And Batik Goes On ...
Publishing a book that presents the life’s work, in images, along with the lives, in text, of two talented and committed visual artists is a whole nother ball of wax.
This past Tuesday, December 3, the print run of A Book of Batik was delivered to a storage unit in the quaint and lesser-known (which is how we like it) mountain town of La Veta, Colorado, where Beth and Jonathan Evans live and run Shalawalla Gallery. The books arrived from the printer in Denver two days earlier than we expected; La Veta is some miles off Interstate 25 and weather can be a factor, so deliveries typically take longer. The early delivery took us all by surprise, but it was a pleasant surprise, and the delivery went off smoothly. “We even knew the truck driver,” Beth reported.
A Book of Batik is a beautiful example of the late great publishing guru Jason Epstein’s dictum that “Trade book publishing is by nature a cottage industry, decentralized, improvisational, personal; best performed by small groups of like-minded people, devoted to their craft, jealous of their autonomy, sensitive to the needs of writers and to the diverse interests of readers. If money were their primary goal,” added Epstein, “these people would probably have chosen other careers.” Indeed. A Book of Batik has been a true labor of love, and I count its successful publication as one of the most satisfying experiences of my career as a publisher.
“What exactly is batik, anyway?” you might ask. Jonathan and Beth, both of whom have devoted their lives to mastering it, include a page in their book directly addressing that very question:
Batik is the ancient art of dyeing cloth using a resist. A resist is a substance that prohibits dye from penetrating the cloth and is most often melted waxes, but resins, flour pastes, and mud have also been used. It is believed to have been practiced for over 2000 years. On the island of Java in Indonesia, intricate batik designs are an integral part of the culture. The word is thought to be from the Javanese word ambatik, meaning to write and make dots. There is a history of batik in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, but it was not introduced to Europe until the 19th century.
To make a batik, the cloth is covered with melted wax where it is to remain white, using a tjanting or canting tool, brushes, or tjaps (stamps). The lightest color dye is then applied by either immersing the cloth or painting it on with a brush. …
A Book of Batik is an art book, generously illustrated with a rich diversity of samples of the couple’s work - dating back, in Jonathan’s case, to Ibiza in the early 1970s - that also functions as a dual autobiography. Both are well-traveled and cultured people and fine writers, and Jonathan in particular is a gifted weaver of tales. His section of the book includes a lovely, serendipitous account of “How I Met and Joined Forces with Beth” as well as “Making Lemonade Out of Lemons: Or, How I built a batik factory in my garden and a killer virus saved our bacon in a pandemic”. (It all started when a friend asked Jonathan to batik images of the Covid-19 virus on a scarf.)
A couple of summers ago, my wife and I happened into Shalawalla Gallery to buy a few gifts for relatives and friends. Jonathan is gregarious, and I guess I am too, and before we knew it we had been there an hour or more, trading stories of adventures in Haiti and elsewhere worldwide. That was the beginning of a friendship that inevitably led to a project, and the result is now in print. A Book of Batik illustrates - literally! - the right way, and the right reasons, to publish a book.
As an art book, A Book of Batik represents new territory for Blue Ear Books. By inclination and long habit, I’m a words guy. I’m a true believer in the importance of using words meaningfully and well, and have written and edited many of them over the years. Taking responsibility for the publication of a book that must present the life’s work, in images, along with the lives, in text, of two talented and committed visual artists is more complicated and daunting - a whole nother ball of wax, so to speak.
And I would not - could not - have taken it on at all, had not Sean Robertson, the brilliant Cape Town-based book designer who has become the go-to guy for Blue Ear Books covers as well as other work, been available and willing. At my invitation, nay my urging, Sean became the true manager of the A Book of Batik project, guiding and directing Beth and Jonathan on how text and image placement had to blend and complement and support each other. And he did it all with great aplomb and cheerfulness. I kept tabs on progress, to be sure, and near the end I copy edited the text and captions.
Every book Blue Ear Books publishes is a fresh personal opportunity for me to learn, this one moreso than any other - or at least differently so, which is as it should be: every book is unique. And now I feel capable of taking on other image- and design-driven projects. From this one I’ve learned that an art book is a lot of work and, by the same token, can bring a great deal of satisfaction. In that sense, I suppose, an art book is a microcosm of an art career (or, as in this case, two careers).
One last note: A Book of Batik would make a terrific Christmas or holiday present for your friends and/or family, wouldn’t it? You can purchase it via this link on the Shalawalla Gallery website.
Publisher, Blue Ear Books
