West Chester artist Sarah Bourne Rafferty uses cyanotype printing, a centuries-old photographic technique, to create unique, nature-based pieces she sells through her company, Atwater Designs, writes Ashley Breeding for Main Line Today.

“Plants with the most detail result in the prettiest prints,” said Rafferty.

Originally, cyanotype was mostly done with photo negatives to create a cyan-blue print. Many modern artists like Rafferty have since adjusted the technique and are using botanicals to create white prints against a deep-blue canvas.

“I’ve always enjoyed photography and printmaking, and this is both of them combined,” she said. “There’s this tactile piece of using objects and being outside in nature, but also the magic of the developing. Even after making thousands of prints, I still get a kick out of watching each one develop.”

Rafferty has had her works exhibited at an art gallery in Chadds Fords. She teaches virtual workshops through Kurtz Collection in Wilmington and, during spring and summer, holds workshops in her yard.

In her online store, she features anything from calendars and gift wrap to wallpaper and textiles. She also offers large-scale works, such as reproductions and commissions.

Read more about Sarah Bourne Rafferty in Main Line Today here.