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For more information, contact Kathy Signorino, artist programs director, at kathy.signorino@oac.ohio.gov or 614-728-6140.

2024 Ohio Artist Registry Juried Exhibition

Suzi Hyden

Cyanotype Artist Suzi Hyden Cyanotype Art
Home County: Champaign
Urbana Ohio 43078 United States
Cell Phone: 9372060700 Website: Suzi Hyden Cyanotype Art Website: Cyanotypes by Suzi Hyden

Bio

Suzi Hyden is a cyanotype artist working in rural Champaign County, Ohio, whose work celebrates the environment by combining elements from nature and repurposed materials. She earned her BFA in Fine Arts, with an emphasis in photography from the University of Cincinnati in 1990. 

She uses local botanicals and other objects she finds in nature to create her cyanotypes, commonly known as sun printing or blueprinting. Cyanotype is an eco-friendly, non-silver, photographic process. Images are exposed to the sun, developed in water, and the main chemical component is iron,  the most abundant element on the planet.  Suzi shows her love for nature by repurposing materials for her art. She often recycles vintage fabrics, reuses papers, and modifies found objects as the substrates and framing for her cyanotypes.

She is an active member of the Springfield Museum of Art, the Dayton Society of Artists, the Champaign County Arts Council, and the Mad River Art League. Suzi’s involvement within these organizations includes exhibitions, art fairs, artist talks, and workshops. She recently conducted a four-day workshop for children and their families with Developmental Disabilities in Clark County. 

Recent exhibitions include Springfield Museum of Art Annual Juried Exhibition, Ohio State Fair Professional Division, Art in the City Juried Art Show, ReMembered: DSA Annual Members Exhibition, Litho-Lino-Mono-More, Piqua Fine Art Exhibition,  Zanesville Museum of Art Ohio Annual, and Bryn Du Annual Juried Art Show.

Artist Statement

I am an emerging cyanotype artist whose work celebrates the environment by combining elements from nature and repurposed materials.

Cyanotype is a fitting choice for producing images related to the environment. Cyanotype is one of the earliest photographic techniques and has remained mostly unchanged since its invention (1842). This process is known as “sun printing” because the iron salts used to create the cyanotype are sensitive to UV light, the sun. In addition, unlike other photographic processes, it requires only water to develop and fix the image, not harsh chemicals. Because cyanotype is a non-silver photographic method, it is non-toxic and environmentally friendly. This process, which uses the environmental elements of sunshine and water, perfectly matches the medium and content.

I follow the artistic path paved by botanist and photographer Anna Atkins. In 1843, Atkins was the first to publish a book illustrated with photographs, and she used the cyanotype method to document her research on seaweed. Like Atkins, I prefer to use botanicals and other objects I find in nature.

The fields, woods, and streams around my Champaign County home are my oldest, closest companions, and Mother Nature has always been my muse. My artistic expression stems from my relationship with nature and celebrates the riches that grow from the land. An essential aspect of my art is observing the beauty and diversity in nature, looking closely at the foliage’s lines, shapes, and patterns, and noticing which plants and grasses exist harmoniously. Looking closely at plants in their natural environment helps enhance my artistic designs, arranging them into compositions that celebrate their place in the ecosystem. Collecting and preparing the botanicals for the cyanotype process offers the potential to reflect on my interrelationship with nature. My artwork is produced in partnership with nature. Through this partnership, I learn to understand my environment, be wide awake, and have a healthy relationship with the land.   

In addition, I show my love for nature by repurposing materials for my art supplies. I often incorporate recycled vintage fabrics, reused papers, and repurposed found objects as the substrates and framing for my cyanotypes. My goal is to give new life to old goods through creative reuse.