It does not take long after arriving in the capital city of Argentina, Buenos Aires, to feel the passion and creativity that permeates just about every part of daily life. This sprawling modern city with a European feel seems to embrace just about every form of expression with vigor. Architecture, design, food, Tango, music and the visual arts find a knowledgeable and appreciative audience in Buenos Aires. In this respect, it is not surprising to find a growing acceptance for what is often considered a serious problem in other major cities of the world. Graffiti, also know as street art or tagging (a mark left by gangs to define turf) plague most urban environments and is treated by authorities and society at large as a crime.

My first real exposure to graffiti that clearly had a purpose beyond vandalism was the Berlin Wall prior to German unification in 1990.  Creative, defiant, and powerful images of every kind were placed on the West Berlin side of the wall with the support of the local population and government. I would walk for miles along this concrete canvas often under the spyglass surveillance of East German guards in watch towers.

Graffiti, unlike its more constrained cousins, gallery paintings, is primal, raw, large and more concerned with communication than being an object to be consumed. Perhaps this is why despite its power galleries and museums worldwide have been slow to acknowledge the talent working today in major cities around the globe.

Even though contemporary graffiti and street art can defy easy categorization, many street artists are taking it upon themselves to market their designs and art through the production of posters, T-shirts, prints and some even welcome commissions that include interior space. In Buenos Aires one such collective that combines a bar, nightclub and galleries with a generous dose of graffiti is “Hollywood in Cambodia”. Located in the Palermo district among trendy shops and restaurants, it serves as a home, hangout, meeting place and hideout giving the street art crowd roots to grow. “Hollywood in Cambodia” is also a featured stop in Graffitimundo’s popular tours showcasing the city’s best street art.

Increasingly throughout Buenos Aires and especially in neighborhoods like Palermo, San Telmo, and La Boca, graffiti art is gaining acceptance. While technically still considered a property crime, many residents and even business owners are tapping into the power of this often raw visual form. It is not uncommon to hear stories of police pausing to admire a work in progress or have trendy business owners commission a unique façade treatment. No doubt city planners with more homogeonous expectations must be pulling their hair out. One highly regarded restaurant, Tegui, invited several artists working in graffiti to collaborate on its façade and the result is an edgy, chic wall of words and images that clearly has helped it to stand apart from the crowd of fine eateries.

One catalyst for this creative explosion appears to be the traumatic economic collapse in Argentina in 2000 and 2001. Less violent than rioting and looting, graffiti artists were seen as giving voice to an angry population during this turbulent time. What remains today is a wide range of styles and techniques created by a talented group of nonconformists that continues to grow in acceptance.

At the very heart of this art form is the basic need to express the human experience and it is a direct link to the rock and cave paintings of past civilizations. Ultimately there can be meaning for our lives in the messages on the walls. It only requires that we invest with curiosity, wonder, and an open mind in this art regardless of where it is found to enrich our lives.

More images can be found at the Graffitimundo Flickr site - check it out!

As someone who can barely draw a stick figure, I am constantly amazed when a person can sit down and within minutes transform what is before them visually into a glorious representation.   A friend recently turned me on to a site called Urban Sketchers, which is now not only bookmarked on my laptop, but one I visit daily to see what phenomenal new work has been posted.

Urban Sketchers is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising the artistic, storytelling and educational value of location drawing, promoting it’s practice and connecting people around the world who draw on location where they live and travel.

Much like HarmonyWishes’ goal which is to change the world one e-card at a time, Urban Sketchers mission is to show the world, one drawing at a time.  It’s fascinating to see the growing body of work coming from invited artists around the world.

I encourage all of you to check them out and be inspired, transported to another place and to support yet another way of telling a story.  If you have favorite art sites, let us know - we always have room for one more bookmark!

I just saw the latest from the imagination of Michel Gondry, one of my favorite music video directors.  The concept is so simple and playful. A great accompaniment for Mia Doi Todd’s  “Open Your Heart.” Check it out:

After watching the video, it had me scanning Oaxaca for interesting juxtapositions of color (an easy task in such a colorful city). Where does color and image play a role in your life?  Can you think of a particular place or time where color evoked a feeling or memory for you?  Are there any images in our gallery that use color in a way that you find intriguing?  Let us know!

