November 5 - 28, 2026
First Thursday Art Walk - Thursday November 5th, 5-8pm
Artist Reception - Saturday November 7th, 4-6pm
Reclaimed : Renewed explores the relationship between art and artist. By using recycled materials the art becomes sustainable, and incorporating images into wearable pieces, the artist aims to share the tactile experience of creating. This exhibition is comprised of a variety of techniques that show the range of the Cyanotype process.
For this exhibition, I wanted to explore pieces that are both functional and decorative. My goal is to bring photography out of the traditional two-dimensional space and into everyday lifestyle and use. In a world where fast fashion, binary gender norms, and instant art are supreme, I wanted to remain environmentally conscious by using reclaimed and recycled materials, accessible by any gender, and intentionally slow the pace of the process whenever possible. This show is comprised of nine pieces across three different categories: wall hangings (the traditional) and functional sculpture and fashion.
Patchwork Vest and Skirt Combination
I designed this outfit as I was beginning my exploration into my self identity and femininity. Since 2023, I have identified myself as a non-binary individual and have used they/them or he/they pronouns. As I learned more about myself, how I choose to express myself, and what my clothes say about me, I began to start wearing more feminine clothes, like skirts, dresses and high heels. What I quickly learned was that, these clothes off the rack did not fit my proportions, and did not make me feel good about myself. There were always outliers, like the high heeled boots that I lived in for many months, and still love to this day, but shopping off the rack was not as successful as I had hoped, and I felt like an outcast in the women's section and too afraid to ask for assistance. Due to all these factors, I decided that I was going to teach myself how to sew and create clothes that fit me, match my style and make me feel more comfortable in my skin. This vest and skirt combination are created from a jean jacket, denim button up shirt and a green military style cargo jacket, which were all thrifted. I choose each of these items as I knew that I would wear any of them as they were on the rack, and there materials, I felt, would work well together. As I assembled these pieces, I wanted to retain the details and elements which made each item stand out previously, the pearl snaps, denim collar, and pull string waist band are some of my favorite features. This vest also has a round cyanotype print on the back depicting a protest I attended at the Seattle center. While this is the only image on this outfit, I see it as an invitation to add more patches or images in the future. The styling of this outfit, to me is punk or punk inspired, and protest is punk.
Cyanotype Jacket and Filmstrip Jeans
This outfit was born from my career long goal of pushing photography and images into new realms. With this jacket, I wanted to tell a story that can be worn. This jacket is made up of bedsheets, a quilt, a paid of corduroy pants and some black fabric, all of which were thrifted. The 152 cyanotype images which make up the front and back panels of this jacket are printed onto a plain white bedsheet, stitched individually stitched together to form a continuous piece of fabric, from which the sewing patterns could be cut from. Since the sheet is a thin cotton, I added a quilt to provide weight, warmth and structure and a blue floral sheet as the liner for a comfortable and complete look. When deciding on fabrics to source for this project, bedsheets stood out to me as renewable source for large pieces of fabric, that are affordable and easy to acquire. I wanted this jacket in particular to be something that is attainable for others to create without having to spend a lot of money on fabrics or printing materials. Each of the images on this jacket, and the paired jeans, are images I took of Seattle, together they tell the story of my journey through the city, and give anyone who looks, and opportunity to see the sites and images that captured my attention. For the jeans, I took a different approach, instead of created a piece from scratch, I adorned the leg with 12 more cyanotype prints, bordered by black bands, which represent a strip of film. The jeans were also thrifted.
Tie-dye Guitar
This electric guitar has been decorated with a tie-dye pattern created with cyanotype chemistry. My goal with this piece was to push photography, in a different way. Typically, we think of photography as the creation of images, but in reality, it is how light is captured which is used to create images. For this piece, I thought the fluid shape of the guitar would better lend itself to a tie-dye abstraction. This continues the exhibition's main goal of bringing photographic arts off the wall and into usable spaces and forms. The material that was coated and exposed is the same sheet material that makes up the cyanotype portion of the jacket (also displayed). After completing the tie-dye, I used epoxy resin to permanently affix the design to the guitar body. The guitar's neck, body and electrical components were purchased new as a blank kit, but is a fully functional and playable guitar.
Wall Prints
Edmonds Tracks, The Woman in Blue, Seattle From Above, and Post Alley
While the rest of this exhibition has been about getting photography off the wall, I wanted to include typical prints to contrast the way the other pieces are all viewed and experienced. Each of these prints are a cyanotype print on watercolor paper. The images I choose for these prints do not tell a story of a specific place or time, rather they serve as glimpses into my mindset as an artist and what I think makes for beautiful images.