Winter Floral Still Life, 2018

Winter Floral Still Life, 2018, no. 4353

New Year's Still Life, 2018

New Year's Still Life, 2018, no. 4328  

Roses in November

Roses in November, no. 4212 

Flowers & Fruit Still Life

Flowers & Fruit Still Life, no. 4236

Red, White, Blue

Red, White, Blue Still Life,  2017

Fourth of July weekend created only the briefest window of time to make a still life due to home improvement projects. This is not your traditional red, white and blue but those colors are represented here nonetheless.

It was inspired by the beautiful silver set that was a wedding gift for my husband's parents, circa 1931.  It had been buried away in a large china cabinet for years and came to light (literally) during our home improvement project.  I set it up in my studio space and grabbed the vase (made by Nelson McCoy Pottery Co. in the 1940's)  that was on the dining room table waiting for flowers.

Thank you's to my neighbor Lauri who shared her hydrangeas that contributed the finishing touch to this red, white and blue still life.

Image is available for purchase at

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/red-white-blue-wendy-blomseth.html

Custom still life services are available to clients.  Contact me for information

wendyhblomseth@gmail.com

Time to Recognize Achievement

"When you compete with a person, you only have to be as good or better than the person to win. If you compete with yourself, there is no limitation to how good you can be."

                                                                           Chu Chin-Ning 

Memories

Memories, Still Life #3160

I invite you to walk in to the picture created specifically for a special man who is one of a kind.  So what better way to remember him than to create a still life fine art photograph that is as unique as he is.

A brown background is warm, loving and masculine surrounding the collection of memorabilia that was borrowed from shelves in his artist's studio.  Do you see the artist's business card that reveals his current talents?  Conversely, several other items take you down the memory lane of his youth, from his military dog tags to bullets and shotgun shells.  The cloissone decorated liquer carafe is empty of fluid but full of memories of a friend, now deceased and a symbol of much younger years.  The tiny little brown bear holding a camera has duo meanings: his bear totem and his life as a photographer.

Pick up the stack of books and skim through the titles so you have a small inkling of what he's passionate about.  The titles reveal his love of travel, road trips, cooking and gardening including raising roses, which is why the roses in the vase are significant.

It's lovely that this has been created now while the giver and the recipient are alive, healthy and happy.

Treasure all of the moments with your loved one when you're together in spirit or in person.

The heart hath its own memory, like the mind,
And in it are enshrined
The precious keepsakes, into which are wrought
The giver's loving thought.

                                                             Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Still life photograph is available for purchase at

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/memories-wendy-blomseth.html

Orange Lilies in June

Orange Lilies in June #3326

Beautiful orange lilies that grow in a south Minneapolis MN garden. 
Freshly clipped and immediately transferred to this elegant green ceramic vase. 
Simple Elegance.

Thank you to two of my neighbors who grow these wild lilies and share with us all.  

I had just finished a 250 mile drive, spending the better part of my day in the car.  As soon as I got home I caught sight of these lilies and knew I had to quickly walk down the street to clip them, put them in vase and photograph them.

The afternoon light was extremely harsh so I used my two light diffusing fabrics, my wedding veil and my patterned scarf.  I can see both of them when I know what I'm looking for.  

Image is available for purchase at

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/orange-lilies-in-june-wendy-blomseth.html

White Wildflowers in June

White Wildflowers #3307

Sweet white wildflowers that grow in south Minneapolis MN gardens are best when picked and immediately photographed before the petals start to fall. 

Available for purchase at

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/white-wildflowers-in-june-wendy-blomseth.html

Urban Wildflowers

Urban Wildflowers  #3303 

June wildflowers that grow in south Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

Freshly picked from the garden and photographed within minutes. 

Simple Elegance.