Cheers,

Megan

Blending the creation of visually engaging pieces and computer technology was the impetus for Newmediasoup, LLC nearly ten years ago.  Joel is constantly learning about the ever-changing new media and how he can apply it to the business’ services.  In his free time, and when he is not underwater capturing stills or video, Joel enjoys perfecting the art of barbeque, music and snowboarding in the winter.

Having many different careers from Exercise Physiologist to General Manager in Restaurant & Hospitality (and more in between), Jen now focuses her time working with Joel on various projects, and handling the administrative side of their business.  In addition to underwater photography, she enjoys cooking/baking and snow skiing in the winter.

Q:  We’ve been following your work for quite a while now…with each successive dive trip your images keep getting stronger.  How did your interest in diving originate?

A:   (Jen) Thank you!  We’ve only been diving for a little over three years, and I blame it all on a very close friend (ha-ha!).  Once we received our scuba certification, our interest really peaked by all of the wondrous underwater life that we could view.  Scuba diving quickly became a passionate hobby for us.

(Joel) Prior to learning to dive, snorkeling was an activity that was prevalent on tropical vacations, so it just made sense to take that next step. Getting scuba certified was something Jen and I did together, spurred on by a good friend, and it’s something we continue to love to do together.

Q:   As difficult and physical as diving is by itself, you’ve added another layer of complexity by adding photography to the equation.  What made you want to take that next step?

A:  (Jen)  Initially, I didn’t want to have anything to do with an underwater camera.  I was enthralled with the underwater world and just wanted to dive.  But things do change.  In June of 2008, I started diving with a point and shoot system.  Since then, I’ve progressed to a DSLR system and haven’t looked back!  Now I wouldn’t imagine diving without a camera!

(Joel)  I’ve always been interested in photography, and it’s an associated service that my company offers, so it was a natural extension that I take a camera underwater with me from the very beginning.  Shooting underwater is very different  from shooting on land, and my first photos were just terrible.  The perfectionist in me was the motivating force to learn how to take underwater photos that portrayed what we were really seeing down there.

Q:   When we look at your images of the undersea world we see a lot of beauty, but there can be a degree of danger.  Have you encountered some uncomfortable or dangerous situations while photographing?

A:   (Jen)  First and foremost, one should be a sound diver prior to adding underwater imaging gear to the mix.  The diving really needs to be second nature since your focus is all on setting up for your intended shot.  We adhere to the buddy system and safety is always the first priority.

(Joel)  Having good buoyancy control is key when trying to capture stills or video underwater.  Other than experiencing very cold water temperatures, poor visibility and ripping currents, we have been quite fortunate so far and have not encountered anything dangerous.  We do our best to keep our scuba skills current so that in the event of an emergency, we are as prepared as we can be.

Q:  We’ve heard that underwater strobes can agitate sea life and certain species of  sharks especially.  Have you had any encounters?  If so, what  species and where?

A:   (Jen)  Since we haven’t been diving that long, we haven’t been to that many dive destinations (yet).  On the few encounters we’ve had with sharks, all reef  sharks, there has been no issue with strobes.  Actually, they are very skittish and usually don’t hang around.  I personally look forward to the opportunity to shoot the more predatory species of sharks and other pelagics!

(Joel)  At different dive resorts, we have been told by the dive staff that some critters are sensitive to extensive flash exposure, namely pygmy seahorses and frogfish.  Being a responsible diver is like being a good guest in someone’s home… you don’t disturb the habitat in any way, take a few photos of your intended subject, then move on to find another interesting critter.

Q:   To most of us, the underwater world seems very surreal.  What has been your most enduring underwater revelation? (peak experience)

A:   (Jen)  Wow!  I don’t think I can pinpoint a peak experience, because I don’t think I’ve experienced it yet.  The underwater world is so amazing!  In Monterey, there’s kelp forests, metridium fields, huge decorator crab and sea lions.  In Hawaii there’s colorful reef fish and turtles - Oahu has many wrecks from WWII, The Big Island has mantas.  Indonesia has muck diving - incredible, weird-looking creatures living in the black volcanic soil.  Every area has something different to see.  We are slowing crossing locations off of our list!

(Joel) I really like the rock formations, swim-throughs, and anything really BIG! When I’m underwater, I’m always trying to capture the Wide Angle shots. They are the most challenging, but I love it. When the water visibility is just right, and there is abundant life, I experience a “peak experience”.

