About the Artist

I have always loved the ease of painting with watercolor! I like how quick I can grab clean water, wet my pallet and start to paint and clean up is just as quick!   I was introduced to using basic watercolor pans while in art class in middle school and moved on to learn fun techniques in high school such as using saran wrap and salt to add texture to my artwork.  While majoring in Communication Studies in college, I continued to take painting classes and my interest continued to be in watercolor AND the color blue.   I always ran out of indigo paint!   My main subject of interest has been abstract botanicals.  

Years after taking my last painting class in college, painting piqued my interest again. While my creative mind started to flow, I started taking notice at any piece of artwork I saw.  Since I have always been drawn to the color blue, I saw more and more prussian blue and white botanical prints in magazines and in person.  I learned this was called a cyanotype print and from there I spent a lot of time on You Tube watching how-to videos and lots of trial and error.  The more I practiced and became comfortable with the cyanotype process, I started adding watercolor and gold ink to my finished cyanotypes.

Interested in learning about the cyanotype process?  Read below to find out more! 

 What is a Cyanotype?

Cyanotype is a 170 year old photographic printing process that produces prints in shades of prussian blue.  The process was invented in 1842 by the Englishman Sir John F. W. Herschel (1792–1871), who intended it for reproducing mathematical tables. It was also used for reproducing technical drawings, known as blueprints. When making a cyanotype I use a 140lb  100% cotton watercolor paper and coat it with UV sensitive chemicals in the dark or very weak light . 

I use either fresh flowers and leaves or use dried and pressed foliage. I make my arrangement on the paper, place it outside and then let the sun do its magic! Once the paper has been developed from the sun, the next step is letting the print soak in cold water and rinsing off the chemicals. The "sun print" will fully develop into the beautiful shades of blue over the next day.  The areas exposed to light become deep shadows of blue  and middle tones; the excess, unexposed iron salts are washed away, creating highlights.
 None of my prints have been computer edited. The shades of blue on each of my prints may vary throughout the print.  This is due to the sun exposure and the natural materials being used.  Not all of my prints have a true white silhouette and some of the white edges may appear sharp while some edges on the same print appear to have a light blur. This is all part of the natural cyanotype process and makes each print unique!