Sarah Martiny

As an environmental scientist, my work is inspired by close observation of the natural world and a spirit of creative curiosity. My work aims to remind us of our place in the world, our interdependence with nature, and our singular ability to protect it. Building from the historical use of cyanotypes to document plants for botany, I forage for flowers while hiking in Arizona’s unique landscapes. Selecting plants, pressing, composing, and watching the sun make magic with them is a meditation on nature. During this entirely analogue process, the potential for variable outcomes means that no two pieces will ever be the same. The angle of the sun, the stroke of the brush, the shape and placement of the flowers create a myriad of possibilities. Botanical monotypes capture the spirit of a plant separate from its environment. Sometimes a series of prints can be made from the same plant, but often the plants disintegrate in the process, making each piece one of a kind. Like a specimen preserved for science, the print may remain with us longer than a fragile ecosystem.