“ Art is condemned to be superfluous when it is separated from life...Objects produced by craftsmen in the thousands of years that followed [the stone age] retrace the history of civilisation.”R.W.W
"I lay absolutely no claim on being the cause of this miraculous blossoming forth of artistic activity, merely the person who provided the opportunity for it...I find it just as natural as the germination of a seed which one has planted & tended, until it becomes the tree that already existed within it." R.W.W.
from the moment the white cotton cloth is in the hands of the Ramses W W Batik artists to the finishing touches I make to my work in Crochikit, every line drawn & stitch stitched, is handmade.
We follow 3 golden rules set out by my grandfather, Ramses Wissa Wassef, 60 years ago:
1- No copying. so each piece is an innovative design
2-No repetition. Each piece is unique
3-No preliminary sketches. Because the challenge of working directly onto the material itself, forces & channels the creative effort
Even though it takes me a long time to finish each piece, I haven't added the cost of my time to the price of my work as I am trying to keep to the ethics put down by my grandfather, and followed by my mother after, of making art available for everyone (or at least as much as possible) . Adding the cost of my time would raise the prices very high as it does take a lot of time and effort. Especially because each piece is uniquely made with its individual character.