About
Art made at the edge of the ocean.
Hi — I'm Krista, the artist behind Cyan Studio. I'm based in Ucluelet, BC, on the wild west coast of Vancouver Island, on the traditional territory of the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ (Ucluelet) First Nation.
I've been experimenting with cyanotypes for the past few years and wanted a space to share my prints more widely. Cyanotype is one of the oldest photographic processes — an image developed using ultraviolet light from the sun, producing that distinctive deep Prussian blue. Each composition is carefully handcrafted and I like to let nature do the work for me, printing hand-collected seaweeds and coastal botanicals from right here in Ucluelet.
When I'm not making art, I study seaweed for a living — working on kelp and nearshore habitat mapping, monitoring, and restoration. The ocean is both my workplace and my studio.
Each print is carefully created using archival quality paper and packaging materials, so your piece will last.
The process
Seaweeds and coastal botanicals are collected by hand from the shoreline around Ucluelet — kelp, rockweed, sea lettuce, feather boa kelp, and whatever the tide brings in.
Archival watercolour paper is coated with a light-sensitive cyanotype solution — a mix of ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide — and left to dry in the dark.
The botanicals are arranged on the coated paper and placed in direct sunlight. UV light does the work — exposure time varies with the season and cloud cover.
The paper is rinsed in water. Where light hit, the characteristic Prussian blue develops. Where the botanicals blocked the light, the paper stays white — a perfect silhouette.