Abstract
My project consists of cyanotype prints, a 19th c. photo process requiring a hand-coated emulsion. Currently I am exploring the expressive qualities of the chemicals that create the brilliant cyan color and the application process. It is my goal to exploit the technical qualities of cyanotypes for the conceptual and expressive content: an abstract portrait of my family. In this context, I will explore the dual themes of memory and separation. Cyanotypes offer a compelling romance of presence and absence because the subject matter has to physically touch the emulsion-coated paper to make the image. After the exposure, only the shadow of that intimate contact remains, a resonant metaphor for the way that I have grown in these last few years. I will never again feel the intimacy of living with them like when I was young, but the impression my family left on me is as distinct as the luminous prints that they represent.
