Current & UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS – please click here for more information
Museum of Wisconsin Art March 21 – May 27 Voices of Nature: Owen Gromme and Kristen Westlake
300 South 6th Avenue, West Bend, WI 53095
Urban Ecology Center, Milwaukee, WI April 1 – June 23, 2007
Riverside Park, 1500 E. Park Place, Milwaukee, WI
UPCOMING WORKSHOP
Cable Nature Lodge, May 11 – 13 Experiencing Nature Workshop
photography presentation May 11 – field workshop the next day. For more information and to sign up please click here
Please scroll to the end for the story behind the photos!
Fine Art GALLERIES
please click thumbnails to see more images. March 25, 2007
If you are a Wisconsin or Illinois resident please be sure to mark your calendars for April 1. The grand opening of my exhibition in fine art photography opens at the Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee. The Urban Ecology Center is hosting an artist reception on April 1 from 2 – 4pm. I will be presenting photos and speaking at 2pm. I hope to see you there!
The Beautiful Birds of Sanibel, Florida – please click here for my new Florida birds image galleries. Please keep checking back as I am adding new art often! The three photographs directly below are currently on display and for sale at the Museum of Wisconsin Art. All images are produced on canvas. The larger image is 40×60 and the other two are each 20×30. These images look great together on a large wall of home, office, hospital, or clinic!
Many gulls and tern species sit side by side on the beaches of Sanibel, Florida. I approached carefully and laid on my belly to photograph the variety of birds that I saw. I entered on the outer edge of the circle of birds and observed, photographed, and settled into the serenity of the sound of the ocean, the smell of salty air, the humid colors in the air, and the birds in all of their beauty. As I was engrossed with watching, the birds surrounded me. Instead of being an “outsider” I became part of their circle and accepted. What an amazing experience! I was able to see detail on these birds that I could never see through my long lenses. Being this close an amazing honor and something that I will never forget. … I revisit the peace and serenity that these moments graced me with often. The photographs above are the art that resulted from these experiences.
All photographs were made lying on my belly. The top left photograph was made as the birds were spooked by either a child or a dog running towards them on the beach. They returned quickly and soon were preening, sleeping, and calling again. The two other photographs are of royal terns who preened and called just a few feet in front of me.
Some of the other really great experiences came from meeting people. I helped a small child get closer to the birds on the beach by teaching him how to approach slowly. He learned how to watch the behavior of the birds, so that he would not frighten or alarm them. This was a boy that had been chasing the birds just minutes before – the birds need their energy to eat, fly, and mate. I tried to help children understand and respect the birds. The connection with the children and to watch them respond favorably was a good thing.
Another time I had a three minute conversation with a wise man, named Jacque, that passed me on the beach, about how fear is a learned response in animals. We both agreed that this learned response is the same in people.
There are so many experiences to share with you through photographs and through words. I look forward to sharing more in the days to come. .. I welcome your stories and experiences too!
Enjoy the beginning of Spring – in the Midwest the birds are singing and new life is on the way!
Kristen
I enjoyed and befriended other photographers in Ding Darling NWR. A great place to go for observing and photographing birds. I learned about the tides and the feeding patterns of the local birds from a few of the local bird photographers. It was a different kind of experience to shoot with others beside me, but I enjoyed and embraced the commeraderie – and made a few good friends that I am keeping in touch with. .. Isn’t it wonderful how nature brings people together! This photograph is a snowy egret in flight. The shadowed background shows off the simple and elegant curves and lines of his body in flight.
FORWARD TO A FRIEND
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