Market Roots Photo Exhibit

Well, here we go! It took a year to take photos behind the scenes at the farms and businesses of the Coventry Regional Farmer's Market, and our Market Roots Gallery has made it's debut! It will be traveling for at least a year, on the average of once a month to some fantastic venues.

 Photos at Comstock by: Liss Flint; Market Roots Organizer, Dot Drobney, 

Laura Stone, June Mita, Amy Benson and myself.
(Their websites are listed on the sidebar to your right, for your enjoyment.)
Joining the Market Roots Gallery are also David Cope and Dan Villeneuve 

Lovingly organized and hung by Winter & Nick Caplanson and the Market Masters and photographers.

FIRST STOP!

Comstock Ferre & Co

 

 I have one print in the exhibit, of Susan Park's Rich Valley Farms kids...(on the right side of the picture)

There are 25 canvas prints, 16x20 in size and
each one is accompanied by either a description or a written piece from the farm itself.

You will love what Susan Park's wrote...but you have to go there to see it!

We had a Grand Opening with food, excellent music by Hannah Fair and her friends, and about 100 folks. A voice so rich.....link to listen.


It was also the soft opening for our "Market Roots ...through the year, through the lens" Website Debut!
This portion will exhibit through the month of June. What an honor to be included in Comstock Ferre & Co's 200th Anniversary exhibit.

Thanks go out to Markham Bennet at SmugMug , who donated two years of hosting so we could get our project rolling, and to Kathy at http://www.nvdesertdesigns.com/ for assisting us with the website customization.
Thank you for the fantastic support! You ARE Smugmug heroes! All of our Market Roots photographers host with Smugmug, and love the outstanding service. It made sense to go right to "the best" for our Market Roots website.

Liss Flint and Winter Caplanson had a daunting job of going through THOUSANDS of pictures to select 1500 representative photos for the galleries. Liss did an amazing job getting them on the website! It is no small task. The great news is, CRFM is now a 501c3, a non-profit organization, and can expand on what is already built.

The Market Roots Program is an educational venue, and the gallery is just the beginning.
The photographers who spent all the time taking the photographs volunteered and allowed the photos to be sold via the website.The profits from the sales will be going to the CRFM and it's educational endeavors.

We did, of course...get to go to some wonderful behind-the scenes tours we may not have been able to see unless we were volunteers. A BIG THANK YOU to the farms and businesses that let us photograph! The Market Roots photographers have also agreed to give the farms hi-res copies of the photos, for their own use for marketing.

Here are a few of my favorites from the online gallery:

Susan Park's Rich Valley Farms

Can't you just hear the "swoosh" of the frothy warm milk?
Milked by hand, with care and pride.

 

Feel the coolness in the "Cheese Cave"?

Patience is not only a virtue but an honor.

Jane is the watchful guardian of the milk

and it's amazing journey to cheese.

Windham Gardens

Feel the warmth on your back....

and your face to the sun.

See what Erin Windham wakes up to every morning.

 

...and be enveloped in the embrace of  flowers.

Easy Pickin's Orchard

A sense of farm history abounds.

Brian Kelliher and his family have been nurturing

the orchard and the gardens for years.

The Espalier Apple trees sun themselves in the blueness of the emerging morning sky

...and wait with open arms for the bees to tickle them.

I can only wonder what it smells like for the bee, with it's nose buried

and it's legs swiftly carting away it's pollen rewards.

I  hope you get to see the show in your area sometime this year, and feel
like you are wandering with us, rapt in awe at what it takes
to bring your food and products locally, to you.

Thank you for looking.

All the best and humbly,

 Sue

http://www.suemuldoonimages.com/

May Day Merriment

THE MERRY MONTH OF MAY!

The Month of May started off

with festivities at 

Topmost Herb Farm

where our gracious Hostess

Carole Miller threw a large 

"Thank You" event for everyone who assisted in the 

"Grow the Greenhouse" project!

The dancing music was provided by the

Quiet Corner Fiddlers

There was a lot more to the dance than I thought! 

It was fun to watch, and nice

  that people and families had

   a beautiful day outside, great  weather, fine company and delicious food.

