90 x 120cm
Cyanotype, Copper Ink, Sodium Carbonate on Canvas.

I have expanded my process-led investigations through a deep material inquiry into the process of painting with sunlight.  More specifically, through the use of cyanotype exposures. Cyanotype is a process whereby surfaces are oxidised by UVA radiation when exposed to sunlight, leaving behind a deep blue colour (literally painted by the sunlight). It is a sustainable, organic chemical mixture of ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide commonly seen in architectural blueprints, though perhaps more commonly recognised as the process pioneered by botanist Anna Atkins to produce her 1894 images of algae specimens. The process of creating ecological ‘blueprints’ through painting with sunlight captures the photosynthetic agency of landscapes.

The resulting surface textures and colourations are borne from expansive experimentation with mineralogical reactions and oxidisation. The red and yellow tones seen in these workss are created through the addition of alkali and base minerals. I further extend the aesthetic, expressive range of my practice through the addition of my handmade pigments and inks. I douse, drip, and submerge colour, tweaking ph levels, and allowing the surface to come alive. The surface of the works fissure and colour will crystallizes and splinters into nucleated patterns creating exciting and visually stimulating images that engage viewers in both scientific and organic processes. Active mark-making acts act as a vehicle to explore concepts of ‘mapping’ solar, tidal and elemental energy.