Lake District, View of Side Pike Artwork

A mixed media piece combining the technical process of developing a cyanotype print and watercolour paint. Inspired by the works of Anna Atkins, a British Botanist in the late 19th century, cyanotype prints produce a beautiful dark blue by exposing a chemical solution on paper to sunlight. This combined with hand drawn negatives, made from onsite drawings, enables the detail of every pencil mark of the drawing to be printed. The outcomes of every cyanotype vary greatly with effects of pH, strength of light and toning, enabling a vast array of experimentation. To embed the wonderful colours of the landscape that is being captured, watercolour paint is applied on top of the print. The watercolours are found from rocks, clays and soils from these sites, ground into a fine powder and mixed with gum Arabic to create a watercolour paint. The combination of capturing what the eye sees and applying natural pigments from these landscapes makes these works truly unique.