The New York Times' classic slogan reads: "All the News That's Fit to Print."

For artist Chuck Kaiser, that slogan might read: "All the News That's Fit to Wax and Dye."

Kaiser, a Lancaster artist specializing in batik, will be among some 200 exhibitors at the Long's Park Art & Craft Festival next weekend — Labor Day weekend. The annual event fills the park on Harrisburg Pike with intricate creations from across the United States, Canada and beyond.

Kaiser's artistic medium is mixed, but it revolves primarily around contemporary American batik, a process by which an artist applies wax to certain areas of fabric — and, in Kaiser's case, newspaper — to prevent it from absorbing a dye. Repeat waxing and dying can form intricate patterns.

"Batik is the core element of everything I do here," Kaiser said during an interview in his suburban Lancaster home, which he shares with daughters, Corina, 11, and Alanna, 15.

Pairing the words "contemporary" and "batik" to describe Kaiser's work seems contradictory, as the process dates back thousands of years in many countries. It's often associated with Middle Eastern and Eastern countries. It's an art form that reflects the culture of the artist, Kaiser said.

"There are people in huts in Indonesia who are doing these fantastic batiks," he said.

Though American batik is often associated with clothing, Kaiser's works are better suited to a picture frame than a dress frame. And some make headlines, or rather they are made of headlines.

Kaiser applies the batik technique to newspapers. War, jobs and the stock market are all potential themes for Kaiser. And sometimes, the results are unexpected.

The July 3, 1986, edition of the Lancaster New Era featured an image of the Statue of Liberty on the front page, as that date was part of Liberty Weekend, when the country celebrated the statue's restoration. When applied to newspaper, the batik wax occasionally causes the reverse side of the paper to show through. In the case of Kaiser's Lady Liberty-themed work, images of former president Richard Nixon and former Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist are visible, right in the statue's heart.

"Nixon and Rehnquist at the heart of liberty," Kaiser mused.

Unintended commentary aside, Kaiser sees his newspaper works as a way of reusing news itself.

"We're inundated with news," he said, and "there's a situation where we dispose of that," especially in the case of newspapers. Not so for Kaiser. "I no longer look at [them] just as information."

None of Kaiser's works are rushed. Many involve thousands of wax dots, which Kaiser applies with the use of a traditional batik tool called a tjanting. For the newspaper pieces, acids in the newsprint have to be neutralized to prevent yellowing. It's as much science as art, which is ironic for Kaiser, who described his college career as straight-up liberal arts. Kaiser even protects his works with special UV-resistant glass.

"I want it to live as long as possible," Kaiser said. "That means doing it right."

For more information about the Long's Park Art & Craft Festival, including a list of participating artisans, visit longspark.org or call call 735-8883.