|
home |
Go Wild on the Moor with Batik Artist Robin Paris
Family Arts and Environment Day at South Penquite Farm, Blisland, Bodmin Moor
|
September 2002
South Penquite Farm
Go Wild, on a mid-September Sunday, is a day for families and friends to spend on Bodmin Moor. It's a day on which they can enjoy our beautiful countryside with farm and wildlife walks or wander around at their own pace. They can join in with one or more creative workshops led by professional artists from the area, and buy delicious homemade and organic food made at the farm.
The workshops range from puppetry, withy sculptures, batik, mixed media painting, mark making, story telling and story making, ta'i chi and chanting. All reflect and respond to the environment, whether interpreting wildlife and ecology or the organic ethos of the farm.
|
In 2002 I led a workshop for making butterflies in batik on tissue paper. Batik on tissue sounds fragile - indeed it is, but then, so are butterfly wings!
Purple, Brown and Green Hairstreaks are butterflies usually found on the farm in autumn. By working from a master plan, the designs created by both children and adult alike were fairly realistic and should help with future identification of the butterfly.
An upper and a lower side of each butterfly were made, with several layers of waxing and over-dyeing. The last stage in batiking on tissue involves ironing out wax, which leaves a good waxy residue that turns the tissue into a paper that feels like parchment. But still fragile!
Finally the two halves were stuck together with fine bamboo splints placed between the upper and lower sheets as wing strengtheners, and mounted on a bamboo cane.
|
Images
Top: The upper side of a Purple Hairstreak butterfly and its maker.
Second: The lower side of the same Purple Hairstreak.
Bottom: A Green Hairstreak butterfly and its young maker.
All images, text and web design copyright of the artist or individual indicated © 1998-2013 Robin Paris All Rights Reserved