My experience as a field biologist and concerns for the environment have led me to investigate environmentally friendly printing techniques. I drew upon my knowledge of native plants to investigate and harvest specific materials to make the “light-sensitive emulsions”. The suite of images resulted from negatives shot on film in which the fugitive nature of the images are central to the body of work. Each anthotype is unique and printed to the size of 8×10.
These images were printed using the pigment of Sambucus canadensis or elderberry. It’s berries, leaves, and roots are all poisonous if ingested by humans. The series of images with hand-written text tell the story of an ambiguous love affair, of longing and entanglement. These anthotyopic images, like the memory of a lover’s face, or touch, will fade with time, and perhaps it is only his or her words, which might remain, as in a saved love letter.
