I love fall photography because of all the brilliant color, being out in nature and smelling the crisp air, and walking through the woods kicking the leaves. This tree stood out in my quest for “the perfect fall photo.” It’s in Ada, MI along the new bike path on Bailey.
On another note, I want to thank everyone who stops by and visits my blog. And especially thank those of you who take the time to make comments. It makes the time I spend on this very rewarding for me. I check my blog stats every day and have noticed that I’m getting more and more new visitors all the time. Michigan Sweet Spot is near having 300,ooo page views.
When I first started this, sometimes there would only be one or two visitors in a day (in other words, my mom and dad!). Anyway, thanks again and keep on coming and telling your friends about MichiganSweetSpot, you’re appreciated!
Fall colors have peaked, this was taken on the new bike path in Ada on Bailey Drive.
Autumn leaves have turned to the most brilliant colors I have seen in at least 10 years. I’ve heard from reliable sources that the fall foilage is just as spectacular up north and throughout the state. One of my favorite things about this time of year is the incredible fall colors in Michigan due to all of the trees we have here. Although I took this HDR photo in Ada on the new bike trail on Bailey, you can travel just about anywhere right now in Michigan and hit the fall color at its peak.
"Presence" 72" x 36" Multi Media Painting by Ann Teliczan at Butterworth Hospital Main Lobby. Voting Code: 38751
I’ve had a few days to pick some favorite artists for ArtPrize 2010. And also to give you some tips about ArtPrize parking and other ideas to help you when you visit ArtPrize.
FEATURED ARTIST ANN TELICZAN/VOTING CODE 38751: Today I am featuring my ArtPrize entry. My work is located in the main lobby at Spectrum Health’s Butterworth Campus (the entrance on Michigan Street where they have valet parking.) When you walk in the door, my work is on the right, by the big fireplace. If you get a chance to see my work, make sure you view it close up from several different angles. I painted mica on it, which changes appearance when you view the painting from different angles. I hope you enjoy this, I created it with the intention of making something that cause positive mood transformations. If you want to see some of my other work, you can visit my website at www.Anntopia.com
ART PRIZE PARKING TIP: Parking is going to be a challenge during peak ArtPrize hours. But I have a solution, if you park in the Butterworth Hospital parking ramp on Michigan street, it’s a very short walk to many of the ArtPrize venues. A bonus is that you will probably have free ArtPrize parking if you try this (that’s not a promise though). Many times, the parking garage is unattended at the exit and the parking is free. The easiest route is to park in the parking ramp, start your ArtPrize tour at Butterworth Hospital’s main lobby, and then continue down the hill behind the hospital to other venues.
PUBLIC MUSEUM VENUE TIP: Make sure you see the work on the 3rd floor of the Grand Rapids Public Museum, it’s spectacular.
GRAND VALLEY ARTISTS AT ALTEN PLACE: This is another venue that has a lot of great work that is not highly publicized, I think it’s definitely worth visiting.
SKYWALKS: Don’t let the dreary weather stop you from coming downtown and enjoying ArtPrize. A lot of Grand Rapids is connected with skywalks and you can get to many of the venues by taking the skywalks.
Balloon Chain by Robert Bose (with collaborator Michael Cha) at the Frederik Meijer Gardens. Voting code: 46481
I was coming home from the downtown ArtPrize celebrations tonight and got sidetracked when my friend Lisa told me that the lights above the Frederik Meijer Gardens were amazing. So of course I went there instead of going home.
“The lights” are an ArtPrize entry called “Balloon Chain” by Robert Bose. His entry is particularly striking at night and this is a don’t miss entry. While I was talking to Robert, I could hear onlookers gasping in awe and saying “Get out! Wow! Can you believe that!” Yes, it’s that cool.
"Impact" by Dr. Steven Bezinque is located at the front of the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Voting Code: 46701
This is day one of ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, MI. One of the most frequent questions I’m asked when people hear I’m an artist in ArtPrize is “How do I vote in ArtPrize?” Here’s some info that I think will help.
Q: How do I register online? A: Visit www.ArtPrize.org, create a user name and password (you’ll need an email address.) Then login to your new account and set up your profile. If you registered last year, you can continue to use that account.
