A Certain Kind of Blue--group exhibition at UH

A Certain Kind of Blue – The Magic of Cyanotypes

October 1 – November 30, 2021

Curated by Trudy Wiesenberger, Founder of the University Hospitals Fine Art Collection

Featuring cyanotype prints by Eleanor Anderson, Yuko Kimura, Steven Mastroianni, Christine Mauersberger, Lisa Schonberg, Trudy Wiesenberger, and Paula Zinsmeister.

“During the pandemic, many of us were unable to work in collaborative venues. At home, we turned to cyanotype, a photographic process discovered by the English scientist Sir John Herschel in 1842 that produces a cyan-blue print and requires just a couple of chemicals plus a light source. The name cyanotype was derived from the Greek name cyan, meaning “dark blue.” For years engineers used this process as a way to produce copies of drawings, referred to as blueprints. Equal parts of potassium ferricyanide and ferric ammonium citrate are mixed together. This solution is then applied to paper or cloth and allowed to dry in a dark place. The image is produced by exposing sensitized paper or cloth to a source of ultraviolet light. Exposure time is critical. After exposure, the paper or cloth is developed by washing in cold water. The water soluble iron salts are washed away. The parts exposed to ultraviolet light turn blue as the non-water soluble blue pigment remains in the paper or cloth. This group exhibit showcases the unique style and approach each artist, using the same chemistry, has achieved.”