"Itamambuca Study No. 3" by Erin Patton McFarren
Itamambuca Study No. 3
Erin Patton McFarren
Media: Cyanotype
Size:
Price: $400
PROCESS
Cyanotype
My journey as an artist is one of movement, both physical and internal. Brazil, with its lush landscapes, rhythmic language, and natural minimalism, has shaped not only my work but my way of seeing the world. Each place I have explored, Itamambuca, Rio, São Paulo, São Luís do Paraitinga, has left its mark, offering new ways of working, observing, and being. From moonlit prints in the mountains to sun-exposed works on quiet beaches, my practice is about surrendering to place and allowing it to transform not only the work but the self.
I create in conversation with my surroundings, watching waves roll in before they break, studying the shifting light, and allowing the wind to guide the process. I work with nature rather than against it, embracing the elements of water, sun, and earth to form images that echo the rolling hills, ocean tides, and changing landscapes around me. The presence of Iemanjá, the Great Mother of the Sea, has been a recurring force in my cyanotypes. She represents balance, protection, and the deep emotional currents that shape us. Like the ocean she embodies, my process is fluid, unpredictable, and deeply connected to the environment.
Arriving without expectations, I have found that through this practice I uncover not only images but also versions of myself, long present yet waiting to surface.
STATEMENT
I create cyanotypes as a way of marking time and place. Exploring new locations ignites my spirit, fueling both creation and experience. The urgency to record time is shaped by the piercing markers of loss and healing, each piece a meditation on the present.
My performative work is a collaboration with natural elements: the light, wind and temperature of a specific season, the time of day, and the unique chemistry of water. The cyanotypes are made with non-toxic materials and interact with sunlight and bodies of water using the original 1842 recipe. Shifting forms of water and sunlight create a unique image.
BIO
Residing in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Erin creates cyanotypes as a means of marking time and place. Using non-toxic materials and the original 1842 recipe, her cyanotypes interact with sunlight and bodies of water, allowing shifting forms of light and movement to produce unique images on paper.
She was awarded the Eli Lilly Endowment Creativity Fellowship, which enabled her to spend a summer creating art along the coast of Brazil, including Ubatuba, Rio, and Copacabana. Her work has been featured in exhibitions such as Art IN the Abstract at the Indiana State Museum and The National: Best Contemporary Photography at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art (FWMoA). Her cyanotype of Saint Mary’s River is included in FWMoA’s collection of contemporary photography.
Recent solo exhibitions include AuroraPhoto Center in Indianapolis, IN, Marcia Evans Gallery in Columbus, Ohio; ARTLINK Contemporary Gallery in Fort Wayne, Indiana; and the Honeywell Center for the Arts in Wabash, Indiana. Upcoming exhibitions will showcase her works from Brazil at the Allen County Public Library’s Jeffrey Krull Gallery and the Aurora Photography Center in Indianapolis.
Erin’s cyanotypes are collected across the globe and she is represented by Chicago’s Goldfinch Gallery’s Flatfiles and Red Dot Culture. Her commercial collaborations include The Find North in Michigan, Johalla Projects in Chicago for United Airlines, and Locol Arts of Orlando, Florida for Loews Miami Beach Resort. She also creates site-specific commissions for collectors, documenting significant bodies of water and landscapes.
As an award-winning educator, Erin teaches Visual Arts to young learners through the Reggio Emilia approach and shares the cyanotype process through workshops at ARTLINK Contemporary Gallery, ACRES Land Trust, and the Aurora Photo Center in Indianapolis.
