Top #20 Botanical Cyanotypes on view at the Griffin Museum of Photography

The 226th Anna Atkins Birthday Exhibition at the Griffin Museum of Photography

Anna Atkins’s (1799–1871) experimental nature as an artist and botanist drove her to imprint her magnum opus, Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions (1843–53), with over 380 specimens of seaweed with detail and beauty. In honor of her enduring contributions to the intersection of science, art and education, the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, MA is hosting an online exhibition celebrating the diversity of cyanotype and commemorating what would have been Atkins’s 226th birthday.

Jurying the best-in-show for this exhibition was a vigorous experience that sharpened and refined my eye as a surveyor of photographs. The sheer volume of submissions was overwhelming in quality, creativity, technique, and scope of subject matter — with over 700 individual images from all over the world submitted for consideration.

For this special opportunity at LENSCRATCH — which presents the most striking botanical works currently on view at the Griffin’s Virtual Gallery — I was inclined to highlight those works that echoed Atkins’ deep connection to nature, paying special attention to those incorporating botanical specimens and aquatic ecosystems into their artistic processes.

Some tough decisions had to be made for this selection, such as focusing mostly on works on paper that center around algae and plant life, rather than landscapes or other themes (of which there were many outstanding submissions, as you’ll soon see). Another limiting factor was distilling the process to its basics, rather than branching out into more experimental mediums or approaches — there’s a whole another column just for that. Check the Editor’s Note at the bottom of this page).

As a photo editor, I also felt the need to select artists that, while individually strong, coalesced into an overarching message or theme, which I hope you’ll notice through the rhythm and sequencing of this layout. Delicately arranged, their images juxtapose the botanically precise and the phantasmagorically abstract, evincing a melancholy undertow reminiscent of the fossils of our past, present and future.

Without further ado, the TOP #20 artists selected in Cyanotype: Botanicals are in no particular order: Alahnna Rousselo, Ann Giordano, Bryan Whitney, Debra Small, Dianna Wells, Elizabeth Booth, Emily Mae Titman, Greeshma Patel, Julie Ryder, Leah Koransky, Lena Nygren, Libby Drew, Marita Wai, Michael Eigenmann, Sally Ayre, Sharlene Holliday, Shelby Graham, Skye Snyder, Sonia Létourneau, and Vera Gierke.

Congratulations to all who submitted. I hope you enjoy looking at these as much as I did sequencing and selecting them.

TOP #20 Cyanotypes: Botanicals 

Alahnna Rousselo, Ann Giordano, Bryan Whitney, Debra Small, Dianna Wells, Elizabeth Booth, Emily Mae Titman, Greeshma Patel, Julie Ryder, Leah Koransky, Lena Nygren, Libby Drew, Marita Wai, Michael Eigenmann, Sally Ayre, Sharlene Holliday, Shelby Graham, Skye Snyder, Sonia Létourneau, Vera Gierke.

© Alahnna Rousselo, Cycles 04, toned cyanotype on watercolor paper | @ala.rousse.photo

© Skye Snyder, Memory, cyanotype toned in coffee on watercolor paper | @skyesnyder

© Emily Mae, Threads of Her (flowers), cyanotype on watercolor paper toned with tea | @_emily__mae

© Greeshma, Eternal Bloom, Wet Cyanotype print on watercolor paper | @greeshmap

© Debra Small, Cosmos, wet cyanotype photogram | @debra_small_photography

© Ann Giordano, ROSE from the series In My Courtyard, unique cyanotype | @theanngiordano; @inmycourtyard

© Sonia Létourneau, Untitled, cyanotype on cotton fabric | @sonia.sonia1410

© Libby Drew, Ghostly Grevillea, cyanotype on paper | @paper.mechanix

© Lena Nygren, Trandans, cyanotype on watercolor paper | @fjalesfotogram

© Bryan Whitney, Lotus. X-Ray printed by Cyanotype on Arches Platine Paper | @temporarypedestal

© Sally Ayre, Shoreline Walk 1, Cyanotype on Translucent hand made Japanese paper | @sallyayre

© Elizabeth Booth, Night Leaves, multi-exposure cyanotype on Hahnemuhle Platinum Rag  | @elizabeth.z.booth

© Sharlene Holliday, Hosta Life Cycle, cyanotype on Canson Montvale paper then placing the decayed hosta atop to photograph and show its life cycle | @ColorMineBlue

© Vera Gierke, Seaweed On Seaweed, cyanotype, 2025 | @veragierkestudio

© Shelby Graham, Deconstructing Nature Core Sample, cyanotype contact print with palm frond on paper @grahamgallery

© Dianna Wells, I am Golden kelp, I store carbon! | @dianna_wells

© Julie Ryder, Phycologia Australia’ cyanotype on Fabriano paper | @julierydertextiles

© Michael Eigenmann, Native Fern, 2025

© Leah Koransky, NASTIRTIUM, 2023

© Marita Wai, SweetPeas, 2022 | @maritawaistudio

Editor’s Note

By limiting the work selected for this column to botanical works, I was forced to leave out a colossal amount of exquisite work that I am sure people would enjoy. For no reason other than to indulge in the richness of this year’s open call, an additional selection of TOP #20 works was curated for a special column titled, Expanded Cyanotypes. The selection celebrates contemporary approaches to cyanotype making, highlighting exciting works whose subject matter departs from Atkins’ main interest in botany and that exemplifies the wide versatility of cyanotype as a fascinating language for artistic expression through mediums such as sculpture, fabric, collage, and installation. A third column, much more loosely-themed and less interconnected, titled Cyanotype: Revisited, highlights additional artists whose work also, I believe, deserves special recognition.

About the Curator

© Vicente Cayuela, Lovers at Shore

Vicente Cayuela is an artist and photo editor working across various photographic platforms to promote and disseminate photographic work. His work has been exhibited and published by platforms and institutions such as Analog Forever Magazine, Fraction Magazine, Altiba-9 Contemporary, Lenscratch, Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, PhotoPlace Gallery, and others. He has received numerous accolades for his artistic practice, including the Emerging Artist Award in Visual Arts from the Saint Botolph Club Foundation. Since 2023, he has been a juror at the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers’ Scholastic and Writing Awards in the Massachusetts Region. In addition to his artistic practice, he has contributed to the development of exhibitions and exhibition materials at institutions both in the United States an abroad.