brilliant batik world

Artist Mary Edna Fraser creates some fantastic fabric landscapes using the art of batik, a process which predates recorded history.

Mary Edna Fraser, Hurricane Season, batik on silk, 50″ x 36″

Fraser travels the world, taking her own aerial photographs to use as the basis for her artwork. Technical precision is achieved by studying maps and painting on location to capture the details of the scene. Satellite imagery is also one the resources she uses.

Mary Edna Fraser, South of Ocracoke, NC, batik on silk, 36″ x 36″

Fraser hopes to convey the vulnerability of the world’s barrier islands, and the impact of climate change. Read her blog for details about her new book, Global Climate Change,  and book signing appearances.

Mary Edna Fraser, Charleston Runner, SC, batik on silk, 15″ x 60″

Batik is an art method where removable wax is applied to fabric. The fabric is dipped in dye, and the waxed areas resist any color.  Then wax is painstakingly removed and re-applied in other areas, and dying continues, creating the different blocks of color.

Mary Edna Fraser, Bazaruto’s Dunes, Mozambique, Africa, batik on silk, 30″ x 36″

Photographing from the open windows of my grandfather’s vintage 1946 Ercoupe plane with my father or brother as pilots, we explore the natural wonders unaltered by man.  I also hire instructors who guide me over their familiar landscape such as the canyons of northern New Mexico or the Appalachian mountains.  Experience flying various aircraft allows me to set up photographic compositions with ease.  When positioned, I hand over the controls to shoot with digital Nikon cameras.  During an excursion aloft, as many as five hundred photographs are taken which will then be reduced to the best designs. An organization of the land emerges revealed only by altitude. – Mary Edna Fraser

Wow – what a life.  Her website is beautiful, and has more information to share:  visit www.maryedna.com