May 4, 2019

Experiments in wet cyanotype - part 39

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 It was time for more spring flowers to get the wet cyanotype treatment. The season on most of these is very fleeting so it's important to pause and appreciate them. First up are some stalks of variegated Solomon's seal in bloom. This is not a particularly showy plant, but it is a very satisfying one to grow. It starts in the spring with pink sheaths on the emerging foliage, develops into lovely variegated stalks, has a brief moment for waxy white flowers, and decays very slowly in late fall, turning translucent along the way.
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 Up next was another sprig of bleeding heart, which is having a great run in our mostly cool and damp spring.
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 And last but not least is a sprig of lily of the valley. It has a very short bloom season, and some years I've missed observing it entirely. I'm glad I caught it, and the incomparable scent, this time around.
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 It was a bright but cloudy day, no direct sun, temperatures in the high 60s Fahrenheit. That's not ideal for maximum wet cyan weirdness, but it is good for exposing delicate flowers. I left them out about 6 hours.
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 These are the exposed, unrinsed prints. That green is typical of of a lowish temperature exposure; it looks cool but generally rinses out.
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 The purple tones inside the leaf shapes are also typical of this kind of exposure, but they often stay put.
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 These last two have some golden speckles around the edges thanks to a bit of soda ash.
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 Here are the finished prints. I think they turned out very well. The Solomon's seal looks so elegant, and has just the right amount of coloration across the top.
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 This one is also quite pleasing. If I was into giving them fanciful names I would call it Duet.
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 This bleeding heart print is a bit crowded, but in the best possible way. There's a lot to look at here.
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 The lily of the valley print is very balanced, serene and delicate.
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