Click on the above images to discover the location of where each cyanotype was made.

Artist Statement

This collection of work is a marking of time and place, informed by the piercing markers of loss and the experience of healing. It is a performative process in collaboration with natural elements, rooted in meditation. The cyanotypes are made with non-toxic materials that interact with sunlight and bodies of water. As I sit and watch reflections dance on the ever-changing surface, I collect the movement of water over paper. I watch the sunlight slowly change colors on paper, shifting shapes and my state of being. This work grows into a celebration of life and records all that is beautiful in the present. These pieces were created locally in Fort Wayne’s three rivers and other destinations; Lake Michigan, the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania and the Peconic Bay along the North Fork of Long Island. The QR codes attached to individual pieces link to environmental videos. These videos were created on-site to allow the viewer to see where the work originated.

About the Artist

Erin Patton-McFarren continually creates in addition to her career as an established art educator. She was nominated for the Arts United Margaret Ann Keegan Award in 2015 and was Teacher of the Year Finalist for Fort Wayne Community Schools in 2017. She was invited to the Boulder Journey School conference in Colorado to further her art studio practice in the Reggio Emilia Approach. In 2019 she helped redesign learning environments for Whitney Young Early Childhood Center with VS America in Charlotte, NC. Most recently she launched Lumina Blue, an Etsy store for her cyanotype prints. Her work has been purchased by clients locally, on both coasts and larger cities such as New York, London and Paris.

To find out more about her work, click here.