Category Archives: Artistic Process

BIG EXCITING NEWS!! My Discover Watercolour Batik online video class is ready

Discover Watercolour Batik!
Learn to create your own richly textured watercolour batiks. It is all about the wax! No watercolour skills required.

learn.paigemortensen.ca

For a limited time only use coupon code
BatikLaunch25 for 25% off
(offer expires Dec 31, 2018)

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40 videos for you to access anytime anywhere

Join me on an exciting journey where you will learn how to use wax and watercolour to create beautifully textured watercolour batiks.

Watercolour Batik is all about the wax. The way you apply it onto the Ginwashi paper is what will bring your watercolour batik to life. The watercolour is secondary, and no watercolour painting skills are required.

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First we will look at the supplies you need to begin your journey!


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Then we will play with mark making
…with the wax!

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Batik is also about layering so we need to know what will happen when we place one colour on top of another. Here you will find some exercises to help you understand your colours.

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Then it will be time to put the wax and watercolour together to create one of a kind pieces that will be perfect to use as cards.

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And finally we will put it all together to create a more complex finished piece!

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learn.paigemortensen.ca

For a limited time only use coupon code
BatikLaunch25 for 25% off
(offer expires Dec 31, 2018)

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I’m excited to share your journey!
Join our Facebook page@Watercolour Batik Artists
Instagram use Hashtag: #discoverwatercolourbatik

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©Paige Mortensen 36 x 12″ Watercolour Batik

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I am excited to share your experiences as you
discover how watercolour batik really is all about the wax!

September will always seem like the start of a new year – and this one has lots happening!

Looking Back, Looking Out, Looking In 

Friday, August 31 is the last day to see“Looking Back, Looking Out, Looking In”  at the Humboldt Art Gallery. This was a two person show with work by Jess Richter along with my watercolour batiks. Saturday we go to dismantle it. Thanks to the Humboldt Gallery for being great to work with and to everyone who has been to see it!

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Dotting the Prairie 4 18 x 36″ Watercolour Batik ©Paige Mortensen


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Art friends with beautiful back yards have provided several fabulous sketching opportunities over the summer!

Now, September is just around the corner and
I have so much news to share!
See below for more details about:

Mentorship Program

New Shows

Soon to be Released –
Online Watercolour Batik Class


 

I have been selected for an Exciting Mentorship Program!

I am honoured to have been accepted as a mentee in the CARFAC mentorship program. My mentor will be Paula Cooley and I am very excited to see what the year will bring!

This 10 month mentorship program includes support from a mentor, group meetings, studio visits, critiques and will be a major creative boost! 


Fall Showtime round #1 … More about the rest next time

Art Now Saskatchewan Fine Art Fair

Many Saskatchewan Galleries will have booths at this amazing show. It started 3 years ago in Saskatoon, was in Regina last year and is back in Saskatoon. It keeps getting better!

You will find my work in the Saskatchewan Craft Council‘s area! This is 1 of 4 bridges that they selected in the jury process.

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PA Train Bridge 18 x 36″ Watercolour Batik ©Paige Mortensen

 

 


Station Arts Centre – Rosthern –  Birds of a Feather

1 of 2 pieces I have contributed:

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Click Clack Cluck 12 x 24″ Watercolour Batik ©Paige Mortensen

The Station Arts Centre in Rosthern has a lovely gallery and tea room and the group show “Birds of a Feather” will be up for the month of September. They are open Tuesday – Saturday 9 am – 4 pm (closed Sunday and Monday).

There will be a closing reception on Saturday, September 29th from 7 – 9 pm.


Humboldt Art Gallery Members’ Show

1 of 2 pieces I have contributed:

Pure & Simple ©Paige Mortensen Watercolour Batik 24 x 8" $425

Pure & Simple 8 x 24″ Watercolour Batik ©Paige Mortensen

This is the 3rd year for this show and the 3rd time I have participated. It is a great gallery so worth the drive. The Humboldt Art Gallery is open Tuesday – Saturday 1 – 5 pm.

There will be a reception on Saturday, Sept 22 from 2 – 4 pm.

 


Releasing my Online Watercolour Batik Class

With special thanks to my video editing husband and photography pro son I am soon going to be releasing a full online watercolour batik class – Discover Watercolour Batik. Everything you need to know to create your own beautiful watercolour batiks! Over 3 hours of video instruction that you can follow along with. I am excited to see what others create!

Discover Watercolour Batik

For a sneak peak you can register for this free one – Introduction to Watercolour Batik – which will give you a quick overview of my process – for collectors or curious artists! 