Available for purchase at

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/urban-wildflowers-wendy-blomseth.html?newartwork=true

Painting with Light

Painting with Light

Painting With Light 

Award Celebration

Video Demo:  Still Life -  Celebration


https://www.facebook.com/wendy.blomseth/videos/10213612312160833/

Award Celebration 

Coffee with Pearls (video)

Still Life Demo:  Coffee With Pearls


https://www.facebook.com/wendy.blomseth/videos/10213606645979182/

Coffee With Pearls

Father's Day (video)

Still Life Demo:  Father's Day

https://www.facebook.com/wendy.blomseth/videos/10213601387807731/

Father's Day 2017

Sighs and Sadness

Sighs and Sadness 2017

Walk into the picture and hold on to your heart. Feel whatever it is you're feeling today. Some days it's hard to think in vibrant colors and bright harsh light so the soft lighting and muted blacks and whites tells the story better of what you're experiencing. Breathe in the smell of the flowers. Close your eyes. Inhale. Exhale.

When you're ready, touch the big beautiful peonies and the tiny lilacs. Accept them for where they are in their life journey.  We love them when they're young, fresh buds and even while they're aging and turning brown around the edges.  But it hurts a little when we see them at their final stage.

Flowers are small players in the big picture of life but they experience the same cycle we go through. Hopefully, they can give us some comfort when we feel comfortless.

Sometimes it can all be so overwhelming. To hear of friends who are losing their deeply treasured love ones, humans as well as pets, is heart wrenching.  To see on screens the devastation of war and terrorism is staggering and can make us feel powerless.  Each have their own piercing pain that ebbs and flows, highs and lows.

The dread of future pain that is inevitably coming at some undetermined time can take your breath away.  So today, now, take big deep breaths and let it fill you up and give you strength.  

Know that this may be a time of sighs and sadness that no one can do anything about.  Be with it but also find gratitude in the love that you've been blessed with in the past and every second that you can feel joy in the present.

Some days I wish 

I could go back in life,

not to change things,

just to feel a few things twice.

www.Simplereminders.com

Limited edition reproductions of this still life portrait are available at:

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/sighs-and-sadness-wendy-blomseth.html

"Beauty the Brave"

Beauty The Brave - 2017  

Walk Into This Picture.

On this Memorial Day in 2017.  I feel deeply for those we have lost and those who are still fighting for our freedoms.  My words are not adequate to express my gratitude for this privileged life I lead.

So I will do want feels right for me - share a poem of beauty by Mary Oliver.  Imagine each flower holding the life and love of someone who has passed.

Enjoy this moment of mindfulness.

"Peonies: A Poem By Mary Oliver

"This morning the green fists of the peonies are getting ready
to break my heart
as the sun rises,
as the sun strokes them with his old, buttery fingers
and they open —
pools of lace,
white and pink —
and all day the black ants climb over them,
boring their deep and mysterious holes
into the curls,
craving the sweet sap,
taking it away
to their dark, underground cities —
and all day
under the shifty wind,
as in a dance to the great wedding,
the flowers bend their bright bodies,
and tip their fragrance to the air,
and rise,
their red stems holding
all that dampness and recklessness
gladly and lightly,
and there it is again —
beauty the brave, the exemplary,
blazing open.

Do you love this world?
Do you cherish your humble and silky life?
Do you adore the green grass, with its terror beneath?
Do you also hurry, half-dressed and barefoot, into the garden,
and softly,
and exclaiming of their dearness,
fill your arms with the white and pink flowers,
with their honeyed heaviness, their lush trembling,
their eagerness
to be wild and perfect for a moment, before they are
nothing, forever?"

from New And Selected Poems by Mary Oliver"

Limited edition reproduction available at

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/peonies-beauty-the-brave-wendy-blomseth.html

Peonies Memorial Day Weekend

Walk Into The Picture #7 - Bridal Wreath

Bridal Wreath, May 2017

Walk into the picture and enjoy all the delicacies of this floral arrangement.

I hope you treasure the fragile little bridal wreath stems.  They were trimmed today to make room for the peonies that were trying to grow below them in their shadow.  While I love the bridal wreath flowers I love the peonies more because they are so fragrant and colorful but have a short season.