Q: I registered online, can I vote now? A: Nope, not quite yet. After you register online, you need to activate your registration by going to one of the registration
sites in person and presenting your driver’s license or another government issued ID,
Here’s the locations where you can activate your registration:
Diocese of Grand Rapids/Cathedral Square
360 Division Ave S
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
1000 East Beltline Ave NE
Grand Rapids Art Museum 101 Monroe Center
Grand Rapids Public Museum
272 Pearl St NW
Grand Valley State University Outdoor Art & Sculpture
Pew Campus, between Pearl St and Fulton St
The Urban Institute for Contemporary Art (UICA)
41 Sheldon Boulevard SE
Women’s City Club 254 East Fulton St
The Hub
155 N Division Ave
Grand Rapids Public Library
111 Library Street NE
Downtown Chamber of Commerce 111 Pearl Street NW
Q: Now that I’m registered, how do I vote? A: Hopefully, you’ll go visit as many locations as possible and vote on your favorite artists. You can vote by going online to vote at www.ArtPrize.org and logging in, or by getting the free ArtPrize application for your smartphone. I tried out the ArtPrize application and LOVE IT. If you have a smart phone, please give this a try, you’ll be glad you did.
Q: How many times can I vote? A: You can vote as many times as you want to but you can only vote twice for the same artist. Once during the first round of voting and then a second time if they are lucky enough to be a finalist.
Q: What’s this vote up, vote down thingy? A: Basically a vote up means you like it, and a vote down means, yuck.
You can also find out more about voting at the ArtPrize website voting page here.
So there you have it. I hope you have a fun time, this is a truly unique, world class event.
The Hub is a place you will want to get familiar with, fast if you're in town for ArtPrize.
ArtPrize, in Grand Rapids, Michigan officially starts on Wednesday so I decided to go downtown today and see the status of things to come. After roaming around Grand Rapids, I wrapped up the day by visiting “The Hub.” This is a place you will want to know about if you are visiting ArtPrize.
The Hub is decked out with lounges for visitors to interact with each other
Rick and Melissa DeVos were at The Hub today checking out last minute details.
and the artists. It also has an artist lounge, which Rick DeVos, the founder of ArtPrize told me is going to be quite nice. In other words, if you’re an artist, you’re missing out if you don’t spend some time there.
If you want to know what everyone’s talking about, go spend some time at The Hub. It’s located at 155 N. Division in the Center of Grand Rapids (it’s also known as the old Federal Building.) Here’s more about The Hub from the official ArtPrize blog.
Check back often to learn more about my ArtPrize discoveries, I plan to do a lot of blogging about it.
The Frederik Meijer Gardens will be a venue for ArtPrize this year. Artprize starts September 22 at 6PM. I’m planning on going to downtown Grand Rapids to start scoping out the work that is already up (by the way, this sculpture is not an ArtPrize entry.
This is my favorite of the 25 Chihuly exhibits at the Frederik Meijer Gardens
Ever since the Chihuly exhibit came to the Frederik Meijer Gardens, I’ve noticed that it seems to eventually come up in conversation with my friends and business associates. The reason everyone is talking about this exhibit is that it’s unique, stunning and beautiful. The exhibit was to end in September and is now being held over until October 31, 2010.
The Chihuly exhibit, titled A New Eden, features 15 sculpture sites with most of them outside and a continuously playing presentation about Chihuly in the Hoffman Family Theater. Dale Chihuly is said to be the most sought after artist in the world, working primarily in glass. This is his 2nd exhibition at the Gardens.
It was hard to pick my favorite from all the sites, but if I had to pick, it would be of the area shown in this HDR photo that I took during my 3rd visit (and I’ll be back for more!).
Did you know that you can grow lotus flowers in Michigan? I grew this lotus in my backyard lotus bog. In fact, this is what I woke up to on my birthday. Happy Day!
I got this at Apols Landscaping. It’s well worth the drive to Caledonia. Here’s a link to their website, it doesn’t come close to doing them justice though. The place is incredible with tons of water lily’s, koi, goldfish, and lots of other things that will make your yard a sanctuary.
Wow! What a summer this has been. Other than a few days that were over the top hot, I can’t remember a more beautiful or fun summer. I took this while visiting my son Paul and his family on a camping outing at Big Wabasis Lake. It’s quite a nice place to visit, especially if you love camping. Here’s some helpful links:
In addition to camping, you’ll find a boat launch, enclosed shelter, baseball diamonds, fishing, hiking/walking, picnicking, a playground, swimming, a bathhouse, basketball, restrooms and a springhouse (which is VERY cool).
You must be logged in to post a comment.