(Lander, WY) – This year’s Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources Artist in Residence, Bailey Russel, will host a cyanotype art workshop at Sinks Canyon State Park on Aug. 20, from 1-3 p.m. at the Visitor Center.
This is an introductory workshop that is open and free to the public. Priority will be given to the first 20 people to attend and all materials will be provided.
Russel will share his knowledge of the artistic process and participants will be able to make their own cyanotype pieces through a process that involves taking a pre-coated paper or cloth with a plant/natural element on it, placing a plexiglass on top, and leaving it in the sun for roughly 10 minutes. Finally, the piece is washed in a cyanotype solution. The end result is a beautiful and naturally made artwork that participants will be able to take home.
Cyanotypes are a quick, cheap, and easy way to make photographic art while in nature, needing only pre-coated paper or cloth, the sun, water, and collected leaves or flowers. Invented in the 1840’s by Sir John Hershel, the cyanotype is a slow photographic process using the light-sensitive capabilities of Iron salts. Cheap and non-toxic, it’s been used since then to print blueprints and for artistic printing of all types.
The Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources Artist in Residence program is a 10-day road trip residency occurring in August. Russel will be visiting Edness Kimball Wilkins State Park, Medicine Lodge Archaeological Site, Buffalo Bill State Park, and Sinks Canyon State Park, with day trips to Hot Springs State Park, South Pass City, and Independence Rock State Historic Site over the course of his residency. Russel’s residency will conclude with an exhibit at the Wyoming State Museum in November, showcasing works created throughout the residency.
For more information, contact Kimberly Mittelstadt at 307-274-6673 or Kimberly.mittelstadt@wyo.gov.