Cyanolumen - more colour and less control

 

Cyanolumen brings together two alternative photographic processes - Cyanotype and Lumen. It is a Cyanotype made using photographic paper, instead of ordinary paper. 

​

My design style tends to be a bit 'more is more', so my favourite process is PhytogramCyanoLumen. Why mix two processes when you can mix three! By including the phytogram process, developed by Karel Doing, I can introduce extra colours and detail into the final print. The introduction of colours beyond the Prussian blue of the cyanotype chemistry can also be achieved by adding turmeric, baking soda, inks and pigments, or by creating a 'Wet Cyanotype' using substances such as soap bubbles and vinegar. 

​

Adding together so many processes and materials makes the production of the final print much more time consuming and complicated. If you have a fixed idea of what you are trying to achieve then the random nature of the final outcome can be frustrating. If you can let go and embrace the unpredictability, recognising that the unique plants, temperature, UV levels and way the chemistry mixes at that moment are as much a part of the outcome as your human input, the uncertainty can be exciting and engaging. I find this process utterly absorbing and addictive and, when I get the chance to set everything up, the hours fly by till the sun goes down.

​

​

​

A few of my phytogramcyanolumens