“Peregrina, leaves and flowers” by Ira Kononenko
Country: La Habana, Cuba
Parts used: Flowers
Amount: 700 mL glass jar full of flowers to 10 tablespoons of rum
Extracted by: Marble mortar and pestle
Thinner: Havana Club Rum 3 years aged, 40% alcohol
Application: Left paper for a couple of days on a wide plate soaking in a thin layer of emulsion until the liquid evaporated and paper dried
Layers: Paper fully saturated with emulsion by soaking
Substrate: Laboratory filter paper
Created with: Photogram of flowers and leaves of the same plant from which the emulsion was made
Exposure: 2 days: 4 hours indirect sunlight, 8 hours direct sunlight, August, summer 2023, hottest month in Cuba!
Contrast: ✿✿✿ (High)
Challenges or observations: This print was the last of a series of 4 prints I did with this emulsion. I decided to leave the last one soaking because brushing the emulsion didn’t work for the three previous ones. Filter paper is too thin and it is difficult to adhere pigment to it by brushing, so soaking was the best option. I have worked not only with rum but different grades of alcohol and found out that, for alcohol extractions, the higher the content of water in the alcohol, the fainter the image is (less contrasty). The emulsion was deep pink at the beginning but it turned purplish due the content of anthocyanin in the flowers and the action of oxygen on it.
Additional information: Jatropha integerrima is a species of flowering plant in the Euphorbiaceae family that is native to Cuba and the West Indies. I’m paying tribute to native flora with this image.
Instagram: @irakononenko.studio
Facebook: facebook.com/irekononenko
Peregrina (Jatropha integerrima Jacq.) anthotype by Ira Kononenko
This anthotype is part of World Anthotype Day
World Anthotype Day - celebrated annually since 2022 was started by AlternativePhotography.com. Our global community of artists celebrates the anthotype process by submitting prints. These works are added to our database here and compiled into reference books. The purpose is to build a large resource where artist can learn which pigments and plants work and draw inspiration from others. The reference books can be found here:
Volume 1 is the first book in the series:
Volume 1 contains 60 unique anthotype emulsions from 103 artists taking part from 31 countries.
Anthotype Emulsions, Volume 1 – The collective research from photographers on World Anthotype Day 2022
Volume 2 is the second book:
Volume 2 contains 100 unique anthotype emulsions from 139 artists taking part from 31 countries.
Anthotype Emulsions, Volume 2 – The collective research from photographers on World Anthotype Day 2023
Volume 3 is the third book:
Volume 3 pushes the boundaries with emulsions not only from plants and pigments, but also from beans, moss and mushrooms. 135 artists shared their research.
Anthotype Emulsions, Volume 3 – The collective research from photographers on World Anthotype Day 2024
Volume 4 will be the fourth book:
In Volume 4 we will combine entries from both 2025 and 2026 into one beautiful double edition to include even more inspiring work, insights, and pigments to explore. The release for the combined World Anthotype Day book is planned for November 2026 – a richer, more comprehensive collection worth the wait.
Anthotype Emulsions, Volume 4 – The collective research from photographers on World Anthotype Day 2025 and 2026
If you want to learn more about making anthotypes there is also the first "how-to" book:
Make prints using plants - an environmentally safe process!The first book solely dedicated to Anthotypes.
Anthotypes – Explore the darkroom in your garden and make photographs using plants
Rated 9,8 - based on 224 votes
And also the Complete Guide and How-To book:
Learn everything there is to know about anthotypes in the updated edition 2 of our popular How-To book.The extended and complete guide to Anthotypes.
Anthotypes - The Complete Guide to Making Photographs with Plants and Sunlight
If you are already practising anthotype printing, we suggest making notes to document and learn:
50 pre-defined pages for you to document your anthotype process.
Anthotype notes – Document your anthotype process
Rated 10 - based on 8 votes
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Hi Ira. This is a simply lovely print. I love that you used the leaves and flowers from the Euphorbia used to create the emulsion. Is paying tribute to local flora a long term project of yours?