Sunshine & Change

This year

soon to end

has been filled with many challenges.

I'm very ready to wave good-bye

2013...

... open the door

and welcome 2014.

It will be a year of sunshine and change.

Cottage Rose Orchids © Janis Nussbaum Senungetuk

My art for healing photography

will continue,

along with work

as a social media business consultant

for other artists and creative business.

Visit : flickr.com/photos/short-jan

to view my current portfolio.

  A new website, combining both ventures, 

has just been published.

Visit:

jnscreativevision.com

Please join with me as I continue my journey.

Be well,

Jan

The birds...the birds...

Olbrich Botanical Gardens

Late April, early May found me moving carefully.

One of the warning signs at Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Madison, Wisconsin

I didn't want to disturb the birds. They had nests to build and eggs to hatch.

When I walked through the gardens with my camera I did my best to stay on the brick paths that kept a slight distance from the bushes and trees.

Yes, a couple of times, anxious red wing blackbird papas, or fathers-to-be, let out great attack cries and swooped down to make flying attacks at the back of my head.

It was very annoying, but I understood the reason. They were being good parents and protecting their babies.

Side Yard © Janis Nussbaum Senungetuk

It's now past the first week of August,

 although those baby birds of early May

should be ready for a life on their own or graduate school,

those very vigilant papa blackbirds have continued to terrorize me.

Lilies and Bee © Janis Nussbaum Senungetuk

Each time I've paid a visit to Olbrich I've been attacked.                                                 At 4'9" I'm so low to the ground, do they think I'm a raccoon?

Scarlet Lilies © Janis Nussbaum Senungetuk

Today's the day I return to the gardens.  Cap on head, propelled by optimism, off I go to capture more of those beautiful images.

But...if this early evening you're driving on Atwood Avenue

and you see a very short, rather stout woman

running from Olbrich...

you'll know the bird have won.

 

Bright Blossoms...welcoming the new year

No Picnic Today Janis Nussbaum Senungetuk

So far 2013 has started with a little snow...after a gigantic dump of 16 + inches and a brief respite with temps in the 40's. 

Now we're told it's going to get 

REALLY COLD!!

So considering the forecast...I was very happy to have the opportunity

to bring visions of bright blossoms to welcome the new year 

with a small show of my work at:

The Coffee Gallerie

1865 Northport Drive

Madison, Wisconsin

January 14 -February 28 

Please stop by 

 get a delicious bite to eat, 

wonderful coffee & soup,

 enjoy the warmth of the fireplace 

and the visions of a glowing garden hanging on the walls.

Extra Special Holiday Sale

2012 Holiday Sale

Museum quality framed fine art photographs

Fairyland Amaryllis ©Janis Nussbaum Senungetuk

Choose an extraordinary gift

from a very select group

 of images.

 Sale images, 

with the exception of Fairyland Amaryllis (above),

are available for viewing

on Exhibbit 

All photographs are ready to hang.

Only 1 of each image is available for this sale.

Sale prices do not include shipping or applicable tax.

 

Title, size (W x H) and sale price (USD)

1. Mixed Salad                         27 1/2 X 20 1/2"          $390.00

2. Red Admiral on Spirea       18 1/8 X 25"                $390.00

3. Oriental Lilies                      23 X 18 7/8"                $380.00

4. Bee and Roses                    24 1/2 X 16 1/4"          $390.00

5. Columbine                           19 3/4 X 15 3/4"          $350.00

6. August Monarch                 28 1/2 X 22 1/2"          $390.00

7. Highland Lord Daylily        23 X 18 3/4"                 $390.00

8. Pitcher flower                     17 X 24 1/4"                 $375.00   

9. Yellow Tulips and Hosta    26 3/4 X 17 3/4"           $380.00

10. Visiting Grasshopper      18 X 27 1/2"                  $390.00

11. Sunny Tulips     gallery wrap stretched canvas 

                                                  20 X 16"                      $375.00  

12. May Crabapple                  18 3/8 X 20 3/4"           $350.00

13. Fairyland Amaryllis           22 1/4 X 18 7/8"           $390.00   

 

Interested in making a purchase?

Leave a comment with your contact information.  

Thanks,

Janis

power2give.org:Crowdfunding for Arts and Culture

Dane Arts began power2give.org Dane County on June 26, 2012. There have already been exciting results that have benefited a variety of arts and cultural organizations and individuals in Dane County.

