Medium: Original 3D Paper Cut Collage Cyanotype on handmade paper
Edition: Original
Size: 290mm x 380mm x 40mm (framed)
Signed
Shipping: £15 UK, £25 EU, £35 Rest of World
Inspiration
This artwork was inspired by pioneering British pilot Amy Johnson. The first woman to qualify as a ground engineer as well as a pilot, and in 1930 became the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia. During WWII, Amy enlisted as an officer in the Air Transport Auxiliary and was killed in active service.
Amy left behind a legacy that helped shape the course of aviation and society; a legend of a woman who battled the elements in the air and prejudice on the ground earning her a permanent place in the history of aviation and a symbol of adventure, tenacity and courage.
Technique
Wings And The Woman (Amy The Aviatrix) was created by constructing a hand-cut collage using female photographic portraiture, an Egyptian Queen style headdress made of layers of illustrations and photographs of birds.
After coating the handmade paper with light-sensitive chemistry, they are left to dry in a dark room. The large-scale negatives are then contact printed onto the paper pieces by exposure to daylight (UV rays). The prints are then processed by thoroughly washing in water to remove any unexposed solution. They can then be hung to dry, developing to full density Prussian blue after 24 hours. Once dried the individual birds are cut out by hand and mounted onto the print to create a multi-layered, 3-dimensional paper cut artwork.