"I lay absolutely no claim on being the cause of this miraculous blossoming forth of artistic activity, merely the person who provided the opportunity for it...I find it just as natural as the germination of a seed which one has planted & tended, until it becomes the tree that already existed within it." R.W.W.
Batik requires the artist to be fast and sure of hand when about to paint with the hot melted wax. For it will not allow the artist the freedom to undo a mistake or change his/her idea & therefore it requires the artist to have the idea ready in his head before working .
The artists of the Ramses Wissa Wassef Art centre have been learning the craft since they were young. Closely watched for their safety and encouraged to freely express themselves, the masterpieces they have created over the years proved that beautiful creations can be made by planting a foundation of confidence in a child’s ability to create his or her own unique designs
The batiks of the centre are free hand designs on 100%Egyptian cotton using fast, fixed dyes. As with all other activities in the centre, the artists do not make any preliminary sketches and so each piece is unique. Although the colour scheme may be repeated the design never is.
As mentioned in previous pages on the site, the artists follow 4 golden rules set down by Ramses 60 years ago and followed by his daughter, Yoanna who is the current director of the batik and cotton weaving schools of the art centre. The 4 rules are:
1-No preliminary sketches as Ramses was convinced that only the risk involved in creating directly in the material itself can provoke and channel the creative effort.
2- No external artistic influences (therefore no copying), as children needed to be protected against the doubts that can be aroused by the feeling of someone else’s superiority
3- No criticisms or interference from adults as it is often a crippling intrusion that causes the child to lose the very desire to express himself
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4- No repetition. To keep their creativity alive
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To find out more please visit http://facebook.com/RamsesWissaWassef
“ Art is condemned to be superfluous when it is separated from life...Objects produced by craftsmen in the thousands of years that followed [the stone age] retrace the history of civilisation.”R.W.W
from the moment the white cotton cloth is in the hands of the Ramses W W Batik artists to the finishing touches I make to my work in Crochikit, every line drawn & stitch stitched, is handmade.
We follow 3 golden rules set out by my grandfather, Ramses Wissa Wassef, 60 years ago:
1- No copying. so each piece is an innovative design
2-No repetition. Each piece is unique
3-No preliminary sketches. Because the challenge of working directly onto the material itself, forces & channels the creative effort
Even though it takes me a long time to finish each piece, I haven't added the cost of my time to the price of my work as I am trying to keep to the ethics put down by my grandfather, and followed by my mother after, of making art available for everyone (or at least as much as possible) . Adding the cost of my time would raise the prices very high as it does take a lot of time and effort. Especially because each piece is uniquely made with its individual character.
