THE BEATING OF GIRL HEART AND MOTH WINGS

Inspiration
This artwork was inspired by Maria Sibylla Merian, a pioneer of her time in art, science, and business. 

From an early age Merian was an accomplished painter of flowers and insects and an entomologist, possessing a great ability to move between art and science. Fusing artistic endeavour and nature observation, her fascinating paintings defied Victorian categorisation. They are a fitting monument to such an unusual figure whose life, too, was a blaze of colour making her one of the greatest artist‑naturalists of her time.

Technique
The Beating Of Girl Heart And Moth Wings was created by constructing a hand-cut collage using female photographic portraiture and photograms and photographs of flower specimens, silk moths, butterflies and storks.

After coating the handmade paper and watercolour sheets with light-sensitive chemistry, they are left to dry in a dark room. The large scale negatives are then contact printed onto the paper by exposing to daylight (UV rays). The prints are then processed by thoroughly washing in water to remove any unexposed solution. It can then be hung to dry, developing to full density Prussian blue after 24 hours. Once dried the individual butterflies and flowers are cut out and mounted onto the print to create a multi-layered, 3-dimensional artwork.

Dimensions
Unframed:  Paper cut out bust
Framed: 290mm x 380mm x 40mm (Framed)     

Paper
Handmade recycled cotton rag paper: 
150gsm / 100% Cotton Rag / Recycled / Acid Free / PH Neutral / Medium Rough

Mount
We use float mounting for all of our framed cyanotypes. The artwork floats above a snow-white mount board, showcasing the paper texture and deckled edging.

Framing
Framed artwork will arrive ready to hang.

Each frame is handmade by our London based design team. They prime and sand the wooden frame before spraying black or white soft-sheen paint to achieve the highest quality finish. All frames come with gallery spec, 3mm thick anti-reflective/ UV glazing as standard. 

If you would like a bespoke frame, please get in touch to discuss alternative colours, gilding and glazing options.