We got away this past summer’s weekend to the big city of Chicago — my first visit in about 30 years (yikes!). It was a wonderful and fascinating time, filled to the brim with new sights and experiences. One of the lasting impressions I came away with is the city’s appreciation for art and architecture. Art and sculpture is found everywhere, with people experiencing it firsthand. Whether young or old there was a fascination with the Cloud Gate at Millennium Park (shown here in the photo) or the Crown Fountain, which afforded a chance to cool off on a hot summer’s day. We took in a Cubs game at Wrigley Field, where the neighborhood lives and breathes baseball and history, and we enjoyed a river cruise by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. What a perfect way to learn about the history of Chicago, the building and rebuilding of the city, and the pride that permeates nearly every city block. The weekend renewed my belief in the importance of art and its ability to connect with people of all ages and backgrounds. No matter what verbal language is spoken, what ethnic background, what age, there is no better way to communicate than with a visual work of art, a true universal language all its own.
Author: lindastaatsphoto
Exhibits, awards and publications
This past Friday night was the opening reception for the 4th annual Horizontal Grandeur fine art exhibition at the Stevens County Historical Museum in Morris, Minnesota. The exhibit brought together artists from across the country, all living in states with prairies. Inspired by Bill Holm’s essay, “Horizontal Grandeur,” there were inspiring and wonderful interpretations of the prairie theme. I was honored to have two of my photographs juried into this show. This image, “Dawn’s first light on the prairie” was photographed while I was an artist-in-residence at the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site in West Branch, Iowa. My second photograph in the exhibit is the image from my April 11, 2010 blog entry “Pasque flower welcome to spring.” For a complete viewing of the pieces in the exhibit, please visit the website for the Stevens County Historical Museum at www.stevenshistorymuseum.com.
Here in the Twin Cities I’m a member of the Minneapolis Photographic Society — a group of wonderfully talented photographers with diverse interests. Each year there is one image that is selected as Color Print of the Year and one that is selected as Monochrome Print of the Year. This year I was awarded the Color Print of the Year for my image “Through the red barn window.” To see more of the award-winning images from the group, please visit the website: http://www.mplsphoto.com/mps/site/a28yearend.php
And lastly, I am excited to have a photograph published in the July/August issue of “The Iowan Magazine.” This image “Swept into the center” is the opening spread of the portfolio section titled “red.white.blue.”
It’s been a busy and exciting few months, and I feel honored with these exhibits, awards, and publications.
Sunset over Chequamegon Bay
It was a hot and steamy holiday weekend. We left the rush of the cities behind and headed north to the quiet of the woods and lakes, spending the weekend near the shore of Lake Superior. In the northern part of Wisconsin between the towns of Washburn and Ashland is an inlet of Lake Superior called Chequamegon Bay (pronounced “sha-wahma-gann”). The name comes from the Ojibwe term meaning “sand bar place.” (Those of you that have followed my blog will remember that in the cold of winter we have snowshoed across this bay over the frozen lake.) After a hot and humid day the clouds were beginning to roll in over the hills to the west. The sun had just enough energy left to break through some of the clouds and lend its lengthy reflection to the rippling waters of the lake at it moved below the hills. Wading in the cold waters of Lake Superior and savoring the calm and color that the sunset provided was the perfect way to close out a long summer’s day in the north.
Racing at the Velodrome
On a beautiful summer’s evening this past week we ventured north to the National Sports Center Velodrome to watch the cycling races. The Velodrome track is made of narrow strips of a specialized wood that has 43-degree banking in the turns, and the bicycles that are ridden here have no brakes and only one gear. The racing we saw was fast and furious along with a requisite amount of strategy and planning. The riders, both men and women that race here give it their all. I admire their skill level and the physical endurance they possess. As the riders raced into the evening, the nearly-full moon rose, the sun set and the lights at the track came on. On this warm evening the crowd was entertained with top-notch racing.
Foxtail barley
Anytime I am in my car my eyes are scanning the scenery and landscape. As I’ve been driving to work this past week I’ve been watching the foxtail barley grasses maturing. Because these grasses grow along the sides of the highways and roads and in the medians, there’s a small window of opportunity to photograph them. Once they get tall enough they are mowed down so as not to impair the sight lines of the drivers. This evening I was fortunate to beat the mowers and had a delightful (and eventful) time of photographing these soft and reflective grasses. What you don’t see in this photo is the state highway just on the horizon behind the foxtail barley. Evidently as someone was driving by they must have noticed me sitting on the ground and worried that something was amiss. The next thing I knew I heard sirens and an EMT was pulling up by the side of the road wanting to know if I was okay. After I assured them I was fine and explained that I was photographing they were on their way. It is nice to know that there are caring people here in Minnesota.
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