Artist #12 Sam Kurana

"Discarded"

This batik is done with the technique that Sam called Dyetik. He says that it gives batik more detail than typical batik but I feel that It makes his work look like it is colored pencil. I have never seen batik with this kind of texture before and I am interested to know how he does it. I think that it has beautiful texture. I like that colors that he was able to achieve in the grass and on the ground. I like that cars in this batik too and the depth that he created with them but I feel like they kind of just stick out because the grass has so many different details and colors and the cars are just red and white. I feel like he could have done something else to make them more interesting and not stick out so much.

Sam is considered to be one of the heroes of Malaysian Batik. He grew up in Perak but found his place early as an innovative Batik artist in the contemporary batik heartland of the state Penang. Penang is where most batik giants found their inspiration and where their talents were recognized. Sam is well known at home as well as abroad. Sam teaches Batik Fine Arts training for foreign art teachers, students, and batik enthusiasts. Sam has been a practicing artist since the 60's but didn't originally start out as a batik artist. Originally Sam focused in watercolor and oils. Sam believes that his appeals lies in the fact that he has taken the medium farther than his peers before him. Sam is concerned with receiving credit for originality for his technique that gives his painting detail that is not normally achieved in batik so he has guarded the details of his technique. Sam doesn't rely on defined segmented figures and scenarios which to typically common with batik painting. He successfully adapted a unique technique that gives his paintings a mottled surface glow that he calls "dyetik".