light drawings — rinne allen

light drawings

i have made light drawings for the last 20 years in my garden, using specimens grown there.
i make them on sunny days, mostly in summer…but, every season provides good ingredients.

i love the tactile, unpredictable process, and how it preserves the garden, on paper.

light drawing is a 150+ year old photographic process that does not use a camera. instead, light sensitive chemicals are painted onto watercolor paper under cover of darkness. then, once the paper is dry, the paper is brought out into the sunlight and specimens are placed on top. after a period of time, the sunshine, paper, and pigments create a chemical reaction, leaving a shadow of the specimen on the paper.

each light drawing is unique and impossible to replicate, an alchemistic moment captured forever on paper.

i have been making light drawings in my garden for over ten years...each one is one-of-a-kind, and is a good reminder of the tactile, alchemistic process of early photography. it is impossible to control how they turn out and that is a great thing.

they range in size from very small, 2 x 3", on up to 24 x 30" and beyond...and are made in the cyan or the sepia color.

for more info, please visit the shop or contact me.