Home for Christmas

After making tracks around the world and back, this year I am home for Christmas, savoring the peace of nature, sharing with family and friends.  And, I am enjoying this snowy winter, delighting in the delicate snowflakes and the play…

Peace.  Love.  Joy.  To all.

Reflect Light

Celebrate dark. And light.
Solstice.

News from Heidi Mae: Fairs + NEW Online Shop!

Greetings from snowy northern Minnesota!  What a change from a year ago when I was celebrating Loy Krathong in warm and sunny Thailand.  The landscape in Thailand was green, even in their "winter".  Here in Minnesota, I'm so grateful that the color has finally shifted from the brown of late autumn to winter white.  I enjoy how snow brightens up the landscape…  and I love sharing the beauty of winter through my art.

After years of setting up my portable "shop/gallery" at local art fairs and exhibits, I have finally set up my online "shop".  You may now visit "MeanderWithHeidiMae" on Etsy for my latest card collections and select fine art prints.  Click this link to meander through my shop!  Please contact me with questions about products, purchases or special requests.

Now Open!
An Esty Shop by Heidi Mae Niska Photography:
MeanderWithHeidiMae
https://www.etsy.com/shop/MeanderWithHeidiMae

For northern Minnesota friends, here are two upcoming events where you will find me and/or my photography:

NLAA Annual Holiday Art Fair
Ely Community Center
30 S. First Avenue East
Ely, MN
Saturday, December 7, 10 - 4

Lyric Center for the Arts
Holiday Boutique
514 Chestnut Street
Virginia, MN
throughout December, Thurs - Sat, 11 - 3

News from Heidi Mae: Art Fest in Duluth

I'm truly excited to be a part of a new event in Duluth this upcoming weekend.  Hanging out a stone's throw* from the lake with artists (and friends!) in a lovely art space will be uplifting; displaying my new winter card collection and a selection of new prints will be satisfying; but, truthfully,… a not-so-secret enticement for me is the specialty chocolate!

I will feature three new winter card collections as well as new mini-cards.  Shown here is a collection of four 5" square cards featuring white and blue.

Holiday ART Fest

Saturday, November 23, 9-5

Sunday, November 24, 10-4

On the Rocks Art Studio

307 Canal Park Dr
Duluth, MN 55802

(in Canal Park 3rd floor above the DQ and ICO)

Some of the artists/artisans who will be there:

Yours truly, world wondering gypsy, hmn

Travis Melin of Travis Melin Images

Meadowlands Chocolate

And, I've heard there will be rock sculptures, stained/fused glass & more.

Come if you can as it'd be lovely to see you!
Please share event info with friends!

* To be truthful, it's farther from the lake than I can throw a stone.  But, we will be very close. ;)

Sand castles

perpetual teasing
waves
dancing
on sand castles
wash away
remnants
of golden glory
skirting light
redefining
twirling lines
washed over
dreams

Baby Steps ~ Sweet October Walk

Now six feet are making tracks on a Sweet October Walk!  This lil' guy likes to move and inspect everything along the way.  What fun to spend a perfect autumn afternoon with this sweetie... and the parents too!

See where these feet were 2 years ago: Sweet October Walk

Harmony

I walked on sandy paths cushioned with needles.
The breeze rippled the water.
Sunlight sparkled through the trees.

Orange

the maple tree sings
as daylight diminishes
perhaps, already
only twigs remain
lost in sky blue

Click on the image to see the full blast of color.  The vibrancy of the orange diminishes with the smaller blog format but comes through in the slideshow format.

Aspen

aspen stands
tall
sturdy
persistent
gray
green
turning yellow

Hello, Autumn!

Hello, old friend Autumn!  I've missed you...

In the water

While exploring some of my favorite places this past week, I was on the water... canoeing.  This cedar tree and exposed rock inspired me to dock, step onto land and then into the water on a flat rock perfectly located for foot placement out of the muck while framing photos.  Flat rocks are slimy.  I was wet up to the knees and one elbow while taking this photo.  I was grateful for the warmth of the sun in this non-shady spot and for the extra wool socks and sweater.

Click on the image to see it larger!

On the water

Earlier this week I re-explored favorite places in and near the BWCA.  It's the time of year where the sun is nicely warm while the shaded areas can be chilly.  I wore my sun hat but also carried woolies, which were greatly appreciated after the sun set.

Click on the images to see them a bit larger in a slide show format!














I admired a spider web cocooning a group of little ferns on a rock wall above the water.  After moving in close to take several photos, I jumped back a bit when the spider caught my eye.  Sliding the canoe back and repositioning to change angle, I focused on the spider.  When I changed my attention to a small aspen twig further along the wall, I continued to keep one eye on the giant spider, though detected no movement.

News: Words to Art Exhibit

Photographers and poets have come together for a  "Words to Art" exhibit at the Waterfront Gallery in Two Harbors.  Photographers each submitted two photos which were then used by the poets for inspiration for their creative writing.  I'm delighted to be included in this exhibit which begins on Saturday!
Photographers include Jay Steinke, Travis Melin, Heidi Mae Niska, Shawn Thompson, Val Doherty, Brian Rauvola, Susan Dykstra, John Gregor and Christian Dalbec.

