Heat Lightning

For years I have marked the passing of the seasons by making cyanotype prints directly from plants I grow in my gardens. They are always unique due to individual variations in the leaves and in the weather conditions. Added moisture and long exposure times produce wildly beautiful and variable results. The prints in this quilt were made on long, sultry summer days, when the threat of quick thunderstorms seemed imminent. Heat lightning refers to both the bright ashes of color in the cyanotypes, and to the spark and revitalization the printmaking sessions brought to my creative endeavors.