Wild Blue Lupine

Remember - you can click on the photo above to see it on a larger scale...

Last weekend, my son Alex and I went camping with his Cub Scout troop. When we got up (VERY bright and early!) the next morning, I asked him if he would like to go out to the lovely local nature preserve just down the street. He and I grabbed our cameras, and headed out. It was a nice morning - a little overcast - so it was perfect for photographing wildflowers. And here's what we found ... about 17 acres of wild lupine!

Most of the property is “savanna” habitat – an open, prairie-like field with scattered trees. The field of blue lupine is more than just a scenic amenity, though. The lupine creates crucial habitat for one of Michigan's rarest native animal species: the Karner blue butterfly.

I only saw a couple butterflies, but want to check the area again next week to see if the butterflies are still out and about. They only come out for a brief period in May and in July, so hunting for them is quite a challenge. Especially since they are no larger than your thumbnail!

Happy Spring!

Honey Creek in Spring

Because I've been so busy preparing for next week's Festival of the Arts sales booth, I haven't found nearly enough time to get out there to actually take NEW images.

I have been trying, at least once a week, to find an hour or so to go exploring around some local parks and places I've passed by while driving.

My dear friend, Mary Lou Moll, pointed out this lovely area in Ada where someone built a little waterwheel over Honey Creek. The sun had already set and this was taken with a long exposure in the afterglow of the last evening light.

I love how green everything is this time of year - fresh and new and clean!

Festival Art Sales Booth #14

I have been given my booth assignment in the Art Sales Tent at Festival of the Arts 2007 in downtown Grand Rapids. Look for me (and a slew of wonderful friends who are helping out in the tent!) at Booth #14, right on Calder Plaza.

Festival is the largest all-volunteer arts event in the nation! A three-day arts celebration, held the first full weekend in June in downtown Grand Rapids. It encompasses almost all of downtown Grand Rapids with six performance stages; lots and lots of food booths offering ethnic delights of all kinds; singers, dancers, thespians, visual artists, and performers from all over West Michigan; more than 20,000 hard-working volunteers; and over half a million people in attendance.

Visit the Festival website for more information

Art Tents on Calder Plaza - June 1, 2 & 3

- Friday	Noon - 9 pm
- Saturday	10 am - 9 pm
- Sunday	10 am - 5 pm

West Michigan's finest artists and craftspeople sell their wares, including pottery, jewelry, folk art, photography, handmade paper, metal sculpture, wood sculpture, fiber art, glass sculpture, watercolors, acrylics, and oils.

Be sure to stop by and say hello - and be sure you bring an extra shish-ka-bob with you...

It's Official!

I just received word this morning my work was accepted to have a booth in the Art Sales Tent at Festival of the Arts 2007 in downtown Grand Rapids. Festival is the largest all-volunteer arts event in the nation!

A three-day arts celebration, held the first full weekend in June in downtown Grand Rapids. It encompasses almost all of downtown Grand Rapids with six performance stages; lots and lots of food booths offering ethnic delights of all kinds; singers, dancers, thespians, visual artists, and performers from all over West Michigan; more than 20,000 hard-working volunteers; and over half a million people in attendance.

Visit the Festival website for more information

Art Tents on Calder Plaza - June 1, 2 & 3

- Friday	Noon - 9 pm
- Saturday	10 am - 9 pm
- Sunday	10 am - 5 pm

West Michigan's finest artists and craftspeople sell their wares, including pottery, jewelry, folk art, photography, handmade paper, metal sculpture, wood sculpture, fiber art, glass sculpture, watercolors, acrylics, and oils.

Be sure to stop by and say hello - and be sure you bring an extra shish-ka-bob with you...

MyParkPhotos.com

For those of you who like to visit parks around Michigan (in fact - all over the world!), take a visit to MyParkPhotos.com.

MyParkPhotos.com is an online photography and Blogging community for those who enjoy visiting public lands from any country, including local, state, provincial, and national parks, wildlife refuges, forests and trails, and sharing their photographs and experiences with others.

I have submitted quite a bit of my work at this site over time, and even won two monthly categories in January 2007. Those images are now in the running to be featured in the beautiful wall calendar they produce.

