Carolyn Doe

Batik, silk scarves, oils

Welcome to my art.

I am mostly a self taught artist which only means I play until I figured something out. My on-going education in art takes place thru my own passion and pleasure in the exploration of certain creative processes.

I started working in batik on silk fabric over twenty seven years ago. Batik has become my voice. When dye touches silk fabric it spreads like crazy. The wax creates a boundary. It is this dance of control/no control that captivates me for hours. Through this ethereal quality, I try to convey the essence of a place and of the creatures and plants that dwell there.

My recent work involves the technique of Eco Printing on silk fabric. I create the leaf print by a process that uses a direct-contact method of printing onto fabric with leaves to impart color and design onto cloth. The silk is bundled with various leaves and boiled for a period of time. The permanent colors and patterns that emerge result from the plants combination with mordants and ph modifiers such as iron, vinegar and copper. The fabric is then washed and ironed. Using this process I create unique one of a kind silk scarves and clothing.

In my mixed media pieces, I combine Ecoprinting on silk fabric with palette knife and oils. I glue the finished silk fabric on to canvas using an acrylic medium. When dry, I use palette knives and oil paints to create sky, birds, fish and other details. When completely dry, I spray with a varnish to protect the finished painting.

My inspiration comes mostly from the natural landscape. My work as a field camp manager and cook around the state of Alaska allows me to experience wonderful, wild and remote places. I have been as far south as Antarctica as well. Like the cold, the beauty of Antarctica?s changing light cuts deep to the bone.

Hours spent observing, then I go indoors and create. I like the movement of birds. They sometimes fly into my work. I like the quiet of trees. They too, sometimes enter my paintings. And I love the stillness of the land.

I currently have work in galleries and private collections all over the US, as well as in several countries around the world, including Antarctica.