The serene blue color palette of the cyanotype conjures the inner peace Ivana experiences through connecting with the life giving capacities of the earth, through cultivation and care of her organic garden.
To connect the themes in her project to the history of American vegetable gardening, especially the WWII era victory gardens, where Americans grew 60% of their produce during the war, Ivana creates prints with a vintage aesthetic. She evokes a sense of nostalgia for a time when more people grew food in the backyard and community gardens by using an analog 8" x 10" camera to record in exquisite detail the tender care given to the garden and the beautiful fruits and vegetables she gets in return. These limited edition prints are handmade cyanotypes on cotton paper containing 65% recycled fiber. To learn more, click here to read the full artist statement about the Sustain Series.
Watch This Video To Discover the Cyanotype Process
Bee on the Bee Balm in July
Bee on the Bee Balm in July
Envision watching a cute fuzzy bumblebee land on the spiky, pink bee balm flower and hearing the gentle buzz as it gathers nectar. Can you imagine touching the soft, tubular petals and rough stems, releasing the citrusy bergamot scent into the warm summer air? Picture the continuous hum of bees visiting flower after flower, drawn to the same plant you'll harvest later for Earl Grey tea. The organic shapes of bee balm flowers contrasts the geometric pattern of the chain link fence with a bee at work. In this moment you realize how your small urban garden connects to something much larger. The beautiful flowers draw your eye every time you look at it because light value contrasts dramatically against the deep Prussian blue color of this handmade cyanotype print. This artwork expresses the profound interconnection between our gardens and the food system and the remarkable power of even small urban spaces to provide essential habitat for the pollinators who sustain us all.
The edition has tiered pricing. Therefore those who invest in early edition numbers will save money and the value of the artwork will rise as the edition sells out.
Envision this meaningful artwork in your kitchen, dining room, or study, where it celebrates plants that serve multiple purposes with beauty and purpose. Guests who garden share stories of their own pollinator plants or ask about growing bee balm for tea, recognizing a kindred commitment to supporting threatened species. The piece connects to that universal desire to make a difference through our daily choices and create beauty that also serves the greater good. This artwork celebrates the dual gifts of plants like bee balm and our role in protecting the pollinators who make our food possible.
“Bee balm, also known as Bergamont is the ingredient that changes regular black tea into “Earl Grey” tea. It is a beautiful landscape plant that attracts many bumblebees when it is blooming. I composed this photograph of the flowers growing through the fence to emphasize that even a small urban garden has a role to play in providing habitat for the pollinators who are responsible for pollinating 30% of all crops that humans need to thrive.”
This signed and numbered handmade cyanotype contact print is created using the historic cyanotype process on archival watercolor paper, ensuring both longevity and connection to photographic traditions dating back to the 1840s. As part of the Sustain series, this piece represents my commitment to using sustainable, light-sensitive processes that align with the environmental values depicted in the artwork itself. Each cyanotype is hand coated with a hand crafted light sensitive iron based emulsion in the darkroom, exposed in UV light, and developed in vinegar water. This process introduces subtle variations in brushmarks along the edges and tone that are integral to this historic process. Due to the handmade nature of cyanotype printing, no two prints are exactly identical. The watermark is only for internet display and will not be on your artwork. The artwork comes unframed. This artwork is available in a limited edition of 15 at 8"x 10", 3 at 20" x 24", 2 at 24" x 30" +1 AP at each size. Each piece is signed and numbered. If you need help to envison how it will look a free digital mockup is available so you can see exactly how it will look in your space before adding it to your collection. Contact Ivana for this service.
Currently no. 1/15 is available for you to enjoy.
