A graphic designer and illustrator, Dan's stints in the newspaper and advertising industries have led to many published photographs, illustrations and layouts. His photographs lean toward intense portraits and extreme vignettes. Many of his pen & ink drawings, pastels and watercolor paintings have also been published, sold and exhibited.
"I love photography and I love watercolors," Dan said. "Since I use watercolor paper to process the cyanotypes and a photographic negative to create the image, the cyanotypes end up looking like a cross between the two. Adding watercolors to the completed image seems to emphasize the 'painting' side of it."
"I love photography and I love watercolors," Dan said. "Since I use watercolor paper to process the cyanotypes and a photographic negative to create the image, the cyanotypes end up looking like a cross between the two. Adding watercolors to the completed image seems to emphasize the 'painting' side of it."
THE PAINTED CYANOTYPE PROCESS
Cyanotype is a vintage monochrome printing process that gives a cyan blue print. It was discovered in 1842.
The development of the picture takes place by flushing it with flowing water. The salts are washed away, while the non-water-soluble Prussian Blue remains in the paper. This is what gives the picture its typical blue color. The process was popular in engineering circles well into the 20th century, enabling large-scale copies of work, referred to as blueprints.
For Dan's works, the process used chemicals that result in a photo-sensitive solution when dissolved in water, which is used to coat heavy, watercolor paper. A positive image is produced by exposing the paper to sunlight with a negative. The UV light triggers a reaction of the chemicals' iron complex with ferricyde. The result is an insoluble blue dye known as Prussian Blue. The development of the picture takes place by flushing it with flowing water. The salts are washed away, while the non-water-soluble Prussian Blue remains in the paper. This is what gives the picture its typical blue color. The process was popular in engineering circles well into the 20th century, enabling large-scale copies of work, referred to as blueprints.
Dan's painted pieces take this a step further by adding watercolors to the "blue" prints -- resulting in dynamic multi-media works of art combining photography, cyanotypes and watercolors.
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