Riverscapes

In her artwork, Megan Singleton investigates the ecological relationships between society and the natural landscape, specifically through waterways. In Riverscapes, Singleton interprets and represents the Missouri landscapes and waterways through a series of handmade paper pulp paintings and cyanotype prints of botanical patterns. Singleton explains the technique for creating the round paper pulp paintings: “these are created in the wet state of the paper making process. Using the pulp slurry, I draw delicate lines with Kozo fiber and pour large washes of color and fiber." Each of the round paper pulp paintings are based on maps of Missouri Rivers; eight of the works represent sections of the rivers that the artist has canoed herself. Singleton used the Missouri Department of Conservation Paddlers Guide as a reference for the composition of the river drawings. 
​
In the cyanotype prints of Riverscapes, Singleton washes a sheet of handmade paper with a chemical solution that will react with sunlight to create an indigo blue tone. By using various combinations of bottomland ecological grasses to mask parts of the paper, a silhouette of the grasses is left on the paper after exposure to the sun. Through the paper pulp paintings and cyanotype surface treatments, Singleton translates natural materials with unique techniques to represent the beauty, fragility and importance of our local waterways. ​s. Riverscapes will be on display until August 2021.