Touch the tiny yellow buds and purple buds that are lovely accent colors that were picked specifically to add color to this floral arrangement.

Does that happen to you in your life?  Do you pick and choose and assemble things together so they'll be picture perfect, or at least a good fit?   Sit by this flower arrangement and remember a thing that has been sacrificed for a greater good.

Enjoy this moment of mindfulness.

Available for purchase at:

 https://fineartamerica.com/featured/walk-into-the-picture-7-bridal-wreath-wendy-blomseth.html

Walk Into The Picture #6 Cookies, Coffee and Comfort

Cookies, Coffee and Comfort

Walk into the picture and look at the beautiful table setting.  Isn't it inviting?

What are you drawn to first?  Do you want to enjoy the fresh coffee?  Do you want to nibble on the fresh out of the oven cookies?  How about flipping through the pages of the books?  Or do you simply want to get comfortable in a chair close by and let your full senses take in the whole scene, the sights, the smells, the touch and yes, of course, eventually the taste?

I invite you to take it all in and make the selections as you wish.  

Enjoy this moment of mindfulness.


Available for purchase at https://fineartamerica.com/featured/cookies-coffee-and-comfort-wendy-blomseth.html

Still Life For Cats

Still Life for Cats, May 2017

While my cat Sallie was feeling ill this weekend I created this still life portrait. 

Note the two ceramic cats, water to drink, treats and cat books. 

BTW, she's at the vet hospital getting fluids and more. Remaining optimistic until proven otherwise!!!

In case you are interested, I am available for commissioned work to create a still life for your special person, animal or special occasion.  

Secondly, this image is available for purchase at:

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/still-life-for-cats-wendy-blomseth.html

Walk Into The Picture #5

Sit, Sip and Smell,  May 2017

Walk into the picture and smell the lilacs.  They are so irresistible aren't they?  In the spring when the flowers are blooming and the air is sweet and fragrant it's almost impossible not to harvest the flowers in the yard, isn't it?

 If you examine closely you'll see three different types of lilacs that have subtle differences, one from the other. The bleeding hearts are always so delicate that you may be afraid to touch them, so be gentle.

Can you help us name the little yellow buds?  My husband thinks they're yarrow but the pictures I see on the web don't match with yarrow.  We've been gifted with them for the first time this year.  Don't know where they came from or how long they're staying but I love them.  And given the decision to pull them or let them flourish, I opted for let them be.

Look at the three books from which you can choose, "Still Life," "Poem A Day," and "Michelangelo's Notebook."   Choose the one that calls to you.  Or, bring your own book and help yourself to the chilled glass of white wine.  Pearls always make any occasion better, in my opinion. You can pass or play.

I invite you to find a comfortable spot to sit and sip and smell the flowers.  Enjoy this moment of mindfulness.

 Fine Art Reproductions Available at Fine Art America:

  https://fineartamerica.com/featured/sit-sip-and-smell-may-2017-wendy-blomseth.html

Walk Into The Picture #4

May 2005, Lilacs for My Mother

Spring Lilacs will always remind me of my mother, Eunice.  She had several wide and tall lilac bushes in our backyard, in an area called "the North 40" even though it wasn't in the north boundary of our yard.  I think it was just a farm term she or my father had heard at one time and liked the sound of it.

In the spring we always monitored the blooming cycle of the lilacs in the North 40.

So I invite you to walk into the picture of these lilacs.  Of course you have to smell the lilacs because there isn't a better smell in the spring time.  Touch the tiny petals and notice the graduated shade of the color purple.  Some will appear darker, some lighter if they're affected by the sunshine.  That morning eastern light gives it a beautiful glow.

The vase is very special, too, because it is a collectors item from the Red Wing Pottery Company from Red Wing, MN.  People that collect these, love them.

Lastly, the little table stand was actually crafted by my husband's late father, Carl whom I never met unfortunately because he passed on before we ever met.

