Blue at the Horizon: Cyanotypes

"The world is blue at its edges and in its depths. This blue is the light that got lost. Light at the blue end of the spectrum does not travel the whole distance from the sun to us. It disperses among the molecules of the air, it scatters in water. Water is colorless, shallow water appears to be the color of whatever lies underneath it, but deep water is full of this scattered light, the purer the water the deeper the blue. The sky is blue for the same reason, but the blue at the horizon, the blue of land that seems to be dissolving into the sky, is a deeper, dreamier, melancholy blue, the blue at the farthest reaches of the places where you see for miles, the blue of distance. This light that does not touch us, does not travel the whole distance, the light that gets lost, gives us the beauty of the world, so much of which is in the color blue." - Rebecca Solnit

In this workshop, students will take guided hikes through wilderness to find botanical specimen and other nature to create cyanotypes in the field.  

Students are welcome and encouraged to camp for the weekend at the instructor's house, which is located between a creek and a sheep pasture in a hollow in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia.  We will read literature pertinent to the process of being in wilderness, and walk slowly and purposefully, observing nature - flora and fauna, fungus and lichen, and strive to identify our findings.  We will take hints from the works of Anna Atkins, but also be experimental in our findings - we will play with natural toners, with different natural water sources - the Potomac River, or Critton Creek, for instance.  We will discuss why it is important to be naturally aware in these times, and walk through a clear cut being reclaimed by nature to be reminded of beauty in great tragedy.  Sturdy hiking shoes are encouraged, as is a refillable water bottle for hiking.  Hikes will be moderate but not strenuous.