Abbotsford in Blue: The Cyanotype Project

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COVID PRECAUTIONS: Only 4-6 participants allowed in the space at one time, masks are mandatory, and the space and supplies will be sanitized between participants.

This project is in collaboration with the City of Abbotsford and the Abbotsford Arts Council.

Join artists Zaira Luis and Amanda Garcia as they teach you how to make your own cyanotype art print. Learn about various Abbotsford botanical species and their importance to the environment. Cyanotype is a photographic printing process that produces a cyan-blue print.

About the Artists:

Amanda Garcia

Born in Costa Rica and currently living in Abbotsford, BC, Canada. Amanda Garcia’s practices include photography, painting, print making and most recently installation work. She is interested in concepts related to cultural identity, personal experiences and experimentation. Garcia received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of the Fraser Valley in 2019. Garcia’s most recent artwork is titled The Birthday Party which was an installation piece for her graduating exhibition where she addresses the crisis of opioid addiction, which Canada has been undergoing for the past years. She looks forward to working on projects in the future that tackle themes that her community struggles with but is uncomfortable with discussing. Garcia’s long term plans are to complete her PDP and become a Visual Arts and Spanish high school teacher.

Zaira Luis

Zaira Ramirez Luis is a Venezuelan painter, printmaker, sculptor and photographer. Luis’ first inspiration was her Canary artisan grandfather who used to work with important Venezuelan sculptors.

Her first experience in art making was in film photography as a student in the Nelson Garrido Organization. Cultivated during her teenage years, her photography work explores nostalgic feelings found in her environment. During this time she was able to explore her Spaniard and Venezuelan family traditions. Further, she opted to take her Graphic Arts Diploma at the Cristobal Rojas School of Visual Arts where she created a series of photograms named Familia. After completing her second diploma in Visual arts at the University Of The Fraser Valley, Luis delved even more into her dark room print processes, and explored various techniques such as Cyanotype and Van Dyke printing. In this process she developed her Diaspora, mode of life Collection. This collection consists of her routine as an entity in the landscapes, narrating her feelings as an immigrant, using a fish as a symbol of the diaspora. On her Cyanotype practice, she uses different mediums like paper, wood, fabric, etc. In 2019, The UFV Visual Arts Collection acquired her print ‘Venezuela My Skin’.

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Organizer

Jennifer Trithardt-Tufts

Established in 1971, the Abbotsford Arts Council acts as a resource for local artists while promoting the vision, creativity, and energy of the Abbotsford community through the arts. Over 70 local arts, heritage and culture organizations receive support under the umbrella of the Abbotsford Arts Council, and the talents of hundreds of local artists are showcased by the Abbotsford Arts Council each year at the Kariton Art Gallery as well as programs and events that are family friendly and open to the entire community.