Cyanotype on branches

 Continuation of "dressing " natural objects

Making cyanotypes on sticks that I've foraged recently.

I did 2x small test sticks. One a weather branch and one picks if driftwood.

Using the 2 coat process and leaving to dry overnight. I taped ivy vine around one and some small garden flowers to the other. And exposed in sunshine for 45 mins.

The small branch came out really clear. The drift wood just went very dark and hardly showed up the print.

I think the texture and absorbancy of the wood alter the results. Some Web resources recommend coating in some kind of emoulsion paint before adding the chemical but I want to be able to see the wood grain peeping through so I've chosen to apply chemical direct to the wood.

I think it looks beautiful with the ivy print. A magic wand.

The process is very close to nature, gathering, noticing what the seasons bring and using what's in bloom and taking traces from that moment. It ties in very well with my folk art approach. Visually I think its quite subtle , an image upon a branch if something that may have grown there, a trace, ghost or story.

Im very encouraged by this result.

update:

I made a cyanotype with a very large branch gathered from YS.P. ( Thanks Lizzie and Delsha!) 

It was a lot more time consuming to coat this with chemical and then apply all the ivy vines securely as its so large so difficult to maneuver in the confined space of my upstairs toilet ( a make shift dark room as its the only room without windows) 

I exposed this for 95 mins as today was quite cloudy then submerged it in my bath tub to rinse off the chemical.

I enjoy making large scale. I think it will feature in my exhibition and could possibly house the egg shells.

I've quite a few variations on sculptures I've make with braches, now Im thinking how they will interact with each other as a compleat piece if work and what stories they would tell.

Small branch: end result.

Small branch during exposure.

Detail of secured ivy leaf.

 

Attaching the ivy.

Large branch during exposure

Rinsing large branch after exposure. It came out very dark once it dried. So I did a second bath with some peroxide to lighten the result.

The end result. Not quite as clear as the small branch but still got some good detail. I like the way the branch is transformed yet still holds its meaning. Traces of other growth.