About

Roberta Winjum

My work is driven by a desire to translate the natural world into color and form. The heart of my practice is the crayon batik, described below. Alongside the batiks, I paint in oils — a more direct practice that lets me respond quickly to light, landscape, and the particular quality of a moment in nature.

Crayon batik is a fiber art form in which melted colored wax replaces traditional dyes. Using a candle flame, I melt individual crayons and let the wax drip dynamically onto cotton cloth. Once the composition is entirely covered, the piece is immersed in a black dye bath, and the wax is removed to reveal the design. The organic, unpredictable nature of dripping wax forces a looseness that naturally lends itself to abstraction, while the crayons' limited palette means color must be interpreted freely. The resulting work sits at the intersection of pointillism, impressionism, and traditional textile craft.

All works are original and available for purchase. Commissions are welcome.