Cyanotypes

1977-2020
Cyanotype prints on archival paper and fabric

I am endlessly respectful of and fascinated by the continuous transformation of one force from the world of opposites into the other. The cycles of the interconnected complexes of phenomena, such as summer and winter, day and night, sunlight and shadow, are expressed in this work.
- Martha Madigan

Invented in 1840, the cyanotype process is one of the first photographic processes. A sheet of paper or fabric is prepared by coating it with a liquid solution of Potassium ferricyanide and Ferric ammonium citrate blended in equal parts (cyanotype). The coated paper or fabric is stored in darkness and once it is dry it is ready for “printing.” The unexposed paper is laid out in sunlight and objects are placed upon it in any arrangement. Exposure times vary, but as the paper is exposed to light the uncovered space will darken creating a blue print of the placed object/s. Once the paper or fabric is exposed the desired amount the work is rinsed in cold water and left to dry. By the very nature of this process each print is unique with new discoveries to be made with every image.

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Botanical Portraits