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About our originals
Our originals are actual seaweed specimens. We work with seaweeds in particular because they offer a very wide palette of natural colors, textures, and forms that few have seen before (or at least, that few have seen in this light--as objects of character and beauty). We present select specimens that we consider to be both artistically and scientifically valuable. We also appreciate the irony that these same seaweeds are considered a nuisance when cast up in drift on beaches. |
Botanists have been pressing plants to preserve and study as scientific vouchers for hundreds of years. Our original specimens are prepared by methods adapted from that tradition. To preserve the integrity of individual organisms, we arrange whole specimens in their natural form while wet and dry them under pressure. Many of the resulting specimens are so thin and translucent that they are often mistaken for watercolors. Others are more coarse and reminiscent of ink drawings. (Follow this link to our guide to pressing seaweeds.)
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| Beyond the selection, identification, and arrangement of the organisms, we also make use of science in the preservation of our work. Over the last seven years, we have developed and refined techniques to preserve biological specimens of all kinds so they can be displayed without fading or otherwise deteriorating. Our original seaweed specimens are infiltrated and coated with relatively imperceptible preservatives to stabilize them and to prevent their colors from fading. These preservation steps are critical, as untreated specimens can fade in days in the light, and unfortunately can't be appreciated when stored in the dark. |
About our prints
We take as much care in preparing our fine art prints as we do in working with our most valuable originals. Our prints are museum quality: prepared with the finest materials available using archival techniques. |
All of our prints are giclee prints, made with lightfast all-pigment inks on Crane's Museo 250 gsm all-cotton fine art paper. We mat each print by hand in museum board, hinge it to acid-free archival mounting board with water-reversible conservation tape, and secure it with archival mounting corners, then sign and number it in graphite. If unframed, the print is held in a heavyweight archival print sleeve. All of these steps are designed to present our prints simply and elegantly, and to preserve them stably so they can be enjoyed into the future.
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Matting and framing
All of our originals and prints are matted in all-cotton antique white museum board, which is a small bit warmer than neutral in color and could probably complement anything. (It even feels good.) To frame our work, we have chosen simple exhibition-style hardwood moulding in clear satin-stained maple or mahogany-stained cherry, prepared to artisan-quality standards (see samples by clicking on the images to the right). For protection from physical damage and UV light, we finish framed work with clear acrylic glazing and use acid-free backing paper to make our dust covers. We invite your inquiries about our work and guarantee that you'll be pleased. |
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