Artist Statement:
I am drawn to the simplicity, accessibility and low tech qualities of cyanotypes. I have also always appreciated the fact that the first widely known, successful cyanotypes were created by a woman, Anna Atkins, in the 1800s. Anna made botanical blueprints in England, many of which are still in existence today. 
 
During the recent pandemic, I was living with my father on his land in Delaware. My mother had passed away the previous fall and my family and I didn’t want him to be alone. At my mother’s memorial service, many of her friends had contributed bouquets of flowers. I saved them and pressed the leaves and blooms between pages of watercolor paper. When they were flat and dry, I made blueprints in the backyard, using the sunlight for exposure. My mother was a painter and I made cyanotypes on watercolor paper that had been hers. I coated with the paper with photo sensitive chemicals.  
 
After rinsing with water, the prints were hung on a clothesline and when they were dry, I added embroidery. One spring when I was in elementary school and suffering from asthma, my mother had taught me embroidery. French knots, blanket stitch, chain stitch -- it was a way to keep me quiet for long periods of time. The embroidery adds another element of color and texture as well as incorporating a memory from childhood and our lives together. 
 
The cyanotype has a unique quality from its use of the natural elements. With other forms of photography, the light that is reflected from objects is recorded. This cyanotype was created with objects that came into direct contact with the paper, forming a silhouetted or outlined shape where the light could not reach. During a time when I had experienced loss and the world was experiencing a pandemic, human contact was minimal. Amid the masks, social distancing and fear of disease, the creation of this print was a healing process.