Wendy Houser Blomseth

Weathered Abstract

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Mon, 28 May 2012 17:00:00 +0000

I'd almost like to have a Guess What This Is contest.

This is actually a red wood door that is intentionally installed out in the woods so we can watch it weather. It is standing in the woods in a position that invites one to ask "Does the door open up into the woods or Close the door to the woods?"

Lawn Art That's Pretty as a Postcard

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Sun, 27 May 2012 17:00:00 +0000

I cannot tell you where this is located because everyone would drive there.

Suffice to say, this humble little home is well loved and well decorated and I'm happy to be able
to see it and photograph it.

It's pretty as a postcard, if I may say so myself.

Ode to Rain Soaked

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Sat, 26 May 2012 21:00:00 +0000

Memorial Weekends are notorious for spring rain storms and this one was no exception.

I love the documentary storytelling capabilities that present themselves when I document what is hung up on the clothes line during my visits to the cabin.

In Transition

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Sat, 26 May 2012 17:00:00 +0000

There is one moment in time when the leaf falls and is temporarily poised on a pine tree branch.

Those are the photographs that I love to capture.

When I know that, like many of us in this life, we are in transition. We've been at Point A and are on our way to Point B. But that middle transition time is both gentle and yet a moment of risk-taking.

The End and The Beginning

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Sat, 26 May 2012 03:00:00 +0000

The end of one season brings the beginning of another.

On this day I couldn't get enough of the dried flowers at the end of their cycle while surrounded by all the fresh new greenery growing around it.

StormSister Spatique wants to get on Sharktank

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Sat, 26 May 2012 01:49:00 +0000

Love to help my local small business owners.
Some times I don't know 100% what I'm doing and how I can best help.

But Becky Sturm of #StormSister Spatique asked me to help her with this post.
She wants to get on #Sharktank and I'd love to help.

#sharktank @3waybeauty

For more information, go to
http://stormsisterspatique.blogspot.com/2012/05/shark-tank.html

Good luck, Becky.

Minnesota Lady Slipper

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Minnesota Lady Slipper

Have you ever wished someone didn't do you a favor?

We have a very humble cabin about 120 miles away from the Twin Cities with an intentionally wild landscape. We drive up there as often as we can but we're not there enough to do the grounds care that we would like to do. Over the years we have been very fortunate that the retired landscape worker that lives nearby has volunteered to rake up our leaves and branches and mow the small area that still has grass.

Unfortunately, one year he made the mistake of cutting down our small, fragile Lady Slipper plant and it never grew back.

I miss that plant. Every year I walk over to where it grew and fantasize that I see a new bud returning. But it hasn't happened yet.

Orchids in May

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Orchids in May

Bridal Shower Shoes

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Sat, 05 May 2012 20:36:00 +0000

Bridal Shower Shoes May 5, 2007

Nothing like an image of a dozen women's shoes placed at the front door to be the memory of a bridal shower.

What a fun way to express the personalities of the different women, from pink heels to running shoes to senior aged support shoes. I wish now, years later, that I had labeled who's who. But, oh well. It's still a fun memory.

Memories of the Florida "Bride" May 5, 2000

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Sat, 05 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Florida "Bride" - - May 5, 2000

I cannot believe how long ago it was that we took our very first weekend workshop from the now-deceased Monte Zucker, world famous portrait photographer and teacher.

Karl and I had gotten married in September 1999. We came home from our honeymoon in Jamaica and decided I would take my severance package and time off to officially work our new photography business full time. We studied like college students all the latest photography "how to" books. We signed up to attend the first of many Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) conventions in Las Vegas. We met and became enamored with the charismatic and incredibly talented photographer Monte Zucker. And like they say in the movies "the rest is history."

The image above is from our first weekend portrait photography class that Monte taught, this one was in Sarasota, Florida. Everyone was shooting film, preferrably expensive medium format film cameras or high-end 35 mm film cameras.

This was the first portrait created of a model dressed as a bride that became a favorite for me and stayed in my portfolio for a decade.

Thanks for the memories!

May Day Parade

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:00:00 +0000

May Day Parade

The Powderhorn Park neighborhood of South Minneapolis is known for its annual May Day Parade.
People come out in their regular weather dependent clothes because it can be unseasonably cold. Nonetheless the special revelers come out in costume. Large, non-traditional floats are created usually around an earth-friendly, mother nature centered theme.

It is an event that we all look forward to because it symbolizes spring, rebirth and Minnesotans, like bears, coming out of their caves.

Got Your Ducks in a Row?

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 17:03:00 +0000

Got Your Ducks in a Row?

Rainy Saturday in Minnesota!

Got your ducks all in a row??

Enjoy the day!

Video: Juno Ave Art: Expanding the Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

http://youtu.be/apENmaBvuTk

Karl and I are members of the Vine Arts Center in south Minneapolis. It is located in the building fomerly known as the Ivy Foundry Bldg., now just called the Ivy Building.

I am happy to be the volunteer multi media and social media content provider. It gives me a great excuse to videotape and photograph any of the art openings.

The video above is for the March 21st opening night 1:09 of the Juno Ave Art: Expanding the Garden exhibit. Six painters who paint together and have annual shows displaying their accomplishments each year.

They had a good turnaround and appeared to have sold about half a dozen pieces. Their work is on display March 21st - May 5th.

