"One
Artist's Journey with Marjorie Claus" continues at the Jerome Artists'
Cooperative Gallery as Marjorie demonstrates her process of creating colorful
contemporary batik paintings on fabric. Batik is a process that uses hot wax as
a resist to dyes on fabric. In 2009 UNESCO awarded Indonesia the
"Intangible cultural heritage" award as batik cloth and patterns
permeate every aspect of Indonesia lifestyle. Marjorie traveled, lived and
worked in Indonesia and Singapore from 1974-1982, which formed the basis of her
broad experience with batik. Please join Marjorie for a demonstration of batik,
and a reception for the artist on Jerome's First Saturday Art walk, May 4, from
5-8pm. Refreshments will be served. The show runs till May 29. OPEN DAILY 10AM
- 6PM.
The art of
contemporary batik and mixed media collage works are featured at the Jerome
Artists’ Cooperative Gallery in a presentation entitled, “One Artist’s Journey.”
Marjorie Claus describes in words and pictures how an overland trip to Nepal in
the 1970’s and a 7-year period of living and working in Indonesia and Singapore
from 1974-1982 influenced her life and her art. There will be a reception for
the artist during Jerome’s First Saturday art walk on April 6 from 5-8 pm at
the Jerome Artists’ Cooperative Gallery.
Marjorie recalls
how leaving her job as a book designer with Macmillan Publishing Company in
1971 in favor of traveling the world, launched her awareness of foreign people,
countries and cultures. She traveled three months in Europe and Morocco before she
describes how she and her sister were relaxing on a beach in Greece when they
were invited by two travelers to join them on their overland trip to Nepal. Marjorie
says, “What sounded like a dream, became a dream after it was over! It was a
tough journey in the 70’s traveling from Istanbul through Turkey, Iran,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Nepal using trains, buses, trucks, jeeps,
hitchhiking and flying in areas where were no roads.” She continues, “In some
countries ‘the road’ was nothing more than an arrow pointing in the general
direction of the way to go. Just getting to Nepal from Istanbul took 9 months
of hot, rugged travel.”
The
Indonesian aspect of her journey began in 1974, after working at Macmillan
Publishing Company for the second time before flying from California to Tokyo,
Hong Kong, and Bangkok and then winding “overland” through Thailand, Malaysia
and eventually arriving in Indonesia. She studied batik in Jogyakarta and then set
out to explore as much of the Indonesian archipelago as she could before her
visa extensions were up. In Singapore, Marjorie procured an art teaching position
at the Singapore American school for 4 years, and designed batik art and textiles
for 3 years at the Merlion Batik Factory.
These
experiences, clearly, were the most influential events of her life. Her
interest in batik started during her college days at East Carolina University
where she graduated with a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Art degree) in printmaking and
painting in 1969. She viewed batik as a
colorful form of printmaking with vibrant colors and patterns; indeed, in the
60’s, batik was very colorful! Batik is an ancient process that uses resists
(hot wax) and dyes (vegetable or chemical) on fabric to create color and
patterns on cloth. Primitive hand tools were used to apply wax and both dipping
into dyebaths and painting directly onto fabrics were the processes used to
apply color. “It was quite a complex process,” Marjorie states, “for a ‘primitive’
artform.” As Marjorie mentioned, batik is probably the oldest form of applying
color and patterns to cloth, and it was used in countries all over the world. Indonesia
is the country that received the UNESCO award for batik as a living artform: an
“Intangible cultural heritage.” Marjorie’s interest in batik has survived in
her 50-year career in art.
Once the
computer came into Marjorie’s life, she saw the potential of using it as a
design and drawing/painting platform. She uses Photoshop to develop
compositions and designs for papers she uses in her collage work. In the
exhibit, there are several examples of both digital and actual collage
paintings. “Collage” is an artform using paint, paper and glue to assemble an
artwork by using compatible or disparate elements to create a work of art. This
has now become Marjorie’s favorite medium for working. Because she can bring
together all her interests in printmaking, painting, batik, and collage into a
single painting, she calls this process “mixed media.” This has opened the door
to how Marjorie incorporates her passion for art and travel into one painting.
Reception
for the artist, April 6 from 5-8 pm at the Jerome Artists’ Cooperative Gallery,
502 Main Street, Jerome. Refreshments will be served. The show runs thru May
29. OPEN DAILY. 10AM – 6PM. 928-639-4276. info@jeromecoop.com
The Jerome
Artists’ Cooperative Gallery is comprised of 35 local member-artists who work
in a wide variety of media. To become a member, please stop by the gallery at
502 Main Street, or download an application at www.jeromecoop.com
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