Q:   Underwater photography is essentially a form of landscape and wildlife photography.  Do you think it is possible to develop a unique style or is it mostly trying to position yourself and deal with the technical issues to get the best image?

A:  (Jen)  After viewing some of my recent images, a girlfriend proclaimed that my underwater photos had a distinct woman’s perspective.  I’m still not sure how she came to that conclusion, but since most of the successful underwater photo and video pros are men, maybe I’m carving out a niche for myself (ha-ha!).

(Joel)  Jen and I will usually shoot the same set-up, but wide angle is always my preference. Even though we may be shooting with the same lens, we approach subjects differently and see different things to frame, so at the end of the day, we have totally different images than the other person.

Q:   Ultimately what would you like your underwater work to achieve?  (Education, conservation, other?)  Where do you want your work to end up?  Educate, entertain, inspire?

A:  (Jen)  For the present, I just want to improve my underwater imaging skills.  You don’t plan this, but to a certain degree, once you are passionate about the underwater world, you become an ambassador for conservation.  When you share your images with friends and family, not only are you educating them about the beauty and wonder of the sea, but you are also making them aware of how precious a resource our oceans are.

(Joel)  I would like it to entertain and inspire, be it on their wall in the form of an art print, or in a publication they may be reading and just have to stop and soak in the image for its beauty or amazement.

Q:   Are there any underwater photographers that particularly inspire you?

A:  (Jen)  In the short time that we’ve been diving, we’ve been very fortunate to become friends with some of the industry’s leading imaging pros.  They are always helping us get to the next level.  Their wealth of knowledge and experience is invaluable to us, and we’re so appreciative of all the tips and tricks that they’ve passed on to us. Additionally, I’m always inspired by my peers when we’re on a photo trip.  There is always something new to learn from other divers, and watching them set up for a shot shows you a perspective that maybe you didn’t have.

(Joel)  Diving with more experienced shooters motivates me to continue to improve my skills, whether it’s shooting a common subject in a different way or using lighting in a creative way to set a certain mood in the image.  Some of the underwater photographers that started back in the days of film really paved the way for those of us today that are honing the craft like David Doubilet and David Fleetham.  Some of the pioneers of the digital age who have raised the bar of underwater imaging with their overall knowledge and experience are Berkley White, Eric Cheng and Dr. Alex Mustard.  I strive to continue learning from them and others like them in the industry to improve my underwater imaging, both stills and video.

To see more of Joel and Jen’s images:

http://www.newmediasoup.com/underwater

To learn more about their multimedia services:

http://www.newmediasoup.com

Greetings All…

We’ve got a new round of images up today - Nina E. Hauser’s work ranges from quirky (ok, who wouldn’t want a card with a bunch of sheep?) to contemplative. HarmonyWishes art director contributions include one that is just plain fun (check out the ubiquitous yellow and green auto rickshaws from India). For you car collectors, there is “Vette Mirror” and for those with an architectural bent, the beautiful “Lincoln Glow”, both by Martin Heavner.

Check out the rest at HarmonyWishes. Enjoy, send and tell your friends! The holidays are approaching and HarmonyWishes is the best way to keep in touch with friends and family.

Help change the world one ecard at a time…

Staying in touch has never been so creative.

Cheers!

Meg

In our continuing series on images that tell great stories, I’m adding to the mix two distinct organizations this round; one is an NGO, the other a multi-media publication and consultancy. Both utilize images in dynamic ways to tell oft-untold stories. Take a look!

Charity:Water – Charity:Water is a non-profit organization that sets up freshwater wells, rainwater catchments and sand filters in communities in need across the globe. As they say on their site, “We are not offering grand solutions or billion dollar schemes…[but] for about $20 a person, we know how to help millions of people.” Charity:Water began when photographer Scott Harrison, unhappy in his lucrative career, asked himself, “What would the opposite of my life look like?” Months later he found himself as the ship photojournalist on one of the Mercy Ships surgery boats, documenting the work of volunteer surgeons, meeting the people of West Africa and witnessing up-close the  very real inequity and need across the ocean from his home. And thus, his project was born—helping give access to fresh, potable water for villages in Asia, Africa and beyond. Harrison states on his site: “[Charity is] taken from the word ‘caritas,’ or simply, love. In Colossians 3, the Bible instructs readers to ‘put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.’… I love the idea. To wear charity.”

