anna maria bellmann

Oh my. Delicate, floral, paper-cuts by German artist Anna Maria Bellmann. These gorgeous pieces were a lovely surprise when I went to look at her portfolio. I actually found her on Pinterest because of these blue beauties:

… also delicate and floral, but not paper-cuts! These are called cyanotypes. Here’s the deal, in Anna’s words:

The cyanotype is an old precious printing method, also called Prussian blue print. 1842 discovered by Sir John Herschel, one of the greatest scientists of his time, it was initially used predominantly, to blueprints – create – technical drawings for architectural, engineering or shipbuilding. The cyanotype uses the light sensitivity of certain iron salts that form insoluble crystals under UV irradiation. Is exposed in the sunshine, developed with running water, the result is the beautiful color tone, the “Prussian blue”. Photograms of this kind allow a very fine representation of floral structures – as a symbiosis a gift from the sun, blue sky and botanical beauties.

Ah, so, so lovely… all of it!

{Blue pieces found via Lisa Congdon on Pinterest}