Hi, I'm Sarah!

I am an artist, a nature lover, lifelong maker, and the owner of Atwater Designs, a cyanotype design studio that creates original cyanotypes, fine art prints and paper goods, as well as textiles and wallpaper. After teaching for 16 years in the traditional classroom I decided to take AD full-time, sharing the beauty of this process with the world. I love working with my students whether online or in-person and I am passionate about sharing what I know with you!

My exploration of nature is an ever-evolving attempt to dissect what is happening with the changing of the seasons and how they can relate to communication - basically I am obsessed with being outside! I call the Brandywine Valley in southeastern PA my home with my husband, dog and cat.

You can get the full scoop by visiting my website and following along on the day-to-day creative journey via Instagram: @atwaterdesigns. Join the AD family, receive 3 FREE CYANOTYPE phone backgrounds and stay up to date on all the cyanotype goodness! I send an email at the beginning of each month with tips, tricks, things I love and artists to follow. I hope you'll join the fun, I'd love to have you.

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Artist Statement:

Walking in the woods and even through my backyard garden is the starting point of my creative process. This is a meditation for me and reminds me daily how important it is to take note of where we are, and to breath. There is nothing that helps to center me like being among the natural beauty of open spaces and know that it is what ultimately connects me to my own creativity.

I first experimented with cyanotypes and alternative process photography in college. I immediately fell in love with the techniques. I’m drawn to how the process incorporates the chemistry of photography and the tactile quality of printmaking while connecting me more fully to the natural world. Each cyanotype is a unique record of my time in nature: the light, the shadows, the wind, and the time of year. The poetry of the moment is marked on the page, never to be duplicated exactly the same way.

I earned her MFA in Book Arts/Printmaking from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA and a BA in Studio Art with a concentration in Photography and Book Arts from Warren Wilson College near Asheville, North Carolina.

Thanks for being here!

Sarah Rafferty

Artist and Nature Lover

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