Cyano-ed

Today I came into the studio at 6:30pm.  Even though it doesn't look like I accomplished much, I do feel like I got a lot done.  I went ahead and sized all of my paper that I have (I desperately need to buy more but am lacking the funds).  I then coated all 60 pieces of paper - it really didn't seem like that many while I was doing it.  The sizes vary: 6x4 to 12x12 pieces.

Even though I am tired, I decided to expose a few of them just so I can have something to look at tomorrow that is completed.  I exposed seven 6x4 prints and one 10x6 - hopefully they look good after they have dried and do not darken too much.

One thing that is awesome about making smaller prints is that I can expose more that one at a time :)

Three 6x4 prints in the contact frame ready to be exposed

The paper that I am using for my show is Arches Watercolor 140# Rough Coldpress.  The only thing that I do not like about it - and I mean the only thing because this paper is awesome - is that when I develop my cyanotypes it takes forever (and by forever I mean only 15 minutes) for all of the yellow to come out of the highlights.  I know that is really not that long of a time, but I had gotten used to Arches Platine and it's quick 5 minute wash time! But, I will gladly sacrifice the time because 140# gives the most brilliant blue AND has the best texture for my prints.

I am SO happy with how this one turned out.  *Sorry for the glare, the print was drying

Since I am not keeping my prints blue it is a good thing that they turn an amazing eggplant-navy-purple color when I tone them. Yes, I just made up my own color :)

After tonight I am MUCH more motivated to make more cyanotypes.  Before I was just so overwhelmed that I just didn't know what to do with myself.  All I needed to do was just start coating paper and that feeling of accomplishing something fixed everything!

Tomorrow I plan on exposing all the paper I coated - that is my goal at least :)

Where to go from here

Here is my first 22x22 inch Cyanotype, nicely pressed with my new iron :)

Tomorrow I want to make this same image on Rives BFK and again on Arches Platine but with less chemicals to avoid the puddles I got last time.  I also want the brush strokes to look more whisp like, hair like.  Right now they are too bulky for my liking.  It was the first time I had ever used that brush so I believe that has a major part to it.

Currently I feel stuck.  I do not know where to go from here.  I know what process I want.  I have over 500 pictures.  But I don't feel like the majority of my pictures are what I want to display at my show.  Maybe I feel this way because I have been staring at them for months on end and they just don't jump out at me anymore.  I don't feel any special meaning from them anymore.  I don't have time to be feeling like this.  My show is in 96 days.

Kinda starting to freak out here.  Any suggestions out there?