Batikmotieven, onder andere met vogels c. 1916 - 1945

Reijer Stolk made this sketch of batik patterns, including birds, sometime before 1945 using pencil on paper. I love seeing an artist's working drawings, the first bloomings of an idea. Here, we see these looping, slightly irregular shapes, almost like plant forms, and then some more geometric renderings with words scrawled across the page. Stolk is jotting down thoughts, but also, in a way, talking to himself about form and design. I wonder what kind of textile these designs were for? I'm touched by this intimate glimpse into Stolk's mind. It reminds me of the quiet moments in my own studio, when I'm wrestling with a form, a color, a composition, letting the conversation between my hand and my eye unfold. It’s all a big back and forth. We make these marks, then we ask, "What if…?" And the dance continues.