Being a creative photographic maniac for the past couple of months...

I have decided to give you all a short overview of the  lovely photographic and artisic adventures I have been involved with over over the past couple of months.

I'm studying a Diploma of Photography with the Southland Institute of Technology so I have been taking lots of images in different locations.
Plus getting up at the crack of dawn to catch the early morning golden hour light in order to work towards a 10 image portfolio I am submitting ...


Graham my husband had to shoot up to Auckland for a business trip so I tagged along and got him to drop me off at the Auckland zoo for three hours...here are just a smattering of shots...

                                 A day at the zoo in Auckland, don't you just love those stripes?

                                      Love the texture and markings on these animals.

What about this cute little guy (or girl) , wouldn't you just love to give him or her a hug? 

                                                             Scarey!!!!!! This little girl doesn't think so.

             Elegant Flamingo, such an alluring shade of pink,  having a bath in the filtered light.


I went over to the Tokoroa Camera Club meeting, this is the second time I have been. Those people have  imaginative photos and I came away very inspired.

Kinleith Mill at 10 .30 at night. The Kinleith mill was the structure that dominated the skyline and at night; it looks like a rocket launching pad.

Place the camera on a tripod, put it on TV and 2 second timer. This slows the steam right down. This is one of my favourite shots.
I want to go back here and do some more of these....

Sally Wittenoom from Perth is a recent new friend who has been  staying with her parents in Rotorua for a while and has been showing me lots of useful photographic tips.

Here she is on the wharf at Kawaha Point,  I love taking unposed shots of other  photographers. 

 

Kawaha Point looking towards Mount Ngongotaha at 6am in the morning with ducks flying.

Wharf at Kawaha Point

Sally and I went for a trip to the Redwood Forest one afternoon around 4pm, I decided to focus in the texture of the forest. Sally's beautiful  hair fitted right into this theme.

Sally showed me how to put my camera on TV and move it so that the background of the forest looked like blurry, these reminded me of forest spirits with feathery textures.
I prefer blurry soft abstract shapes and textures in photography above all else.

We pointed our cameras towards the sky and the giant Redwood tree tops and spun around.  The re-occuring shapes I  take are circles and balls in photography.

 One of my tricks in photoshop is to posterise photographs so they look more like artworks.
 This shot shows the majesty of the mightly Redwoods and the texture of their leaves against the sky.

This is a posterised cobbwebb that I found in the Redwoods, the texture of the background looks like snow.

I went for an Artists Date (See Julia Cameron's, An Artists Way book)  with my dear friend April (who is an amazing artist)  to a stream near Putaruru to take shots of the most jewel like water I have ever seen.   
The place is steeped in spirituality and is very peaceful. April was immediately mesmerised as am I  every time I go there.

I am wanting to arrange a trip soon some fellow photographic early morning riser friends for some pre- dawn shots before a brilliantly fine day.
It is a perfect place for a picnic.. the swallows swoop everywhere and the valley and board walk are quite unique.

Bring on summer, we will be there with our cameras for sure.

Photography can become  an addictive great love.
Healthier than smoking, better for your liver than drinking and better for your heart  than chocolate.
Walking in nature trying to capture the perfect shot is a type of bliss that only another photographer can appreciate.

                                                                        Wharf at Okareka

 Wieland taking shots of the cherry trees in the Japanese Peace Garden above Waiariki Institute of Technology.  

                   Japanese Peace garden filled with Tui.
This is another peaceful spiritual place that comparatively few Rotorua people know about.

                             An explosion of pink, just standing under these blossoms breathing in the sweet nectar filled air and letting cherry tree blossoms fall on your upturned face like snow flakes is cleansing for the heart, mind body and soul.


I also helped to co-ordinate a three week exhibition with four of my adult pupils in Essence Cafe in Ngongotaha.
It is up for another week, so if local people want to see it you need to get along there and maybe have a nice cup of coffee and lovely food.
It is a very popular little cafe.
Heather and Debbie have already both sold two works.
The works were completed while they attending mixed media art classes with me his year.
I am so pleased that they are all progressing towards being exhibiting artists.

                                 Ruby, Heather, Janet (tutor),  Debbie and the forth class member Hilary (absent) Featuring an ecclectic array of  small affordable and highly collectable mixed media  works  on stretched canvas loosely based on Rotorua and the surrounding environment.

Some of the members I  have been teaching for over four years, it is gratifying to see their progress.

I am running another 6 week  mixed media class at the moment on Tuesday nights from 6 to 8 from my home studio in Clayton Road and this is full with eight people.
We will be having a 10 by 10 exhibition of around 40 small works that will be for sale and display in the Rotorua Public Library in November.
Watch this space.