Two more training workshops are scheduled for Friday, August 24 at Fresh Madison Market, 2nd fl. Community Event Center, 703 University Ave, Madison.

Workshop #1 (12:30 to 1:30 pm) is an introductory session for individual artist and organizations interested in learning more about posting projects on power2give.org Dane County.

Workshop #2 (11:00 am to 12:00 pm) is for current project posters to share knowledge on best practices and how to capitalize on the use of this new tool.

Pre-registration required. RSVP to danearts@countyofdane.com with your name, phone and email, and power2give workshop number.

This program is a wonderful opportunity for individual artists and organizations to promote their ideas and visions to the community and receive much needed financial support.

Coral Duo Poppies ©Janis Nussbaum Senungetuk

I plan on attending Workshop #2 to lend my support and ideas on social media promotion.

See you there?

Jan

Art for healing

When a person is sick, undergoing treatments

 or rehabilitation there is nothing quite so comforting 

as art in their environment

 that can inspire them or take them to a place of positive memories...even if just for a moment...

out of their difficult circumstance.

I'm very please that one of my images has been selected by
The Foundation for Photo/Art in Hospitals

 to be added to their portfolio of healing art. 

The framed photographs are selected by hospitals and clinics all over the world to create

 a healing environment

 for patients and caregivers.

 
Please visit their Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/healingphotoart

Pink Roses in the Rain ©Janis Nussbaum Senungetuk

When my photographs are chosen for placement in a pediatric ward or a children's hospital I'm especially thrilled, because I know from the patient's viewpoint how important bringing color to those long hallways can be. I always try to capture the light in my images

 and to bring the outdoors in. 

It would have made a world of difference to me.

 

Hope you have a wonderful

'Season of Growth'.

Your comments are always appreciated!

Take care,

Janis

Spring Show & Open Art Studios Sale

Narcissus

Earlier this week I visited the "Spring Show" 

at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. 

Although it's always an enjoyable experience
  to be enveloped
 in the brilliant colors

 and heady fragrance of spring,

 it was very strange to have

the outside temperature
 closer to mid-summer range.
I hope the spring that starts next Tuesday
takes it's time
 and doesn't rush
 into full blown summer.

With spring comes the Open Art Studios Weekend,

March 31 and April 1

11 AM-4 PM.

You're invited to visit artists in their studios all over the Madison, WI area.

My studio will be at 

MATC

211 N. Carroll St. on the 2nd floor.

I'm offering

Special Saver Prices

on all framed work.

 

Hope to see you there!

The value of now

February at Olbrich

This past year has been a jumble 

of emotional ups and downs. 

Immersed in the demands of my classes

days merged one into another

 punctuated by outrage at actions in our Capitol.

Life became compressed

wrung dry with fatigue and deadlines

 irritated by procrastination.

Two months ago

my studies ended.

Social Media Certificate in hand 

anxiety over class assignments

became

an all encompassing

search for employment.

Last week

I lightened the burden

 and stopped

to relish the moment.

For three hours
 I lost myself
 in the Bolz Conservatory

at Olbrich Botanical Gardens.

 Verdant greens and blues 

yellows and reds

of the rainforest

surrounded me

in lush vegetation.

A symphony of birds and insects

wove a blanket of comfort and peace.

Now that I've returned

to the search

the memory of my visit

surrounds me 

with the fragile warmth

of  optimism.

Searching for sunshine

Spring Show and Snow ©Janis Nussbaum Senungetuk

As I write this the sky is a dazzling blue with bright sunshine.

 Bitter cold temperatures tend to bring one back to the reality of mid-February in Wisconsin. 

The sunshine that I'm seeking is the
"emotional" variety.

I've been posting my floral images on this blog since 2008.

Please leave a comment!

Let me know that you've stopped by to look;

that I'm not just talking to myself.

Many thanks.

p.s. Hope you have a happy Valentine's Day!

Jan

Cold and dry at the end of December

Cold and Dry

 The weather forecast I just listened to

  said the week would be comfortable, 

with no snow expected.

It is the last week of the year,

the very end of December, 

and this is still 

the state of Wisconsin.

Although this year

almost everything else has been turned

upside down and inside out.

They haven't,

as yet,

legislated

against snow.

