Mondays

July 8 - 29

6 - 9 PM

Class Size Max: 6
 

Cyanotype is an ultraviolet light printing process that was first introduced in 1842 by Sir John Herschel. Initially intended for reproducing notes and diagrams, cyanotype has evolved into an art form of itself. Contemporary artist Brian Buckley creates cyanotype photograms with hand coated layers and subjects that can be found in the natural world. Breaking the rules of traditional cyanotype, Buckley layers coats of varying solutions and pigments for greater depth and tonality.

In this 4 week hands-on course, students will gain insight into Buckley’s process and how he uses pigment suspension to reveal various layers of light sensitivity. Students will learn how to bond the chemistry to pigments when preparing small batches of two types of cyanotype chemistry. Coating methods and experimentation will be explored by utilizing various organic materials ranging from seaweed to fruits and vegetables to see how they interact with the layered chemistry. By the end of the workshop, students will learn to control results and hone a personal style. The main focus of the workshop is experimentation and learning from the materials' limitations.

Students are encouraged to come with ideas and objects that they would like to experiment with. Please note that objects with some tack work best to peel back layers of chemistry.

Tuition includes a $50 materials fee

If your desired tuition option is unavailable, please email info@penumbrafoundation.org and we will do our best to accommodate you. If the entire class is sold out, we can add you to the waitlist.

Brian Buckley’s experimental photography practice is an effort to reinterpret photography’s earliest techniques, particularly the cyanotype and the camera-less methods of the photogram. Often sourcing from his own experiences with love and loss, his photograms reflect on universal ideas of love and beauty and our longing for them. Believing that in order for any photographic technique to work, it should be personalized and transfigured into a greater metaphor. As an artist, he wished to prompt viewers of his work to think about their own similar experiences and to identify how it might serve as a tool for productive change.

https://www.brianbuckleyphoto.com

Image 1 © Sherri Miller, Image 4 © Ingridi Viruel, Images 7 & 8 © Brian Buckley