Coastal Cyanotypes with Oriana Poindexter
Our Seaweed Cyanotype Workshop at Seal Rocks was a perfect blend of art, science, and ocean connection. Co-led by marine biologists and ocean lovers Alanna Kieffer and Oriana Poindexter, the day invited participants to experience Oregon’s intertidal zone through both a scientific and creative lens. With Oriana being a San Diego based artist, we were so stoked for her artist residency at Oregon State University's Hatfield Marine Science Center for the summer, where we could finally host a workshop together!
We began the morning on the beach at Seal Rocks, a stunning site known for its abundance and diversity of native seaweed species. Alanna guided the group through the ecology of Oregon’s rocky shores, sharing insights into tides, ocean conditions, and seasonal patterns that shape coastal life. Participants learned how to identify different seaweed species and practiced sustainable harvesting techniques before collecting their own specimens to use later in the workshop. With seaweed harvesting only being open in Oregon from March 1st to June 15th, this was a great opportunity for folks to actually harvest their own seaweed!
With buckets of freshly gathered seaweed in hand, we moved, out of the wind and back up to the bluff to begin the artistic portion of the day. In the most magical beach side forest, Oriana guided everyone through the cyanotype process, an early photographic technique developed in the 1840s that uses sunlight and water to create striking blue-and-white prints. Hiding from the UV light in the shaded forest, participants arranged their seaweed into delicate patterns, ventured to the forest's edge looking for direct sun where they exposed their prints, and watched as their designs came to life in the rich Prussian blue tones of the ocean itself.
By the end of the session, each participant had created their own original cyanotype prints, beautiful, frame-worthy pieces that captured both the beauty of Oregon’s coastline and the memory of a day spent immersed in its ecosystems. The resulting artworks were more than just prints; they were snapshots of the ocean’s rhythm, a record of the species and conditions of that particular moment in time.
The workshop was a reminder of how science and art can meet at the water’s edge, inspiring a deeper appreciation for the ocean and the creative ways we can celebrate it. We left Seal Rocks with salty hands, sunlit prints, and a renewed sense of connection to the coast we call home.
Meet Oriana
Oriana Poindexter is a photographer and marine scientist. Her work opens dialogues about our relationship with the changing biodiversity of the ocean using traditional and alternative photo processes. She holds an M.A.S. from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and a B.A. from Princeton University. Her work has been published by Smithsonian Magazine, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and exhibited at the Oceanside Museum of Art, the Center for Fine Art Photography, and the San Diego Public Library.
Poindexter has led more than 20 seaweed cyanotype workshops to groups of all ages, partnering with organizations and brands including Patagonia, Usal Project, InterContinental Hotels, The Ocean Institute, and UC San Diego’s Alumni Association.