For writing small comments at the site about the various parks I've visited, my name was put into a drawing for an American the Beautiful National Park pass. And - I won one in February! Now I can roam about at Sleeping Bear National Park this coming fall sans entrance and park fees - very nice!

Sleeping with the Bear - With a Snooze Alarm!

As if it wasn't exciting enough already...

The Glen Arbor Art Association informed me today that I can extend my artist residency for another week! There was a cancellation of sorts and they offered me the residency for two weeks instead of just one.

I now will be there from September 30 through October 14, 2007.

Artists who are chosen are asked to make a presentation to the community during their residency on the second Tuesday evening of their stay . If anyone is interested in taking a road trip to Glen Arbor and the Sleeping Bear Dunes - the presentation will be on Tuesday, October 9, 2007.

Come on up! The fall colors should be terrific! Yippee!

These are a Few of My...

Favorite Things! Some of my fav photos, in no particular order. Enjoy!

Sleeping with the Bear...

Today, I was accepted into the Glen Arbor Art Association Artist Residency program! What a thrill for me to have an opportunity such as this.

The GAAA offers several creative residencies each year. In cooperation with Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, participants work at Thoreson Farm, a farmstead in the historic Port Oneida district of the National Lakeshore. Its newly remodeled buildings provide studio space and overlook open fields and woodlands. The National Lakeshore includes several miles of spectacular Lake Michigan shoreline, wooded hills and the Crystal River. The goal of the residencies is to allow artists a respite in order to work and to leave the cares of the world behind to focus on their creative process.

For now, the plan is I will be in residence from September 30 through October 6, with a presentation to the community on the Tuesday evening of my stay. I plan to educate myself on the ecology of the Sleeping Bear region, and emphasize the importance of the Park as a place of pleasure and preservation via my photographic images. I hope my work will bring people new insights, enjoyment and understanding of such a wonderful place in our own state.

Here are some images I took one evening last June - when I decided I was completely smitten with the place!

Sleeping Bear Dunes

Cheaper Than Therapy!

There was no school on Monday, so I decided to take a couple of hours with Alex and visit the pre-opening of the Butterflies are Blooming event at the Frederik Meijer Gardens.

This is an annual favorite for the Niedzwiecki family (or at least a certain photographer who can't get enough macro moments through the camera lens!).

During this time of year - visiting the Gardens - a place filled with warmth and color and flowers and butterflies is much less expensive than a flight to a tropical region.

And it's certainly much cheaper than therapy...

We ended the afternoon on a high note by visiting Coldstone Creamery. Their ice cream is basically food of the gods as far as Alex and I are concerned. He had "Oreo Overload" and I had a "Coffee Lovers" mix...YUM!

So it is very possible to take a great vacation - and only travel down the street.

21st West Michigan Regional Competition

Today I learned this image (Into the Realm...) was selected to be exhibited in the upcoming 21st West Michigan Regional Competition. The show is sponsored by the Lowell Area Arts Council.

If you'd like to stop by and say "Hello" - I should be at the public reception which will be held this Sunday, February 18 from 2-4 pm.

For more information and directions to the gallery, visit www.lowellartscouncil.org. Hope to see you there!

For those of you curious about this image - it was taken in August during our family summer vacation to Hocking Hills State Park in Southern Ohio. It was very, VERY hot at the time, and the rising morning sun created a mist of humidity in the cool green forest. Very interesting place for photography!

Ahhh...SMILE. Winter is here!

Can't say as I've ever had an elk POSE for a portrait before, but...

It did.

I attended a great (but VERY cold) photography workshop on February 10th at the Outdoor Discovery Center in Holland.

For those of you who haven't visited this wonderful place, I would encourage you visit soon! There is something there for everyone to enjoy - including over four miles of trails and boardwalks, an interpretive building with displays and live animals, and a birds of prey education facility.

The First Post...

And so I jump into the trend of blogging... Here's my first attempt at trying to make my photography journey available for the masses. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, so they say.

Perhaps I should chronicle where and what I'm currently photographing? List the places where my work is offered for sale or exhibit? Show you all some examples of recently captured images?

What would you, dear reader, be interested in knowing more about? Drop me a line and let me know...