Simple ideas can have great ripple effects. And I think the great success of Charity:Water is how well they communicate the stories of those they affect, those who have taken part in the effort, and the numbers that shape their success. Harrison is a photographer by trade; so clearly he knew that his images could tell a strong story. Likewise Charity:Water’s website, with a mixture of graphs, photo essays, videos and stories—helps take that message further.

Can you remember the last image that had a great impact on you? Share it with us!

Onto our second find…

MediaStorm – MediaStorm is a multi-media consultancy and online publication that utilizes “animation, audio, video and the power of still photography, to publish the diverse narratives that speak to the heart of the human condition.” I am a great admirer of MediaStorm’s archive of work from talented photographers and audio producers. MediaStorm stories aren’t your mom’s media stories. We’re used to our news in 1-minute sound bites, with text scrolling underneath the newscaster, and quick edits to keep our eye moving. But MediaStorm’s pieces take their time. They are the stories that journalists are never given the opportunity to tell; and yet, they are infinitely fascinating and important. They are the stories that take place in small towns, or urban high rises—but are absent from the news. I encourage you to go over to their site and take a look. Two of my favorite pieces are Common Ground, a photo-audio essay created by Scott Strazzante that follows the transformation of a cattle farm to a subdivision—juxtaposing photos taken over the course of several years; my second favorite is Iraqi Kurdistan by Ed Kashi, using original music and thousands of still photos to create a (literally) moving story—you’ll forget you’re not watching an actual video.

Enjoy!

Megan

I was just reading about Vincent Van Gogh the other day. He is one of my favorites; I’m particularly fond of his sketches from the Hague period of his life. As for his story, I knew (and know) very little, I must confess. I retained what most children do about Van Gogh: he was crazy, he cut off his ear and he was under-appreciated during his lifetime. And though I’ve been to retrospectives of his work since grade school—for some reason the story of his relationship to Gauguin, or his long-running romance with a prostitute, have faded. All I’ve got left are my childhood notions of the artist. And thus, I was drawn to parts of his story I encountered whilst looking for a particular sketch of his on the internet. Did you know that Van Gogh, before becoming a painter, was an art dealer, a teacher, and a preacher? Perhaps you did. You’re a pretty savvy audience. Well, I didn’t. At the age of twenty-seven he decided to become an artist, teaching himself to draw and paint. At twenty-seven? I know, I know; that seems young now. But in 1880, when the life expectancy was 40 for a man like Van Gogh, twenty-seven was middle aged. For me this was a light bulb moment. Van Gogh didn’t latch onto his talent–what must have been an innate gift–until he was in his “twilight years.” And between 1880, when he first got the notion to become an artist, and 1890 when he died, he painted and drew over 2,000 pieces. Incredible!

Now Van Gogh clearly had some very real psychological problems, and struggled financially his entire life. I don’t view him through rose-colored glasses. But his trajectory, the story of his development–that, I admire. I’m collecting stories like that—stories of people who change their direction in mid-swing. I posted not too long ago about musician Juana Molina—an Argentinian comedic actress, turned singer/songwriter. She talked about a moment in her career as an actress (a successful actress, mind you) where she turned around and said, “This isn’t what I want. I want something else. I’m going to do it.” I wonder if Van Gogh had the same notion. Was there a light bulb moment for the infamous painter? Did he turn around one day and say, “I have something else to offer. And I’m going to invest in that starting today?” I like to think so. You can read some other stories of career transformation here at CareerBuilder.com.  A reader sent it my way. There are some truly inspiring “Van Gogh” stories in there.

A friend of mine down here is working on a tremendous project called BeDo (as in the independent words “be” and “do.”) They describe the project this way: “For us, BeDo is not just a name. It is a special place, where we connect identity with action, a place of purposeful pursuit and passion.” The team behind BeDo come from varied backgrounds, but all had a similar premonition: While the efforts of many corporations towards sustainability or social responsibility were growing, as employees, at some point in their story, many did not feel connected to the mission and values of the corporations for which they worked. Sound familiar? It rings true for me. And so they built an initiative with the following agenda:

Online or live, on a small or large scale, we want to be the coaches, catalysts, matchmakers and cheerleaders on your journey for good.

