While preparing for the 2017 Studio Tour, Alyx began experimenting with a lesser known technique:  Cyanotype printing.  Discovered in 1842, the photographic printing process yields beautiful prints of ghostly images backed by a brilliant cyan-blue.  Originally used as an inexpensive way to reproduce documents like blueprints, artists have taken up the process as another way to create unique pieces.

Many times referred to as sun prints, cyanotypes are created with paper or fabric treated with a photosensitive chemical solution of potassium ferricyanide and ferric ammonium citrate.  The subject – a photographic negative or opaque object – is laid on top of the paper or fabric and exposed to UV rays, typically in the form of sunlight.  Once exposure is complete, the paper is washed with a solution of water and hydrogen peroxide and allowed to dry.

View more of Alyx’s recent cyanotypes in Portfolio.