I am also running a water colour 6 week art class at Rotorua arts Village in November so if you want to enrol you will need to hurry down there and book and pay.
If you need to enquire about this;  ring me on 346 3435 or email me at jkeen@clear.net.nz

In between all of this I was setting up an exhibition for my after school pupils in the Rotorua Public Library of their paintings and mosaics. 
This is also on for another week so please go along and have a look and sign my visitors book.
It's on the wall beside the stairs on the right hand side of the library.
The children would love to think that you have visited and appreciated their artistic efforts.

Creativity Quote of the Day.

Don't be afraid to love, it is never never lost.
If not reciprocated, it will flow back and soften and purify the heart.
Washington Irving.

Creativity for the past two months.

Yes I  know I have not been on here posting much lately but it's because I've been really busy creating artwork and mosaics,  contributing towards  and staging exhibitions and going on photographic adventures.

 I took a photographic trip to the Auckland  zoo and caught this baby and mother in a very tender moment.

 Plus organising a photoshoot with a dog lover. Here I am with her dog who was the most gorgeous guy in the world. I wanted to take him home...

My Monday morning mosaic classes have been really fun. I have a group of eclectic people who are just loving the process.
I get just as much fun out of teaching others as doing it myself.
Here are a few of their ungrouted pieces.

Monday and Tuesday morning mosaic classes from 9.30 am to 11.30am.   Beginners, bird, mirror and pot.
Enrolling now.  Ring 3463435 for details.

The kids on my after school art classes are really doing amazing work. I am really pleased with their attitudes and output. We are having an exhibition in the library next month from the  3rd  to the 22nd  of October  so I am gathering up their artwork to display. I will post their exhibition on here for you to see once it's up.

                            Term Three after school art classes for gifted kids enrolling now.

My  Tuesday acrylic painting class of 6 talented ladies are having an exhibition at Essence Cafe in Ngongotaha from the 1st to the 30th of October.
We are then having a 10 by 10 exhibition in the  Rotorua Library from 14th November through to 3rd of December.
We are aiming to have  36 works 10 by 10 inch square artworks on canvas all lined up in a grid.

We are also going on an Art Gallery excursion to Tauranga after the next set of acrylic painting classes which start in two weeks.


I have two spaces available in this so if anyone from Rotorua is interested ring me on 3463435.
Tuesday evenings for 6 weeks 6pm to 8pm
                           Quick Tour of my studio/classroom so you can see where we create...

My desk with the start of eight paintings ready to work on for my illustrated volcanic family series.
                                                

 The inspiration board above the students work area which changes periodically, depending on what classes I am teaching.

Wall space with my art and mosaics in it with a couch for relaxing.
The loune area is available for clients to have a break and look through my extensive range of art and mosaic books for inspiration.

Display area plus stereo for listenign to relaxing, inspiring music while we work on our masterpieces.

Closer up

View through the window opposite the couch of the green trees and ferns. This is very relaxing and often native birds land in the trees right outside, so I  feel I'm in the middle of the bush.

Fridge for storing milk and sometimes food,  I offer cups of herbal and normal tea plus home made muffins or cheese and crackers during the break halfway thorough each class.

Storage area, because I deal with so many different media like mosaics, mixed media,  altered art,  water colour and acrylic, I need a lot of storage space.

The minute I throw something out I find I need it so I guess you could say I'm a bit of a hoarder.

It's all under control though because I  know what is in every box.

Creativity quote for the day.

"A creative mess is better than idle tidiness!" Michael J. Fox

Interested in any of these classes? Ring me on 3463435 and I can send you some details.

Photography and Haiku Exhibition extended until 10th of September..due to popularity...

Well known haiku poet and creative writer Margaret Beverland travelled from Tauranga to Rotorua to view my haiku and poetry exhibition.

Margaret is a  very positive and encouraging which is what you need in a haiku mentor. She critiques my haiku and encourages me to submit for publication.

Margaret is going to be the co-editor of Kokako, (New Zealand's premier haiku, tanka and haibun magazine that is published  twice annually in April and September), from  issue 17,

Issue 15 has just been published and it's full of gems. Email kokakonz@gmail.com  if you are interested in subscribing

The cover is by haiku poet Kirsten Cliff.

http://kirstencliffwrites.blogspot.com/

There's still time...

Vote for your favourite haiku and write a haiku of your own in response to one of mine, pop it in the box and the winner will recieve one free photo...

This has been extended to September 10th in the Rotorua Public Library...

                    Over one hundred people have viewed my exhibition and written comments in my book.

Fantastic response, thanks so far to everyone who has participated.

Derryn Pittar, my creative writing and poetry buddy came over from Papamoa to see my exhibition.

