Carolyn Bates

Ann Coleman437 Maple DriveWhitingham, Vermont. 05361802-368-7090Email: artyani@artistanncoleman.comWebsite:www.artistanncoleman.com A student of art from an early age, Ann Coleman did her degree work at Salzburg College, Austria, the Salzburg Art Academy and Skidmore College where she received a BS in Studio Art. Since that time Ann has focused primarily on watercolors and pastels; her works have been displayed throughout the eastern U.S. A resident of a small community in southern Vermont, Ann indulges in other passions: skiing, sailing and flower gardening, which naturally show up as … [Read more...]

Website: woodyjacksonart.com Woody Jackson lives outside of Middlebury, VT with his wife Ingrid and five boys, Bjorn, Leif, Macon, Ebenezer and Silas. He has no cows of his own, but prefers to make his neighbors cows famous. He finds Vermont is home for the soul as well as the body. He graduated from Middlebury College in 1970 and received a master's degree in fine arts from Yale School of Art in 1980. Famous for Holstein cow paintings, he is inspired by the barns and hills of Vermont dairylands. Not all of his paintings involve cows, as evidenced by his intensely hued watercolors of … [Read more...]

Photographer, Doug Keister, exhibits John Johnson photographs from glass negatives, found at a garage sale in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1965. One of the most important events in my early life as a photographer occurred in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1965, when I chanced upon a clutch of over 280 5"x7" glass plate negatives. Glass plate negatives? Before digital images and even before film, images were often captured on plates of glass coated with photographic emulsion.Stumbled upon at a garage sale, the negatives contained a number of city views of Lincoln including some circa 1915 construction … [Read more...]

Karen is a lifestyle photographer, concentrating primarily on weddings and civil unions, life cycle events, portaiture (studio and on location) and PR/marketing photography for businesses (web and print based). She loves what she does and shows off her work for all to see on her blog, Pike's Peek. The blog has become a visual showcase for the community events, engagement sessions, weddings, personal faves and of course, a place for Karen to rave about her awesome clients and friends. Website: www.kpikephoto.comBlog: Pike's PeekFollow her on Facebook … [Read more...]

I recently had the opportunity to hang out with Karen Pike at her studio. During my visit, I was able to have my portrait taken by a REAL PRO. Basically, Karen ROCKS! She uses warm lights that make me feel like I am on a sunny beach in Florida, instead of cold gray Vermont. Take a look at the results! (P.S. Karen has the hat on!) "OMG! You are so awesome! ... I love the blog post and you are So generous to do that!!!! ... Many thanks, Carolyn. I’m so glad you like the photos." - Karen … [Read more...]

I just photographed a five sister's neighbor while she gave the honey bees in a box a new home.They were shipped from Ohio, overnight  by UPS, as a swarm around the queen bee.  The silver can allowed them to obtain sugar water while traveling. But at the same time, the can did not leak! Hint: Queen is the BIG one, with a colored dot on her.  Drone is fat and there are just a few of them, as they just sit around, pollinate the eggs, and get waited on. The skinny little ones, are the vast majority, and are worker bees, females, who do not lay eggs they clean, feed, the queen, … [Read more...]

A place in which to play, dream, refresh, create Miles of sand beach, bluffs that tower 450’ above Lake Michigan, lush forests, clear inland lakes, unique flora and fauna make up the natural world of Sleeping Bear Dunes. High dunes afford spectacular views across the lake. An island lighthouse, US Life-Saving Service stations, coastal villages, and picturesque farmsteads reflect the park’s rich maritime, agricultural, and recreational history. Sleeping Bear Dunes is a national treasure. Unfortunately it is moving and that within 50 years it may no longer exist. Sleeping Bear Dunes is as … [Read more...]

Check out the places you go while on vacation! To my friends everywhere. We are renting our family summer cottage, on Crystal Lake, Frankfort, MI. It is just  45 minutes south of  the airport in Traverse City, and 10 minutes from Frankfort, MI.  One of the great adventures is to visit the Sleeping Bear Lakeshore National Park, Please network the rental of our cottage at Crystal Lake in Frankfort, Mich.  If you put a rental together for us, I will see that you get a finder's fee. If you rent it for your friends or family, we will negotiate a lower rent.   Thank you … [Read more...]

Shelburne Farms is a membership-supported, nonprofit environmental education center, 1,400-acre working farm, and National Historic Landmark on the shores of Lake Champlain in Shelburne, Vermont. Our mission is to cultivate a conservation ethic for a sustainable future. Casual visitors may enjoy the walking trails, children’s farmyard, inn, restaurant, property tours and special events. To pursue our mission, we practice rural land uses that are environmentally, economically and culturally sustainable. Shelburne Farms was created as a model agricultural estate in 1886 by William Seward and … [Read more...]

The Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) is a non-profit citizens' organization working to protect Lake Champlain's health and accessibility since 1963. LCC uses science-based advocacy, education and collaborative action to protect water quality, safeguard natural habitats, and foster stewardship. We take a whole-lake approach to issues that affect this natural treasure, which boasts nearly 600 miles of shoreline in New York, Vermont and Quebec. No matter how you choose to enjoy Lake Champlain, we invite you to explore our web site to learn more about the lake's health, current ecologic challenges, … [Read more...]

Hanson Fong gave a great class on posing at the VPP conference Sunday. Using us, often as models, we learned how to have heads at different heights, block heavy bodies and work with a bride and groom.  The last pose was when he added himself, to see if we could figure out where he should stand/sit. Here are some images from his class. He used black cloth covered foam blocks to change heights.  Can you see them?  Leg movement was very important to watch as well as the various sizes of heads, jaw lines, which eye was bigger and whether you stood next too, in front of or behind the … [Read more...]

Ever go home, after the sunset, and see the sky turning ever more brilliant, bypass home and go to another view of Lake Champlain to catch yet one more, just maybe two more or three views of that sunset that is just so much better than any of the 1000's other sunsets you have photographed? Take a look at the the woman walking along Leddy Beach. I noticed her while I was shooting this panorama. I timed my shots, so that she would be in each of the images I took. Then I did my magic with stitching, so she would appear in the panorama 4 times...   … [Read more...]

How many times do you find that you start going left, drawing a square, but the final solution is behind you, and it does not look like your original design at all as it is a tubular circle with spots? I have always believed that there is at least one solution to every problem. Often more.  "No" is not a word in my vocabulary. That it takes time to spin around in many directions, finding half solutions, odd ones, silly ones, but through this process, the solution will appear, often when I am going in the "wrong" direction according to societal rules.  There is no "quick fix." On … [Read more...]

Flood damaged building bought by new non-profit in Wilmington. The Wilmington Fund VT is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the recovery of Wilmington, Vermont. The Please donate to this fund! Wilmington is an awesome town. It is important to make note of the flood levels and river level. The water in the river rose 30 feet and cruised through the town at 30 mph, taking basements and first floors with it. It lifted artist Ann Coleman's studio and foundation right out of the ground and floated it downstream. I am just so happy to see that this cornerstone building has been … [Read more...]

There are many ways to dress up an image. One of them is to add a frame to it. You can start off simple & then let your imagination go wild! One version of the final design. Where to start? Start boring and open up Photoshop. Add rulers as guides for the center of the image, and for borders of text and images. Add creative brushes, like Suzette Allen's brush or anything on Brusheezy. You can even make your own brushes, like the dog foot print, and the copyright symbol that you see to the left. Add patterns with brushes on top of the backdrop color. Reduce opacity … [Read more...]