Experiments in wet cyanotype - part 100

Hello! Welcome to part 100, yes that's one hundred, of my ongoing experiments with the wet cyanotype process. When I started this journey on the summer solstice of 2017, I knew I was instantly enamored with the process, but didn't know if it would be sustainable in the long run. 

Happily, my enthusiasm has not waned. I'm a big proponent of delving deep into an idea to see where it leads, and exploring this seemingly simple process has been rewarding. There's lots of different kinds of plants to make prints of, in all kinds of weather conditions, and multiple tweaks that allow me to influence, but not completely control the result. Every outcome is different and I get a thrill each time I rinse out a print.

So here we are with batch 100 that I made last fall. I started with calla leaves on cotton sateen, red mulberry leaves on sateen, and two ferns on mineral paper. The above photos are how they looked before exposure. 

This set of photos are the prints after exposure but before rinse out. These are very ephemeral-you can't leave them in this state- so I like to record them. The mineral print images in particular always change dramatically.

Here are the finished prints. Each one is different, each one evokes a different type of emotional response, and each one is completely unique and impossible to recreate.

The panels on cloth make their way into my art quilts. The prints on mineral paper I create just for the thrill of it, and although someday I hope to "do" something with them, for now they exist for their inherent value as things of beauty.

Whether you're new here or have been following along for some time, let me express my sincere appreciation for your company as I travel my path. 

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2025 Winter Solstice pinhole camera images

Happy Solstice! As is my practice, today I retrieved the pinhole cameras I mounted at the summer solstice, and hung up a new batch. It's an extremely low-tech operation, using a beer can with a single pinhole poked in it with a sheet of 5" x 7" black and white photo paper loaded inside. I add a lid and tape the whole assembly shut, then use zip ties to mount them in various places. I then forget about them for 6 months, until harvesting and replacing them at the next solstice. They fit in well with my main body of work that requires sunlight and patience.

I got some lovely, evocative images in this batch.

The streaks in the sky mark the passage of the sun across the sky over the six month period and clearly show the difference in altitude as the seasons progress. They vary in strength and intensity in correlation with the weather and cloudiness on any given day.

I also do a few facing north, and they show a remarkable level of detail, considering there's no camera lens involved.

These serve no purpose other than to make me insanely happy. It's a beautiful world we live in, despite all the turmoil and strife, and as the days now start lengthening I am taking a moment to experience joy.

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Experiments in film soup - part 6

Welcome to part 6 of my occasional experiments with the film soup process. 

This is a continuation of the same roll of 35mm Kodak gold that I shot in part 5, on my Olympus OM10.  I souped it for about 24 hours with dish soap.

I absolutely love a good pedestrian bridge, with all those struts and angles and shadows.

The soup effect on the clouds is particularly nice here.

I also captured some images of a small artificial waterfall in South Park, Allegheny County, PA. 

The way the colors are randomly altered is always such a joy. 

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New Work - Flash Flood Watch

 
I am happy to present my newest work, Flash Flood Watch.

Flash Flood Watch

Flash Flood Watch, detail 1

Alarmed by global climate change and frequent dramatic weather events, I’m working on a series of weather-related quilts. Summer storms are now events fraught with potential peril, with time spent taking refuge, checking unreliable weather reports, and watching the sound and the fury play out.

Flash Flood Watch, detail 2

Materials: Cotton, wool, and silk fabric; wool and mylar fibers, altered vintage textile.

Techniques: wet process cyanotype, needlefelting, monoprinting, hand embroidery.

Flash Flood Watch, detail 3

Size: 60"h x 48"w

Flash Flood Watch, detail 4

I am honored to share that Flash Flood Watch has been juried into OH+5, at the Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens, OH, from January 16 - March 29.

From the website: The OH+5 exhibition celebrates the creative pulse of the Midwest and Appalachia through a dynamic survey of contemporary artwork by artists living in Ohio and its 5 bordering states: Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Now in its fifteenth iteration, this juried exhibition invites submissions across all media, offering a platform for both emerging and established artists to share work that reflects the diversity of thought, technique, and innovation in our region.

As we look to the future of regional artmaking, OH+5 aims to capture the spirit of experimentation and the relevance of place. This is an opportunity to showcase work that speaks to personal or collective experiences, questions tradition, and expands the conversation about what contemporary art can be – here and now.

Flash Flood Watch, detail 5

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Experiments in wet cyanotype - part 99

Welcome to part 99 of my experiments in wet cyanotype. This was a quick set of prints featuring Spikenard , Aralia racemosa. It's a perennial that grows to shrub height each summer, with large coarse leaves, and spikes of inconspicuous flowers that mature to purple berries. I started with a print of three sprigs on cotton sateen, using standard cyanotype chemicals with a splash of Solarfast.

I also made a set of prints on mineral paper.

Here are the prints after exposure and before rinsing out.

And here are the finished prints. 

I'm very happy with the patterning on the fabric print, and the swirly bits on the paper prints. I love how even somewhat mundane leaves are transformed with this process. 

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Experiments in film soup - part 5

Hello, and welcome to part 5 of my occasional series where I share images altered by the film soup process.

These were taken on 35mm Kodak gold film, with a vintage Olympus OM10 camera.

After finishing the roll, I soaked the film canister in a solution of water with a bit of dish soap for 24 hrs., drained it, and let it dry out for several weeks. 

I then sent it off for special processing (don't use a regular lab, it will mess up their chemistry) and these are the results.

I'm still learning the ins and outs of this camera, so some of the images are not perfectly exposed, but I likes the eerie vibes of the above photo nonetheless.

All of these images are from various places along the Montour Trail, south of Pittsburgh PA.

I'm finding that in general, dish soap, which is a base, gives a very different vibe than lemon/lime juice, which is an acid. Of course there are a lot of variables inherent to the process, just like working with cyanotype, but learning to control for some of the variables is what makes these experiments so much fun.

Thanks for viewing!

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Experiments in wet cyanotype - part 98

Welcome to part 98 of my ongoing experiments with the wet cyanotype process. You can access them all, in reverse chronological order, by clicking the Wet Cyanotype tab in the header. 

In this post I continue my mini-obsession with red mulberry leaves. The red mulberry, Morus rubra, is the native tree here in the eastern US. The white mulberry, which I come across much more frequently, is an invasive that was introduced here to feed caterpillars for the silk industry. The two are now frequently cross-breeding, to the detriment of the reds; I don't know if the specimen I found is the pure variety or not. The leaves of the red are much larger than the white, and the shapes are wonderful for printing with.

I began this session with two large panels on cotton sateen, then added some single leaves on mineral paper. I mixed a bit of Solarfast solar dye with the cyanotype chemicals.

Here are the prints after a long exposure, and before rinse out.

The rusty brown tones on the mineral paper will be transformed when rinsing, it's a lot of fun to watch.

Here are the finished prints. I love the all the subtle patterning and color distribution on the cotton prints.

Lots of swirls and fun stuff on the mineral paper prints as well.

These are wildly unpredictable, so it's always a fun surprise to see the way they turn out. 

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