Plein Air Botanical Cyanotype Workshop

Date:

Saturday, June 1, 2024

Tuition:

$425

Price includes all supplies, a bouquet of flowers grown onsite, lunch, and refreshments.

Time:

10am-4:30pm

(The property opens at 9:45 and the workshop begins at 10:00 sharp!)

Location:

Quince Blossom Ridge

4465 Bryantown Road

Waldorf, MD 20601

Description

Flower friends - you are in for a treat! Prepare yourselves for an incredible day of nature, art and inspiration with renowned New York based artist Julia Whitney Barnes and spend a day in the country creating cyanotype art with flowers and found items from Quince Blossom Ridge!

The day will start with the basics of how to make a cyanotype print by mixing chemistry, coating paper and/or fabric, and developing the print using the sun. Julia will cover how to print using fresh and pressed plants, printing with three-dimensional objects (string, glass jars, jewelry, etc.), printing with paper cutouts, and how to create and print with photographic negatives.

Following a delicious al fresco lunch in the fountain garden we will proceed with a tour of the farm fields with Alex and foraging for materials. Then Julia will guide us through the finer details and work on our own creations to take home along with a hand-tied bouquet from QBR!

Julia will also go over more experimental techniques including wet cyanotype and toning. Demonstrations will include altering cyanotypes with paints, collages, and multiple exposures. This medium is infinite in ways to combine techniques during the creation of the print and after it has been printed.

Finally, Julia will offer an opportunity to purchase signed copies of her new book Planting Utopia as well as limited edition signed prints. 

The workshop does not require any previous experience in cyanotype.

About Julia:

Sometimes considered a printmaking technique, sometimes a photographic technique, artist/educator Julia Whitney Barnes approaches the medium as someone painting with light. She is interested in creating objects that feel both beautiful and mysterious. Each of her cyanotype paintings recall something familiar yet slightly outside of time. Given that sunlight starts the exposure process with cyanotype chemistry, she carefully arranges elaborate compositions at night and utilizes long exposures under natural or UV light to create the final prints. She manipulates physical impressions of plants grown in her Hudson Valley, NY garden and other nearby areas, along with intricate negatives that are created as digital renderings or photographs printed in reverse onto transparencies.

About Quince Blossom Ridge:

An event venue and specialty cut flower farm located just one hour outside of Washington, D.C. in historic Southern Maryland. Alex Mudry-Till and Dan Till, the husband and wife team who created and have painstakingly built the space, met in culinary school at The Culinary Institute of America in 2008 and have spent the last decade working within the hospitality industry creating and developing programs throughout the D.C./MD/VA region including Evening Star Cafe, Buzz Bakeshop, Pork Barrel Barbeque and Liberty Barbeque.  Alex was a founding partner and lead decorator of Buttercream Bakeshop in Washington, where she honed her skills at cake decorating and creating over the top dessert tables as well as creating memorable wedding experiences. Following their passions of gardening and food, a concept was born during the beginning of 2020 to create an engaging, garden focused property inspired by the great estate gardens of Europe combined with the welcoming hospitality of the South- and thus Quince Blossom Ridge was born. Alex and Dan are focused on growing specialty cut flowers  that are not normally available to the public while using sustainable agricultural practices and without the use of any sprays - organic or otherwise. Their focus on biodiversity and soil health aid their growing gorgeous blooms and foliage while creating a landscape and an experience that combines the beauty of cut flowers with a countryside retreat humming with bees, birds and butterflies.

The Final Details:

-Your ticket includes all materials, equipment and instruction by Julia Whitney Barnes to create your own cyanotypes to bring home. The ticket also includes coffee/tea/snacks and lunch on site. Please contact Quince Blossom to let us know of any major dietary restrictions /allergies at least 2 weeks prior to the event.

-The ticket is non transferrable. No refunds will be provided after 5/1/24. Please make sure you have no prior conflicts before purchasing tickets.

-If the event needs to be cancelled due to inclement or severe weather (as determined by Quince Blossom Ridge) then you will be notified and refunds will promptly be provided - *TICKETS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE & CANNOT BE TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER DATE* for any other reason, but can be transferred to another individual up to the day before the event with prior approval from Quince Blossom Ridge.

-Please note that this will be a fully outdoor event. Please prepare to be outdoors. Please bring layers (depending on heat/cold - hat/sungear/sunglasses/suncscreen) and wear clothing that may get dirty due to crafting materials/sap.

-Please note that this is a working farm with uneven surfaces, animals and insects. Closed toe shoes such as boots or sneakers are required for this event as we will include a guided forage for some special tidbits through the farm!

-Please leave your furry friends at home - pets are not permitted on the property.