This summer I'm concocting experiments in my temporary studio (currently my bedroom with floor-to-ceiling windows), to take advantage of China's clear skies. These images have been brewing for quite some time.

Here for the first time are some of my works-in-progress. Some I've rejected like those below, but shots of them illustrate aspects of Cyanotype printing that give ideas for further experiments.

I cut Xuan paper into words that formed the shape of a 19th century porcelain hookah, manufactured in China for export.

I improvised Chinese characters out of crackers from a local store. They form words about escapism, running away, fleeing. Something that any addiction provides:

and added sunflower seeds, a favorite drinking snack around here:

While this won't make it to the final series, forming and printing the shapes was a good experiment for future work.

It's been half a year since I last had the space to print Cyanotypes, during a residency at USM Malaysia. I'm excited to be printing again.

Find out more about Cyanotypes in this how-to post.

More images from this series in the Flickr set. 

Intro to the series.

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