BRIEF: Exploring Themes and Processes Inspired by the Current Gallery Exhibition

Valley College hosted a cyanotype art making workshop on Oct. 26 in the art gallery. These works display the apparent presence of the artist's hand in the creation of art, or the way the artwork demonstrates its production.

The event started with Joshua West Smith from LA Trade Tech talking about a cyano painting, which is what students were going to be creating during the workshop. All the materials were provided for free. Smith, who was the professor in charge of the workshop, explained cyanotypes offer a quick way to make images. The techniques he used consisted of blue cyanotype paper to draw something and transferring the drawing to cyano paper.

“Before I made photographs part of my art, I was attracted to the work of early photographers who captured images of new landscapes and the vastness of nature,” said Smith during the event. “Now for myself, I am attracted to photography for its ability to capture a moment which I see as having a lot of poetic potential.”

Cyanotypes are one of the oldest photographic printing processes in the history of photography. The distinctive feature of the print is its shade of cyan blue, which results from its exposure to ultraviolet light. When the blueprint emerged, cyanotypes were traditionally used for reproducing the technical drawings of architects and engineers until the arrival of photocopy machines.

Jenene Nagy, the art director at Valley, typically offers lectures and workshops highlighting the artists and themes presented on campus. The department collaborates with other departments on campus and Valley Special Programs to develop meaningful content for a wide-ranging audience. Their goal is to offer art experiences that are accessible and diverse. Nagy opens the space to highlight other college initiatives, such as One Book One College and Foster Care Awareness Month.

-- Erika Zuniga, Staff Writer