The Water Remembers

Heavy Brushstrokes | Experimental Cyanotype | Botanical Layers

This piece reminds me of leaves gently floating on the surface of a pond, with a beautiful collection of maple, oak, ginkgo, and delicate ferns scattered throughout. Soft shades of sky blue and periwinkle contrast with a deep moss green background, while subtle touches of earthy brown add warmth to the composition.

What makes this piece especially unique is the way I experimented with the cyanotype process. I hand-coated the watercolor paper with light-sensitive chemicals, leaving bold, expressive brushstrokes around the edges that give the artwork a painterly feel.

Traditionally, leaves placed on cyanotype paper create white silhouettes, but in this piece, I was able to achieve beautiful shades of blue within the leaves themselves. This is one of the more unpredictable aspects of the process, and I love how these unexpected results give each leaf its own character.

The combination of floating foliage, layered colors, and expressive brushstrokes creates a sense of movement, almost as though you're looking down into a pond filled with fallen leaves.