It is such a joy for me to photograph tiny parts of plants, enlarge them, and see structures that were not visible to my eyes before. These plants are part of the living collection of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota.
Blog
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Tiny Parts of Epiphyte Plants
Bromeliaceae Pitcairnia grafii Bromeliaceae Catopsis morreniana Orchidaceae Pleurothallis grobyl Orchidaceae Dichaea pendula Melastomataceae Pachycentria glauca Orchidaceae Cadetia ceratostyloides -
Fantasy Digital Painting of Leaves, Flowers, and Clouds of Butterflies
My digital painting of flowers, clouds of butterflies and a leafy background with accents of leaves inside of circles -
The Sandhill Crane Colts Are Growing Up!
The Sandhill Cranes raised two colts this spring.
They found a sweet spot behind our house under a date palm tree.
The colt is checking out what its parent is finding
Both colts are checking out what their parent is digging up
It appears that they are having a conversation!
The parents are ever vigilant
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Exhibit Opening at Arts Advocates Gallery in Sarasota, Florida
June 1 was my solo exhibit opening! We had such a nice gathering of art fans. I gave a talk as an introduction to the show and received many interested questions. I am so grateful to Bill Rusling, Liz Trostli, and Randy Havens for working all Thursday afternoon with me to hang the show. It looks splendid. The Arts Advocates Gallery has a beautiful exhibit space and lighting to show off the works. Along with many 8″ x 10″ and 13″ x 19″ prints on beautiful paper, I was also able to have two 24″ x 36″ images made, one on framed canvas and the other on aluminum. Both turned out really well.
I also want to express gratitude to my friend Pat LaRussa, who typed up the labels for each print–49 of them in total. Pat and my sister-in-law, Shelly, helped Randy and me set up the refreshments.
This Saturday, June 8, I will give a presentation on my photography for Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, show examples and demonstrate the techniques I use for capturing closeups. The gallery is open from 2 to 4 PM and my talk will begin about 2:30 PM. I hope to see you there! Here are three images from the show that I made at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.
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Seeing Flowers with Imagination
For me, art is seeing with imagination. I see the world and modify it with my imagination.
Orchidaceae Rhyncholalia cultivar Arbin, Honduras with Painted Background 
Orchid Painting 
Orchids, Feathers, and Fur 
Walking Iris 
Backlighted Orchid with Painted Sky -
Tiny Orchid and Bromeliad Flowers
I have a passion for making close-up photos of flowers. The following are from the collection of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida. These particular blooms are about one-quarter inch in size, so the photographs reveal more details than I can see in person.
Because macro lenses are notorious for their shallow depth of field, i.e., they focus one very thin slice at a time. Therefore I use a technique called focus bracketing or focus stacking to allow us to see a much greater depth of field. I make a large number of photos each focused slightly nearer to the subject (bracketing) then I stack them together in Adobe Photoshop and run a program that selects the most in-focus part of each photo and merges them into one. Any movement of the flower will cause the merged photo to misalign and make an interesting abstract. The artist in me make like the abstract result, but the botanists may be frustrated.
Bromeliaceae, Tillandsia ionantha, Mexico 
Bromeliaceae, Tillandsia ionantha, Mexico 
Orchidaceae, Stelis argentata, Los Rios, Equador 
Orchidaceae, Stelis argentata, Los Rios, Equador 
Orchidaceae, Laelia undulata ‘alba’ 
Orchidaceae, Laelia undulata ‘alba’ 
Orchidaceae, Maxillaria, Cayo, Belize 
Orchidaceae, Maxillaria, Cayo, Belize 
Orchidaceae, Pleurothallis racemilflora -
Bamberg, Germany
Bamberg, Germany was our first destination on this trip.
“Bamberg is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, laid out over 7 hills where the Regnitz and Main rivers meet. Its old town preserves structures from the 11th to 19th centuries including the muraled Altes Rathaus (town hall), which occupies an island in the Regnitz reached by arched bridges.”Bamberg.Germany “is a town in Upper Franconia district in Bavaria, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg had 79,000 inhabitants in 2022.[6] The town dates back to the 9th century, when its name was derived from the nearby Babenberch castle. Cited as one of Germany’s most beautiful towns, with medieval streets and buildings, the old town of Bamberg has been a UNESCO World Heritage Sitesince 1993.[7]” wikipedia.org
During our Masters in International Business Studies (MIBS), we met a young man from Bamberg. Tragically he died during his study at University of South Carolina of a car accident. Bamberg remained a mystery to us until this trip. What an historic and beautiful place this is and how fortunate he was to be raised here.
A mill in the middle of the Regnitz became Hotel Nepomuk, where we stayed. You can see our room windows under the eaves. 
