Fur Rondy 2011

Anchorage’s winter festival ‘Fur Rondy’ had its kick off on Friday!  The festival is a two week event with dozens and dozens of action packed fun for children and adults.  Fur Rondy is the prelude to the great 'Iditarod Race'.

The city closes several main streets downtown for various daily events.  Dog sled racing, Outhouse racing, the carnival, and then throughout Anchorage a wide variety of things are happening.

The Anchorage Senior Center maintains the most activities for all.  Down at the Senior Center you will find the Seniors Annual Art Show, lots of food, tons of different type games and more games.  Snowshoe baseball anyone?

On Saturday I did my best in partaking different activities by dressing in some warm clothes and walking the streets snapping photos.  I lasted about an hour downtown before my hands were frozen, my nose was a running faucet and I think half of my toes fell off on 4^th Avenue.

Today I plan on dressing warmer so I can stay out longer and getting more photos!  Right now Anchorage is besieged by bone chilling wind at about 20/30 knots.  

I entered the Fur Rondy Amateur Juried Photography Contest.  Seven favorite photos were entered; one photo for each category of the show.  

This year 516 entries were received for judging.  180 were selected for public viewing.  If you made the cut even this is an honor.  Of my seven; five were included in the public viewing.  Of my five photos - 1 received a 3^rd place ribbon for my Flora entry!  I was jazzed in a way you cannot imagine!  It confirms that my photos are wonderful and that I have developed a style of Art that is worthy of the attention I give it.  Confirms to me I am an artist.

                                                               'Thrills & Spills'

                                       b/w with forge filter Fur Rondy Carnival 2/26/2011

Dinosaurs, Butterflies and Grant Application

 It’s not easy being me.  Some days I’m happy and some days I’m cranky.  Pretty normal I do believe for a person of my age and temperament.

In the mornings I check my emails, visit my social networks, view my online shops to see if an item sold, and then work for a while on my art my main excitement and a fulfilling job in my otherwise boring life as a semi-retired person.  

If errands need running or visit to grocery store needs to be done that is the afternoon highlight.

The last couple of weeks I’ve been working on a grant application for an Artist Project Award.  The Rasmuson Foundation offers each year three types of grants that various artists may apply to receive.  The first is for $5,000 called a Project Award.  Then a Fellowship Award for $12,000. The third is a Distinguished Artist Award of $25,000. 

 

As that my career is in the beginning stages; I am applying for as an ‘Emerging Artist’.  Not to give away my game plan of what I shall be doing; but I’ll say this if given the award I will taking lots of photos in the central and south central region of Alaska.

I have giant butterflies in my stomach.  They feel like dinosaur eggs.   

I hate to admit but I work myself into a frazzle at times over the simplest of things.  I’m happy to say this is my first application.  May the ones that follow become easier. 

I can only imagine what those applying for the larger grants feel as they turn in their application with their project written out in blood, sweat and tears (well that’s it felt for me while working on the 5 required sections that must be submitted).

This is the first of many steps I have set as goals for my career as a Fine Art Photographer.  I am keeping my toes and fingers crossed in hopes of being selected as a recipient and also acknowledge that the competition is stiff.  Alaska has a wonderful bounty of artists in many disciplines. When I went to the website to see past artist projects and the awards I was in awe of my fellow Alaskan’s.