Annie Jones, “Cyanotype Toning with Native and Invasive Plants in Wisconsin”
Mentor: Joseph Mougel, Art & Design, Arts (Peck School of the)
Poster #13
A cyanotype is a photographic process that uses potassium ferricyanide and ammonium iron citrate. When mixed to together, the solution becomes light sensitive. Once exposed to the UV light, the resulting image is a Prussian blue color. These prints can be toned using various solutions, resulting in a change from its characteristic blue to a scope of colors. The first published book to contain photographic illustrations was created by botanist, Anna Atkins, using the cyanotype process. We felt this technique to be appropriate for the project and adopted this process for our research. We implemented a toning process using various plant life materials. This involved gathering plants and steeping the material in boiling water to create a solution for each plant specimen tested. We also experimented with solutions such as citric acid to see its effects on our toned cyanotypes. We determined the Buckthorn plant to be particularly interesting. This created a greenish tone to the cyanotype. Another discovery was its effect when submerged in citric acid. The use of this chemical was to remove the toning and take the image back to its original presentation. The result created an image that brought back the original blue but also left a kind of echo of the toned image that bled off the image. This residual toning outcome captured our primary interest moving forward. The Buckthorn plant is invasive in Wisconsin due to its rapid growth and extended growing season. While attempts to remove this plant are underway, its presence will affect and likely remain a part of the landscape. Similar to the plant’s presence in nature, we will continue to learn how this plant is able to retain its presence in the image even when attempts for its removal are implemented.