Artist and photographer Linda Farwell turns her attention to the plants, insects, and seasonal changes just outside her Eastern Shore home in The Meadow, on view at Adkins Arboretum through October 30th. The exhibition features photographic prints created through a unique process that combines cyanotype, watercolor, plant specimens, and digital photography. A reception to meet the artist will be held on September 5th from 2–4 pm.

The project began when Farwell replaced an area of lawn behind her home with wildflowers to provide habitat for pollinators. As the meadow developed, it also became a subject for her photography. Working close to home and returning to the same place over time allowed her to follow the plants through different stages of the growing season and pay attention to details that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Farwell’s process brings together an early photographic technique and contemporary digital tools. She begins with cyanotype, using sunlight and plant material to produce photographic impressions, while watercolor adds another layer of color and variation. She then photographs the finished cyanotypes and adjusts the digital files before producing the final prints shown in the exhibition. The process allows each image to move through several stages from living plant to physical impression to finished photograph.

The resulting works are less traditional botanical studies than personal interpretations of a changing landscape. Individual plants emerge against deep blues and kaleidoscopic splashes of color, sometimes clearly recognizable and sometimes transformed into more abstract forms. Together, the photographs consider the meadow as a small but active ecosystem and reflect Farwell’s interest in careful observation and our relationship with the environments we create and maintain.

Farwell is a multimedia photographer based on Maryland’s Eastern Shore whose fine art practice has developed alongside a long career in commercial photography. Her work has appeared in The Sun Magazine and has been exhibited in London, New York City, at the Henry L. Ferguson Museum on Fishers Island, and at the Academy Art Museum in Easton. The Meadow was also recently represented in the Oldfields Alumni Exhibition.

This show is part of Adkins Arboretum’s ongoing exhibition series highlighting regional artists whose work engages with natural themes. The Arboretum, located at 12610 Eveland Road near Tuckahoe State Park in Ridgely, is a 400-acre native garden and preserve offering exceptional experiences in nature.

For gallery hours or more information, contact Adkins Arboretum at 410-634-2847, ext. 100, or visit adkinsarboretum.org.

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Resting Together by photographer Linda Farwell. Image courtesy of the artist.