Introduction to Watercolour Batik

Have a great start to the fall season!

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“Looking Back, Looking Out, Looking In” – at the Humboldt Art Gallery this summer!

Looking Back, Looking Out, Looking In 
Paige Mortensen and Jess Richter
July 3 – August 31, 2018
Humboldt Art Gallery – 601 Main Street, Humboldt SK
Opening Reception Thursday, July 5 at 7 p.m

WOW! Between life and art there is never a dull moment! I am excited to share the details about my summer show Looking Back, Looking Out, Looking In at the Humboldt Art Gallery! The show will be up from July 3 – August 31, 2018. You are invited to our opening reception on Thursday, July 5 at 7 p.m..

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Dotting the Prairie 4 18 x 36″ Watercolour Batik ©Paige Mortensen


Looking In

My focus on architecture came about after a trip to Europe where I was fascinated by all the doors. These may have been ordinary doors and windows for those who live there, however I was looking in with all sorts of questions. Who built this? How did they do it? Who lived here originally (now)? What were/are their lives like? 


Looking Out

Back in Saskatchewan we seem to do a lot of driving and I was now looking out. What I see is elevators, homesteads, barns and granaries built by the settlers and reminding us of the past. This prairie architecture takes me inward to thoughts of ancestors who came to this country, to  those who lived here long before that and to how different life looks depending on which side of the window you are on. 

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Patched 24 x 18″ Watercolour Batik ©Paige Mortensen


Looking Back

I am excited to be sharing the gallery with Jess Richter whose intricate paper cut sculptural works are looking back at the tumultuous histories of immigrant populations in mid-twentieth century Saskatchewan, specifically her German grandparents.  Using wintery fairy tale imagery and German folk influences, she explores displaced womens’ processes of rebuilding shattered lives and homes in an unfamiliar and often unwelcoming country. 

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Paige Mortensen - Going, Going, Gone

Going, Going, Gone 24 x 36″ Watercolour Batik ©Paige Mortensen


Construction Zone

Construction Zone

 

Speaking of architecture – we are in the midst of having our roof replaced, and skylights removed so now back to the construction zone.


So, I hope to see you in Humboldt on July 5th – or that you can plan a trip that way sometime over the summer!

In the meantime, enjoy the season!

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Making Your Mark: It’s all About the Wax

Making Your Mark

In 2012 I was taking a printmaking class and one of the assignments was to do something with batik. To me, at the time, that meant fabric and special dyes. I didn’t want to add more supplies to my art making collection so I went searching for an alternative. I found Kathie George and her beautiful watercolour batiks! From there I completed one of her online tutorials, and I was hooked!

After more than 4 years of my own watercolour batik journey I was finally able to attend one of Kathie’s workshops in Edmonton. I was surprised to see see how much my process had evolved from hers. Kathie invited me to write about that for her blog so here is a sampling of what you will find in: “It’s All About the Wax … making your mark” 

MakingYourMark-MarkMakingTools

Kathie uses wax pots for melting her wax and brushes or tjaps for applying it. I use a flat encaustic iron to melt my wax and sponges, mesh, cardboard and whatever else I can find to apply my wax.

A key feature of the batik process is that making your mark with the wax is what determines the outcome of the piece. The wax preserves whatever is already there and is the key to the finished piece.

Making Your Mark Sampler

Making Your Mark Sampler

 

My Guest Post on Kathie George’s Blog

You can read about my discoveries on her blog:
http://www.kathiegeorge.com/its-all-about-the-wax

While you are there, look around and enjoy all that she shares!

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As always, thanks for reading!

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Flock of birds now in my studio

Flock of Birds October 2016 ©Paige Mortensen

Flock of Birds October 2016 ©Paige Mortensen

My fireplace gallery now has a flock of birds – part of the work I am doing for the  Artisans’ Fine Craft Market coming up on November 4 & 5, 2016. The white papers behind them have been hanging empty for a few days so it feels good to have some colour there again.

It was our grandson’s 7th birthday at the end of September so we went to help celebrate.  They live on an acreage with a beautiful view of the lake and the birds were plentiful.  The weather was great and our grandchildren were happily jumping on the trampoline. I took some time with my camera to capture some reference images. I am thankful for every one of these special days spent with family.

Things to do:

Over the last week I have been keeping the memories of the day alive by working on some small watercolour batik pieces.  This batik process I use uses wax as a resist so I always work on wax paper (or in this case the liners out of cereal boxes).  These waxy papers stop the wax from sticking to whatever else might be underneath.  Here are some of the flock, finished and waiting for the wax to be ironed off. I did that this morning.

