Jo Whiteland

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Jo discovered her passion for batik whilst working with artists in Kota Baharu on the east coast of Malaysia in 1991. On returning to the UK she moved to Bristol and has continued to develop her own style of batik, repeating motifs to give the works life, depth and a sense of movement. The natural world provides an unlimited source of inspiration – her love of wildlife is reflected in my work.  Her father is a keen birdwatcher & fisherman, so as a child  this is where she learnt much about and a love for birds and British wildlife.

She works on white cotton lawn fabric using traditional wax pens & brushes to apply the hot wax before painting on dyes to build up layers of intense colour (working form lightest to darkest colours). A final dip in the dye bath creates the crackle effect characteristic of batik. Recently Jo has moved into textile design using some of her images to produce fabric to make lampshades and cushions. The fabric is printed by an independent UK based company (Prinfab) who use non toxic water based inks.

Jo also uses her design to make lovely greetings cards, suitable for every occasion. They can be bought singly or as packs

She has exhibited widely in the West Country (including WWT Slimbridge, & artist in residence at Nature in Art) and at SWLA open exhibition in London.  Her numerous commissions include  health centres, and corperate, charitable trusts and private clients.  Jo also teach batik to individuals and community and school workshops producing large batik banners.

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