By Elin Spring
It’s time to step out and greet the new season! Panopticon Gallery in Boston’s Kenmore Square is shaking off the winter blues with a captivating new group show, “Shades of Blue,” pairing the fresh aesthetics of contemporary photographers with the ancient cyanotype photographic process. Featuring work by Christina Z. Anderson, Jesseca Ferguson, Jacek Gonsalves, Cynthia MacCollum, Emma Powell, Andrew Seguin and Stephen Sheffield, the exhibit will be on view through April 30th, 2019. Wear something blue and help usher in springtime at the Opening Reception with many of the artists on Thursday, March 21st, 2019 from 6:00 – 8:00pm.

“Labyrinth, 2012” toned cyanotype by Emma Powell (courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston).

“Traveler’s Rest, 2018” cyanotype by Christina Z. Anderson (courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston).
With a range of styles, the one thing these seven contemporary photographers share is the use of cyanotypes in their artistic practice. One of the earliest, simplest and most popular photographic techniques, cyanotypes are made by coating paper with a light-sensitive iron-salt solution, placing an object or negative directly on the paper, exposing it to ultraviolet light (naturally supplied by the sun), then washing the paper with water to produce an image in an array of blue tones. The technique has lately experienced renewed popularity, employed in artworks ranging from basic photograms to layered, multi-media pieces. The mood, too, varies widely from somber and surreal to vibrant and fanciful.

“The Scorpion, chapter 6, page 3 (lunar landscape), 2014” cyanotype, gum bichromate (clay pigment) by Jesseca Ferguson (courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston).
Jesseca Ferguson and Andrew Seguin weave fantasies by collaging photographs with text from novels. Ferguson layers her dark blue cyanotypes of various 19th century moonscapes with luminous, organically pigmented gum bichromate images of handwritten Farsi text that she sourced from the dream-like 2006 novel “The Scorpion” by Iranian author Hossein Abkenar, in which the moon plays a character.

“The Scorpion, chapter 6, page 3 (Draper moon), 2014” cyanotype, gum bichromate (rose petal pigment) by Jesseca Ferguson (courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston).

“Reading, 2011” cyanotype by Andrew Seguin (courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston).
Inspired by Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick”, Andrew Seguin removes the text from the book, leaving punctuation marks as stars against the blue night sky, then collages it with illustrations from various editions of the novel. With Ferguson’s surreal images, as with Seguin’s fanciful ones, each intimate, handmade piece is a contrast of dark and light, words and image, fact and fiction, in a rich blend of material and imaginary worlds.

“Tails Away, 2011” cyanotype by Andrew Seguin (courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston).

“On the Other Side, 2014” toned cyanotype by Emma Powell (courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston).

“Cement Anchor, 2018” cyanotype by Stephen Sheffield (courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston).
Emma Powell and Stephen Sheffield create searching personal narratives with their self-portraiture. Powell conjures a female character seeking direction, meaning and inclusion in her dramatic scenarios while Sheffield’s introspective “everyman” seems weighted by expectations, poised on the verge of an uncertain future. In concert with the emotional tone of their imagery, the beleaguered characters are literally awash in somber blues.

“To Live for the Lake, 1989” cyanotype by Stephen Sheffield (courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston).

“Highway 123 to Georgia, 2018” cyanotype by Christina Z. Anderson (courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston).

“White Hibiscus, 2018” cyanotype by Jacek Gonsalves (courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston).
Nature is the main character in the work of Christina Z. Anderson, Jacek Gonsalves and Cynthia MacCollum, although their work could hardly be more different. Anderson’s dense blue prints intensify the impenetrable effect of tangled vines and weeds in the process of reclaiming the abandoned, manmade constructions she discovers along remote roadsides. In his refined typology, Jacek Gonsalves presents a singular leaf or flower against an airy white background, conferring a broad tonal range and sensual translucency to each stem, accentuating its delicate texture and form.

“Green Mulberry Leaf, 2018” by Jacek Gonsalves (courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston).

“Thistle 1, 2018” cyanotype by Cynthia MacCollum (courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston).
Cynthia MacCollum uses a selective developing technique to craft her unique and striking graphical images of plants within plants (above and Feature Image). By creating her own hand painted flowers (using cyanotype chemistry), then overlaying collected plant life directly on the paper, MacCollum weaves subtle complexities into her bold and graceful forms.

“Sleepless, 2014” toned cyanotype by Emma Powell (courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston).
With distinctively different hues and humors, “Shades of Blue” is a many splendored treat. The artists’ imagery combined with the delicious materiality of the cyanotype process make this an exhibit best experienced in person. What better opportunity to don your own shades of blue and join many of them at the Opening Reception tomorrow night?
For more information about the exhibit and/or reception, go to: https://www.panopticongallery.com/shades-of-blue

Feature Image: “Cascade, 2018” cyanotype by Cynthia MacCollum (courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston).