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
Planting Tomatoes in May
Planting Tomatoes in May
Imagine kneeling in the garden bed, gently placing heirloom tomato seedlings you've nurtured from seed since winter. Can you imagine the fuzzy textured leaves and delicate stems in your hands as you nestle each plant into cool, damp soil? Picture the distinctive tomato-leaf scent on your fingers and the earthy smell of prepared beds warming in spring sun. In this quiet, meditative moment of shared work, the outside world falls away and only the peaceful connection to earth's life-giving capacity remains. The gardener, in sharp focus tenderly tucking in tomato starts with more seedlings waiting nearby contrasts against the serene soft focues Prussian blue background of the raised garden beds receding into the background in this handmade cyanotype print. This artwork expresses the tender care given to planting heirlooms, the profound partnership found in working the soil together, and the patience required to nurture plants from seed through months to harvest. It shows that with the right care nature can flourish even in a small backyard urban garden.
Envision this tranquil artwork in your kitchen, dining room, or bedroom, where its serene blue palette brings the peace of planting season indoors. Guests recognize the care and devotion in that kneeling posture and share their own stories of growing heirlooms from seed or finding calm through gardening with loved ones. The piece connects to that universal need for activities that quiet the mind and ground us in purposeful, life-giving work. This artwork celebrates the meditative ritual of planting and the peaceful partnership of tending what will nourish body and soul.
“Planting in the garden transports my husband and I into a calm and happy state of mind. I chose the blue cyanotype process to depict this scene because the serene blue color palette conjures the inner peace we feel through connecting with the life-giving capacities of the earth, through cultivation and care of the plants. ”
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.