She enjoyed making up haiku to my images. 

It is always so nice to have friends make extra efforts to be supportive like this.

I have made a number of  great friends from Tauranga Writers, they certainly are a switched on, positive and inspiring bunch of people.

Jackie Evans Poet, Book editor/writer and secretary of Rotorua Mad Poets Society votes for the Pelican...
Jackie recently compiled and edited a book of Poetry called The Sprit of Rotorua in Verse.
Three of my haiku are in it, which was a nice surprise. It's a great read and over 200 copies have already sold. It is available from Mcleods Booksellers in Rotorua.

Jenny Argante is regional delegate for the Bay of Plenty branch of the New Zealand Society of Authors, formed in May. Jenny was recently awarded a CLL research grant to produce a monograph on Dame Evelyn Stokes, the woman who first linked geography and culture together academically, echoing the Maori connections between land and people. She’s off to the UK on 21st September, and says she expects to come back to find the Bay’s newest independent publisher, Ocean Books, well on the way to start-up. Jenny’s Poetry Pudding, originally published by Reed in 2007, will be one of the first titles up for sale. Ocean Books, offering print on demand and digital publication, is a co-operative venture between NZSA BOP and Tauranga Writers, of which Jenny is PR and information person, and a life member.

Sue Emms Lead Tutor for the Creative Writing Diploma at the Waiariki Institute of Technology. 

 Author of two published novels and numerous short stories.

Exhibition of Photographs and Haiku...

It's up in the library, my latest exhibition. From 19th July to 29th August.

I am wanting people to go into the library look at the exhibition and vote for their favourite photograph.

I am also wanting them to write their own haiku in response to their favourite photograph and pop it in the box. I will draw out a haiku at the end of August and that person will win the photo of their choice for free

What chance do you think that I have of having this happen?

I believe it's quite a hard ask really and I believe that so few people will write a haiku  so that if  anyone actually decided to do it they would have a very good chance of winning a free photo.

The old adage you have to be in to win is a very apt one in this case.

I have a visitors book at the exhibition. I will be able to guage just how many people are or are not interested in this exhbition.

If people aren't then I would probably not do it again because it's alot of work.

If they are then I will do it again.

So far the  response I have had from around 10 people who have signed the book is they think the images are really beautiful.

This is good because that was what the aim of it was.

To present a group of images that really explored the concept of beauty in nature.

Haiku are often about nature and a lot of mine are as well.

Themes such as spirituality also come into it.

I will be taking some shots of it so that those people who can't make it into the library to see it will be able to glimpse it online.

If any of you want to send me a haiku ( it's National Poetry day today in New Zealand ) feel free. I will collect them up and do a photo in response to them and put them on my blog with your byline.

This is called a colaaborative online exhibition.

So I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Cheers Janet

To celebrate national Poetry day which is coming up on the 22nd of July I am having a solo photography exhibition with accompanying haiku in the Rotorua Public Library .

What is haiku?

Haiku (hi-koo) is a form of poetry that originated in Japan, but has now spread worldwide.
The practise of writing haiku is enormously popular in New Zealand, which is internationally recognised for the outstanding number of haijin (masters of haiku) presently living and working here.
Over the years and with so many successful practioners in other countries, haiku have moved away from the original strict 17 syllables arranged in three lines of 5, 7 & 5 syllables each.
 
Haiku do not tell a story they capture a moment in time.

When writing your own haiku work to the following guideleines that are universally accepted.
When in doubt simplify.

Haiku are between one and four lines long.
A haiku could contain around twenty syllables in all so you can recite it in a single breath.
Write you haiku in the present tense about what is happening now.
 Refer to at least one of the five senses; sight, sound, taste, touch and smell.
Haiku should be real and are usually about nature or the external world.
Haiku are not rhymed.
You can contrast two images in a haiku.
Don't imply similie or metaphore in your haiku.
Keep adjectives and adverbs to a minimum or better still don't use them at all.
Prefer every day language and find the extraordinary in the ordinary.
Don't use capitals or punctuation.
write your haiku to capture a moment on the wing.
Kaiku knows when enough has been said.
It has been said that there is no symbolism or egotism in haiku that haiku shows us how to see into the life of things and gain a glimpse of enlightenment.


Learning to write haiku is an ongoing process and it is not as easy as the simplicity of the form would seem to suggest.
However it is excellent training for the writing of poetry in general, as it helps you to avoid over-writing.
 Acknowledgement
 This information about haiku is based on an excellent handout produced by Sandra Simpson  Sandra has made this freely available to students of haiku and is an acknowledged expert, prize winning writer and is featured on the Katikati Haiku Pathway.