Experiments in wet cyanotype - part 52

Welcome to part 52 of my ongoing series of wet cyanotype experiments. For this set of prints I was again working with mineral paper, exposing it for many hours in bright, warm September sunshine. I gathered the leaves from my garden and the surrounding woodlands, starting with an elm twig, above, and a sprig of the dreaded invasive, Japanese knotweed, below. Printing with it is one way to work on its eradication!

I also used a frond of cultivated fern:

And a calla lily leaf. I love their shape, and the semi-transparent markings on the leaves of some varieties. 

Mineral paper is not as absorbent as the fabrics I am accustomed to work with, so I am fascinated by the way the chemicals swirl around on the paper so rapidly when I first set them out to expose.

Here are the prints after exposure and before rinsing. 

There is so much going on here.

That rusty color is particularly wonderful. The patterning looks like a river delta. 

Here are the finished prints.

Just like with wet cyan prints on fabric, it's hard to control the process, but it's also hard to go wrong.

I love all the swirly patterning in the background, contrasted with the very fine leaf definition.

And look! The white markings on the calla leaf let the UV rays through. 

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Experiments in wet cyanotype - part 51

September was warm and (too) dry here in my corner of Pennsylvania, and I embarked on a short frenzy of wet cyan printmaking. When I can I like to make prints on the solstice and equinox, and this year the autumnal equinox weather was clear and bright.

I set up two large prints, about 2ft. x 4 ft., on cotton sateen. I wanted to emphasize how overgrown yet on the verge of decay the borders of my property were, so I swirled the chemicals around a bit. This is a combination of cyanotype chemicals and Jacquard solarfast, a light-activated dye.

I did one panel with box elder leaves and Japanese knotweed leaves. The knotweed is a terrible invasive, crowding out native plants and blanketing the ground. I've been working on trying to eradicate it from my property; it's likely to be an extended battle. I will say this for it though, for printmaking it's wonderful, with nice sturdy leaves conveniently arranged on opposite sides of the stem. I've also had local honey made from the blossoms, and it was delicious. Small comforts but I will take them.

For the other print I used an old favorite, pokeweed. Horrible in garden beds, as it has a serious tapweed and nine lives, but wonderful in wild-ish places as it provides food for wild creatures. I also think it's very handsome. The berries will stain, but the color is fugitive. Above and below are the panels after a 24 hour exposure, but before rinseout. 

 Here are the finished prints. I am very happy with the energy and enthusiasm they exude, and the late summer look of them. I will probably turn them horizontally to stitch them; I am already full of ideas on how to use them in a quilt. My backlog is very long right now, which is problematic but much better than a creative block.

I will enhance the berries on this one with a lot of stitching and perhaps some beadwork.

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Experiments in Wet Cyanotype - part 50

When I began experimenting with the wet cyanotype process, back in June 2017, I could not have imagined that it would have held my interest and been so rewarding for all this time. But here I am, at post 50 and over three years later, and it still gives me a little thrill each time I rinse out a print and see what I've got. 

I began by working on cotton, added in various types of silk, experimented with ways to change the Ph, and tried adding other textile paints and Solarfast dyes. This week I'm trying printing on mineral paper.

I made prints in the high heat of summer, and in the depths of winter where they were frozen and snowed upon. The ratio of beautiful prints to duds has been very high, and even the duds can be cut up and used in patchwork. This process can never truly be mastered, because there are just too many variables, but along the way I've developed some working methods that lead to pretty consistent results. I've shared all of this, in great detail, here on my blog. You can view all of the experiments, in reverse chonological order, by clicking on the Wet Cyanotype tab in the top header, or clicking here.

I've used the prints in my art quilts, beginning with Storm Watch: 

Heat Index: 

and most recently, In Dreams I Found Utopia:

I used wet cyanotype prints in Heat Lightning, which is currently touring with SAQA's Season after Season exhibit:

I have been making prints in a frenzy all summer, and there are numerous other quilts in various stages of progress in the studio pipeline.

Back to the mineral paper--this is the second batch of prints, the first 4 photos are the prints as I set them out, this set of four is the prints after exposure and before rinsing.

They are a calla leaf, a fern, a bit of hemlock foliage, and a twig of box elder leaves.

The way the chemicals move around on the slick mineral paper is completely unlike how they respond to fabric, and I am having fun fooling around with the process. It's also freeing in that I don't need to plan ahead for where the stitching lines will go, as each print is complete in and of itself.

 Here are the finished prints, all 10" x 12".

There is SO much going on in these, I am enthralled.

There's a lot of color variation, and the background texture is just wild. 

Behold the common box elder!

I know many of you have been reading and following along for some time, and I want to thank you again for you interest and support. 

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Experiments in wet cyanotype - part 49

I'm having fun experimenting with a new medium. Mineral paper is a synthetic paper made from calcium carbonite dust, bonded with HDPE. It's thin, with a very smooth texture, and holds up to wet processes much better than a lot of wood pulp papers. The flip side is that it's not very absorbent, although it will pick up water based pigments as stains. I wanted to see how it would work with my wet cyanotype process.

