What Is Batik Painting?

The Society of Creative Arts of Newtown (SCAN) will have a batik watercolor painting demonstration by Jo Ann Simon of Danbury on Wednesday, May 23, at 1:30 pm. The meeting is open to the public and will be at Newtown Meeting House, 31 Main Street (at the flagpole).

Ms Simon enjoys the exploration of art through experimentation of mediums and materials with the creation of different series of works. This focus on a particular series of works allows her to demonstrate feelings and attitudes through her art.

Ms Simon is attracted to all types of subject matter and exploration of mediums. One medium in which she has excelled is watercolor batik, a process that uses a hot wax as a resist to save the white and lights on a special rice paper. The paints and wax are built up until the painting is complete. The entire piece is then crunched into a ball to crack the wax, and the final process is to iron out the wax. The end result is a vibrant impressionistic textural painting.

Jo Ann Simon has studied with such notable teachers as Bob Burridge, Betsy Dillard Stroud and Janet Walsh (president of the American Watercolor Society), and Greg Allen of Australia. But she has really grown as an artist through her own diligence and study of all facets of the art world.

Last August Ms Simon started a Painting a Day blog (JoannSimon.blogspot.com). Paintings are posted daily as possible, for viewing, comment and sale.