Poets include Deborah Cooper, Gary Boelhower, Shelley Getten, Terry Miller, Sheila Packa, Diane Friebe, Micky McGilligan, Lisa Angelos, Laurie Hill, Mary McReynolds-Pollinen, Julie Gard, Robbie Tietge, and Ruth Schmidt-Baeumier.


Words to Art
Waterfront Gallery,
Two Harbors, MN
September 21 - November 2, 2013
Opening Reception: 3 - 5 pm, September 21
Poetry Reading: 3:30 - 4:30 pm, September 21
More info: Address & Hours

Grit

It's the leftover bits that get me.
For days after, they show up
bouncing and falling
from creases and folds and pockets.
Just when I think I cleaned the last of it,
another round shows up,
teasing me with memories
of sitting on soft driftwood,
sharing silences of soul friends,
watching the horizon hue shift to pastel,
collecting bits into my fingers
to rub grit against the brown surface
clearing the residue of pollen
plus ten year old waterproofing
that smelled like vinegar
and left a film of snot
on the worn leather
of my second hand shoes.

Peace.

Dreamy dreaming

Please, Mom? {Lifestyle Photography}

"Please, Mom, can we let go of these balloons?!"

This little girl didn't sit still for long.  She liked walking and exploring and keeping up with her brothers and sisters.  What a delight to spend time with this gem of a family!

For more info about Heidi Mae's Lifestyle Photography, visit: http://www.heidimaeniska.com/Portraits/Welcome.html

Savor the sound

As part of the Wild Rovers tour, Cory Chisel, Adriel Denae, the Candles, and special guest Norah Jones played to a sold-out crowd at Washington Auditorium last night in Ely, Minnesota!  I love silence, but on this night, I savored the sound....

Below the surface

I see beauty below the surface,
in the thicket of tendrils
growing out of the muck,
reaching for the surface,
swaying in the wake,
but... rooted.

Floating in clouds

Click image to see larger view.

From a dream of a day...

The canoe wouldn't sit still during this creative session, so I let go of those preconceived ideas and played with the situation.  And, it was... play!

Perfect Summer Day

What an perfectly splendid day - truly a summer dream to be out in the canoe with calm water, warm sunshine, puffy white clouds on the edge of the BWCA wilderness!  As photos were created, some memories are etched into my mind: a trail of lilypads wiggling, evidence of the beaver aiming to avoid the stranger; little green frog resting on a bunched up mass of torn & tattered lilypads; painted turtle underwater paddling under and away from me; reverberating of the local loon family yodels; waterbugs scattering, leaving wakes at random angles; and, as the evening turned to dark gray, a wolf pausing and disappearing like a spirit in the night.

Click on image for larger view.

Sky Deep

Dipping past the surface,
paddle swirls in the water.
Swimming through the clouds,
reach in... to the depths.
Stirring up reflections
open to the sky.

Water Lily

Can you sit with the quiet?
Can you listen to the silence?
Can you feel the stillness and the fullness of life?
Will you?

News: Exhibit in Ely

The sun is hot, rain abounds, June berries are ripe, and the Greenstone Juried Art Show, one of Ely's best art events of the summer, is on tap to begin this Saturday!  Fifty eight artists are featured in this year's show, including some of Ely's favorites.  If you follow my meandering, you will not be surprised that my contribution this year strays from the typical northwoods theme.  Go to the show to check out a trio from my travels!

Greenstone Juried Art Show

July 20 - 28, 2013

Ely Art & Heritage Center

Ely, MN

Gala Event: July 20, 7 - 9 pm, $30

Exhibit: July 21 - 28, 1 - 4 pm, free

Event Info: elyecho.com

Ely Art Info: Ely Greenstone Public Art

Water & Rock: The Shaping

The Shaping:
Catch
Tumble
Slide...
Release
Catch
Tumble
Slide...
Release

Sunset Truth

Water and Sky

Breathe deep. 

Connect to earth, water and sky.

Savor the peace.

To the Lake!

Someone's back and heading to the lake!  These images are from the archives.  Even after all the travel on the other side of the globe, this shore of Lake Superior is one of my favorite places in the world.  Happy heart.

SEA Sails (on)

The sails are up!  And, I'm off to explore some new landscapes and revisit others.  My access to this blog will be sporadic, so new posts are unlikely during the next four weeks.  Cheerio!

Pink Elephants

On the streets of Lampang...

And here is a hint of what's coming with Songkran on April 12th - from what I've been told by good friends here.  It's time to pack away the camera and electronics!













Learn more about Songkran on Wikipedia: click here

Dancing elephants

The clock tower has been transformed, traffic is stopped, elephants have moved in...  I've heard the drumming, watched the dancers, both people in elegant costumes doing traditional dances and pink elephants doing Gangnam-style, felt the breeze from elephants running, listened to the boom of fireworks and music blasting from loudspeakers, watched lanterns hit power lines and drift up into the night sky.  Yes, the pre-festival festivities have begun for Thailand's Songkran!

Interesting note: in this last photo, people are taking photos or waiting their turn to walk under the elephant.