Association, Inc. (ACA) has announced the Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park 2018 featured artist Lisa Telling Kattenbraker, a contemporary batik artist from Olympia, WA. Kattenbraker along with more than 300 artists from around the country representing 19 different disciplines will showcase their art at Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park, benefiting Houston non-profits, on Friday-Sunday, March 23-25, 2018.

 

Kattenbraker creates stories based on inner landscapes, feelings, thoughts, ideas and memories using the ancient method of batik. Introduced to batik in high school, it quickly became a significant piece of her life. She has practiced this medium for 20 years, each day finding new ways to tap into the potential of herself and her art. Batik involves an evocative process of working on tightly woven white cotton fabric that has been prepared to accept dyes and waxes. 

 

"We've Sailed Under Stranger Skies than These"

Images are dyed one color at a time into the fabric through a series of resists. Combinations of beeswax and paraffin are applied at varying temperatures with brushes, traditional and electric tools. Once the dye dries, another layer of wax is applied and then removed by ironing it our between parchment and newspapers. There are often over 100 hours of tedious wax application per piece. The wax is removed several times and the process is repeated. Kattenbraker etches into the wax with different tools, and applies a range of techniques in order to manipulate the way the fabric accepts the dye.

 

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"Journey of the Featherless"

Katenbraker uses traditional batiking patterns and combines them with contemporary images - figures that are usually faceless - allowing the viewer to add their own emotional moment to the experience. In her work, Kattenbraker strives to ignite a touching response through the different patterns, symbols and colors.

 

As the nation's premier outdoor fine art event, Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park will provide guests with the opportunity to personally meet artists, view original works, and purchase world class art. The three-day festival will feature music, local food vendors, beverages, entertainment, a Children's Creative Zone and much more.

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"Growing up to the Sky Small"

Celebrating 47 years since the founding of the Westheimer Art Festival, now known as Bayou City Art Festival, ACA has raised more than $3.5 million for local non-profits and provided a venue for over 20,000 artists to showcase their work to thousands of art lovers from all over the world. Every year, a new jury selects participating artists, some new and some returning, which helps create a fresh and different festival year after year.

 

For updates on social media, follow the official event hashtags #HouArtFest and #BCAF, like the Facebook page, or follow on Twitter andInstagram.

 

About Bayou City Art Festival:

Now entering its 47th year, the Art Colony Association has raised $3.5 million for local non-profit programs through the festivals. A percentage of the proceeds support local art organizations and nonprofits. The Festivals are funded in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, corporate sponsorships, private contributions, in-kind support and volunteer assistance. Volunteer and sponsorship opportunities are available.

 

For more information, please visit www.artcolonyassociation.org.