Meet Candiché
Candice Rodriguez-Adams is a Venezuelan-American printmaker with a lifelong connection to nature. Growing up on the island of Margarita and being raised by windsurfers, Candice developed a deep appreciation for the elements of the natural world.
With a BFA in printmaking from Siena Heights University and a background as a florist and organic farmer, Candice combines her love for printmaking with her passion for plants and flowers.
Each of Candice's cyanotype prints is a one-of-a-kind original, created using real leaves and sunlight. In her pursuit of new inspiration, she can often be found collecting leaves while biking or hiking in the mountains, or exploring new places around the world.
Join Candice on her artistic journey as she shines a light on the beauty and ever-changing nature of the world around us.
Artist Statement
My art is a dance of light and shadow, meticulously crafted through the process of cyanotype printing. This method, rooted in the science of the mid-19th century, finds new life and purpose in my work.
Each piece begins in nature, where I meticulously select plants to capture their delicate intricacy. Their form and texture serve as inspiration and foundation for the prints.
They're carefully arranged on watercolor paper that has been coated with a light-sensitive solution. The composition is a mindful endeavor, weaving together the beauty of natural geometry and the subtle storytelling inherent in every leaf and petal.
Once the initial arrangement is set, I let the sun take over. The energy of sunlight catalyzes the transformation of the photosensitive solution, creating an intricate blueprint of my organic composition.
The arrangement, now enveloped in sunlight, is patiently left to expose - a process that can last for a few minutes to several hours depending on the intensity of the light and the desired depth of the cyan-blue tone.
This elemental process, essentially 'developing' the print, is where the magic unfolds, as the sun's rays etch each plant's silhouette onto the paper in the rich, ethereal blue that defines cyanotype.
The culmination of the process involves rinsing the exposed paper in water, a step that both reveals and stabilizes the print.
This act, akin to bringing a latent image to life, washes away the unexposed solution, leaving behind the intricate white impressions of the plants against a background of prussian blue.
Each piece is then left to dry naturally, allowing the colors to deepen and settle. In the end, what I create is not merely an image, but an homage to nature, a tangible echo of light, and a celebration of the often overlooked beauty of our world.
