Julia Whitney Barnes: Cyanopaintings and the Botanical World
ON VIEW NOW
Tyte Gallery is pleased to present Julia Whitney Barnes: Cyanopaintings and the Botanical World. The exhibition opens with a public reception on Saturday, October 3, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, and remains on view through Sunday, November 22, 2026.
Whitney Barnes’s cyanopaintings extend the nineteenth-century botanical cyanotype tradition pioneered by Anna Atkins, whose early photographic studies recorded the intricate forms of plant specimens on light-sensitive paper. Working in dialogue with this history, Whitney Barnes begins with plants often gathered from her Hudson Valley garden and the surrounding landscape. She presses, arranges, and exposes the botanical forms, capturing their structures as luminous blue-and-white impressions.
These unique cyanotype prints on watercolor paper become the foundations for intricately layered paintings. Through applications of watercolor, gouache, acrylic, and ink—and the integration of multiple plant species, photographic negatives, and geometric forms—the artist transforms botanical impressions into elaborate, dreamlike compositions. The images move between observation and invention, with traces of living specimens giving way to forms that suggest memories, apparitions, and imagined ecosystems.
Grounded in painting yet informed by photographic and botanical processes, the works inhabit the space between scientific observation and artistic imagination. They honor the floral tradition while expanding its possibilities, drawing attention to the beauty, fragility, and interconnectedness of the natural world. Both intimate and expansive, the exhibition invites close, sustained looking at the living systems that surround us.
About the Artist:
Julia Whitney Barnes is an artist living in the Hudson Valley who works in a variety of media, including cyanotypes, watercolor, oil paintings, ceramic sculptures, murals, and site-specific installations. She has exhibited widely in the United States and internationally. She was awarded fellowships from the New York State Council on the Arts, the Abbey Memorial Fund for Mural.
Born in Newbury, VT, Julia Whitney Barnes spent two decades in Brooklyn before moving to Poughkeepsie in 2015. She received her BFA from Parsons School of Design and her MFA from Hunter College. Whitney Barnes has created site-specific installations at the Albany International Airport, Shaker Heritage Society, Albany, NY, Brookfield Place/Winter Garden, New York, NY, Fjellerup Bund I Bund & Grund, Fjellerup, Denmark, New York City Department of Transportation, Figment Sculpture Garden, Governors Island, NY, among many other locations.
The artist completed two significant commissions in 2024, including an immersive double-sided glass artwork for Public Art for Public Schools/NYC Percent for Art in Brooklyn, NY, and a room-wide mural for the Vassar College Institute in Poughkeepsie, NY. In 2025, she created a wraparound exterior mural in Cambridge, MA, based on local flora and inspired by the famous 19th-century glass flowers in the collection of the Harvard Museum of Natural History.
About the Curator:
With over 40 years of museum and gallery experience at such institutions as The Cooper-Hewitt Museum of Design, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Chase Manhattan Bank Corporate Art Program, the Museum of American Folk Art, and Storm King Art Center, Wayne Lempka is presently the art collections manager at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, State University of New York at New Paltz. He is an art historian with a concentration in American painting and photography. He is also a lecturer in the Art Department of Marist University. During his tenure in the art world, he has curated over 200 exhibitions.
Julia Whitney Barnes: Cyanopaintings and the Botanical World
ON VIEW :
October 3 – November 22, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 3, 2026 | 5 PM – 7 PM
Artist Talk: Saturday,
November 7, 2026 | 3 PM – 5 PM
Gallery Hours:
Mon 10 AM - 5 PM
Tues & Wed CLOSED
Thurs & Fri 10 AM - 5 PM
Sat 11 AM - 5 PM
Sun 10 AM - 4 PM
or by appointment
Picturesque Botany (Chrysanthemum, Dahlia, Anemone, Rose, Cosmos, Ferns, etc), 2025 $10,500
Picturesque Botany (Lily, Rose, Cherry Blossom, Foxglove, Dusty Miller, etc.), 2023 $4,900
Gold Flora (Hellebore, Center Star), 2022 $3,950
Planting Utopia (Map), 2022–2024 Not For Sale
“Planting Utopia (Moons/Polychrome Canvas)” 2022 $4,500
“Planting Utopia (Herbarium Canvas II)” 2022 $2,500
Picturesque Botany (Sunflower, Zinnia, Monstera, Cosmos, Montbretia, etc.), 2025 $10,500
Picturesque Botany (Octagon/Foxglove, Gingko, Dusty Miller, Forget Me Not, Violet, Aster, etc.), 2023 $5,900
Gold Flora/Shadows (Pollinators, Hellebore, Stars) 2025 $3,950
Planting Utopia (Whom Do I Love), 2022–2024 $10,500
“Planting Utopia (Celestial Garden)” 2023 $975
Picturesque Botany (Chrysanthemum, Dahlia, Sunflower, Anemone, Bee Balm, Cosmos, etc.), 2025 $10,500
Picturesque Botany (Tulip, Fern, Morning Glory, Delphinium, Lady Slipper Orchid, Rose, Pollinators, etc.), 2022-2023 $12,500
“Nocturnal Nature (Double Hibiscus, Rose)” 2022–2024 $1,750
Planting Utopia (Hummingbirds, Moons), 2022–2024 $10,000
“Planting Utopia (Ring of Flowers, Moons &Stars/Polychrome Canvas)” 2022 $3,500
“Planting Utopia(Herbarium Grid/Polychrome Canvas)” 2022 $4,500
“Planting Utopia (City of Peace)” 2023 $975
“Planting Utopia (Flower Map)”, 2023 $975
Picturesque Botany (Foxglove, Peony, Fern, Bluebell, Hellebore, Pollinators, etc.) 2022-2023 $12,500
Planting Utopia (Plant Crown), 2022–2024 $10,500
Planting Utopia (Map/Polychrome Canvas), 2022 $3,500
“Planting Utopia (Herbarium 1/Polychrome Canvas)” 2022 $6,500
“Planting Utopia (Circle of Life)” 2023 $975
TYTE GALLERY
At Tyte Gallery, we are dedicated to fostering a vibrant arts community by showcasing a diverse range of works from both established and emerging local artists. Our exhibition schedule features group shows and a rotating selection of pieces from our represented artists, ensuring a dynamic and engaging experience for all.
We are committed to building strong relationships with artists and expanding our network of collectors, while also discovering and nurturing new talent. Our goal is to provide exceptional personalized service and deliver extraordinary fine art to both novice and seasoned collectors. Through this passion, we aim to enrich the lives of our clients and celebrate the transformative power of art.
