Art in the Sun! Cyanotype Printing with Jennifer Ablard

Name: Art in the Sun! Cyanotype Printing with Jennifer Ablard
Start: 2025-09-14T13:00:00-04:00
End: 2025-09-14T16:00:00-04:00
Location: Mill District Local Art Gallery

Schedule

Sun Sep 14 2025 at 01:00 pm to 04:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

Mill District Local Art Gallery | Amherst, MA

Create cyanotype prints and a canvas bag at The Local Art Gallery. Rain or shine!
About this Event

Come spend an afternoon playing in the sun and water making cyanotypes (aka sunprints) with Jennifer Ablard on Sunday, September 14 from 1-4pm. In this hands-on workshop participants will learn the basics of making cyanotypes using plant materials or other interesting, shaped objects. All participants will leave with several prints, a cyanotype printed canvas tote bag and the basic knowledge of how to try this at home!

This class involves some moving around. Participants are encouraged to wear dark clothing (not white) that can get stained. You are also welcome to bring in objects with fun shapes: ferns, grasses, flowers, kitchen implements, or small toys. Feel free to bring snacks to this workshop.

A list of supplies and detailed instructions will be provided so you can continue to make cyanotypes at home!

Ages: 8+ with adult accompaniment. Only 10 seats available.

$50 per adult, $80 for adult and child

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Cyanotypes are images created by an alternative photographic process that does not require a darkroom. Instead, sunlight or sunlamp, pretreated paper, and water to process are all that are needed.

The cyanotype process was first discovered in 1842 and was eventually used in the making of architectural blueprints. It is a flexible and forgiving process that lends itself to lots of creative possibilities. Cyanotypes can be made on fabric, paper, and other porous surfaces.

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Artist Bio: Jennifer Ablard

I’ve been seeing the world through a camera my entire adult life. While I’ve focused on different subjects at different phases of my life, my work always reflects my love of the outdoors, nature, and the abstract found in everyday life. I am also drawn to how the same location changes over time. I intend for my work to evoke questions of ‘where?’, ‘how?’, and ‘what?’.

Lately, I’ve been creating cyanotypes; an alternative photographic process. A light-sensitive chemistry is applied to watercolor paper, a photo negative or object is placed on the paper, and the whole thing is exposed to daylight and then processed using tap water. I’m enthralled by the unpredictability of the process - each print is unique, subject to the variables of length of exposure to sunlight and the technique used to apply the chemistry! The source photographs are drawn from my significant body of work, and I am enjoying seeing old work in a new light.

https://jenniferablardphotography.com/

Note: Participants will be added to the Mill District Local Art Gallery email list. You are welcome to unsubscribe at any time.

Note: Photos and video images will be captured during the event. Please tell Local Art Gallery staff working the event if you do not wish to have your image included. Thank you.