The Downtown IC Gallery Walk!

my artwork will be featured in the downtown iowa city gallery walk this spring! it's the same series that was hanging at Terrapin at the end of last year, but in a new location.


i hang the show march 5th at Bella Joli downtown in the ped mall. and on friday, March 6th from 5pm-8pm i will be at that location meeting and greeting those who pass through the door to take a look at my art. there will be champagne, wine and cheese and this event is open to the public. there are also several other locations downtown all within walking distance of one another that will be displaying art of all sorts by other local and regional artists. be sure to check it out! it's a fun event!

this will be a great opportunity for me to interact with the public and talk about my art and hopefully align myself with some potential buyers. the art will be up for display through the end of May 2009. this is a very exciting opportunity for my art career! wish me luck! :)

More info about the event and a listing of all participating venues and artists can be found here.

Green Apple Festival photo credit

last year i worked a freelance gig for earth day. i coordinated the Chase Bank volunteers on Randall's Island and helped compost all of the new plants that were planted that spring.

almost a year later, i get an email from Green Apple Festival asking permission to use a photo that i had taken during the event. i ended up negotiating my first photo license agreement and got paid for it's use. that's my photo on the left. it will be used to promote this years events online and in print! this is off their website, www.greenapplemusicfestival.com.

Going Advanced

i started my advanced class tonight...
one of my students wrote me to tell me, "I enjoy having you as a teacher. You are a great one!"

Teaching Photography in 2009

tonight was my first night of teaching digital photography at the local rec center! it had been a decade since i've taught photography and when i did, it was all film and darkroom skills. i absolutely love teaching. it's very rewarding and it keeps me focused on learning myself. in this business, there is always something new to learn and share. teaching makes me very happy! :)

in the news...

holiday shoots are coming in the mail!

it's so great to see what your clients do with your photo shoot! these are just a few of the cards i got in the mail with my images! fun! :)

KGAN news in the kitchen

my dad has helped organize the luminaries in coralville every year for the past 20 years. KGAN decided to brave the ice storm that night and head down to coralville to shoot some last minute interview footage from my dad about the event. i had to document!
the interview footage never made it on air, but it was nice having a cute and friendly news reporter over for a few minutes. :)

my first solo show!

Published in the The Daily Palette

A couple months back, I was asked to contribute some of my images to The Daily Palette. Just recently returning to Iowa after living in NYC for the past 6 and a half years, I wanted to show off some of my NYC shots. You can see the archived image here on the site.

About The Daily Palette

The Daily Palette's goal is to heighten interest, awareness and appreciation of the visual arts and writing through recognizing the efforts of Iowa-identified artists and communities. The project has for over two years provided a means for the public to view a diverse range of artwork through the display of images, texts, and streaming video. The project began in conjunction with the Year of the Arts & Humanities in 2004-2005, when a team from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences School of Art & Art History Intermedia Area developed The Daily Palette to combine Intermedia's art & technology research with a broad public information effort.

Printing PRO!

What a difference a PRO lab print makes. I was disappointed to learn that there are no local PRO labs here in Iowa City. I needed a small print for a sale that was made on my Etsy shop and didn't want to make an order from my NYC vendor for just one print. So I tried out University Camera in downtown Iowa City. What a disappointment! They charge more than a drugstore print, but what I got back was a drugstore quality print. The image was super contrasty and looked nothing like my original digital image that I had uploaded to their kiosk. The paper was flimsy and had no texture and made the image look flat and blah. Even though I still needed to make an order with my old lab and wait a week for the print, I was happy to wait. My clients deserve quality and I personally wouldn't settle for anything less.

more pieces at Tspoons

i took down the existing art that i had hanging at Tspoons in IC and put two more up from my 'peace and love' series. this could be hanging on your wall for $150! :)

Original JJ

photo credit in Original JJ brochure!

Chicks for Change

I make frequent trips to Cedar Falls, Iowa to visit my pal Emily. When she found out her local coffeeshop, Cup Of Joe, was hosting a silent art auction to raise money for the Iowa Woman's Foundation she thought of me and asked me to contribute. I was happy to donate "Lonely Is Lovely" to her local Cedar Valley chapter, Chics For Change.

Along with several other local artists, the piece was hung at Cup Of Joe on October 5th. So far it has generated two bids with the highest bid at $120! On December 1st, there will be a reception at Cup Of Joe to close out the silent auction and to give the artists an opportunity to meet the new owners of their donated art pieces! I am thrilled to be a part of this process and to be able to contribute my art for a good cause!

etsy treasury!

this is so cool! my first day back in iowa after a brutal move and being sick on top of it, i was so excited to learn that i was chosen, not by one, but two etsy artists to be included in their treasury selection! this opens the window for me to be featured on the FRONT page of etsy.com!!! and i only found out about this feature from my amazing and talented artist friend and mentor, amber maida a couple weeks ago! i am thrilled and honored to be hand picked by my fellow etsy shop peers!

these were the two different shots chosen...
corney iowa sunset expires on october 3nd at 1:36am winter morning frost expires on october 1st at 5:44pm

you can see the treasury page if you hurry...they expire in the next day or two!

free to be me

so i totally scrapped my 'self recorded' project....for now.
i really am not motivated to take shots of myself everyday. been there, done that.
i thought about transitioning it into a 'photo of the day' kind of project, but quite frankly, i can't be bothered. and besides, that's what i do anyway. i take pictures everyday. it's my therapy.

day 16 'peeling'

friday, august 29, 2008

the summer sun is peeling off. yep. real tasty.

day 15 'i have angels on my back'

thursday, august 28, 2008

a testament to the amazing people i was fortunate enough to cross paths with here in nyc. gonna miss you jenny jen jen.

my friend jen wrote a poem about me...she's my friend jen.
what a sweet friend!
jen is a gem! ;P
jen wrote:

i found this friend in nyc...


i found this friend in nyc
tall & brave
a courageous....
'SHE'

i found this friend in nyc
hip & chic
downtown gal...
S-A-S-S-Y

in a new york day...
she claims her joy...
joy belonging to her...
forward on - she sweetens other's pain...

treks the city streets by bike....
snapping shots in mid air...
capturing urban secrets...
with her artistic flare...

she never chases life~
it simply comes to her!
i found this friend in nyc
myFriend...myJules...myJulie!


by Contini
(a.k.a.-waterworks-)2008

gonna miss ya girl!

day 14 'digital unwind'

wednesday, august 27, 2008

after a 13-hour day of doing jobs i love, i am finally free to get my fill of internet time.

day 13 'bruised'

tuesday, august 26, 2008

so i guess tubing took a bit of a toll on my body. i did fly up off the tube a few times after crashing into some waves from the wake. but i don't remember experiencing too much pain. i guess i was too focused on hanging on to the rope for dear life!
i discovered this doozy had grown in size pretty rapidly since sunday. it wasn't this red until i got off the plane on monday night. and to top it off, i have one to match on my arm and on my breast.

it's pretty nasty looking, eh?
yeah, that's what i thought.

day 12 'last flight home'

monday, august 25, 2008

in the past two months i have flown from nyc to iowa round-trip three times. that's 6 plane rides as i have to make connections each time.
but this particular flight was really special. this would be the last time i flew into nyc while i still called it home. i've got one more month in nyc before packing up and motoring back to iowa for a new beginning.
and lucky me...we rolled into town right at dusk. i got to enjoy amazing skylines of the city with a summer sunset.

so very bittersweet.