Marion Gunderson Art (and the Farmer's Daughter)

(Click here to go to this blog’s home page.)

Within the next month, I hope to post a new image/print of another of Mother’s (Marion Gunderson) original watercolors. We are so close to having it profiled and ready for printing. However, the weather is wreaking havoc on different factors affecting the process.

In addition, I have a second original of Mother’s watercolors at Wild Faces Gallery in Rolfe (Iowa) awaiting the beginning of its profiling process. The prints of both of these originals will be the result of people seeing the originals at the November open house and asking if prints could be made of them.

(If you haven’t seen what prints of Mother’s watercolors are available so far and would like to do so, click on the “View and Order Prints” link on this blog’s home page.)

* * * * *

Not the most exciting photo, but the classes are the cat's meow.

On my Christmas wish list, I included a few items related to photography. I’m a novice-of-a-novice as far as photography goes, but am enjoying learning more about it via OLLI classes at Iowa State University.

OLLI classes were formerly known as College for Seniors, with the main requirement being that participants needed to be at least 50 years old. These classes are the cat’s meow for anyone 50-and-above who wants to continue learning…perhaps after retirement…but without a huge time or monetary commitment. (We’re talking in the ballpark of a total of ten hours — sometimes fewer — and, depending upon the specific course, around $50 for most of the offerings.)

Last spring I took an OLLI digital SLR photography class. This fall I took an OLLI photography field trip class. (The field trips were on or near campus.) Several of us in the class have continued meeting on an informal basis with the instructor, Sam Wormley. Sam seems to know the answer to any photography-related question. He also answers with kindness, great patience and individualization.

Through the OLLI classes and informal meetings it seems that every time I come home, there’s a new photography “toy” that I’m excited about. Getting realistic about what I might actually use as an amateur, and what might fit in Santa’s budget, on my “wish list” I included three specific items. I was fortunate to receive all three items and am looking forward to learning how to use them. Sam is nice enough to continue helping me with my learning curve via emails, informal field trips, and another four-session photography field trip class. (That class will meet on Wednesday afternoons from April 21st through May 12th.)

Soon, I plan to include a post about one of the items I received for Christmas, thanks to learning about it via the OLLI classes. For an experienced photographer, the item won’t be any revelation. But, for me it is. (I’ll also post a link for a video about the item that is hilarious, even if you don’t care anything about photography!)

(Click here to go to Louise Shimon’s blog.)

Tags: Iowa State University, OLLI

This entry was posted on January 4, 2010 at 11:53 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.