The Scribe - Page 6

Breaking the Rules of Blue: Janelle Lorenzen’s Cyanotype Art @Janelles.Art JanelleLorenzenArtist See more now! Janelle Lorenzen • Toledo photographer specializing in cyanotype prints • Work shown at Toledo Museum • BFA Photography graduate from CCAD A Life Rooted in Art and Family “I am first, and most importantly, a mom. My husband, Aaron, and I live in Sylvania, OH. We have a busy 10 year old daughter and two dogs. Between school runs and driving my daughter to her many extra-curricular activities I squeeze in time to make art in my home studio, or sometimes in my backyard. In addition I enjoy gardening, where I grow many of the plants I use as subjects in my work. I also love attending many of the wonderful local theatre, dance, and musical performances in the Toledo area.” From Traditional Techniques to Digital Mastery “I earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from the Columbus College of Art and Design. While at CCAD, I studied traditional wet darkroom techniques, antique and alternative photographic processes, and contemporary digital photography techniques along with core art and design principles area.” Crafting Art with Nature’s Inspiration “After earning my degree I spent time photographing families, kids and pets and creating fine art photography inspired by nature and the beautiful Toledo Metroparks. My work has been shown in many exhibitions in the Toledo area including Artomatic 419, Toledo Area Artists exhibition at the Toledo Museum of Art, and Momentum Festival. Recently I have rekindled my love for alternative photographic processes such as cyanotypes. In addition to photography I enjoy encaustic painting and monoprinting. Whatever medium I happen to be using, my work is often inspired by nature.” The Cyanotype Process: A Timeless Photographic Art Form “My most recent work consists of making cyanotypes, one of the oldest photographic printing processes in the history of photography. The distinctive feature of the print is its shade of cyan blue which is a result of the emulsion being exposed to ultraviolet light. A cyanotype is relatively easy to create since a traditional darkroom is not required. The process uses a light- sensitive solution, which is brushed onto paper in dim lighting. The subject or photographic negative is placed on top of the coated paper and then they are exposed to ultraviolet light, usually from the sun. After exposure, the image is developed by washing the paper in water. The parts that were exposed to ultraviolet light turn Prussian blue while the unexposed solution is washed away and the white color of the paper remains.” Creating Cyanotypes: From Garden to Art “The simplest approach I use to produce an image with cyanotype is a cameraless contact print called a photogram which I make by simply arranging objects, typically plants from my garden, on the sensitized paper before exposing it to sunlight. The result of this process is a one-of-kind original art print that cannot be replicated. The cyanotype printing process is simple yet versatile and I am able to achieve a variety of effects with careful manipulation of the materials. Variations can be achieved with how the cyanotype solution is applied. Pouring or spraying the chemicals irregularly, introducing other ingredients, or exposing while wet can manipulate results. This process deliberately disrupts the controlled and predictable traditional cyanotype process and introduces adventurous rule-breaking and experimentation which produces unpredictable and serendipitous results in a greater variety of tones and textures.” Botanical Toning and Beyond: Elevating Cyanotypes “I also enjoy experimenting with different fine art papers to achieve further variations in my results. Some of my cyanotype prints are further manipulated by a toning process, where the blue color of the finished cyanotype print is tinted or altered using botanicals. And finally, I love to further enhance some of my images with gouache, watercolor, and metallic pigments.” “The result of this process is a one- of-kind original art print”