where I’m at

I’ve finally had a chance to slow down on framing and hanging new shows. I do still have work hanging in several places: the Libation Station and Gretchens in Mount Vernon, The Art of Food show at University House in Seattle, Picture the Musician in Wenatchee, and next month I’ll be filling the display case in the lobby at Skagit Valley Hospital.

Also, in just a couple of weeks I’ll have some work back at the Peshastin Creek Gallery (about ten miles outside Leavenworth, WA) for an open house on Saturday, December 18. The gallery will be featuring new prints and paintings by my father, Dan Tuttle, but I will have some wall space for photos as well as a selection of handwoven scarves. The show runs from 1-9 pm. For directions go to www.dantuttleart.com.

calendars

‘Tis the season to get holiday gift shopping taken care of! For some time I’ve enjoyed putting together a calendar of photos I’ve taken during the past year to give as gifts. This year I decided to put together several different calendar options, and make them available for purchase over at my Qoop store. You can choose between my traditional Food on the Brain calendar, featuring beautiful food from the blog, a selection of cats, Skagit Valley scenery, or garden photography. Qoop makes very nice calendars, with a spiral binding, bright colors and good stiff paper. You can see all the images in a particular calendar by clicking on its image in the store page.

Rexville holiday show

The annual holiday arts and crafts show at Rexville is coming up this weekend! I’ve been participating in this show for years as a musician and handweaver, but this year I will also have an assortment of framed photographs, including a number of small vegetable portraits, perfect as gifts for the kitchen. The show runs Friday the 19th through Monday the 22nd, and the opening party is Friday night from 5-8 pm – don’t miss it! Live music (courtesy of Campbell Road, i.e. my husband and myself), food and wine, and the opportunity to meet the artists.

zooming

I seem to have been neglecting this blog – probably something to do with trying to participate in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) by posting once a day over at my other blog. Whoops. In any case, I haven’t been completely neglecting my shooting – here’s an image I’m particularly pleased with. A simple park scene with conifers and a single golden bush takes on new interest with a twist of the zoom lens through a long exposure. I love how the colors smear together like oil paint. Sometimes this technique creates a wonderful effect, other times it just makes the viewer feel slightly nauseous – you just don’t know until you look at it afterwards.

katsura

I adore katsuras in all seasons, but particularly in the fall when the foliage turns color – anywhere from deep red to butter yellow, depending on the tree – and takes on a rich butterscotch scent. I was shooting this tree in Hillcrest Park and trying to capture some of what makes katsuras so magical for me. I thought this image was a good start – something about the light and the way it plays through the leaves.

bees

My sweet autumn clematis is just coming out of full bloom. We had quite a few beautiful sunny days this month, and there were dozens of bees making good use of the white honey-scented flowers. I went out with my macro one day and got as close to the bees as a I could – they were so drugged by the flowers they didn’t even notice me. It’s tricky to do close-up shots without a tripod, but I needed to be able to move quickly to keep up with the bees. Fortunately the light was excellent.

The Art of Food

Tomorrow night is the kickoff party for a group art exhibit in Seattle that I’m very excited about. Called “The Art of Food”, it features work by fifty different artists, all themed around food from harvest to table. I have five photographs in the show, which will be on display at University House in Wallingford through early February.

Here is the official invitation to the opening party, hope to see you there (RSVP not necessary)! UHS_Flyer_102110_EMAIL-1

by the water

I love going out to the water to shoot, but it’s hard to come up with an image that isn’t a complete cliche. We drove out to Deception Pass State Park at Rosario Beach last weekend, and I have shots of cliffs, islands, pretty clouds, green water…all lovely, but really rather boring. I ended up experimenting with some shots of the low surf in Sharpe Cove, which was running up onto a pretty pebbled beach, and I like the way the light reflects off the pebbles into a bokeh effect. Still, I feel like I can do better.

beyond Main Street

Another show coming up! This one, which will be hanging at the Heritage Gallery in Mount Vernon for a couple of weeks, is a selection of my photos taken in downtown Mount Vernon, through the alleys and along the river.  The official reception is this Thursday, October 7, from 7-9 pm, and coincides with various festivities celebrating the town’s 120th anniversary. There will be plein air paintings at The Front Gallery, a gala party and exhibit at the old Children’s Museum, and a reception at the President Hotel. Come out and make an evening of it!

Heritage Gallery, 504 S. First Street, Mount Vernon, WA, (360) 428-0350

colors of late summer

The other day I needed to get the tripod out to take some pictures for my other blog, and while I had it out I decided to play around with some macro shots. My husband bought me this gorgeous bouquet from the farmer’s market for my birthday, full of dahlias and statice, and I experimented with getting up as close as I possibly could on certain flowers. Interestingly, my favorite image out of the whole bunch was cropped out of a shot where I had focused on one statice flower, leaving the background a gorgeous blur of color.