by Amy | Sep 10, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Art, The Art of Design
A friend of mine is getting married. So when she asked if I could create her invitation suite, I was set on making something super special that would be just what she wanted. My wedding gift to the happy couple. Chalkboardy, woodsy, quirky and fun. That pretty much sums up Courtney, Mark and their wedding theme. Aren’t they precious? {In a way-cool kind of way?}
{BTW…this amazing photograph is from SMC Photography. You should a)like her page on FB to show some love…and b)check her out for photography need if you live in or near America’s best region. Michiana. Obviously.}
They’ve been mailed and received by now, so I figured it was safe to show the you all the finished product. I really love them. It’s a chalkboard wedding invitation suite!
Courtney has a stamp in the same font as the YES and NO on the response card. So the real deal has those word stamped on in gold ink. Gold ink! {I’m telling you Courty is super cool.}
The biggest challenge was making this map. Because I’m on par with Buster from Arrested Development when it comes to cartography. But thanks to the magic of Google Maps and a little digital tracing…I think people will at least be able to find the place.
And if they can’t find the way…then they’ll just have to pull up Google Maps on their own. So….
Anyway, all this to say, there is going to be one fabulous wedding once November rolls around. And I couldn’t be more thrilled for such a sweet, way-fun couple to be starting their life together. Marriage is amazing when you seal the deal with the right person…and the wedding is just the beginning.
by Amy | Sep 8, 2014 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
by Amy | Sep 5, 2014 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
Sunflower Mini Sessions | Part Three
I am so happy to finally be posting the final round of Sunflower Mini Sessions. Not that I’m happy they are over with. That’s not it at all. It’s just that the folks you see here tonight really got the run around. First their sessions were moved because an exercise on base meant most husbands couldn’t make it. Then we got rained out–twice. But finally we had the perfect evening.
The ground was still a little soggy. My shoes ended the night caked in mud and gravel and a few items of clothing got a little dirty. But no one really seemed to mind. In the end, it was all about capturing a few dreamy North Dakota moments–in the last moments of summer, before winter comes again and we count down the days to another season of cool breeze, open skies, mosquitoes and sunflowers.
by Amy | Aug 21, 2014 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
Sunflower Mini Sessions | Part Two
Lots and lots of things going on this week…with tons of amazing photos on the desktop waiting for their turn to be edited, you can expect to be seeing a lot of pretty faces here on the blog in the near future. But let’s pace ourselves.
A week ago I shot these amazing, super-pretty shots of Naomi in the sunflower fields as. All the other sunflower mini sessions got moved, due to work conflicts. That’s okay, though. Naomi and I had a great time. And there was no rush, since it was just the two of us…which is fine by me because she is incredibly easy to photograph.
Just don’t be bummed out…the others didn’t get cancelled, just moved. So there is still one more sunflower post to come before the season is over.
by Amy | Aug 18, 2014 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
It was like something from the movies. A big crowd, all gathered and buzzing with excitement, even though it was 5:30 in the morning. A breezy, chilly, South Dakota morning. But most people didn’t seem to notice. They were too busy taking photos, checking the time, corralling children or comparing adorable/witty/brilliant poster board signs.
Homecoming.
This particular homecoming is for Matt and Megan. This is Megan.
Everything is thrown off kilter when they leave. There are tears and anger and sadness and {at least for some} a deep rooted thought that the Air Force is the biggest bully in the world. Eventually a routine is established. And you get used to stepping around the hole left while they are away.
Everything is thrown off kilter when they come home. But its a good off kilter, a welcome off kilter. Because you start to look forward to getting back to “regular,” even if you don’t know how long it will last.
It’s emotional. Always emotional. And this was especially so because it was so much bigger and more TV-ish than any other return I’ve witnessed.
It was massive. And the anticipation was palpable. Seriously. Then it happened. The plane landed. They pushed the stairs up and a line that looked like khaki colored ants started to descend. I’m confident that there is no better feeling than identifying your khaki colored ant.
by Amy | Aug 16, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Art, The Art of Living
Through the summer Minot holds Arts in the Park every Thursday and Sunday evening. A few months ago, I was blindsided when I got a call from the Minot Area Council of the Arts contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in being a featured artist.
Arts in the Park works like this. A band plays in the band shell, people come and listen, and an artist stands off to the side. You can do anything you’d like to as the artist, they just encourage it to be something interactive or a demonstration. Like most things, my art is pretty diverse. I had no idea what they wanted me to do, but they were clear that I could do anything I wanted.
So I did what I usually do in a situation like this. I try to think what I would want to see if I was just attending. This is what I came up with.
It’s a community canvas. I drew a black outline of a design {inspired by sunflowers, so perfect for this time of year.} Then I put a dot of color in every space, denoting what it should be filled with. People are welcome to come and fill in as much or as little as they want. And when it’s all filled we are left with a lovely piece of art that many hands had a part in creating.
And people loved it!
Which was so flattering, since I tend to think that my arty stuff is only stuff that my mom would like. Better yet, a woman from the arts council asked if she could buy it. {Say what??!} But wait–there’s more. Minot has an “Arts in the Schools” program that sends local artists in to schools to teach art to kids…and they asked if I’d be interested in being involved. {Duh!} Nothing is super official, but it’s still nice to be considered.
Here’s a progression of the canvas throughout the night.
What I’m getting at is that is was a great night. A night much needed as this fell right around the time of the “Unstuck” post. It was an up that I was in need of. Arts in the Park is done for the season, but if you live in Minot, you should keep a pulse on the cool things the arts council is doing. These folks are working hard to infuse our community with art, culture and fun activities, which I think is something we are all in favor of.
xo
Amy
by Amy | Aug 13, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Art, The Art of the Moment
Let me start by saying–IT’S NOT ME. Really, truly, honestly…this post isn’t about me.
Recently I had the fine privilege of shooting a pregnancy announcement. When we sat down to brainstorm how they wanted to break the big news, we decided that a custom chalkboard background would be just perfect. So, Derek moved the panels inside and I went to work drawing up what just might be the best background I’ve ever created. Which is why I couldn’t resist showing it to you.
Making this chalkboard wall was one of my best decisions ever. I just love drawing big, giant word art up there.
The photos, however will be kept secret until their friends and family have found out. So until then, I guess you all will just have to speculate.
Amy
by Amy | Jul 29, 2014 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
Last week Derek and I ventured to my favorite place in the world. Elkhart, IN. While there I got to go to the country’s best 4-h fair. Seriously…it’s ranked #1 or #2–they flip flop with another fair in California. I soaked in the hot tub and soaked up sun in the pool and went for a boat ride on the might St. Joe.
In short, it was awesome.
Like all trips home there are a million things we want to do and only a few select actually happen. One thing we did find time for was taking an updated family photo, per my momma’s request. The last time we did this, my sister and I weren’t married and there were no dogs included. It was pretty casual. Nothing dressy. Just a couple photos in front of the barn {which is getting a fresh coat of paint this summer}. The whole fam. All together. Even the dogs.
{BTW…this amazing photograph is from SMC Photography. You should a)like her page on FB to show some love…and b)check her out for photography need if you live in or near America’s best region. Michiana. Obviously.}
