The weather was surprisingly beautiful today.
And although I was supposed to be working on my taxes…
I knew that I had to be out on my bike! So I did… and gladly pedaled off for the day…

Headed south along the lakefront towards the city, enjoying the Spring scenery.
Ice & slush is finally gone. There are a few more potholes on the bike trail than usual.
But Spring was everywhere! Leaves finally popping out. Beaches. Skylines. Beautiful.

A little bit further, the Spring wildflowers were peaking out en mass… which made it
the perfect place to make a stop. Really, any place this beautiful is a great place to stop!

Getting closer to the city, I was intrigued by the empty harbors. All summer long, these slips
will be filled with hundreds & hundreds of boats. Every harbor will be filled. Packed full.
So I found it striking that there were absolutely no boats in the lake yet.

Just south of the Chicago Yacht Club, you turn back toward the city and are greeted by a
colorful forest of orange & yellow trees. These trees were installed about a year ago. They
were originally “planted” in Lincoln Park closer to the Zoo. But now they are right there
along the side of Lake Shore Drive. I love that Chicago has ART everywhere!!!

And as if the painted trees weren’t beautiful enough… the ground beneath them
is a blooming carpet of mini daffodils! Ain’t Mother Nature grand?… even with a coat of paint!

Just behind the painted trees is the Cancer Survivors’ Garden. There are beautiful iron
gazebos, benches, urns and gardens strolling up the hill towards the Colonnade.

And the perfect day kept getting better & better… as Magnolias were blooming everywhere.
One of the most striking flowers of Spring, which unfortunately don’t last very long. Just
one big wind storm and they’re gone for another year! And look closely…
apparently that early-rising bumble bee was excited to see the magnolias too!

From the Cancer Survivors’ Garden, it’s just a short walk to the BP Bridge which takes
you over the roads and into Millennium Park. The bridge has a shiny metal surface…
kind of like a Medieval metal-plated armor coating! Very striking… especially when
the sun is glaring off the shiny surface.

Across the bridge, you come up to the Frank Gehry designed Pritzker Bandshell
and striking “birdcage” structure that works as a canopy & sound speaker support
for the concert goes who sit in the lawn. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of Mr. Gehry…
and if you saw this structure from the side or behind, I think it looks completely
unfinished. Okay, I know there’s a concept in there somewhere… I’m just saying…

As I was moving about Millennium Park, it was great to see Spring popping out everywhere.
Little flowers. Small Spring buds. The juxtaposition of last year’s foliage & grasses withering
away while the new Spring fun is emerging all around.

And then… oh, but wait there’s more… the fountain was on!
But I’ll save that for the next post. Coming soon…

And here’s more about the photography exhibit we went to see at the
Chicago Cultural Center… in between the incredible stained glass dome windows…

Vivian Maier (February 1, 1926 – April 21, 2009) was an American amateur
street photographer who was born in New York but grew up in France, and after
returning to the U.S., worked for about forty years as a nanny in Chicago.
During those years she took about 100,000 photographs, primarily of people and
cityscapes most often in Chicago, although she traveled and photographed worldwide.
Her photographs remained unknown and mostly undeveloped until they were discovered
by a local historian, John Maloof, in 2007. Following Maier’s death her work began to
receive critical acclaim. Her photographs have appeared in newspapers in Italy, Argentina,
and England, and have been exhibited alongside other artists’ work in Denmark and Norway;
her first solo exhibition is running at the Chicago Cultural Center until April 3, 2011.

If you want to see her work in person, be sure to stop by the Chicago Cultural Center
before April 3rd… when her solo retrospective show will come to a close.

You can also see a lot more of her work if you click on this blog link…
Vivian Maier – Her Discovered Work.

You know how I like beautiful landscape photography.
And pride myself on a few of my own sunrise biking photos.
But here’s another friend of mine who takes great pictures!
Although I’m still wondering where the color went?

Personally I prefer my nature shots to be vivid color as Mother Nature intended.
But my friend Julie Wight sees the world differently through her camera lens
and creates these stunning, and sometimes haunting, black & white photographs.
I’m entranced by the composition, the contrast, the geometry… basically all of it.

The majority of the work I have seen of Julie’s has been this kind of austere nature shot.
But recently, Julie kicked off her own photography blog to showcase more of her photography.
And this time, it’s not all landscapes. I can’t wait to see where her blogging journeys take her.
Be sure to check out her new blog adventures – http://juliewight.blogspot.com/

If you’re looking for great photography of your artwork… here’s the guy!
Literally. His name is Guy.

Guy Nicol : Photography For Artists

It’s the beginning of the long & arduous season of art fair applications…
and many of us start the season with new professional photography of our work!
I’ve used Guy Nicol for years. But I’ve heard that many artists don’t have a
resource for professional pictures. And sometimes, they make all the difference!
So if you’re looking for a great photographer to make your artwork look even better,
check out Guy’s new website!

Guy’s studio is on the third floor at Lillstreet Art Center. So it’s very convenient for
those of us who work there. But others like to drop off or ship their work to him directly.
Guy offers a wide range of services from traditional slide photography, to digital
images, as well as ZAPP-formatted images for online applications.

His work is very professional and can be seen in many publications as well.
Including three of mine! Beautiful photos by Guy… ceramics by me…
“500 Cups” – page 265
“500 Pitchers” – page 357
“500 Tiles” – pages 219 & 240

As 2010 comes to an end, it’s time to start planning for the New Year!
Which also means a new art fair schedule – and the preceding application process.
Which I hate. But I digress…

In an effort to be “ready” to tackle the art fair application process early on “next year”
I just had some pieces photographed by Guy Nicol for my applications. It’s been awhile
since I’ve had a new batch of new photos. My style has evolved a bit with some new
“bulging stamps.” Plus, I kinda started to feel really bad submitting “the same old” photos
year after year! So here’s a few new shots to whet your whistle!

Today I had a design meeting at Lincoln Park Zoo… crisp, clean & freezing cold.
After the meeting, I played at the Zoo – which was great fun as I pretty much had the place
to myself. No school tours. Very few people. Just me and the animals!

I’m a bit tired of the layer of crusty gray snow & frozen slush currently blanketing Chicago.
I know winter has just started, and we’re in for a few months of this fun… but when given
a chance for a little Tropical Escape… I’m in!!! So this afternoon I also spent some time at
the Lincoln Park Conservatory enjoying the warmth, humidity & natural beauty.
And incredible Tropical Escape… if even just for an hour or so…

Ahhh… I feel better already.