About Marie Therese King
I am based in Malvern, Worcestershire and have been trading since 2007. I have a foundation in graphic design with a Degree from Norths Staffordshire Poly (now Uni) in Multi Disciplinary design. I have passion for British wildlife, in particular, birds, butterflies wild flowers and insects. My main discipline is batik, the ancient Indonesian art-form of layering melted wax and water based dyes on cotton to create delicate and exquisite designs.
I come from a family of horticulturists, gardeners, bird watchers and keen walkers where my back garden ranged from fruit orchards to the Cotswold hills, where I spent a large part of my childhood. I am constantly drawing and observing what is around me and I regularly walk in the AONB Malvern hills.
I also have a love of the coast and the birds that visit; puffins, gannets, oystercatchers, terns, curlews and sandpipers and have run a number of batik and birdwatching holidays in southern Portugal where European bee eaters and golden oriels became the subject of some of my batiks.
My batik work is created in exquisite detail, at times carefully controlling the flowing hot wax, to create the wing of a bumble bee and at times allowing it just to flow. My designs are a mixture of well observed subjects in stylised and contemporary environments, rich in colour and contrast.
I sell work directly to the public through my online shop, directly at shows and through a small network of galleries.
I am a member of the Worcester Guild of Contemporary Crafts. I run art holidays in Portugal and happily work to commission in Batik and sandblasted glass.