What do you think of when you see this image?  Does it remind you of anyone? Or, are you simply a fan of spring lilacs also?

However it calls to you, look at the still life portrait but feel the love of someone else and call it by their name as you enjoy the sight and smell of these spring lilacs.

Reprints available at Fine Art America:  https://fineartamerica.com/featured/my-mothers-lilacs-wendy-blomseth.html

Walk Into the Picture #3

Just For You, May 2015 

Walk into the picture and feel the warm sunshine.  It's been a full day for you and this is your time.  Just for you, you've poured a glass of chilled white wine so you can decompress a bit.

Come closer and touch the fragile petals of the flowers.  Smell each bud and notice the different unique smells of each one.  Which flower is your favorite today?  Does that gerber daisy in the center call to you?  Just enjoy it for a few moments.  Don't think about anything else.

Pull up a chair in sun, if you wish, or just on the edge.  Put your feet up and take a break.

This is your moment of mindfulness.  Enjoy!

"Just For You" still life image available for purchase at https://fineartamerica.com/featured/just-for-you-wendy-blomseth.html?newartwork=true

Walk Into The Picture #2

From My Garden, May 5, 2016

Walk Into The Picture and you'll want to smell the freshly cut lilacs and touch the fragile, delicate petals of the bleeding heart plant that grows in our  urban garden in Minneapolis, MN.

You will doubt me and say you don't believe it when I tell you that the sheer veil is my actual wedding veil from 9/6/99. I use it almost every time I'm photographing at my home studio because it allows me to diffuse the intensity of the strong western light that we get on bright sunny afternoons.

You'll wonder how old the silver tray is and the story behind the acquisition of the silver urn.

I imagine you'll love the still life and want to sit down next to it with a glass of champagne or possibly fresh tea and biscuits.  Early in the morning you could look at it while stretching, doing yoga or writing in your journal.

Enjoy this moment of mindfulness with the flowers from my garden.

available for purchase at Fine Art America: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/from-my-garden-wendy-blomseth.html?newartwork=true

"Walk Into the Picture" #1

Life changes.  Goals change.  Your brand changes, hopefully, over time as you change, learn, grow.

I'd like to more intentionally and strategically share some of the photographic images I've created in the past and new ones as I create them.

Since I've been told numerous times that my photos "make me want to walk into them" those are the images that I will focus on.  Besides, for years my Instagram name has been @wendywalks.  So I'll leverage my pre-existing brand and deepen the experience. Play to your strengths, right?

The series name is a work in progress but let's start with

"Walk Into the Picture"

    Fine Art Photography
by
Wendy Blomseth

 
Why: I wish to share with a larger community my passion for photography that reveal a special memory for me, the photographer, or a "public" variation of an image made for a client's purpose, both with a universal appeal that "makes you want to walk into them."

When: Scheduled weekly on Wednesday's, at the minimum, possibly more as creativity strikes.
Where:  Social media platforms:  blog WendyHBlomseth.com, Facebook and Twitter, occasionally at LinkedIn if it seems appropriate to that community.

What's for sale? Some will qualify as limited editions for sale, some not, but the details will be shared as appropriate.

For the launch, I'm sharing a favorite image that Mark Roberts, master photographer and one of my photography mentors loves.

Come Into The Woods With Me, May 2016.

Available for purchase from my new account at Fine Art America. 

Link:

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/come-into-the-woods-with-me-wendy-blomseth.html

Loving Me Some Roses

Loving Me Some Roses, April 2017 

I brought home this bouquet after visiting with a friend on a rainy Sunday morning.

Originally my intention was to gift the bouquet to her and keep it at her house but she said she'd be traveling during the week and wouldn't be able to enjoy it.  "Take it home," she insisted.

I felt sad that the flowers wouldn't have a new admirer but also happy that I could bring it home because I certainly would admire it.

Even though there still was no sunlight coming in through any windows I gave this a try because I couldn't leave it ignored.

I'm at the stage now that I must attend to my bouquets and give them my love and attention.  

