Sri Thumati
Somerville , MA
Sri Thumati is a visual artist, print-maker and photographer; her primary focus is Cyanotype experimentation.
Message
Sri Thumati is a photographer and artist based in Somerville, Massachusetts. Originally from New Delhi, India, she began her photography career there before continuing her artistic development in the United States. She holds a BFA in Fine Art and further refined her darkroom printing practice at Rockport College in Maine.
Sri’s work centers on the cyanotype process, informed by her connection to traditional darkroom techniques. Through this historic alternative photographic process, she explores light, form, and material presence with a contemporary sensibility.
Her work has been exhibited in regional galleries, public art spaces, and juried exhibitions. In addition to her fine art practice, Sri has over 25 years of experience as a freelance photographer specializing in interior and architectural photography, where her disciplined eye and strong sense of composition inform both her commercial and artistic work.
Statement
My artistic practice as an expression of my connection with the natural world in a tangible way that is also sensory in process. Nature evokes a sense of wonder in me. Exploring it in my work makes me feel anchored, while engaging with the enigma of the medium.
Cyanotype is the primary medium I work with. This photographic process uses elements such as light and water that form blue images which have a sense of mystery during development. The anticipation makes space for unexpected outcomes. It also leaves room for exploration when I want to add different elements to the original image. I use materials such as paint, pens, collage and sometimes digital negatives to give my work more dimension and intentional energy.
My background in darkroom photography informs my method of giving up absolute control of results and instead experimenting alongside the unexpected nature of making Cyanotypes. I push the technical boundaries and limitations, not looking for perfection but process. This allows me to treat my photographic work in a painterly way, spending more time with each image in an expressive manner.
I use light and pattern to create realistic and abstract images. I have made Cyanotypes on paper, fabric, wood and glass. Cyanotype works differently on each of these surfaces, creating just the right type of challenge for me. I am able to push the boundaries of my knowledge, be fluid in my expectations, and surprise myself with the results. My work is a reflection of my reverence for nature as a quiet observer, but displaying it in a dream-like form in all its glory.