Come to Waterloo Arts this weekend for a free cyanotyping demonstration and workshop with current exhibiting artist Steven Mastroianni!
Cyanotype is one of the oldest photographic processes, dating to the 1840s. Early adopters utilized the technique to render images of botanical samples, and later to create the original “blueprints”, making multiple prints from mechanical drawings. This cameraless technique bypasses the traditional camera negative to create shadows of objects placed directly on sensitized paper and exposed to sunlight. When processed, the shadows left behind are reversed, white where the object laid, and deep blue where the sun was allowed to expose the paper.
You’re invited to make your own cameraless sun prints during this demo and workshop on Saturday, June 28th from 12-4pm. We will provide the paper and chemistry; you provide the imagination. Participants should bring small, flat objects (leaves, flowers, various bric-a-brac) to use in their prints.
This outdoor process is extremely simple with no hazardous chemicals, but staining can occur if spilled, so dress appropriately or bring an apron.
Participants are encouraged to register by Friday, June 27th at 6pm to secure their spot. In case of a cloudy day, this workshop will be pushed back to Saturday, July 5th; registered participants will be informed on the evening of Friday, June 27th if this change occurs.
Please email imani@waterlooarts.org with any questions or to register via email.
About Steven Mastroianni
The creative life has led me in many directions: photographer, exhibiting artist, gallery owner, college professor, and musician. After graduating from the Cleveland Institute of Art, where I studied drawing, printmaking, video, and photography, I worked in the video and photography field, eventually carving out a career as a freelance commercial photographer. At the same time I began exhibiting my own work in area galleries, and a frequent participant in the early Tremont Art scene. And I ran my own photo studio and art gallery from 2008-2018. I also work in higher education, as a faculty member in Visual Arts at Cuyahoga Community College, and in the IT department at the Cleveland Institute of Art.
My father was a quiet person, but a big influence on my creativity. He was a newspaper man and his beat was the entertainment scene; through his writing he taught me the value of art on its own merits. There was no low-brow or high-brow to his critical eye, he would review a police thriller one day and an Ingmar Bergman film the next, followed by Shakespeare or a musical, it all had its own worth and purpose. I’ve always applied these values to my work, whether photographing a wedding, making commercial work, or creating art for the gallery, it all has value and requires the same earnestness and honesty.
A lifelong Clevelander living in the Tremont neighborhood, I’ve owned a photography studio and art gallery, raised two children, and still live there with my wife, along with our dog and a clowder of cats.
Linear Worlds will be open from June 6 through July 19 during regular gallery hours on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 12 p.m.-4 p.m., and by appointment on weekdays. To request an appointment, email info@waterlooarts.org or call 216.692.9500.
Image: “Fathomable Sign Series #3” by Steven Mastroianni
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