Today, Sunday, is the midpoint of the residency. Looking out the window reminds me so much of the Canada weather when we lived and taught on the Burlington campus in Toronto – bleak, biting winds with snow on the ground. The weather here changes so quickly – tomorrow is meant to be clear and I may have a chance to make a few more cyanotype images.
My original intention was to respond to the climate crisis, but it seemed so far from peoples’ minds when I first came here. Only now is it starting to creep into the conversations and events around me.
However… I’m trying not to think about whether my work is good or bad, but just trying things out. I’m using the bits of cyanotype that I think have worked OK and pick up bits and pieces – images, found objects, etc. I’ve started five cards so far – a couple might be close to finished.
oohh, postcard 2 is very appealing with the vegetation spread over it. I hope to catch up with someone this week to talk about impact on settlement on local biodiversity. I’m told you don’t have t go far to find a landscape that is representational of virgin land. However, from the highway it is very obvious that land has been cleared and skeletal trees mark the horizon.
Thanks, Donna – I’ve added a few stitches to that one now – not sure if it is “finished.” Yes, the addition of plants has just ‘happened’ – probably since the entirety of the cyanotype didn’t work the first time when I was experimenting with how much time they needed to be in the sun. I used the bits that worked and added images I found that had to do with the Westfjords, along with the runes or norse alphabet symbols. I actually had sunshine again yesterday and did some more – they were a bit more successful because I knew I needed to leave them out for 15 minutes. We’ll see what happens…