Heather Sandifer

Heather Sandifer’s process combines the techniques of nature printing with the traditional monotype. Sandifer started using the classical plant preservation method for her own horticultural identification and art studies. Her frustration with the fragility of the specimens pushed her to experiment with nature printing, resulting in her unique, one-off prints she calls ‘nature monotypes’. This technique allows her to interpret each subject to its fullest, and to ‘wrestle’ with the material to see what ultimately transpires.

Her use of assemblage represents a natural progression, demonstrating increased elements of both subjectivity and abstraction. Shadow and construction are intrinsic to her work, and in many pieces, metal paint and acidic washes are applied to speed up the oxidation process.  This oxidation renders a weathered look which brings additional texture to the objects and evokes a sense of time. She is a hunter/gatherer with exclusive permission to collect in some of the finest gardens on the East Coast. With careful attention to the natural gesture, poetry of form, and inherent sprit of each specimen, each leaf is a microcosm of the plant it came from.