Mountain Made

Megan Shumway
Jun 30, 2020
3 min read

We've all heard of cyanotypes. If you haven't heard the name, you've seen them. They're rich, deep blue sun paintings basically. A few weeks ago I saw artist, Patsy Shaw, share an IGTV on how to make a cyanotype. I watched it out of curiosity at first, then I thought "Hmm, I think I could make that too." I ordered some solution online and set to work! My first creation was a floral letter 'S' for Shumway. I loved it so much I made a few more for my sisters and niece...Then, I loved those so much I decided to put them up for sale in my Etsy shop! The world of cyanotype had opened up to me.

These custom cyanotype letters are 4 1/2 x 6 inches. The frame in the image is 5x7 inches.

My imagination was running wild with the creative possibilities.

Oregon is not known for its sunny days. The key ingredient to a cyanotype is sun. Over the weekend, the forecast predicted a rare day of sun and the mountain rivers began calling to us. Those cool rushing waters, the shaded trees, the promise of a sunburn... The night before, I quickly prepared 4 mini cyanotype and packed a picnic basket with other supplies I would need.

There is a popular river winding down the Cascade mountain range, where everyone goes swimming and fishing. The gemstone colored water is all too inviting on a hot summer day. To our disappointment, the riverbank was completely FULL. "That's alright," we said and jumped in the car to drive several more miles up the canyon. Lucky for us, we found a pullout on the side of the road with only one other car parked there. The trail down to the riverbank was steep, but, all good things come at a price. We broke through the trees and our vision was filled with the sight of a stoney riverbank. The current was bubbling over rainbow colored rocks and a large tree provided us shade. And, the best part was that there was not a soul in sight! (You may be wondering where the owner of the other vehicle was, he was fishing farther up the river.) My husband, Todd, tromped into the middle of the river where he tried his hand at catching a fish (he didn't catch any) and I set up shop on a nice mossy rock.

The only thing I didn't account for was the wind! I hunched over my box of pressed flowers and tried to arrange each cyanotype as quickly as I could. It was hard, I cut my thumb on the corner of the glass panel, I didn't arrange the flowers quite how I would have liked, and I think I lost a flower. But, it was not in vain, the end result was 100% worth the struggle. Like we said before, all good things come at a price.

It's hard to put into words the way it feels to be creating art in nature. There is a reason many great artists took their easels to grassy hill tops, gardens, and forested mountains. You can truly get into a deep meditation with the sun soaking into your skin, the sweet smell of wildflowers, and fresh air.

And so you have it. A collection of Mountain Made cyanotype. I can't credit myself with any of the work. Nature is the one who grew the flowers and allowed the sun to shine its light onto my paper. All I did was watch.

All four of these are available to purchase in my Etsy shop!