Memory Lane

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 02:47:00 +0000


Memory Lane

Cannot remember what I'm supposed to pick up when I walk from room to room.

But my memory says I photographed this image with Tatum Barile when we both took a walk north of San Francisco, maybe when I lived at Larkspur Landing or maybe when we were visiting friends up at the wine country.

At any rate, it was a long time ago and that's the way I remember it.

By the way this technology is not available because this is a Polaroid transfer process that is no longer available.

Yes, they were the good old days.

Spring Crocus with LensBaby

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Spring Crocus

Do you have rituals you like to repeat each year?

My husband and I like to take our cameras on spring days when there are 17 shades of green, everything is in bloom from crab apple trees to lilacs to crocus plants and the air is scented with all the new buds in bloom.

We have a variety of different locations we visit but we must have at least one visit to the Peace Garden across from the Rose Gardens and close by to Lake Harriet.

It's fun to challenge ourselves to try something different each year. The above image was created when I was photographing everything with a LensBaby. It intentionally creates a soft focus around the edges. It's perfect when it's the right subject, like these fresh crocus flower buds.

Fragile Moments

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Buddha Tree

When I look at this beautiful tree I think how fragile life is.

This lovely tree used to bloom every spring in the backyard of my friends' home and it was so precious.
Unfortunately, a couple of years ago it died. Whenever I visit their backyard and walk near this space now I always remember the tree and this moment when I enjoyed its beauty.

This is a lot like life, I suppose.

Springtime Lilacs

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Springtime Lilacs

I cannot believe how fast the lilacs are blooming this year.

While this specific portrait was created several years ago, we are having record breaking weather that's causing the lilacs to bloom so much faster this year. I love lilacs and they will always remind me of my mother's lilacs in the backyard in Richfield, MN

In A Friend, In A Flower no. 1

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 02:46:00 +0000

In A Friend, In A Flower

April 2005 I went to San Francisco for a visit. While there I fell in love with several floral arrangements. Taking out my camera as usual, I unintentionally changed my random habit of photographing floral portraits to the next, more serious level, that I have continued to work on even as we speak.

In the tradition of Robert Mapplethorpe I am creating a series of flower arrangements that intentionally places light, shape, color, texture and form within a frame. The series is titled "In a Friend, In a Flower" and I wrote a poem which acts as my artists statement (to be included later when it's pulled from the hard drive archive.)

At the time of creation I am honoring a specific person for whom the image becomes a metaphorical representation. Not a random thoughtless sanguine snapshot, but a thoughtfully composed and craft portrait that honors the person in mind.

This one was the first serious portrait with which was created for Deborah Barile, still living in San Francisco. And as she always says "love you longtime."

Greens on Greens

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Greens on Greens

What a difference sixty days make! I cannot get enough time outdoors, walking in the lush green foliage.

I was just commenting to Karl this afternoon that suddenly I cannot take enough pictures.

Every weekend day I'm outside with my camera making new spring portraits.

Already looking forward to next weekend's outing.

Red Vines on Spring Greens

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 19:00:00 +0000

Red Vines on Spring Greens

So Many Shades of Green

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 18:00:00 +0000

So Many Shades of Green

Haroldson Apple Tree

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Haroldson Apple Tree Bud

Save the Haroldson Apple Tree! It is such a treasure to have an apple tree growing in our own backyard. This early spring has got us concerned because we still had a very cold frost the other night. I was afraid to wake up to all the buds frozen off or damaged but I am happy to report that they are looking good today.

I'll be watching it's progress with much anticipation to see if we have enough at harvest time to actually cook with them like we have in the past.

Lovely Lilacs are Blooming

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Lovely Lilacs are Blooming

We all have our favorites. And lilac bushes in bloom are truly one of mine. Always reminds me of my family's backyard in Richfield, MN where we had lilacs for as long as I can remember.

We waited for the snow to melt and the lilacs to bloom each spring. Then protectively watched for when the rain pounded them down too fast or when the winds blew too hard and blasted the buds off the branch.

We've now got three beautiful lilacs bushes growing in our south Minneapolis backyard and as usual I'm protectively watching their progress this spring.

Video: Guest Artists at the Art Salon For Fertile Minds

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:00:00 +0000

http://youtu.be/m1ZzQcwTP8Q

Karl and I host a monthly gathering that Karl has titled "Art Salon For Fertile Minds."

Each month there are discussions about different art forms, art challenges and we often have guest artists show their work and share they art life journey.

April 11th we hosted guest artists Hend Al-Mansour and Leili Tajadod-Pritschet. Self described as "two Minnesota Moslem women" They gave us a tour of their work and discussed their exhibit on display at the Vine Arts Center "The Great Mothers of Islam"

Apologies for the poor audio but it documents their work and their presentation.

Crab Apple Tree Buds

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Blomseth) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Crab Apple Tree Buds

Spring is springing way ahead of schedule this year. I am not the best at remembering the weather from one decade to another. Or, even one season to another. But I will say that I'm happy about the shorter winter we've had and this early spring.

We are fast approaching the "40 shades of green" that my husband loves. We always spend as much time as possible photographing the spring buds. I think this year we'll be out much earlier than usual.

This beauty above is simply the view from my front yard in south Minneapolis enjoying my neighbors' crab apple tree. Loving these colors.