My plan to get on Danish time (lose the jet lag!) has thus far been foiled, but here's what has been successful: setting up in the studio and beginning to work. I spent much of yesterday reading about cyanotype, an early photographic process developed in the 18oo's which creates a Prussian blue print.I had just started experimenting with this before I left the States, trying to figure out the quirky chemistry behind cyanotype so I could adapt the process to clay. I want to make contact prints directly on porcelain, and I think it will go. Although I do work with images, I am not a photographer and am not schooled in the vocabulary of picture making. But I am learning!
My brief test run at home gave me some clues about where to begin again once I got here.
Today I started at square one, just doing some test runs on paper (because it's cheaper and faster to get the process dialed this way). Working with both the milky grey light of day and the UV light table to make my exposures. (Ah, yes- the latter is a much better choice!!) Even with the light table, the exposure was long, 30-40 minutes I think.
I made some mistakes, but they led me closer to where I need to be, and I ended up with a good result on paper. Yay!!
Beyond work..... did I mention how much adjustment this feels like, all at once? I took a break from everything to bike over to one of the beaches (Kobaek Strand)... a biting head wind out of town to the west, but worth it. The ocean always helps me feel... sorted out. Like all the chaos of new place new people new language (and so much I don't understand!), plus the added bonus of my self-imposed studio agenda... it all just fell away and I could hear myself again.
(Photo here is of the sweet bike which I've just started riding around town and beyond, has wonky rear wheel and no front brake, but cool, huh? )
The sun even came out after I took this photo- Cheers!!!
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