In Latin the words anthos and typus mean, “flower” and “figure, or image”. These two words combined give rise to the  word “anthotype” meaning an image from a flower. Anthotypes, a 19th century technique, is much like the original  darkroom process, in that it creates an image using a light-sensitive emulsion, in this case from plant material instead of  traditional silver nitrate.

          This work was inspired by the early botanical cyanotype images created by Anna Atkins, which she used as illustrations  in her scientific reference book “British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions”. My interest in nature, plants, and flowers is not  based in science like Atkins, but rather it stems from a deep connection to the natural world. Therefore, all of nature,  inclusive of the sun, became my subject focus.

          The process for creating this series was time consuming and required full sun. The setup took several days starting with

the collection and blending of different plant-based materials to create the light-sensitive emulsion for coating paper,  which must then dry overnight. The next step was either the collection of flora or the photographing of flora for  subsequent transfer to Pictorico transparency film. The flora or film must remain in direct contact with the paper under  glass while the sun fades the emulsion around the flora or film encoding its image upon the paper. Each image in this  series was exposed to the sun for over three weeks. Each day became a ritualistic performance of checking the weather  then carefully moving the setup to the outside for processing in the sun, and then bringing each inside at the end of the  day or if there was a change in the weather.

          The different plant-based materials used to create light-sensitive paper revealed different aspects of each flora or film

placed upon them. Depending upon the plant-based emulsion and the paper used, the colors were sometimes bright with  defined images and at other times the colors were muted with soft shadowy images. Creating work using the anthotype  process provided a sense of nostalgia and a connection to the magic of photography. Each image brought forth a unique  feeling. Some were wispy and romantic while others were precise and literal, and yet others were enigmatic and abstract  in shape and pattern. However, they all share the common trait of being ephemeral as continued exposure to light  gradually fades the image to indistinctiveness.