Delve under the sea in this beautiful exhibition of cyanotype prints by Liz Turnbull.
Blue Print is on display and sale from Saturday 1 to Friday 28 February 2025, gallery open 9am to 5pm daily.
Artist Bio: Liz Turnbull
I have been a creative person all of my life and have explored several mediums in depth during that time. My current passion is the photography method known as cyanotype, or sun printing. Cyanotype has been around since its discovery in 1842 by Sir John Herschel, and was further developed by Anna Atkins, a 19th century botanist who used the technique to document seaweed species. It is distinguished by the beautiful deep Prussian blue colour obtained by coating a substrate with a chemical mix, adding a negative or item to be reproduced, and exposing to ultraviolet light. In later years, the process was used to reproduce architectural and engineering drawings, hence the term ‘blue print’.
Blue is my favourite colour, and I enjoy taking the process further by adding common kitchen ingredients to vary the tones and shades of the colour. Cyanotype prints can be created using a ‘dry’ process whereby the chemicals are completely dry before the paper is exposed to the light, or by using while the solution is wet. I use a spray of water, or vinegar, or bicarbonate of soda solution to create the colour variations, and add salt, citric acid or turmeric to create interesting effects. This method lends itself to creating underwater scenes, and every print is an individual, one off that cannot be exactly reproduced. I create ‘negative’ images on acetate that can be used repeatedly, but the background will always be different.
A former Denmark resident, I have lived in Albany for four years and enjoy the creative community here. I am a founding member of FIGS (Felters In the Great Southern) and have exhibited many times with FIGS, and with Viewpoint Inc.
