Cami Wedel

When Cami was 14 she was introduced to the art of batik in Cairo, Egypt, where she began a four-year apprenticeship in the Indonesian method of the craft.  She completed her MFA studies in illustration from the Academy of Art in San Francisco and moved to Santa Fe.  Inspired by the dynamic landscapes of New Mexico, she returned to the medium, illustrating what she sees onto pieces of white cotton fabric.  Selected areas of the drawing are blocked out by brushing or applying melted wax over them and the cloth is then dyed.  The parts covered in wax resist the dye and remain the original color.  This process of waxing and dyeing is then repeated to create more elaborate and colorful designs.  After the final dyeing the wax is removed and the cloth is ready for showing.  The fascination of batik for Cami is related to her outlook on life – though she can control the basic images and colors that go into her work, the fortuitous cracking of the wax determines the ways in which the dyes seep through the cloth in different directions, creating images that are both hers and fortune’s.  Cami also has B.A. degrees in English and journalism.  She has worked as a freelance journalist and magazine editor, graphic designer, illustrator, teacher and fine art framer.

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