Paper Silhouettes
By layering papers of different translucence, I set the stage for sunlight to play—creating silhouettes in shifting shades of blue.
Different types of paper hold the light differently—some nearly opaque, others delicately translucent. I love experimenting with these variations, layering and overlapping them to create shifting shades of blue once exposed to the sun. It feels almost like setting up a stage for the sunlight to play. The process is both intentional and unpredictable: I cut and place, but the sun decides the depth, the shadow, and the surprise of the finished piece.
Elizabeth Ashamu Deng, Quilting Light, Number 1, 2025. Cyanotype print on watercolor paper, 30 × 30 cm (12 × 12 in).

Elizabeth Ashamu Deng, Quilting Light, Number 2, 2025. Cyanotype print on watercolor paper, 30 × 30 cm (12 × 12 in).

Elizabeth Ashamu Deng, Coral Dance, 2025. Cyanotype print on watercolor paper, 30 cm × 30 cm.

Elizabeth Ashamu Deng, Where the Wild Things Are, 2021. Cyanotype print on watercolor paper, 33 cm × 27 cm.