There’s something magical about cyanotype blue. It’s a deep bright unfathomable shifting blue. Stranger than the water, stranger than the sky. The blue of dreams. it seems to hold all the wonder of early photography, all the joy of capturing something as it changes, capturing the essence of something in light. Ellen Wallenstein’s cyanotypes were my introduction to her remarkable body of work, and they seemed so wonderful to me. So alive with creativity and imagination — the life of the mind and the life of the heart. I learned that she made them every sunny day — every sunny day! That daily act of creativity, even as it was dependent on the ever-changing sunshine, seemed like such a beautiful act of meditation to me. I didn’t know at the time that it was also a powerful act of healing and a testament to art’s ability to sustain and nurture.

Blue Journey, a collection of cyanotype prayer flags as well as quilts made in collaboration with artist and friend Kathe Williams, can be seen at the Carter Burden Gallery in New York City until November 6.

“In late 2021, artist and photography professor Ellen Wallenstein received a life-altering diagnosis: stage three endometrial cancer. Despite the daunting prognosis, she found solace and strength in her art, continuing to create cyanotypes—ethereal blue shadow-grams on cloth—each sunny day. These daily practices became a profound medium for Ellen to channel her emotions, fears, and unwavering determination to thrive.

Blue Journey is a testament to Wallenstein’s resilience and creativity during her arduous medical journey. The installation features nine sets of prayer flags, titled “In Treatment,” crafted during the early stages of her diagnosis in 2021 and 2022. Each flag, imbued with her spirit, reflects the raw and unfiltered experiences of undergoing treatment.

Complementing the prayer flags are five quilts, collectively known as “The Healing Process.” These quilts, created between 2020 and 2024, narrate the phases of prognosis, treatment, healing, and eventual remission. They are the result of a collaborative effort between Ellen and Kathe Williams, a master quilter and Wallenstein’s longtime friend from Texas. Together, they transformed Wallenstein’s journey into tactile expressions of hope and recovery, blending artistic visions with intimate personal experiences.

Blue Journey invites viewers to witness the transformative power of art in the face of adversity, celebrating the profound connection between creativity and healing.”

“I am a photographer, artist and retired professor of art. I make photographs, drawings, collages, books and boxes. Making art is a daily habit: a meditation, a centering. 

My interest in photography was sparked in childhood, when I looked at family albums. I am interested in how photographs reflect history – a record in time of how people presented their life to the camera. Evidence of the past always viewed in the present.

I started photographing in high school in the late 1960s.  I studied art history in college because I loved looking at art, having grown up in New York City, visiting museums. Bruegel’s “Harvesters” at the Metropolitan is always a revelation to me.

It was in graduate school at Pratt Institute that I understood I was an artist, and a teacher. I began an academic career at the UT Austin in 1978, returning to NYC in 1986 to teach at the School of Visual Arts. In 2001 I started teaching at Pratt Institute. I retired from both schools in 2022.

I show my work at the Carter Burden Gallery in NYC , It can also be seen online at NYArtistsCircle.com and Visura.co.” -Ellen Wallenstein

See more of Wallenstein’s work on her website ellenwallenstein.com, and on Instagram @ellen.wallenstein.photo.