Rhizosphere Prints was opened in January 2016. We seek to create beautiful, handmade, decorative prints inspired by nature. We are based in Providence, RI.
We use a historical photographic printing process called cyanotype. Invented in the mid 19th century by British scientist John Herschel, who wanted a way of reproducing his notes, the process is known for its distinctive lush blue tone. It is the same technique originally used for traditional architectural blue prints.
To make our prints we start with the finest quality watercolor paper and hand-coat it with a liquid that turns blue when exposed to sunlight. Images are created by laying plants or other objects directly onto the paper. The objects block light leaving a white shadow while the area around the objects turns a rich blue hue in the sunlight. The hand-coating and object placement are each unique, creating a one-of-a-kind finished print.
Our use of botanicals is highly inspired by the British artist and scientist Anna Atkins, a botanist who used the cyanotype process to record many species of plants.
Rhizosphere Prints is part of Rhizosphere Studios. The name Rhizosphere comes from permaculture which is an agricultural design system that aims to emulate naturally occurring ecosystems. The Rhizosphere is the root region within the soil thus connecting many different layers and aspects of the system.
Use our contact page to get in touch about orders or wholesale requests.