County of Kent Purchase Award

Upon attending the festival 2008 reception last night, I was pleased to discover my photograph - In Their Loving Hands (Gerald R. Ford Funeral) - received a County of Kent Purchase Award! This literally means the photograph was purchased for its asking price, and it will now hang in some County facility.

In Their Loving Hands
Gerald R. Ford

Since the Ford Funeral was such a huge part of Grand Rapids history, I'm so pleased to know this piece will be displayed someplace where others can appreciate and reflect on the significance of the event. This image was too important to be hanging up just in my living room - that's for sure!

This is my second time being honored with same award. At festival 2006 my image Transformation was purchased, and it was equally as exciting because it was my first try ever at entering this well-known and highly competitive show.

Now I only wish I knew... WHERE these two pieces end up being displayed? I'll have to do a little investigation - which could be a bit fun in itself.

Come Join Us on Friday the 30th!

The festival of the arts in Grand Rapids Regional Arts Exhibition opens this week in the old art museum at 155 Division Avenue North in downtown Grand Rapids. There will be a reception for artists and their guests and all of the volunteers who make festival happen. The doors will open at 5:00 on Friday, May 30, and the party will last until 9:00 p.m. Refreshments and edibles will be served.

The exhibition will be open to the public on May 31, and June 1, from Noon until 6:00 p.m. The hours for the Exhibit during festival will be Friday, June 6, from 10:00 am until 9:00 pm. Saturday, June 7, from 10:00 am until 9:00 pm., and Sunday, June 8, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.

There are 383 pieces of art by 211 artists on display in the first-floor galleries. During festival the building will also house the Youth Art Exhibition if the former Decorative Arts Gallery, and a show of art from Sister Cities international. Classical Music will be performed in the Auditorium on the second floor and when available groups will also perform in the galleries.

Please join us for this, the largest art show of its type ever in our community!

Fred Bivins Chair- Regional Arts Competition and Exhibition

This note from Stacy: I plan to arrive about 6 pm for those friends who'd like to meet up!

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Lucky Strikes!

Since I've been preparing a lot of images for the upcoming Festival 2008, I'm going back through some images that were taken up to six months ago! I'm a bit backlogged. I TAKE the photos whenever I can, but my "digital darkroom processing time" is months behind.

This shot was taken in October 2007 as I took note of a passing storm on Doppler Radar. As it passed the tip of Glen Arbor over the Manitou Islands, I realized I could probably see it from the end of the street. When I got out there with my camera, the storm was passing over the Port Oneida area and I captured a double lightning strike. That was COOL!

Go ahead and click on the image above to see the lightning strikes a bit larger...

Found THE Spot!

Last week Thursday, I had a chance to get up to the Sleeping Bear Dunes again, but only for about 3 hours (not nearly long enough!). As it turned out, I was there right as the sun was starting to set. I decided to check out a spot I hadn't visited during my Artist-in-Residence program last October.

The reason I didn't check it out is... I took a wrong turn on a back road while looking for it, and missed this lovely lake entirely! What a shame I missed it then - but I'm glad I found it now. This is North Bar Lake. Please feel free to click on the thumbnail below to enjoy it a bit larger:

Road Trip, Anyone?

Sometimes - when you're surfing the Internet - you find something that's just too darned funny not to "share".

What are you doing on June 14?

If you've got the day free - you could head over to the Mount Sterling Illinois' Testicle Festival. This annual food event features beef, hog, lamb, and turkey testicles served "with all the trimmings". That statement is apparently part of their official verbiage!

Or - a bit further west in Montana - there's the Rock Creek Lodge Testicle Festival. Their website? - www.testyfesty.com. Gotta love the URL address for that website!

"Come one, come all - let's have a ball!" Wow - what a marketing campaign...

Want to Get Away?

Are you looking for some relaxation, inspiration and just plain fun for your group or guests? Want to take a vacation - but gas prices are scaring you from traveling?

I am now offering a multimedia showing of my nature images. The show consists of a digital slide presentation synchronized to soft music, and a talk where I will give the "story" behind the images.

The discussion features a bit of the techniques, difficulties and fun moments encountered in capturing some of my favorite images. The program is not intended to be a photography class - just a enjoyable respite from our busy lives and hectic schedules. My presentation style and material can be adjusted according to the select audience I'm scheduled to speak for.

Here's a testimonial from an audience member - after attending one of my presentations for the Pine River Audubon Society in Cadillac: "Stacy: Excellent and very inspiring program last night. Your use of light as well as composition put so many of your images over the top. Thanks again for the inspiration - and it was great to finally meet you. "

Please contact me for rates and availability for your next event. Fees are based on intended audience, time and travel requirements.

Michigan Photo Competition

I received an exciting email today...

