I am excited to share with you the cover of the November/December 2010 issue of Northern Gardener Magazine. This is a publication of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society, and is crammed full of information for those of us living and gardening with the weather extremes in the USDA plant hardy Zones 3, 4, and 5. I am thrilled that they chose one of my photographs for their magazine cover. This image was taken on a morning last February when we awoke to a beautiful coating of hoarfrost covering our trees and plants. The white ice crystals clung to each stem and seedhead, accentuating their beauty and impermanence. For those of you that might be interested in Northern Gardener Magazine and/or the Minnesota State Horticultural Society, please check their website at www.northerngardener.org.
flowers
Story Lines: an exhibit of prints and photographs
I have a new exhibit that’s opening this week in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Ellen Wold, a photographer and printmaker, and myself will be exhibiting at the Unity Church – Unitarian from November 3rd through the 30th. The opening reception is this coming Friday night, November 5th, from 6:00 to 9:00pm. The Unity Church – Unitarian is located at 732 Holly Avenue in Saint Paul. My photograph that is shown here is titled “Work in a field of lavender” and was made in Sequim, Washington. The Sequim Lavender Festival is the largest lavender festival in North America and takes place each year in July. With the warmth and sun of summer and fields of lavender all around, the distinctive scent of the purple landscape permeates the air. I invite those of you in the vicinity of Saint Paul to come to the opening reception and the exhibit. Ellen and I would enjoy sharing our art and our stories with you.
A wedding in the family
We had the happy privilege of having a wedding in the family this past weekend. It was a time of joyous celebration and happiness. The bride and groom are both in the Army, and met while stationed in Iraq. Their time at Camp Liberty was eventful in many ways and even more so after they met. Their dates consisted of meeting mid-base and sharing pizza. His deployment was over before hers and he returned to the U.S., waiting for her return three months later. They settled in Texas and continued planning their wedding here in Saint Paul. The wedding ceremony was joyous and happy. Both the bride and groom were surrounded by their parents, siblings, school and university friends, and military friends — many of whom traveled from across the country to share in the celebration of their marriage. The toasts were heartfelt and the celebration continued late into the night, concluding with a wedding brunch the following day. I wish them the very best in their marriage together. There will be trying times, especially next year when she will be deployed back to Iraq, but I believe their love story will continue and with their commitment and love they will write their own happy ending.
Colors of summer
I’ve been thinking of how best to depict summer in one image. There are so many adventures and activities that we associate with summer, but how can one summarize those all in one photographic image? To me, this photo brings together the colors of summer — the bluest of warm-weather skies, the white puffy clouds that grace the heavens, the green of all the abundant growth that takes place during the season, and the golden-yellow of the sun and the flowers and the warmth that accompanies summer. My second photography instructor (and my favorite — thank you Karyl!) had a saying that I have always remembered when photographing — “isolate to simplify.” To me this image represents the essence of that phrase, pulling all my feelings of summer into three elements and one simple representation.
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.
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