Page 29 - Wax Fusion Spring 2022 Issue 6 WIP v19

Printing with the Sun

Preserving with Wax

Michele Randall

As a process-oriented artist, I have always been drawn to the

materiality of printmaking. Cyanotype, often known as sun
prints, provides an ef cient way to capture an arrangement of

objects, or photographs, for use in encaustic creations.

Cyanotype is a camera-less photographic process that creates
distinctive Prussian-blue images using iron salts, sunlight, and

water. It was developed in the 1800s by scientist John Herschel
and put into its earliest practice by botanist, Anna Atkins. Her

images of sea algae were the first photographs used for
scientific categorization.

I’m drawn to the method for both the creation of images and

the flexibility of results. The cyanotype process is a bit like
baking bread. A perfectly suitable loaf can be created with a bit
of flour, yeast, and water; but by varying ingredients,

temperature, and time, you can get everything from a sour

dough to a naan.

Encaustic wax is a natural partner to cyanotype. Like encaustic

photography, the wax covers the image with an ethereal haze.
Each layer speaks to the element of time, obscuring the image

further. Of course, the wax also provides a method of adhesion
and a top layer for the addition of pan pastel, inks, and mark-

making tools.

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