A CATHARTIC LOVE AFFAIR WITH BLUE
I started creating cyanotypes in 2019 when I was feeling disconnected with my creative side, this quickly grew into a deep fascination and passion - reminding me how much I love to create, and now I get to do what I love full time. There is so much scope for experimentation - never knowing how each piece will turn out, and finding new ways to alter and embellish each creation to make them shine at their best.
Learn more about this little magic artform below, and browse some of my favourite experiments from the last three years, some led to projects, some are just moments captured in blue forever.
CYANOTYPE
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dark blue impression
Cyanotype is one of the oldest photographic processes, utilised since the 1842 for documenting purposes (think blueprints), and later for artworks. Recognisable by the deep blue tones and often used to capture botanicals, as popularised by the mother of cyanotype Anna Atkins.
How is it cameraless photography? Photography means "drawing with light" and cyanotype is often used for photograms as it captures light & shadow directly onto the page in vibrant blues and vivid whites, without need of a camera, the objects used block the UV rays from activating the chemical reaction so the solution washes away to white in those areas, and becomes blue where the light has touched. The blue becomes deeper the more it is exposed to the UV (so length of time, or depth/absence of 'shadow')... you can see on this test strip illustration, that the longer exposures deliver the deepest blue.
...That's not to say you can't use cameras! Using old format negatives, or by digitally creating and printing new ones, you can create beautiful artworks (like the one below), creating a vast tonal range in the signature blue and white. You'll find me using both natural and manmade shadows throughout my artworks, but I will always be drawn to an imperfect object's potential.
experiments
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