Give the Gift of Man’s Best Friend

Pets are more than just your furry friend. They're part of the family. They're filled with the innocence that only an energetic, happy dog slobbering all over you the second you walk in the door or a purring cat shedding on your work clothes can possess. And sadly, they're not as long-lived as you. (Unless your pet is a turtle, which Willamette Week wholeheartedly endorses.) Portland's own Batik Notion gives you a chance to immortalize your best friend via this wax-based art from Java.

Batik typically uses dye-resistant beeswax to create artwork. Similar to printmaking, the batik artist covers the parts of a canvas she wants to remain undyed with beeswax while dyeing the rest with ink. To add other colors, the wax is removed, more is added to create the new detail, and another dye is applied. Ad infinitum. The technique is frequently used with silk and clothing. Batik Notion specializes in paintings on a cotton canvas with a dye-resistant work wax.

Mandy Barberree has been selling batik paintings under the name Batik Notion since 2012. She's been painting in this style since first learning about it in a high school art class in rural Alberta, Canada, in the '90s, and she's been going back to it ever since. A quick look through her Etsy shop with its hummingbirds, dogs, cats and scenes from the beloved children's books about Frog and Toad, and you'll notice something: She loves animals. And flowers. And crafting an earthen naturalism from dye and wax.

But it's the animals she keeps coming back to. Working from a photo (or many), Batik Notion will give your furry friend the batik portrait he deserves. It's an artwork to hang on your wall—a painting to look back on fondly and remember what a devoted friend he or she was.

Sponsored by Batik Notions.

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.