• Create products and services to help people find their purpose.
• Develop the virtual and physical infrastructure to facilitate action.
• Facilitate online connections and communities of purpose and action.
• Promote cultural expressions and celebrations.

I imagine that BeDo isn’t the only initiative of this kind. And certainly there are many out there, all on their own, making a shift mid-swing towards a little inner voice nudging him or her in another direction. Hoorah to you! I applaud your courage. And I invite you to share your mid-swing story with us. Or perhaps you know another Vincent Van Gogh tale of transformation. We’d like to hear it! It’s those kind of narratives that inspire us here at HarmonyWishes, where we value diversity, spirit, tolerance—and most certainly—a brave shift mid-swing.

This artist uses sand paintings to depict Germany’s invasion and occupation of Ukraine during World War II.  I’m speechless and quite moved, so I’ll dispense with further comments.

Q:   We are curious about how you strike a balance between your artistic side and your work as a software engineer.  Does one influence the other or is one a release from the other?

A:   When I first began on my artistic path, art represented my connection to “the genuine world.”  Although art was a source of solace for me, it wasn’t a release per se—more as a touchstone to the real world.  I see now that that was a rather monochromatic view of the world and my creative space.  Now I see these two major creative forces in my life as flowing from the same source. Software is creative in a verbal and functional way—my pastels speak to something much less tangible.  Visual creativity doesn’t quite capture my creative process, there’s so much going on simultaneously—emotion, illusion, symbol. I believe software & pastels have had tremendous influence on each other—through me—in ways I will never get my work colleagues or my arty friends to quite understand (or believe, even). Yet the cross-currents are most definitely there.  I think the highest praise I could ever receive would be “Delfino lives a creative life” as that is my goal.

Q:   Mike, our Art Director, sees an Edward Hopper influence in some of your work.  Is he one of your influences?  If not, who is?

A:   I love how Hopper’s works capture the gold in California’s light. I’ve long admired Raoul Dufy and Georgia O’Keefe. They more than any others have shaped the way I approach landscapes & still life respectively.  I love the worlds-within-worlds that O’Keefe brings to her flowers.  I think she delighted in bringing her viewers so very deeply into the interiors of her flowers, she showed the world the eroticism of simple flowers.  Flowers were my first love for pastels—this piece “Irises for Anthea” was one of my first.  They still call to me.

Now I am discovering the work of the pastel artist Odilon Redon—his simple still life pieces blow me away.

Q:   Can you elaborate on your creative process?  How do your images originate?

A:   I don’t know if I have one creative process.  I often work directly from a photograph—printing the image directly onto watercolor stock or a canvas-rag paper, and apply pastels directly over the image.  When I work this way, painting becomes more of an evolutionary process than the “normal” create-from-nothing process.  Instead of rendering, my role becomes one of shifting an image, its contrasts, color palette, etc.  What emerges is a synthesis of the camera’s rendering and my own, although as the artist I get to control the extent to which the underlying image appears in the final work.  In some pieces like “91st Street Roses” the original image is completely obliterated.  The original image was just an evolutionary stepping stone.  I think of the original image like a builder’s chalk line—an interesting artifact of the building process, not part of the finished work.

I work a lot with nature and natural forms—vegetables, flowers, the living fractal shapes of landscapes.  I think the human mind is hard-wired (after ten million generations) to interpret immediately the natural world.  Yet for all the “advances” of our modern society, I fear our culture is busying itself to forget its connection to the natural world.  Re-creating natural forms and returning them to our cultural attention is a major focus of my work.

I think I have a completely different creative process when I do abstract pieces.  I try to get out of the way, to let the images flow from wherever they flow from, and not try too hard to control the evolution.  “Sunbather” evolved this way, where I only took on smaller tasks rather than attempting to guide and control the larger vision of the piece.  Surrendering control—and having faith that all will be “okay”— is an important exercise for artists, and for me as a human being.

Q:   A lot of your artwork appears to have origins from other countries.  Is there a particular part of the world that seems to inspire your work more than another?

A:   Travel has been an important part of my life for many years.  I did a three-year around the world trip back in the 1990s—working on farms, family home-stays, bicycling through New Zealand, riding buses through Latin America, and writing as my media for recording the journey.  Travel sharpened my sense of observation, and I think observation is THE motivation & reward of travel for me.  It’s our opportunity to pause and really comprehend what’s before you.  In that respect, travel is just the opposite of the Western Science that says instruments don’t change, they only record.  With travel, we become the instrument, and we WANT the instrument itself to change—that’s the goal.

