June 06, 2026 | Sun Prints: Cyanotype + Urban Flora with Veronica Siehl

$135.00

Saturday, June 06
10:30 AM-2:30 PM

In 1843 British Botanist Anna Atkins began documenting specimens of algae using the newly discovered medium of cyanotype printing. Through contact solar printing, Atkins was able to capture incredible, accurate detail that was previously only possible through scientific illustration. In her endeavor to capture, record and share her algae collection using cyanotype, Atkins became the first to publish a photo book (Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions), and is often cited as the first female photographer.

The work of Anna Atkins informs and inspires Veronica Siehl’s art practice. Using cyanotype, Veronica investigates shadow as subject, medium, and metaphor. Botanicals, textiles, hand painted films—at times in combination with poetry and monoprinting—are used to generate prints that explore the shadow’s ability to defy time by being simultaneously present and absent.

Atkins’s botanical prints will be used as a historical lens to examine and inspire in this hands-on workshop. Students will learn and explore the cyanotype process by engaging with Midwestern flora in our urban landscape, creating several unique photograms throughout the day. This workshop will span settings—we’ll make work inside using Campfire’s darkroom as well as outdoors using the sun.

Saturday, June 06
10:30 AM-2:30 PM

In 1843 British Botanist Anna Atkins began documenting specimens of algae using the newly discovered medium of cyanotype printing. Through contact solar printing, Atkins was able to capture incredible, accurate detail that was previously only possible through scientific illustration. In her endeavor to capture, record and share her algae collection using cyanotype, Atkins became the first to publish a photo book (Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions), and is often cited as the first female photographer.

The work of Anna Atkins informs and inspires Veronica Siehl’s art practice. Using cyanotype, Veronica investigates shadow as subject, medium, and metaphor. Botanicals, textiles, hand painted films—at times in combination with poetry and monoprinting—are used to generate prints that explore the shadow’s ability to defy time by being simultaneously present and absent.

Atkins’s botanical prints will be used as a historical lens to examine and inspire in this hands-on workshop. Students will learn and explore the cyanotype process by engaging with Midwestern flora in our urban landscape, creating several unique photograms throughout the day. This workshop will span settings—we’ll make work inside using Campfire’s darkroom as well as outdoors using the sun.

Bio

Veronica Siehl is an artist and UX designer living and working in Chicago. She uses cyanotype in her examination of ideas ranging from Jungian shadow, to emotional blueprints, to applying the process to more traditional botanical studies. She received her MFA in printmaking from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (2010), and her BA in Studio Art from Beloit College (2006).

Photo Credits: All photos provided by artist