Edward Sheriff Curtis

Edward Sheriff Curtis was an American ethnologist and later photographer of various Native American cultures as well as the American West. He has an extensive collection of images that were all said to have originally been printed using the cyanotype method. I was curious as why he chose to do so but really admired his images. I was also very curious about the first image which looks like it has some faded writing in the background.

Link: http://www.edwardcurtis.com/collectors-guide/

David Chow Cyanotypes

David is a U.K. based artist that studied at Cambridge school of the Arts. He started out photographing photos of flowers in black and white and then later turned to alternative processes. What attracts me so deeply to the photos are their essence of monumentality. In reality all we are viewing is a little flower, delicate and refined. However, in these photos suddenly Chow has transformed them in front of our eyes, making them bold, impacting, and unapologetic. Within this, however they still retain their grace and elegance while being expressive and extensively graphic.

Ruediger Beckmann

Ruediger Beckmann is a portrait photographer who focuses on intimate photos of women. I am usually suspicious of any man's motives when his work primarily focuses on scantily clad women, but his work struck me as very tender and honest. I liked the way he used cyanotypes to give his photos a further depth, with a process that becomes tangible and personal after the shoot.

Susie Liddle

Susie Liddle did a series of cyanotype soft sculptures/dolls. I thought it was a really interesting idea of the photograph as object versus woman as object and a lovely use of the medium. Also, they kind of resemble fine china (at least the women printed in/on the bowl do), which also reminded me about the concept of the perceived fragility of women.

Dyeing cyanotypes

Here's a little something on washing cyanotypes. I'm interested in getting variations of color from these. In the past I did something to make them hot pink instead of dark blue but I can't find out/remember what it was now. The colors they show here are nice too though!

http://www.alternativephotography.com/wp/processes/cyanotype/washing-cyanotypes-on-fabrics-or-cloth

"Timophey"

The only name I can find for this artist is his first name. He goes by "urbantrip" on Deviantart. I was really drawn to his cyanotypes because of the way he gives them organic edges. The first one is especially my favourite, because it doesn't even show the fram of the photo. I like how the photo just fades into the paper.

Fred Holland Day

Fred Holland Day was one of the first American advocates for photography to be considered a fine art. In his work he experimented with symbolism and subjects of religion, and his portraiture alludes to classical antiquity in style, composition, and theme as was popular in the early 20th century. At first well known and respected, he was eventually eclipsed by Alfred Stieglitz, his rival, and after a house fire many of his negatives and original pieces were lost forever.
I'm really interested in how he was able to achieve such soft lighting in cyanotype, the haziness that evokes a dream-like feeling in his imagery. Also after having myself attempted to print portraits from digital negatives, I wonder how he was able to get such nice gradients in his pictures.

ca. 1900-1910, cyanotype, 6 1/8" x 8 1/8"

Maine, ca. 1900-1912, cyanotype, 3 11/16" x 4 11/16"

Maynard White, Little Good Harbor, Maine, ca. 1912 , cyanotype, 7 7/8" x 7 1/4"

Lauren Snyder

Lauren Snyder is a professor at MICA's photography department and teaches Alternative Processes and Book Making. Her website contains a big body of work made of cyanotypes, but I particularly like her Wall Books: Books in Homage to Anna Atkins, and Cyanotype Prints series for their harmonious design and sharp images. There's an aesthetic balance that could have easily gone to chaos, yet she managed to keep her work clear and somehow hypnotic. 

Lauren Francescone- Cyanotypes with Unexpected Subject

Lauren Francescone is a graphic designer who's work demonstrates a geometric quality. Her cyanotypes of condoms was interesting to me because it's not exactly the first thing one thinks of for cyanotypes. But in fact, they look great! The latex and variation in thickness causes a sense of dimensionality to the fairly flat forms while the size and composition of the pieces re-contextualize the condoms. Personally, I think they almost resemble fish swimming through water, and the close proximity of the circles suggest ideas of togetherness and intimacy. 

cyanotype scarf

http://thecraftsdept.marthastewart.com/2011/03/cyanotype-tutorial.html