After record-breaking heat this past week we finally cooled down a bit yesterday. And with a Saturday evening with nothing to do we loaded the canoe on the car, grabbed our fishing rods, and headed out for some lake-time. As we put in to the water the winds died down, and as sunset approached we knew we were in for a treat. Our paddles whispered as they entered the water, the dragonflies were dancing over the surface, and we could glide over the lily pads in quiet. I would fish, then stop and photograph. I’d then put my camera away convinced that the sunset couldn’t get any better, only to pull it back out again. It was a wonderful way to end the day – the quiet of the lake and a mess of sunfish and crappies. And when this morning dawned with quiet and calm too, I headed out early on my bicycle for a quick ride. Like last night there was a great magic in the early hours. The birds were awakening, there was little traffic, the wildflowers were blooming by the sides of the road, and my bike tires sailed smoothly across the pavement. These truly are the “magic hours” and they make me appreciate all that is wonderful about this time and this place.
wildflowers
Wisconsin’s wild lupine
We ventured north this weekend to the shores of Lake Superior. After a miserably cold and rainy week the weather cleared in perfect time for the weekend, and with little to no winds and mild temperatures it was a wonderful time to explore new areas. We wandered the highways and county roads of northern Wisconsin and even went to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. After the wet and late spring we’ve had, the roadsides are now in full bloom. We were first treated to the white daisies and orange hawk weed that were abundant throughout the central part of Wisconsin. Then as we reached the south shore of Lake Superior and continued to the north in Bayfield County, the lupine were in their prime. I had seen photos of the wild lupine in the Bayfield area before, but they appeared to be in a large garden area. I was not prepared for the plethora of blooms that were gracing the sides of the highways. This photo was taken along the side of Highway 13 just north of Washburn. With their blue, purple, pink, and white spikes they were a treat to the eyes and a reminder of how much we appreciate the colors of spring that replace the white of our winter season.
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.
Pasque flowers announcing spring
One of the first prairie flowers to bloom in the spring are the pasque flowers. They thrive in gravel prairies and are found in various areas throughout Minnesota. Yesterday I ventured south of the Twin Cities to a Minnesota Scientific and Natural Area. When I first arrived, the morning was cool and overcast, but I was thrilled to have found a wonderful slope dotted with these small pasque flowers. Standing only 4 to 5 inches tall, they are easily overlooked from a distance. As I walked along I found more and more of these little gems pushing their blooms up from under the brown grasses. I spent over an hour photographing, all the while accompanied by the sounds of Canada geese and mourning doves. As I stopped to take in the beauty of the landscape around me the skies slowly cleared and I was treated to a warm sun and beautiful pasque flowers against a blue sky — a delightful and wonderful welcome to spring.
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