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Flock of birds ready to iron

The next steps are to:

  • sign them
  • photograph them
  • mount them onto canvas
  • attach hangers
  • add labels to the back

Enjoy the birds you see today!

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A Glimpse into My Watercolour Batik Process

This glimpse into my watercolour batik process is for the curious artists out there who keep asking how I do it … and for anyone else who is just curious.

Watercolour Batik Process

Tools

Watercolour Batik Process Tools

My supplies include:

  • Ginwashi paper – notice the obvious fibres in it – they help create the texture!
  • A paint tray and brushes – I just use a small, inexpensive brush to mix the colour and one of these large hake brushes to apply the paint to the paper
  • Watercolour paints
  • Paraffin wax
  • An encaustic iron to melt the wax
  • Sponges, stamps, tiny brushes, etc to apply the wax

Watercolour Batik Process - Encaustic Iron

Preparations

Watercolour Batik Process - Under the Bridge Drawing

First, I edit and crop photos I have taken to decide on the composition. Then I draw the basic image the size I want the finished piece to be. When I am happy with that I go over the lines of my drawing with a back marker.

The Ginwashi paper is quite transparent so I can then trace the drawing onto it with a Micron pen (permanent and waterproof).

Adding a Layer of Wax

Watercolour Batik Process - Step 1 Add Some Wax

Here, the Ginwashi paper is set on top of a piece of wax paper – so the wax doesn’t stick to whatever is underneath it. When I am adding wax I also put a black paper underneath so I can see where it is going.

The purpose of the wax is to preserve the colour of the paper at a given point in time…so, anything that needs to stay white needs to have wax put over it before any paint is applied. In this case I just put a bit of wax in a couple of spots on the water to create some highlights.

Building Up the Colour

Watercolour Batik Process - Under The Bridge - Step 2 - Adding Paint

Now, I can add the first layer of light colour. Some of the things I think about:

  • This is very watery paint and will very quickly run uncontrollably across the paper
  • These are transparent watercolours so every layer will show through to the top
  • The colour will dry much lighter than it looks going on
  • What colours can I layer to get the right colours at the darker layers

Mostly, the goal is just to get the first light colours on there and see where they go. Letting them run into each other creates softer edges and unity of colour in the finished piece.

This then needs to dry before the next wax and watercolour layers can go on.

The Ugly Phase

Watercolour Batik Process - Under The Bridge - Adding More Wax

More wax … you can see how much lighter the colours are now that it has dried.

Watercolour Batik Process - Under The Bridge - Ugly Phase

More paint … and so on. In these early stages it can get to look quite ugly.  Everything has the same value, the drawn lines are disappearing and there is little definition.

Adding Darks

Watercolour Batik Process - Under The Bridge - Darks

Five or six layers of wax and watercolour later, the darks get dark enough that I once again begin to feel like there is hope for a successful piece.

Iron off the Wax

When I feel like the piece is finished I make sure the entire surface is covered with wax then place it between layers of newsprint and iron it. The wax comes off onto the newsprint and the image emerges in its finished form! This is my favourite step in the process – and the only thing I like to iron!

Finished Piece

Under the Bridge Watercolour Batik ©Paige Mortensen 10x20" March 25, 2016

Under the Bridge ©Paige Mortensen Watercolour Batik 10×20″

See more about two Saskatoon bridges I did in these blog posts:
– the Broadway Bridge
   – the Traffic Bridge

Or, watch a time lapse video of my watercolour batik process.

Thanks for reading!

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Show Preparation Time

Tall Taller Tallest ©Paige Mortensen Watercolour Batik 12x36"

Tall Taller Tallest ©Paige Mortensen Watercolour Batik 12×36″

The show preparations have begun!  I have finished lots of pieces and yet that is only the beginning. They need to be mounted onto canvas or framed before they are ready for the show.  As you probably know I work on Ginwashi paper which is an oriental paper – thin like tissue paper yet sturdy with small threads in it. You can watch a time-lapse video of my batik-like process on my website – http://paigemortensen.ca/demonstrations/

03-MountingProcessMounting these on canvas is a multi-step process. First I need to paint the edges of the canvas to give them a crisp finished look. Then I cover the canvas with a layer of acrylic medium and attach the piece using a brayer to smooth it down and ensure that it is well attached. I chose to mount this bird with the torn edges showing.

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Often though I wrap it around the edge of the canvas, and sometimes the darker colours run into the medium. So…the edges need to be painted again.

