from Dharma, and I am fascinated by the sheer number of PFD clothing items that they have available. I peruse each catalog like the latest bestseller. So many interesting techniques - so little time!