Dragonfly – handmade cyanotype Australian animal art ready to frame

Whilst walking on my bush block I came across a deceased dragonfly, fully intact. Whilst sad, I took it home to preserve it through cyanotype and give it new life. It is so delicate that the body quickly broke off but the wings are still perfect. These prints are very tricky to capture. I have to hold my breath whilst I use tweezers and chopsticks to move the wings into the perfect position. Then judging the exposure is another hurdle. The sun varies from moment to moment, let alone day to day. Too long in the sun and I lose all the detail but too little and you won’t see enough detail!

This is an original handmade cyanotype photogram/sun print, not a digital reproduction, nor is it reprinted using a digital negative which means that it is currently available in one size only (life size because of the contact printing nature of the process). The emulsion has been painted on the cotton or paper page by me and the specimen was collected and pressed either from my garden, my conservation property or during my field expeditions as an ecological scientist (under permit). The specimen is reused again and again to cause as little to no harm as possible to the wild plants. Each print is handmade, one-of-a-kind, and mounted to order. As such, the position of the specimen may move slightly each time. Other aspects that can vary are the intensity of the blue and contrast. These vary with the weather conditions such as the time of day, time of year and cloud cover. Rest assured that I will never send you a piece I am not proud of.

Materials: This original artwork is made using finely woven cotton fabric

Size: The artwork is cut by hand and then mounted onto gallery-quality, acid-free mounting board ready to frame in an 5 x 7-inch frame

I strive for 100% client satisfaction therefore if you have particular preferences, i.e. you would like a very deep blue, please get in touch to ask if it can be achieved. I am happy to accommodate as much as possible.