The Mediterranean speaks to me at such a core level, to my ancestral roots.  It’s where I truly feel “at home.”  The light in Greece and Italy never fails to astound me; it forces me to observe and renews my sense of wonder.  Yes, much of my work derives from photos from my travels.  I’m planning a five-week trip to Croatia this summer-fall, where I’m planning to do more with seascapes in plein air.

Q:   Where do you see your work going in the future?  New techniques?  Any personal projects, shows, books in the works you want to talk about?

A:   I began a project earlier this year, an art blog called “One Hundred Paintings to Inspire Your Life” (http://rosewoodart.wordpress.com/).  Here I’m reviewing the pastel pieces I’ve created over the past six years and exploring how they speak to me now (rather than dwelling on what I was trying to do, art techniques, etc.)

I’m working these days with some interesting techniques and materials—underlay of watercolors beneath pastels, sandpaper, canvas with sun-softened oil pastels (like the seascape in “On The Andaman”) My travel to Croatia will give me a chance to gain more experience working plein air, seascapes and doing architectural forms.  I plan to assemble a show here in Seattle the following year based on the body of work that emerges.  We’ll see how that progresses, and I’ll keep HarmonyWishes in mind to show some of my latest works.

Q:  Tell us a bit about yourself and the artwork you create.

A:  I am happily living  in Ann Arbor, Mi. with my dog, Theo and am blessed with the time and ability to focus on my work…..I have always taken pictures, since I was a little kid and started out with a Brownie camera with 127 film, working along with my father who was a doctor who did photography as a hobby.

Aristotle considered striving toward excellence based on one’s unique talents and potential to be one of the most important goals in life. The Greeks believed that each child was blessed at birth with a personal “daemon” embodying the highest possible expression of his or her nature.  Photography has always been the space in which  I often feel like  I am  in sync with my “daemon”  in the process of making images……..either taking them or working on them……..I get into a “zone” where nothing bothers me and when I produce something that really works, I feel a wonderful sense of fulfillment.

Q:  Would you define yourself as a painter who photographs or a photographer that paints?

A: I love this question mainly because no one has ever asked me so I haven’t even thought of myself in this way but I would definitely say that I am a photographer who paints!

Q:  Who have been your influences in helping shape your art?

A: I spent a lot of time in my youth with art books in my parents’ library and the two fields  that totally captivated me were Dutch and Flemish 15th century landscape and still life paintings and secondly, illuminated manuscripts. We always traveled extensively  as a family and there were always discussions about history and what remains and what will change and what is  disappearing in our world. I  have been documenting what I see that moves me and that I want to remember as I saw it, knowing that some day they may no longer be there. My parents were always saying “in the old days, there used to be……..” and I used to think, I’ll never be that old but just in case, I better keep track of what I love looking at.

Q: Your images convey a re-occuring theme of stillness and the receding perspective framed by open doors, empty docks, etc.  Is this a conscious decision to include this symbolism in your work?

A:  I’m not consciously deciding to photograph empty spaces and stillness and thinking about any sort of symbolism, it’s just what appeals to me and catches my attention. Even if I’m with a group of like minded photographers, I seem to tune them out when I taking photographs. The best ones happen when I wander off on my own and can just listen to what my inner voice points out in some sort of quiet way.

Q:  Where do you see your work going in the future?  Any shows in the works, books, personal projects that you want to talk about and share with our readers?

A:  I will never loose my love of the exotic so as much travel as I can cram into my schedule is definitely in my future….along those lines, I am spending the summer in southern Vermont and plan to carry on with my new fascination with infra red photography.

I continue with the  project I am doing with my mini-dachshund called “the world as I see it by Theo”, which is taking pictures 8″ off the ground and which we do on our walks. We only photograph things that interest him in one way or another.

I have also been doing some work for one of our local hospitals, doing collages for the patient’s rooms. The idea that someone who is ill and lying in bed might look at a collage of my garden or a beach in northern Michigan and hopefully be transported for a minute or two out of their hospital room makes me feel gratified.

Nina is represented by WSG Gallery in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  More of her work can be found at http://www.ninaehauser.com