Shelby Graham –
In “A Field Guide to Getting Lost,” Rebecca Solnit says, “The world is blue at its edges and in its depths.” I chose to use cyanotype to retain the abstract depth of blue negative images of a palm tree’s elements, such as the trunk, fronds, and rough textures or sensuous seaweed and algae specimens using light sensitive cyanotype emulsion. By assembling fragments of a palm tree or algae and exposing their inner skeletons through direct sun printing, the prints can be viewed like X-rays, deconstructing the images with fresh eyes as light drawings.
All images are contact – print cyanotypes using palm or seaweed specimens and digital negatives/positives for some sections. Exposures take about 30 minutes in direct sunlight and are developed in water. The sepia color is achieved by toning with black or green tea. I’m interested in the process of photosynthesis and the natural cycle of transforming light into energy, just as the cyanotype emulsion combined with sunlight brings a natural energy to these prints.