A Good Case for the Blues
Dear Henry, Whenever anyone asks about what type of art I create, my standard answer is photography, cyanotype, and pen and ink doodles. The next question is almost always "What is cyanotype" Cyanotype is a photography process that uses an iron-based solution, rather than the silver-based of standard photography. The process was developed in 1842 by Sir John Herschel, although it would be the naturalist Anna Atkins and her hand-sewn books of cyanotype prints of algae and ferns that made the art form shine. For a time, it was quite popular in Victorian England, at least until standard photography became cheaper and more readily available. The cyanotypes I have been producing are called photograms. Rather than reflecting the image off of a mirror, I lay objects (or negatives) directly on the paper and expose them to the sun. It is a slow and unpredictable process and one that I have grown to love. The downside of the art form is that it is "solar-powered