An ongoing series of cyanotypes. The paper is handcoated by brush and then exposed outside. The title gives the time and place of this. Although exposure of a photograph typically refers to light, these have also been exposed to dew, rain, snails and—I like to think—inquisitive hedgehogs.

These works are a continuation of my long-standing interest in the relationship of painting and photography. They do not aim at a precise and reproducible process. Rather, they are happy to accept the inevitable inconsistencies which result from mixing the constituent chemicals oneself, and in coating the paper by brush; the first step in their production is allied more with painting than photography. Yet the works refer both to the ability of the painterly mark to arrest a momentary gesture on a surface and to the ability of the photograph to give prolonged existence to an unreproducible instant. Painting and photography share in their essences this palpable relationship to a moment passed: painting as the trace of the time it took a brush to get from one point to another, as something directional; photography as a directionless accumulation of time, however fleeting. In photography, arresting a transient moment is usually associated with the objects depicted, whereas in these works it isn’t the objects but the atmosphere itself which is recorded.

 

All works 69 x 46 cm, 640 gsm cotton rag mounted on honeycomb board.

To view a PDF of another series click here.