Brooks

Original Cyanotype Photogram

• Painting is 6"x6"
• 140lb Cold Press Cotton Paper
• Archival Quality
• Mounted on 15/16" Cradled Birch Panel 

Connecting with nature is an essential part of my existence, inspiration + peacefulness.  It only takes a momentary pause to realize how much beauty exists in our natural world.  The tiny barrier island where I live is home to some of the most magnificent specimens + evidence of God's majestic work.  I was inspired to capture them in this 19th-century photographic blueprint process called Cyanotype.

I consider the collection of these organic specimens for artwork an act of worship.  I astutely look for interesting material on my various nature outings + travels when possible, always imagining what beautiful images they will produce.

This soothing Prussian Blue color is produced when two chemicals are precisely mixed, hand-applied to paper in a darkened room, cured + later exposed to sunlight. 

I select + place the specimen on high-quality paper, which is hand-torn in sizes that beautifully reflect the authentic proportions of the specimen.  After a precise amount of exposure, the plant or organic sample is removed, the paper is washed clean of the chemicals + the captivating silhouette is revealed.

The hand-applied solution, along with the selection + placement of the organic material, makes each piece a unique keepsake. 

Cyanotype is a 19th-century form of camera-less photography + one of the most permanent of the photographic processes. The scientist John Herschel first developed it in 1842 for blueprinting.  Anna Atkins, a botanist, later used cyanotype to capture her algae collection.  She is often considered the first female photographer + a pioneer of the Cyanotype process.