The Prints 

 

Throughout her life Teresa Cullen has had an intimate connection with the personalities and energies of the plant kingdom. Robert Marchessault has been painting trees as his subject for decades. It was then a natural evolution that  they began to work creatively together in the process of making mixed media prints using the abundant and verdant plant life in their gardens. This developed into a truly joyful activity as well as a privilege to witness the organic, abstract beauty that emerges from the image forming techniques they employ. 

 

Unpredictability is a primary factor in the print's outcome, and each one is unique in its subtle and notable presence, adding an element of surprise and awe. The impressions left behind on the photo sensitive papers are a magical offering, a unique gift of the plant's essence or mood on that particular day. The solar heat of the sun is the catalyst that encourages the organic matter to gradually and steadily leach aspects of its colour, shape, and personality onto the paper. The final image depends on the particular conditions and length of exposure time. Their method of print creation does not lend itself to easy duplication hence the excitement of the unknown. The combined elements of solar heat, occasional rain, the length of exposure time, the personality and energy of the organic matter, the type of photographic paper used, and finally the mystery of unknown factors originating in the interactions, all of these determine the outcome of the image. Once formed the image on the photosensitive paper is quickly recorded and then digitally enhanced to create a final image for printing using archival pigment inks.