More of this summer's adventures in wet cyanotype with a big batch of prints on mineral paper.
Mineral paper is made from calcium carbonate, with an added binder. The surface is very slick, and it absorbs water slowly, which makes it ideal for my purposes - the cyanotype chemicals move about freely at the beginning of the exposure, making for some very cool effects.
This set starts with 3 calla leaves, then 3 different fern fronds.
I consider callas and ferns some of the staples of my perennial shade gardens, both for their reliability and for their printmaking potential. I never tire of them in either capacity.
If memory serves, I added a few drops of Solarfast chemicals into the cyanotype mix.
Above are the panels before exposure: below is after a long exposure in the strong September sun.
I let them dry and cure overnight before rinsing them out. Unlike fabric, it only takes a light touch to process them.
Often they are so beautiful at this stage that I can hardly bear it.
Here are the finished prints.
There's a strong focal point in each, and a whole lot going on in the background.
Just like wet cyan on fabric, there's a lot about the process that is beyond control, but I am learning how to manage parts of it. These prints just keep getting better and better.
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