About the Art

Every cyanotype is crafted using the finest materials, beginning with heavyweight, 100% cotton archival paper hand-coated with a UV sensitive emulsion of ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide. Pieces are made via two distinct methods of creation—direct-contact photograms and lensless photography—both brought to life beneath a sheet of glass under UV light. Larger prints are all done with natural sunlight.

For the photographic works, Kelly captures original imagery through her own lens, then meticulously creates full-scale digital negatives matching the exact dimensions of the final piece, self-adjusting the negative’s ranges and curves to craft the depths for the final image.

Whether formed by the physical silhouette of a plant or the projected gradients of a lensless negative, the true mastery of this historic 19th-century process is revealed in the breadth of execution. The level of cyanotype artistry is distinguished by an extraordinary tonal range—from the richest, deepest midnight indigos to delicate luminous highlights—achieved through precise chemical mastery, negative level and curve artistry, and exposure timing. Each finished original is an unrepeatable, archival study in Prussian blue.

About the Artist

Kelly Herring is based in Gainesville, Florida. Informed by a brief academic background in art and architecture, she brings a refined appreciation for structure and composition to organic and landscape subject matter. Her work is heavily inspired by nature, translating the lush textures and forms of her environment into contemporary and traditional pieces. Her works are currently exhibited at a local gallery.