Day five at La Chapelle Saint-Antoine, Naxos

A full day in the studio working with cyanotype, on both paper and the prepared marble. The weather has been ideal for it, clear sky and strong consistent sun, which is exactly what the process needs.
For anyone unfamiliar, cyanotype is one of the oldest photographic printing processes, developed in the 1840s by the English scientist and astronomer Sir John Herschel. The surface is coated with an iron-based solution, a negative is laid on top, and the whole thing is exposed to UV light. Where the light hits, the chemistry oxidises into a deep Prussian blue. After exposure the print is washed in water to reveal the image. A slow, hands-on, weather-dependent process, which is part of why it appealed for this stage of the residency. There is no UV printing on the island, but there is plenty of sun, and the constraint itself has been useful in pushing the work in a direction I might not otherwise have gone.
The results on paper today came out as expected, which is reassuring as a baseline. The marble is another matter. The chemistry is soaking too deep into the stone, and the prints, while I quite like them as objects, are not yielding enough detail to do what I ultimately want this body of work to do. The next test will involve laying down a thin coat of a varnish I have on hand, the kind normally sprayed on finished oil paintings, used here as an improvised sealant to hold the chemistry closer to the surface and prevent it from being absorbed too deeply into the marble. One of the constraints of working on a small island is making do with whatever materials are available, and while that is a limitation it is also part of what makes the experience what it is. The work shifts to meet the place.
Days like today are less about producing finished pieces and more about narrowing down on the techniques that will carry the body of work forward. The conceptual frame is still developing, and I am deliberately trying to let the materials and the experiments inform the concept rather than the other way round. That feels appropriate for a residency, where the time is precious and best spent at the bench rather than overthinking at the desk. The reading on the Dionysus story and the deeper mythology of the island continues in parallel, and I expect those threads to begin to converge over the coming days.
Lunch was small sardines, simply floured and fried with herbs, served with lemon and olives. Quietly perfect. The kind of meal that reminds you exactly where you are.
More tomorrow.
Bronisław Kózka