Linda Risacher Copp was educated in Washington, D.C. where she studied with the American abstractionist Kenneth Noland.

Moving to Canada in the 1960s she exhibited hard-edge acrylic paintings of urban streetscapes. Introduced to batik, Linda quickly developed a unique approach to the medium culminating in a number of series paintings of outstanding richness.

Batik is the result of dye on cotton or other natural fabric, using a resist to protect an area of colour. The material can then be immersed in the dye bath or the dye can be applied with a brush.

Step 1: Sketch design with a soft pencil directly on cotton.

Step 2: Apply hot wax to areas that are to remain white.

Step 3: Apply palest colour dye, let dry.

Step 4: Apply hot wax to areas that are to remain that pale colour. Repeat this process going from pale to dark until finished.

As the fabric is handled, the wax cracks, allowing colour to seep in. This forms the crackle that is characteristic of batik.

Step 5: Finished work is ironed between paper towels and newsprint to remove as much wax as possible before dry cleaning.

Each piece takes six to eight weeks to complete.