In the Studio with… Heather Sandifer
Extraordinary Botanicals
Heather Sandifer’s art combines printing images directly from natural objects with techniques of traditional monotype. The Greenwich Branch (Connecticut) member presses plant material to extract moisture, administers color to the plant material via a glass plate, and employs frottage (pressure from bone tools and soft tortillons) to transfer the impression from the plate onto vellum.
Sandifer sometimes includes brushwork, drawing, and additional color on top and beneath the vellum, utilizing its semitransparency. Finished pieces may include actual plant material with the layers of color.
The end product is the result of intense, active collaboration between artist, plant, and paint.
About the Artist
Heather Sandifer’s background includes a career in textile design and as a garden writer. She has a certificate in botanical art and illustration from the New York Botanical Garden. Her art has been featured in several galleries and design showrooms. heathersandifer.com