Original Cyanotype Photogram Painting is 8.5"x15" 140lb Cold Press Cotton Rag with Deckled Edges Archival Quality Floated in White Mat and 12.25"x 18.75"x1" Natural Gallery 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 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.