flowers

Two exhibits in the Twin Cities area

lindastaatsphoto6 Comments

My Midwest,Florabundant_StaatsI’m very happy to tell you about two exhibits that I have in the Twin Cities area.  The first is part of a group exhibit at Hudson Hospital in Hudson, Wisconsin.  My collection of photographs is titled “My Midwest.”  This group of images, including the first photograph above from the Boundary Waters in Minnesota, represent the beauty and diversity that I have found while living in the Midwest.  There will be an artists reception at Hudson Hospital this Friday, February 8th from 6:00 to 8:00pm.  You are welcome to come see my work as well as the work of other artists.  My photographs will be at Hudson Hospital through March 17, 2013.

The second exhibit is at St. Barnabas Lutheran Church in Plymouth, Minnesota.  This collection of images is titled “florabundant” and includes the lower photograph of a gaillardia.  These images all celebrate the color, radiance, and wonder that exists in the floral universe.  In contract to our winter landscape which is presently covered in white and devoid of any other colors right now, this collection is filled with the hues and brightness of spring, summer, autumn, and the whites of winter too.  This exhibit runs through the month of February.

A search for color

lindastaatsphoto2 Comments

Our weather has turned wintry today with falling temperatures and rain and sleet.  I looked around the yard and found it void of color.  But just earlier this week the sedum had turned a beautiful rusty-red.  I don’t usually pay too much attention to the sedum, but each small bud and the deep color reminded me of cranberries (another of my fall favorites).  I am glad to see that I stopped to photograph the sedum before it bore the brunt of the freeze and slap of the cold temps.  Sometime in the near future our landscape will be refreshed in another color – the white of winter.

Bee balm in the fall

lindastaatsphoto1 Comment

Fall is quickly vanishing across our landscape.  The colors that blazed so brilliantly are now gone.  The leaves that valiantly clung to the tree branches have let go and fallen to the ground.  We’ve been working in our yard and gardens, preparing them for winter.  As I was pulling out plants that were way past their prime I found a stand of bee balm, their flowers having dropped many weeks ago.  I paused for a moment and realized how beautiful this seedhead was — a globe of intricate pieces that wasn’t noticeable during its summer bloom.  Sometimes I feel the need to appreciate those things that are stripped of their original beauty and taken out of the context we’re accustomed to.  Here too was beauty and form, even out of season.

Minnesota State Fair fine art exhibit

lindastaatsphoto11 Comments

If the calendar is turning to the end of August, it must be state fair time in Minnesota.  Affectionately known as the “Great Minnesota Get Together” the fair begins this Thursday, August 23rd, and runs through Labor Day, September 3rd.  One of the showcases each year is the fine art exhibition — a juried competition of Minnesota artists.  Last year 361 art pieces were accepted into the final exhibit, selected from over 2,500 works.  I’m happy to say that my submission for this year has been accepted into the exhibit.  My photograph is titled “Rain on my tulip window.”  If you’re planning to attend the state fair, be sure to enjoy the Fine Art exhibition.  You’ll have the opportunity to see a collection of wide-ranging art by some of the very best Minnesota artists.

Late summer’s cosmos

lindastaatsphoto2 Comments

Almost as if a switch had been thrown, our weather changed from excessive summer heat to below normal temperatures.  With lows in the 50’s at night and highs only in the 60’s and 70’s we had a real hint of the end of summer.  Life has sped up knowing that fall can’t be far away, and although we may have hot temperatures again during the daytime, the nights will cool off considerably as our hours of daylight shorten.  Knowing this made these beautiful pink cosmos seem even more special when I found them in a wonderful garden today.  Their lightness was a reminder of the carefree feeling of summer –  enjoy it now because it’s fleeting, soon to be followed by the deeper smells and rich colors of autumn.