Fawn Lake

Canvas photographs displayed at UW-Madison Arboretum – Steinhauer Trust Art Gallery (2017)

The Project

Fawn Lake is part of “Our Backyard,” a collection of digital photographs that were taken over the last decade (2007-2017) while exploring Wisconsin’s woods, waters, and prairies. These images were printed on canvas and displayed at the UW-Madison Arboretum – Steinhauer Trust Gallery from March-April 2017.

Over a dozen other photos in the series, not shown here, were taken from my hometown of Watertown and natural attractions like Horicon Marsh, Parfrey’s Glen, and the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

The photos above cropped as squares are exclusive to the common inhabitants of Fawn Lake in St. Germain (where my family has a cabin), including deer, green herons, kingbirds, water lilies, chipmunks, painted turtles, frogs, and even bobbers. Reflecting on these familiar scenes has inspired me to discover more of our beautiful backyard.

GUEST BOOK

  • “Very nice intimate photos of nature!” – Bob Jaeger
  • “Nicely done! Great composition and eye.” – Byron Glick and Michele Gast
  • “Clever titles! Exciting art.” – M.C. Reisdorf
  • “We love your photographs and you!” – Kim Wethal and Amber Levenhagen

Artist Statement

I view a camera as an extension of myself, and sunlight is my fuel. My first subjects were flowers, birds, and butterflies – easy targets for a shy, curious photographer holding an early generation digital point-and-shoot. As time went on, technology advanced and excitement began to replace apprehension.

The field of journalism opened my eyes, allowing me to shift my focus from flora and fauna to human interactions. Still, nothing is more calming and invigorating to me than watching nature’s story unfold and marking its chapters with photographs and observations.