Meet Candiché
Candice Rodriguez-Adams is a Venezuelan-American artist with a lifelong connection to nature. With a Venezuelan father and a mother from Michigan, Candice split her childhood between the tropical beauty of Margarita Island and summers on Michigan’s lakes. Experiencing the contrast between these two landscapes sparked her appreciation for their unique leaves, colors, and natural beauty—a connection that continues to inspire her work.
While earning her BFA in Printmaking at Siena Heights University, Candice discovered her love for creating monotypes. Known by her peers as "Candiche," she became captivated by the printmaking process—how each step builds upon the last to create layers and depth. This journey eventually led her to cyanotypes, where she found the perfect balance of creativity, process, and her love of nature.
Much of Candice’s artwork is shaped by her experiences growing up in Venezuela during a time of political and social change. These themes of transformation and resilience are reflected in her work, along with her deep respect for the beauty and complexity of the natural world.
Now, Candice and her husband, Ben, combine their love for adventure, traveling the United States in their converted vehicles and exploring the world together. Their shared passion for discovering new landscapes and cultures continues to inspire her work and deepen her connection to nature.
Artist Statement
My art is a dance of light and shadow, meticulously crafted through the process of cyanotype on watercolor paper and organic cotton. This method, rooted in the science of the mid-19th century, finds new life and purpose in my work, deeply inspired by the movement and rhythm of nature.
Each piece begins with a mindful walk through nature, where I spend time observing the diverse landscapes, fixating on the intricate shapes, forms, and patterns that surround me. As I explore, I carefully select leaves that will shape the composition of my work, each one chosen with intention to create balance and harmony.
The selected leaves are arranged on a surface I have coated by hand with a light-sensitive solution. The composition weaves together the beauty of natural geometry and the subtle storytelling inherent in every leaf and vein.
Once the arrangement is complete, I let the sun take over. The energy of sunlight catalyzes the transformation of the photosensitive solution, creating an intricate blueprint of my design. Exposure times vary, depending on the intensity of light and the desired depth of the cyan-blue tone.
The process culminates in rinsing the exposed paper or cotton in water, a step that reveals and stabilizes the print. This act washes away the unexposed solution, leaving behind intricate white impressions of the leaves against a background of prussian blue.
After completing the initial piece, I sometimes repeat the process to create a double exposure, layering additional leaves to add depth and complexity. This technique enhances the dimensionality of the composition, capturing the movement and rhythm of nature.
Some pieces embrace a slightly abstract quality, inspired by the way leaves drift in the wind or float on water.
Each work is then left to dry naturally, allowing the colors to settle and deepen. In the end, what I create is an homage to nature, a tangible echo of light, and a celebration of the often-overlooked beauty of our world.
