Pale Blue Maple

The name of this Japanese maple is “Dancing Peacock” or “Full Moon” maple. Its intricate leaves each have nine points which fan out in a beautiful shape.

The Latin name of this species is Acer japonicum ‘Aconitifolium’ and the Japanese name is ‘Maiku jaku.’

Though this may look like a woodcut or aquatint etching it is technically a kind of photography. Cyanotypes are a 19th century alternative (cameraless) photographic process. The traditional cyanotypes are like this, a navy blue background with sharp white silhouettes.

All my botanical cyanotypes are one-of-kind monotypes. There is no etched copper plate, no carved wood block, no printing press and no ink to be able to reproduce these images. There is no film negative either. Each is a unique, hand-printed lensless photograph made using real plants from my own garden.

The leaves in this print are a lighter blue than the leaves in the other print of the same tree in the same size ‘Blue Maple’.

Hand-printed on 100% cotton Arches watercolor paper. Ships rolled in a tube.