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This collection of pieces are mounted and ready for the next step in the process which is to spray them with an archival UV protective varnish that seals the entire piece and ensures that the colours are permanent. After that there will be hangers and information labels to attach and paperwork to prepare.

These are just some of the pieces I will have in the show and there are 10 other artists working on their own. Together, the works will make a great show. We hope you can make it!

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Memories of Bouquets

Fond Farewell ©Paige Mortensen Watercolour Batik 12x24"

Fond Farewell ©Paige Mortensen Watercolour Batik 12×24″

As the saying goes, “Pictures are worth a thousand words”…and they bring back so many memories. Looking at some photos recently I came across some from a farewell party for a friend and co-worker. They brought back many memories of working with this amazing, dedicated person. Another co-worker had put together this small bouquet in an office mug reminding me of the special talents every person has. Working on this piece was a joyful opportunity to remember those connections.

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Healing & Protea ©Paige Mortensen Watercolour Batik each 8×24″

These two also have memories. The daisies were a gift from family when I broke my ankle in 2014. I don’t really want to remember the broken ankle but I am always thankful for my awesome family and their support in everything. The orange flower in the second one one is a Protea (or Pin Cushion) and the arrangement includes some Eryngium and Eucalyptus. These I gave to my sister for her birthday. The vase she used was a plastic one that folds flat. Once filled with water it created some very interesting shapes and colours.

Just over a month until the Artists’ Workshop Show & Sale.  Hope to see you there!

2016 aw invite sm

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Explorations to Start 2016

January, a month for new explorations! I have been sewing on my paper batiks, sketching and adding charcoal to my batik-like process.

Sewing on my paper batiks

I have been admiring the work of some amazing thread painters and wanted to try combining stitching with my batiks. My first project involved creating a number of papers of coloured batiks, cutting them up and sewing them back together.  I had had a lovely bouquet of daisies and as they were nearing their end I cut the blossoms off and put them in a bowl of water.  This really perked them up. I loved the look and used it as inspiration for this mini-paper batik quilt!

DaisyBowl

Daisy Bowl ©Paige Mortensen Mixed Media 12×12″

Then I had done a batik of a lovely little outdoor cafe we saw in Sarlat, France and I decided to see what some stitching would do for it.  I didn’t cut it apart, just added details with various colours of threads. My goal was to keep it about the batik, just enhance the look.  It was a lot of fun!

Sarlat Cafe

Sarlat Cafe ©Paige Mortensen Mixed Media 12×18″

Here is some of the detail:

Sarlat Cafe Detail

Sarlat Cafe Detail ©Paige Mortensen

Sketching

January has become an annual month of daily sketching and this year I have been working on people and fabric.  There have been some great tips and exercises in this book “Drawing Realistic Clothing & People” by Lee Hammond.  Exploring and learning!

01-Drawing

Adding Charcoal

It was back to our weekly painting day with the Artists’ Workshop group and time to explore something new! Rather than just work from light to dark I decided to start with the darks by using charcoal for the initial design and then build the colours onto that.  These landscapes are the result of this week’s experimentation.  They are both inspired by spots at Emma Lake close to our cabin. Awesome to think about warm summer days!

©Paige Mortensen

Evening at Emma ©Paige Mortensen Mixed Media 16×16″

Emma Mystery

Emma Mystery ©Paige Mortensen Mixed Media 16×16″

I wonder where this exploration will take me? What about you?  What are you exploring these days?

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Getting Things Done

Thanksgiving was on Monday but even with the short week I feel like I am getting things done.  Yes, I have finished some new pieces and yet I have still been able to work on the business side of being an artist.  I am thankful that I have the opportunity to do both!

Last week I talked about venturing off into the unknown and just letting a piece of art evolve as it will.  This was done in that way – no planning or drawing just letting it come together.

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Blooming ©Paige Mortensen Watercolour Batik 10×14″

We are having some incredible fall weather and as you can see the beavers are sure busy along the Saskatchewan river. I wonder if they are coming back for those last beautiful branches.  What a wonderful day it was for a walk!
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There was also another fun morning painting with the group of women at the assisted living facility.  They sure enjoyed the bright colours of parrots!
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And some time writing, organizing and getting ready to send a gallery exhibition proposal!
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My sunflowers are still blooming – in the garden and the house!

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Sunflower ©Paige Mortensen Watercolour Batik 10×14″

There are also lots of wonderful coloured leaves that need raking.  It seems like record numbers of ladybugs too.

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Falling Leaves ©Paige Mortensen Watercolour Batik

Isn’t it nice when you have a week where you are “getting things done”?  I hope you have one too!

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