Trilliums and Solomon's Seal

I use the traditional Far Eastern batik technique of wax resist, but my subject matter is the landscape, flora, and fauna of Eastern Ontario. In this batik, I have combined two of my favourite early spring wildflowers. Trilliums grow thickly in the woodland around my village; Solomon's Seal, a tall, graceful flower, is less common, but I have a large and healthy patch in my backyard wildflower garden. This picture is simply a celebration of the colours and curving lines that I find so attractive. No, I have never figured out what the connection is between a native Canadian flower and the great king of Israel . . .

Sarah Hale first learned about batik as an art form while teaching in Japan in 1968. Some years later, she took a workshop in basic batik technique, and began exploring the medium as a way of saying something new about an often-painted landscape. Her experiments pleased her, and in a few years she was making a living as a batik artist.

Sarah lives in a small village surrounded by lakes and bush land, and she never runs out of subject matter that both challenges and satisfies her. More of her work can be seen at her studio in Arden, or at www.ardenbatik.com.

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