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Featured Artist: Linda Lyons.
Linda Lyons: Sanctuary.
September 6—October 25, 2024
Artist’s Lecture and Process Demonstration: Friday, October 4, 5:00-6:00 in the MAC Grove Recital Hall and Foyer
The MAC Gallery opens its 2024/25 season with an exhibition of cameraless photographic works by WVC Photography instructor Linda Lyons. Lyons uses traditional cyanotype chemistry on fabric and paper, creating predominantly Prussian Blue abstractions that echo and pay homage to the natural elements she finds within her nearby wilderness sanctuaries. These images describe the physical spaces in which they were made, while they also represent the feelings that they evoke in her: grounding, connection and calmness.
Artist’s Statement
A sanctuary is a place of comfort and reverence. Sanctuaries exist in tangible and intangible forms; they may be discovered in environments, in others, and in ourselves. They carry sacred weight, providing respite and a profound sense of belonging.
I’ve found my sanctuary in natural spaces, amongst wild creatures. This is especially true since moving to Washington five years ago. I spend much of my time outside and my connection to nature has deepened as I have experienced more and more moments of wonderment, awe and joy while exploring.
In the quiet of trees and the cool waters of lakes, I breathe easier and deeper, my body relaxes and I am content. I am not bombarded by endless tasks and to-do lists. The noise of everyday life quiets and I am able to pause, be present and reflect. My senses are engaged and I am drawn to the lovely light and lush textures of my surroundings.
As I consider my natural environments, I understand that I’m part of something bigger than myself. My humility and appreciation for these beautiful spaces has grown as I have witnessed their precarious and dynamic complexity. There are inherent risks in the natural world. But the risks are just as intrinsic as the beauty.
The cyanotype pieces that you see today were made with the water and flora of some of my most beloved nearby sanctuaries: Colchuck Lake, Wenatchee River, Ingalls Creek, Columbia River and Lake Wenatchee. These images describe the physical spaces while also representing the feelings that they evoke as sanctuaries: grounding, connection and calmness.
Linda Lyons Bio:
Linda Lyons (she/her) is a passionate and dedicated artist, educator and facilitator of community. She loves capturing light and time with the magical world of photography, and especially enjoys the slow practice of film-based and antique photographic processes. She is drawn to labor-intensive, tactile methods, and her work explores ideas of identity, place and connection.
Lyons has exhibited her art nationally and internationally and has been published in print and online periodicals. She received her MFA from Savannah College of Art and Design and is an art instructor at Indiana University South Bend, Wenatchee Valley College and the Wenatchee River Institute.
Currently living in the sunny valley of Wenatchee, Washington, Lyons is a nature enthusiast who feels most at home while exploring outside. When not making or teaching art, she can be found hiking, cold-plunging and training for ultra-marathons.
On the Process of Making the Works in Sanctuary:
The process of making has always been important to my art practice. This is especially true for my exploration of the Cyanotype process and for this specific series of work.
I compose and expose cyanotypes on location utilizing the water and found materials of that environment. Alternatively, I make prints (discreetly) on the patio of my 2-bedroom apartment with the water and found objects from these places that I have brought back to my home.
My preference is to make the prints on location, as this allows for more engagement in the physical process of creating the work. As the piece exposes in the sun, I visually inspect it and continue to make changes to the composition. Each piece and process is unique. I respond to what I see and how I feel.
For this exhibition, I used both the dry (traditional) and wet applications of the cyanotype process. I used silk and paper as my main surfaces. During exposures, I added water, vinegar, sand, salt, turmeric and sugar to the pieces for added variations of colors and textures.
On the Cyanotype Process:
The cyanotype process is one of the oldest, simplest and safest forms of photography. It was invented in 1842 by Sir John Herschel for the purpose of reproducing technical drawings and diagrams (such as blueprints). In 1843, Anna Aktins used this process to make botanic studies for her book, Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions. Aktins is credited as being the first person to ever use photographs to illustrate a book.
This process uses the chemicals ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide. The powder chemicals are individually mixed with warm, distilled water to make Parts A and B of the working solution. After 24 hours, equal parts of A and B are combined and the working solution is now sensitive to UV light (10-400 nm). From this step on, great care must be taken to ensure that the light-sensitive solution is not accidentally exposed to ultraviolet light.
The cyanotype solution is applied to a surface, such as heavy-weight watercolor paper with a brush. Once the paper is bone-dry, it may be used immediately or stored in light-tight containers. When ready to make prints, objects or film/digital negatives are placed on top of the coated paper and it is then exposed to UV light. The light causes a chemical reaction and it results in the pigment, Prussian Blue. The deepness and darkness of the blue is dictated by the light intensity, exposure time, and number of layers of coated solution. The sun is the best source of light for this process, exposure times range from minutes to hours. Hot, humid sunny days are ideal. Once exposure is complete, water is used to develop and fix the prints.
Natural materials such as cotton and silk are ideal surfaces for the cyanotype chemistry, but most porous surfaces work including wood, concrete, bisqueware and eggshells. Cyanotypes can be made on non-porous objects, such as glass, but a layer of gelatin is needed for adhesion of the solution.
