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Exhibits, awards and publications

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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.

It was a dark & stormy night

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We headed north this weekend for a little fishing trip — one that was full of delights and surprises.  We were tent camping and were fortunate to find a beautiful campsite on the shore of a northern lake.  As we drifted to sleep last night we were serenaded by a chorus of frogs and loons.  And yet in the middle of the night a storm moved through, bringing lightning and thunder, wind, and rain.  I lay wide awake in the tent, imagining a worst-case scenario and worrying about what we would do.  Luckily the worst of the dark & stormy night was off in the distance and what I was imagining didn’t develop.  When we awoke this morning we were greeted with summer temperatures, a calm lake, and clearing skies.  Today was beautiful for fishing.  With blue skies, white clouds, clear water, and the serenade of red-winged blackbirds and loons, we were successful in catching a “slug” of northern pike.  After having lived here in Minnesota for almost four years I’m appreciating even more the specialness and richness of our 10,000 plus lakes.

Sounds of transition

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As a photographer, I consider myself a visual person.  My eyes are constantly moving across whatever scene is in front of me, scanning for details, for patterns, for the beauty of the scene.  Yet this week I’ve been attuned to the sounds in the air as we transition from winter to spring.  With temperatures above freezing throughout the whole week, we’ve been serenaded with the sweet sound of running water.  The gutters and drainspouts are gurgling once again — a sound we haven’t heard since early December.  The street curbs are filled with water running from the snowmelt down to the storm drains.  Every house and building overhang is dripping as the snow is melted by a warmer and brighter sun.     As I was walking in the neighborhood this afternoon my ears caught the sound of a group of young boys playing catch and the distant radio broadcast of a spring training baseball game.  I think spring is the one season that’s announced by a cacophony of sounds, all that are welcome with the promise of warmer weather, green grass, blue skies and warm sunshine.  Yes, we still have mounds of snow and the sidewalks are becoming small canals as the water melts with nowhere to run, but we have hope in this annual ritual.

Fort Snelling Civil War weekend

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Staats_Fort Snelling MNI spent a few hours at historic Fort Snelling yesterday during their Civil War Weekend.  The old fort sits high on a bluff where the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers come together.  Originally set up to protect the fur trade in the northern wilderness, it was also used to train the 24,000 Minnesota soldiers who fought in the Civil War as well as the US-Dakota War.  On this weekend the Fort was filled with members of the Living History Society of Minnesota (www.lhamn.org).  This photograph was taken during an infantry demonstration on the parade ground.  It struck a deep chord with me:  through the lens I saw a young boy, accompanied by men of all ages, preparing for war.  I have a dear friend whose daughter is presently in Baghdad.  I also have a friend whose son was recently killed in Iraq, and I can only sympathize with the mothers and fathers who have lost sons and daughters due to war throughout the centuries.  I wish for the safe return of our brave soldiers.

Minnesota State Capitol Building

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MN State Capitol Building
MN State Capitol Building

This past week I joined the Minneapolis Photographic Society on a field trip in downtown Saint Paul.  The weather was threatening rain and it was quite windy, but a group of about 15-20 photographers braved the elements.  Earlier in the evening we stopped by the Capitol building, photographing it with a dull, gray sky.  The images were documentary, but nothing to draw a viewer into the photo.  As we waited and chatted, the skies got darker and eventually the lights on the building were lit, giving the image a delightful and beautiful glow.  Adding the bright petunias in the foreground gave the image some additional color and interest.  The Capitol Building was designed by local architect Cass Gilbert, and was opened in 1905.  It sits prominently overlooking the city of Saint Paul.