See also: 8 Must-See Art Shows in Metro Phoenix This Spring
Wayne Got Me a Cake and a Balloon, a cyanotype, acrylic paint, and thread piece by Deedra Baker, beckons viewers back to childhood days of innocence and simple joys. Cyanotypes are made by coating paper with particular chemicals, then exposing the light sensitive paper to ultraviolet light under a photographic negative. Resulting images are a characteristic type of blue, making them easy to spot.
Five Guys, a gum bichromate print by Barbara Eberhard, has a similar vintage vibe — but exudes humor as the artist toys with the name of a popular burger chain with her capture of models for five male heads lined up in a row atop a table. Such prints are created by depositing bichromated salt onto a paper substrate before exposing them to ultraviolet light under a photographic negative.
Blues of the Heart, a cyanotype by Neil A. Miller, calls onlookers to consider the ways modern life puts wear and tear on both the physical heart and the personhood it has long signified. Its graffiti-like feel demonstrates of the effectiveness of traditional techniques for conveying properties of contemporary life — and suggests the timelessness of common human experiences such as heartache.
