Secret Garden II

A cyanotype is a kind of monochromatic photography dating back to the 1800s. This is a double exposure cyanotype, meaning there are two images, one superimposed on top of the other. The under layer of what seems to be darker blue flower shapes come from a film negative and the brighter white vine shapes come from living vines that I laid on top of the film negative and exposed both together to light.

When making a cyanotype image placing a solid object directly on the treated paper without a camera, you would call it a sunprint or a blueprint. As the same light-sensitive chemicals can be used to develop photo negatives, I have combined the cameraless technique with the photographic technique making a double exposure print. The vines were placed by hand in each print of the same name “Secret Garden”, meaning my other cyanotype Secret Garden 1 and this Secret Garden 2 here each unique. The exposure of this one was also shorter making this version a paler blue.

The outer dimensions of the paper are 9 x 12 inches while the printed blue image itself measures 7.5 x 9.5 inches and is surrounded by a blank white 3/4-inch border on the page. Printed on 100% cotton acid-free hot press watercolor paper.