With the first prints I set out I was immediately intrigued. The cyanotype pigments moved across the surface of the paper very quickly and fluidly. 

My first trial batch included a two fern panels, and two of pin oak leaves. The paper is 9" x 12". The cyanotype chemicals continued to move around the paper for a long time, although the rate slowed as it was (presumably) partially absorbed into the paper. I left it out in bright September sunshine and 70F temps for about 4 hours.

Here are the prints after exposure but before rinsing. 

I was already in love with the background textures; very different than the effects I get on fabric.

The chemicals seemed to cluster in thin/thick lines around the leaves.

And here are the rinsed and finished prints. 

I am extremely happy with how these turned out and will be doing more of them.

These will not be replacing my textile work, which is always where my primary focus will be. But the textile prints are just one stop in a longer process that involves many hours of stitching and quilting and finishing. 

Times are weird and scary, and I needed the quick jolt of immediate gratifiation, and these are fulfilling that need.

Thanks for reading!

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Second place award for In Dreams I Saw the Rift

In Dreams I Saw the Rift by Sue Reno

I am thrilled and honored to announce that In Dreams I Saw the Rift was awarded Second Place in the Craft division in The Art of the State PA 2020 at the State Museum in Pennsylvania.

In Dreams I Saw the Rift, by Sue Reno, detail 1

This is a very competitive exhibit, and I am always thrilled to be included; to win an award is very special and I am grateful. 

In Dreams I Saw the Rift, by Sue Reno, detail 5

 Due to the pandemic, the Museum is currently closed to the public, but there's a great virtual tour available, my work is best seen in Area 9:

 https://www.exhibitstudios.com/media/tours/21338_art_of_the_state/

Here's the catalogue:

http://statemuseumpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/CatalogWeb.pdf

and here's the Awards Ceremony:

https://youtu.be/feoV_j5XHKE

Many thanks to the Museum for putting this all together in a very challenging environment. 

Circular Logic for the SAQA Auction

 

I contributed a 12" x 12" quilt to the SAQA Benefit Auction, which begins tomorrow, September 11. You can read all the details about how the auction works, and preview the works, here: https://www.saqa.com/auction

This piece began with a print I made of a plume poppy leaf from my garden. At the time I was experimenting heavily with combining cyanotype, Solarfast, and textile paints, and I thought this one turned out particularly well. For a while it was my "go" project; I carried it around and embroidered on the outline with variegated thread at the odd moment. 

I enjoyed turning the embroidered print into a very intricate small quilt. Here's my statement about the work:

Looking for valid information in the time of pandemic on which to base my decisions, I often run across circular reasoning, where the writer begins with the conclusion they are trying to end with. Searching for scientific accuracy keeps my wits sharp, and making art keeps my sanity intact. This piece began as an experiment using cyanotype and solar dye chemicals to print from a plume poppy leaf. I defined the edges of the image with hand embroidery. The patchwork on the side has heliographic print images of teeny plume poppy leaves. I quilted the main image using a multitude of circles. 

As often happens with fiberart, the picture cannot fully convey the way the silk shimmers, or the depth of texture and line that the quilting adds. It's a little gem, and I hope you are inspired to bid on it!

Luminosity accepted for On The Edge

I am happy and honored to share that Luminosity has been selected for On the Edge, a virtual SAQA exhibit. It will be on the newly revamped SAQA website from July 1 - August 31. The juror is Petra Fallaux.

From the juror's statement: “Art affords room for contemplation. It is my favorite way to lose myself and escape from reality. In the unfortunate and harsher reality of COVID times, I often find myself on edge. Seeking out breathing space is more important than ever. My hope is that this online exhibit offers its visitors a few moments of respite and of feeling connected. Most of all, I hope that the work provides a surge of inspiration: keep pushing that envelope!”

My submission statement: I was one of 22 artists selected nationwide to attend the James Webb Space Telescope Artist Event at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. I was able to meet engineers, technicians and other team members from the project, tour Goddard's Integration & Test facility, see the world's largest clean room facility, and view the James Webb Space Telescope, the world’s next-generation space observatory.  I had time to sit in front of the mirror and create, which I spent hand stitching silk hexagons. Back in the studio, I made cyanotype and solar dye prints from my photographs. Cyanotype dates from the 1840s as a pioneering photography process; these and the dye prints were developed outdoors using UV rays from the sun. The border image is from the other end of the photo technology spectrum, taken with a fisheye lens on an iPhone and digitally printed. The center panel is my depiction of the early luminosity, going back 13.5 billion years, which the telescope will be able to detect.

One of the stated goals for this virtual exhibit was to showcase works that might be problematic to place in more traditional exhibit formats. Luminosity is a very large quilt, with a very specific theme and imagery, so I am doubly grateful to have this opportunity to share it. I am in very good company with the group of artists chosen, and I look forward to posting the link when the exhibit goes live.

You can read all about my visit to NASA Goddard and the making of this quilt (in reverse chronological order) by clicking on the James Webb Space Telescope tab at the top, or click here.

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