Through my Cyanotype artworks I feature my own photographs of my Xicano community and family historical archives weaved together with Mexica symbolism and cultural themes. I grew up in an urbanized Chicano 90s culture that was rooted in our ancestral Indigenous legacy. Keeping that fire alive my works strives to bridge that connection to our past and bringing it forward to the future.

The natural world is a cord that holds both my works and lifestyle in balance. I am a naturalist and spend much of my time in the ocean, forests and mountains. As I explore these environments I sustainably harvest plants and process them for printing. Plants are a constant teacher and healer, as I work with them I also learn their properties medicinally and spiritually.

Cyanotype harnesses the power of Tonalli (Sun in Nahuatl) and all the natural elements Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. The materials are then layered upon a light sensitive coated surface that is exposed to the Sun, igniting the irons and salts in the solution to turn blue. The collaged imagery transforms into a painterly ephemeral moment and visual offering. The prints are then washed thoroughly and dried. The process itself is a study of alchemy, each print rendering into its own uniqueness. 

-Vanessa Ortiz Alcaraz

Cyanotype Prints available in studio or able to ship, contact for inquiries.