"Thank you for submitting your entries for the Michigan Photo Competition at the Art Center of Battle Creek. There were many quality entries judged on an anonymous basis by juror Anthony Thompson, Associate Professor at Grand Valley State University. The judging has been completed and we are pleased to inform you that the following entries have been accepted into this year’s competition:

Morning at DH Day Farm	Holy Cow
Native Hands	Eye See You
In Their Loving Hands Gerald R. Ford

The exhibition will open with an award reception on June 8th from 2:00 - 4:00 PM. Your work will remain on display from June 8th - 28th, 2008.

Again, congratulations and thank you for adding value to the Art Center of Battle Creek through the provision of quality work!"

I'd like to encourage all my friends to check out this exhibit throughout June! Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the reception as it is the same night as the first day of festival 2008. But I'm thrilled to have placed five images - out of eight submitted - on my first try submitting to this particular juried show. I'll just have to make it to the exhibit the following week.

Greetings from Lake Bluff!

This evening I had an opportunity to meet the very accommodating folks at the Lake Bluff Audubon Center in Manistee, Michigan. The manor sits high on top of a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. The building and grounds all have a very interesting history.

I gave a digital presentation in the early evening, so I didn't have a chance to explore the grounds but for a mere few minutes at sunset. During my brief stroll, I couldn't help but notice the yard is just absolutely filled with birds. The resident manager, Rich Krieger, assured me that at sunrise - the yard will be a symphony of loud chirps and calls from the many birds who call this sanctuary home.

I'm looking forward to catching a few with my camera! There's a large, unidentified nest in a large tree in front of my bedroom window. We're hoping that its builder makes an appearance while I have my zoom lens out and ready!

I'd like to thank my hosts for the use of the guest room, and another thank you to all the nice members and visitors who attended my show. I enjoyed chatting with you all!

Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary
2890 Lakeshore Road
Manistee, MI 49660-9226
231-723-4042

I'm off north again in the early afternoon to Glen Arbor - it should be a good day for a ride up to one of my favorite Michigan locations!

New Website Launched

Yesterday, the website I created for Gaines Charter Township went live! The site is a quite an improvement from their previous pages. There is better access to forms, tax information, maps and a directory. Check out their interactive event calendar, news blog and more! www.gainestownship.org

Michigan's Natural Beauty Presentation

On Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - I will present a multi-media slide show presentation set to music at the Lake Bluff Manistee County Audubon Society. The slide show will feature lower Western Michigan, the Sleeping Bear area, the many beautiful birds, animal and flowers of the region.

There will be plenty of time for questions and answers, and prints and greeting cards will be offered for sale. The public is very welcome to this FREE event.

Lake Bluff Audubon is located on 76 acres in Manistee Township, two miles north of Manistee. The grounds occupy 1/3 mile of bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. From Manistee travel north on US-31 to M-110. Turn left onto M-110 and continue north for about 1 mile. The Center is located on the left (west) side of the road at 2890 Lakeshore Road.

For more information, visit: Lake Bluff Audubon website
Contact Person: Rich Krieger at Krieger@charter.net
For more information, call 231-723-4042 or 231-723-2625.

Three Pieces Represented in festival 2008!

I am pleased to announce three pieces have been accepted into the festival 2008 Regional Art Exhibit!

The ratio of works selected to the overall volume of entries was close to 1:2. There were 841 submissions of artwork, with 377 pieces chosen to be in the festival 2008 regional arts exhibit. There are 210 artists represented (as some artist, like myself, had multiple entries accepted). See PDF list of accepted artists.

Please mark your calendar for the opening reception! It will be held on Friday, May 30th from 5:00 to 9:00 pm. Family and friends are welcome (and encouraged!). The reception and exhibit are held in will be held in the Old Federal Building (formerly the Grand Rapids Art Museum) at 155 N. Division. This is the same location it has been in since 1992.

Twenty-four awards will be given out to the artists worth in total value of over $4000. Additionally, seven sponsors have agreed thus far to at least an additional $4000 in Purchase Awards (meaning artwork will purchased by these sponsors for their own enjoyment). Keep your fingers crossed until reception time for me! In 2006, I received a Kent County Purchase Award.

The galleries will be open for public viewing following the opening on:

• Saturday, May 31 from noon until 6:00
• Sunday, June 1 from noon until 6:00

and during festival 2008

• Friday, June 6, from 10:00 am until 9:00 pm
• Saturday, June 7, from 10:00 am until 9:00 pm
• Sunday, June 8, from 10:00 am until 6:00 pm

Middle Falls

Here's another photo from Hocking Hills - this is the area known as Middle Falls in the Old Man's Cave park area. It was such a lovely spot I could have just stayed there all day.

Go ahead and click on the image below to enjoy this in a larger size:

Big Gulp

Go ahead and click on the image above to see it in a larger size...

I sat down on the banks of Lake Logan in Ohio and watched this Great Blue Heron for about half an hour. The bird was intent on getting supper, wading in shallow water, staring down beneath the still water.

Suddenly, the heron dove just its head under, and came up with a much larger fish than I anticipated. I also didn't anticipate that it would just gulp the whole thing down in practically one swallow! You can see half of the fish down the bird's throat - and the tail still moving around - splashing drops of water all around the heron's head.