Inspiration:
This artwork was inspired by American Olympic champion and world record breaking swimmer GertrudeEderle.Earning her nicknameQueen of The Waves, Ederle’sdefiant spirit shattered centuries ofstereotypes and opened the doors for generations of women to come when she became the first womanto swim the English Channel in 1926.
Technique:
Queen Of The Waves In Goldwas created by constructinga hand-cut collage using femalephotographic portraiture, hand-embellished swimsuits and a repeated photogram of preserved seaurchin shells.After coating the handmade paper with light-sensitive chemistry, it is left to dry in a dark room. Thelarge-scale negative is contact printed onto the paper by exposure to daylight (UV rays). The print isthen processed by thoroughly washing in water to remove any unexposed solution. It can then behung to dry, developing to full density Prussian blue after 24 hours. Once fixed it is hand finished with24-carat gold leaf.