Happy

Original Mixed Media Painting

• Painting is 10.75" x 18"
• 140lb Cold Press Cotton Paper
• Archival Quality
• Framed in 12" x 19" x 2.5" Maple Float Frame

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 am often inspired to capture them in this 19th-century photographic blueprint process called Cyanotype. Occasionally, I embellish them by hand with acrylic paint or other mediums to enhance their beautiful lines + shapes.

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.