Indigo Textures I
In her “Indigo Series,” Renée Stramel seeks to recreate the look of Batik textiles while sidestepping conventional wax-resist techniques. Inspiration led to an innovative process: a reimagined wax resist process.
Using a clear glazing medium brushed onto heavy white watercolor paper, she creates the design carefully because the clear media and white paper make it hard to see. The media is then allowed to dry overnight, to assure it is dry. After inspecting the surface, it is then washed over with deep blue indigo gouache, wiping off the excess along the way. The watercolor is also allowed to fully dry. She then carefully buffs off the newly revealed white areas with a damp cloth to further reveal the texture and contrast between the media and paper.
The result is a heavily textured surface that reveals the hand of the artist while harkening back to the wax-resist tradition. The glazing media retains a bit of glossiness adding subtle sparkle and shine amidst the dark blue matte finish background. This series is then custom framed in beautiful maple wood frames to complement the richness of the indigo.
Prints are available thru Grand Image Ltd.
Using a clear glazing medium brushed onto heavy white watercolor paper, she creates the design carefully because the clear media and white paper make it hard to see. The media is then allowed to dry overnight, to assure it is dry. After inspecting the surface, it is then washed over with deep blue indigo gouache, wiping off the excess along the way. The watercolor is also allowed to fully dry. She then carefully buffs off the newly revealed white areas with a damp cloth to further reveal the texture and contrast between the media and paper.
The result is a heavily textured surface that reveals the hand of the artist while harkening back to the wax-resist tradition. The glazing media retains a bit of glossiness adding subtle sparkle and shine amidst the dark blue matte finish background. This series is then custom framed in beautiful maple wood frames to complement the richness of the indigo.
Prints are available thru Grand Image Ltd.