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Join Shane Powers of Fort Bragg’s Cyan Art Studio for a hands-on exploration of the plant world through the art of cyanotype printing. Using plants, UV light, and water, you will create beautiful blue “sun prints” inspired by nature. These unique prints make wonderful gifts, keepsakes, and decorations for your favorite people and places.
By the end of the workshop, each participant will have created at least three 5" × 7" cyanotype prints and, we hope, a deeper connection to the plants and natural world that surround and sustain us.
The Details
The class will take place indoors and outdoors. Be prepared for the weather with appropriate layers.
Bring a refillable water bottle, notebook, a pencil/pen and paper, and comfortable shoes.
A Bit of History
Discovered in 1842, cyanotype printing has been used to create photographs and artwork for nearly two centuries. This workshop takes place less than a week before nature and offers an opportunity to learn about one of the earliest and most influential cyanotype artists: botanist Anna Atkins (1799–1871).
Atkins created groundbreaking volumes of cyanotype prints documenting land and marine plants, combining her love of botany with this emerging photographic process. Inspired by her legacy, we will use coastal plants to create our own simple works of art with two of the most fundamental sources of plant life: sunlight and water.
Workshop Registration
Class size is limited! Registration for this workshop must be completed in advance online or at the MCBG Store. The registration fee is $56.00 per participant and covers your admission for the day. The discounted rate for current MCBG Members is $46.00 – sign in to access your discount. All fees are non-refundable unless the workshop has been canceled or rescheduled by the Gardens. Proceeds support our nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.
Your participation in our workshops, walks, and events directly fuels our education programs, makes free school field trips possible, and helps people of all ages and backgrounds build meaningful connections with plants and the beauty of the natural world.
Thanks from the MCBG Team and all who enjoy this garden by the sea!
About the Instructor
Shane Powers began his photography career in Boise, Idaho, in the late 1990's, through his desire to reveal the meaning inherent in relationships between people and places. From 2003 to 2005, he built a comprehensive, year-long photojournalism program for 80 students and 10 teachers in 6 Boise-area high schools, funded by the state of Idaho and featured in Photo District News Magazine.
In 2005, Shane moved to San Francisco, California, to pursue his Master of Fine Arts degree from Academy of Art University, which he completed in 2008. During this time, he continued his Boise-born fascination with "old-world" traditions by beginning an ongoing photographic exploration of San Francisco's 133-year-old Dolphin Swimming & Boating Club. As part of that exploration, Shane began working with the cyanotype process, which he used to complete the first phase of that exploration, a 16-image collection of cyanotype prints toned in tea, entitled "Swimming With Ghosts".
Shane's photographic work has been displayed nationwide in galleries such as the Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, Colorado, The Vermont Photographic Workplace, and Rayko Photo Center in San Francisco. Shane's work has been selected by prestigious professionals such as Mary Ellen Mark, Andy Adams of Flak Photo Magazine, and Cig Harvey.
Shane also spent four months in Tamil Nadu, India, as a guest lecturer in India's premier private photography college, Light & Life Academy. From 2008-2014, Shane taught cyanotype, Photoshop, digital printing and other classes in San Francisco's Harvey Milk Photo Center, the oldest and largest community darkroom in the nation.
Through fate, circumstance, and occasionally his own choice, Shane ended up on the beautiful and mysterious Mendocino Coast of Northern California. Shane has a small studio in Fort Bragg where he prints cyanotypes, offers open studio "Drop-In Print" sessions to tourists and locals every weekend, and offers occasional workshops.
Contact us
If you have any questions about accessibility or our Education Program, call us at 707-964-4352 ext 113 or email administration@gardenbythesea.org.