Of course I know they're not humans, but they are in my care and I feel a connection to them, like a person when they're with me.

So I thought making a still life of them was a way to treasure the memory of our time together.

Surprise on A Rainy Sunday

Surprise on A Rainy Sunday,  April 2017 

Life is full of surprises and Sunday was one of those days.

To brighten up a cloudy, rainy, April day I arrived at my friends' house with a vase filled with flowers to cheer us both up.

I was open to allowing for the time to collaborate on art exhibition ideas but also to surprise her with creating a still life portrait, if it seemed "right" during our time together.

Even though we both saw that there was no ray of sun light anywhere she was open to me rearranging her living room furniture so I could make this portrait, which I brightened up in post production.  When you've got rain, you've got to make your own rainbow of color.

But what surprised me is she asked me to create second still life portrait that would be a gift for her uncle who was recovering from a stroke.  She added a very personal item that she said was perfect for him. Simple. Elegant. Personal.

This is when my purpose feels deeper and meaningful.

I get to create what people want to give to someone who needs an art piece that is soulful and healing.
Thank you.
Namaste.

Images for Altered Esthetics group exhibitions

Sunflowers Still Life

Tulips Still Life

Urban Garden Still Life

Standish Avenue Peonies

Spring Daffodils

Spring Daffodils 2017

Spring Daffodils 2017 

Summer Sunflowers 2015

Tulips 2015

Standish Avenue Peonies

Standish Avenue Peonies

Urban Flower Garden 2017

Urban Flower Garden 2017

Spring Tulips 2017

Roses and Wine

Roses and Wine, #2253, April 2017 

How lovely when a friend brings a bottle of wine to share with our dinner together and to add the perfect addition to this still life portrait.

Roses

Roses,  #2177,  April 2017 

Sweets

Sweets, #2034,  April 2017 

Sweets for my sweet sister who not only is a very sweet and kind person but also an excellent baker who brought a delicious blueberry cake for Easter dinner.

Pomegranate

Inspiration comes from many sources.  This still life is inspired by a poem I discovered at www.poets.org.  I invite you to read the poem and see which elements I brought into this still life.

"POMEGRANATE by Kevin Pilkington ....
A woman walks by the bench I’m sitting on
with her dog that looks part Lab, part Buick,
stops and asks if I would like to dance.
I smile, tell her of course I do. We decide
on a waltz that she begins to hum.

We spin and sway across the street in between
parked cars and I can tell she realizes
she chose a man who understands the rhythm
of sand, the boundaries of thought. We glide
and Fred and Ginger might come to mind or
a breeze filled with the scent of flowers of your choice.
Coffee stops flowing as a waitress stares out the window
of a diner while I lead my partner back across the street.

When we come to the end of our dance,
we compliment each other and to repay the favor
I tell her to be careful since the world comes to an end
three blocks to the east of where we stand. Then
I remind her as long as there is a ’59 Cadillac parked
somewhere in a backyard between here and Boise
she will dance again.

As she leaves content with her dog, its tail wagging
like gossip, I am convinced now more than ever
that I once held hundreds of roses in my hands
the first time I cut open a pomegranate. "

Red Gold Still Life

Red Gold Still Life #1196, Jan. 2017

2017 Photo Art Calendars

2017 Photo Art Calendars

2017 Photo Art Calendars - Still time to purchase photo art calendars. You've seen, and hopefully loved, many of the still life photos by Wendy H Blomseth Fine Art Photography. Now you can have them as mini-masterpieces of your very own. Contact me today at wendyhblomseth@gmail.com

New Year Still Life

New Year Still Life #1087, 2017

"Anyone who thinks gardening begins in the spring and ends in the fall is missing the best part of the whole year; for gardening begins in January with the dream."                                                                                                       Josephine Nuese  

My husband and I often talk about winter dreams and summer wishes, or vice versa.  In fact today's gardening topic was about composting. Not an exciting topic for the new year but typical of January dreams of warm summer days working in the gardens.