Take care,

Janis

Just before the frost...

f

Market Sunflowers

The past few  days have been a golden reprieve before the killing frost hits.

 The sweet tangerine tomatoes on my one and only plant have hung on in the autumn winds and the blossoms are still reaching for the fading sun. 

Going  to the Monona Farmer's Market yesterday was a feast for the eyes and an anticipated delight for the appetite.

There was an abundant display of a beautiful and varied harvest, made available for those of us who could purchase.

By mid-week we've been advised the hard frost will arrive and the harvest will end.

As I enjoy this bounty of the earth, 

I pledge to remember the many who did not

have the resources available

to share this delight.

Speaking out!

October Afternoon

Today I spent the afternoon participating in democracy by being an active citizen. For four hours at a rally on the steps of the State Capitol I listened to speakers and spoke out about the dire needs of our state, our country and the world. We need work that pays a living wage and we need the politicians who proclaim that they represent us, actually listen to what we're saying.

Suddenly it's fall

Summer's oppressive heat has suddenly been transformed into a brisk, wind filled autumn.  The trees, that at first seemed reluctant to change their attire, have now rapidly clothed themselves in the brilliant hues of fall

and the garden enjoys the last golden days

before the frost.

 

Rose hips

Along with the seasons,  I'm also in transition.

The classes that I've taken

over the past two plus years 

will end at the close of this year

when I complete my Digital Storytelling course.

Then I'll be allowed to add a

Social Media Marketing Certificate 

to my list of credentials.

 

I 'm seeking work 

as a social media strategist

with nonprofit organizations.

Any assistance you might offer

would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Janis

Ah...cool breeze

August Oriental Lily

 

This summer's scorching heat effectively put a damper on my visits to the garden. When I'm sweating so much that I can't see clearly, I don't do very well. 
The few days that were comfortable became even more appreciated and I've tried spending as much time as I could capturing the many exquisite blossoms. 
 Lilies, of all kinds and varieties, are high on my list of favorite flowers. When the fragrance of oriental lilies fills the garden, I'm delighted .

Summer's sizzle

Butterfly's Delight

July began with temperature's in the 90's.

Several days ago it was much more pleasant.

I was able to spend two enjoyable afternoons in the garden without melting.

Every time I visit I see something new and intriguing,

or I see something in a totally new way.

The explosions of color and varieties of texture 

always bring such delight.

 

Summer's edge

Columbine 2011

Within a week summer will be here. At least the calendar will state that fact, if not the actual weather.  The past several months much of life has been so uncertain; the very cool, wet days that have alternated helter-skelter with scorching blasts of heat, during what was to have been spring, seemed to go with the rest of the skewed picture.  For now, I find comfort in the garden and the evolving cycles of nature.

Spring sunshine 2011

August Monarch

My images are defined by light; the light of the garden that transforms colors and textures into vibrant, translucent forms pulsating with life. My subjects live in the natural world; a world I take delight in observing and sharing with others.

The posted image and three others of mine are on view in:

Creative Expressions of Inner Vision

May 6 - July 1

Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired

754 Williamson St.

Madison, WI

Artist Interview: Adapting... life as a visually impaired artist

Narrator: Natasha Kassulke

Audio Engineer: David Hunn 

Announcing: 

Creative Expressions from Inner Vision

May 6 thru July 1

Reception: May 6th  5 to 7:30 PM

 a Gallery Night event
 

Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired

754 Williamson Street

Madison, Wisconsin

funded in part by a grant from the

Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission

Change is the only Certainty

 
My classes are close to ending and my employment search is accelerating.  Lives change along with the seasons

and the daily rise of the sun.

Although I don't anxiously  embrace it,
change is the only certainty in our lives right now.
It's very unsettling to not know what direction 
tomorrow brings.

Eventually spring will come and gardens will grow

with new  life. 
 I intend to continue adding  images to my gallery that I hope will bring you enjoyment.

Comments on the photos would be greatly appreciated.

Stay well,

Jan

Flowers of love... for special Valentines

         Valentine's Day?

After the bouquet has wilted

&

the chocolate shows up

 on your scale...

Studio Notes flowers

 continue 

 to

glow with  love!

Place your order now,

custom printing takes time.

Order by clicking on comments

at the end of this post.

Stay warm,

Jan