“According to legend the bishop of Bamberg did not grant the citizens any land for the construction of a town hall. This prompted the townsfolk to ram stakes into the river Regnitz to create an artificial island, on which they built the town hall they so badly wanted.” Bamberg.info 
View of the cathedral towers from our hotel room 
Böttingerhaus built from 1707 – 1713 as a baroque palace for Johann Ignaz Tobias Böttinger 
The front door and knocker of Böttingerhaus 
“St. Peter’s and St. George’s Imperial Cathedral is one of Emperor Heinrich II’s legacies. Emperor Heinrich II. had the Cathedral constructed in Bamberg as early as 1002 and it was completed in 1012. However, this house of worship fell victim to fire, as did its successor. The third construction which contains stylistic elements of the late romanesque and early gothic periods has survived to the present day.” Bamberg.info 
Adjacent to the cathedral are the Old Court and New Residence, seats of the Bamberg Bishops since 1007, containing a magnificent rose garden 
These picturesque homes were once owned by the fishermen. 
St. Stephan started in 1008 as a Roman Catholic Collegiate church. In 1807 it became a Protestant parish church. 
Fermate, by Walter Green, created 2007, located in St. Stephans church, Bamberg, Germany 
The baptismal font is elegant in its simplicity 
Evening view of the cathedral 
Evening view of the Rathaus from our hotel -
Glasmuseum Passau Germany
Glass vessels and sculpture fascinate me. Over 15,000 pieces are on display inside the Hotel Wilder Mann, famous in the 19th c. where Elisabeth II, Empress of Austria, stayed for a week in 1862. The collection is from Bavaria, Bohemia, Austria and Silesia and comprises glass from 1650 to 1950 and features Biedermeier, Art Nouveau (Jugendstil), and Art Deco (Modern) styles.
Biedermeier, Friedrich Egermann, Blottendorf, Bohemia 1828 – 1845 
Biedermeier, First Experiments from Franz Pohl Glashütte Carlsthal, Schliesien, 1835 – 1842 
Art Deco, Modern, Josephine Glassworks, Schreiberhau, Silesia, 1920 – 1950 
Art Deco, Modern, Josephine Glassworks, Schreiberhau, Silesia, 1920 – 1950, closeup 
Art Nouveau, Meyr’s Neffe, Adolf bei Winterberg, Bohemia, 1900 – 1915 
Jugendstil, Wilhelm Kralik Sohn, Eleonorenhain Bohemia, 1900 – 1905 
Jugendstil, Wilhelm Kralik Sohn, Eleonorenhain Bohemia, 1900 – 1905, closeup 
Jugendstil, Wilhelm Kralik Sohn, Eleonorenhain Bohemia, 1900 – 1905, closeup 
Vienna Winter Exhibition, 1902 -1903, glass with leaf or heart-shaped applications that are first preheated and then rolled onto the hot surface of the glass bubble and embedded in the wall 
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Shared Art
It is fun for me to make photos of others’ arts and crafts to share and to keep as memories. This is a quirky assortment of just some of the sculpture, graphics, paintings, and vessels we saw on our trip to Europe this summer, spanning many artistic styles over the years.
Bamberg, Germany 
Bamberg, Germany Cathedral Rose Garden 
Einstein with marijuana graphic beside stickers on the downspout, Regensburg, Germany 
Don Juan of Austria, 1547 – 1548, born in Regensburg, illigitimate son of the widowed Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. John (Johann) became a military leader in the service of his half-brother, King Philip II of Spain, Charles V’s heir, and is best known for his role as the admiral of the Holy League fleet at the Battle of Lepanto. 
Bronze relief map of old city used as beer table at Regensburgerfest, Regensburg, Germany 
Barbara Blomberg, mistress of Charles V, Holy Roman Emporer, mother of Don Juan de Austria, Regensburg, Germany, wall graphic in the lobby of Das Regensburg Hotel 
Passau, Germany 
Art Nouveau (Jugendstil), glass vessels with silver decoration put on in an electrolytic bath, by Johann Lötz Witwe, Klostermühle, Bohemia, 1900 – 1905, The Glas Museum, Passau, Germany 
Mirabell Palace Garden, Salzburg, Austria. The Mirabell garten was laid out under Prince-Archbishop Johann Ernst von Thun from 1687 according to plans designed by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. 
A sculpture in a nook of the mighty 11th c. Hohensalzburg Fortress (Festung), built on a rock 400 feet above the Salzach River 
Door handles, Salzburg, Austria 
Trail of the Witches, Alpe di Suisi, The Dolomites, Italy 
Trail of the Witches, Alpe di Suisi, The Dolomites, Italy 
Trail of the Witches, Alpe di Suisi, The Dolomites, Italy 
The gardens of Hohenschwangau Castle, Füssen, Germany 
The gardens of Hohenschwangau Castle, Füssen, Germany 
A cairn at a barn in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, Switzerland 
Balade D’ouchy, Port de Lausanne-Ouchy, France on Lake Geneva 
Parc Olympique, Balade D’ouchy, Port de Lausanne-Ouchy, France on Lake Geneva 
Quartier du Flon, Lausanne, France 
Suspended discs spanning between buildings, Quartier du Flon, Lausanne, France