Carole's friends from the Coventry Farmer's Market

and other garden and herb communities were 
there for her.

The patterns were more intricate on the Maypole

as the day went on.

First make the design,
then unwrap it and start all 

over again! The music kept it lively and fun.

I kept busy taking photos..other photographer's snaps of me show the dirt on my knees and elbows from getting on the wet ground to get the shots I wanted.

The food was amazing, a feast for the eyes and the belly...

Check out the colors in this salad with Violets...

 

The Greenhouse is up...

...and filled and ready to go.

It was a good reason to celebrate!

 

Beautiful things happen when people work together!

 

To see a whole gallery on facebook go here

See some more, on this video...

This was a fabulous journey of friendship and community.

The collapse of the Greenhouse in February brought everyone 

together. The collective efforts in fundraising and

volunteering are proof that anything is possible!

The New Greenhouse

Carole Miller's greenhouse at Topmost Herb Farm is up and ready and filled with seedlings!

I was able to go over when the greenhouse was going up a couple weeks ago. Here are a few shots...

The night before the full moon.

Still a shell, but the new frame was up.

The next day brought progress.

and climbing and stooping...

...and mud

Teamwork...

To see more about the greenhouse, check out this news story with Scot Haney

http://www.wfsb.com/betterct/27282577/detail.html

Or go to Topmost's Facebook page to see many more pictures 

of progress and the finished product

submitted by all of the Market Photographers and friends.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Grow the Greenhouse fundraiser!

Coventry Farmer's Market Community

 Please read to the End, because there is a very 
Happy Ending to this blog!

Every week, Winter or Summer, I look forward to going to the Coventry Regional Farmer's Market as much as time will allow.

 It nourishes my body and soul. The food , the crafts, the delights for the sense with the aromas, the visual playground and the tastes overlap and delight.


Here, you find real food and products, produced with integrity and love. Local. Regional. Hometown.
Supporting the local economy.

 But an amazing thing happened when when I went more often and became familiar with all of the vendors and organizers.

  THE COMMUNITY

I began taking pictures at the market in the summer. It was a visual delight and everywhere I turned there was something more amazing to focus on.  I submitted some photos to the website. I became acquainted with the rest of the photographers and the Market Masters.

When they announced they were looking for volunteers to photograph and document the farms and "behind the scenes" of the market vendors, I raised my hand quickly!

 "Market Roots" is a  photographic project sleeping, ready to birth, waiting for a corporate sponsor. 

It will be a photographic journey through the farms and artisans that make up the market.

We want everyone to know where their local food comes from.

That was "Project One" for me. I went to Windham Gardens, Four Fields Farms and Rich Valley Farms.

I was able to meander through fields of fresh summer flowers, rows of gorgeous lettuces of every color, and 

play with baby goats (triplets and quadruplets) and go through the whole milking, feeding, 

and cheese-making process. Here are a couple pictures from the market, 

the actual Market Roots pictures will be released in the near future.

 

Jayson-Rivard Darby makes new friends

                                                           
                                                                   Four Fields Lettuces

                                                         Erin Windham and her son.

HERE COMES THE GOOD PART!

But truly the most amazing event to come out of the market and it's community is the rally and the outpouring of support for Topmost Herb Farm after Carole Miller's greenhouse was crushed by the weight of the February snows that rocked the weather record books. Almost 35 volunteers gathered for a day of dismantling the demolished greenhouse to make way for a new one.

AN AUCTION IS BORN

A rapid rally ensued and anyone and everyone who knows Carole through the market began to put ideas together to try and find a way to replace her greenhouse, that is key to her business. It is where she starts her herbs and Heirloom Tomatoes. Click on the picture below to see a small gallery of photos from the Tomato Festival at the market. Carole was sampling her delicious Heirloom Tomatoes.

Topmost gallery

Supporter, volunteers and Market Masters brainstormed and delved into different possibilities and we collectively agreed to take a deep breath, visualize, trust and we dove in and started the auction process.

We choose Bidding For Good for a number of reasons. It is a good fit. As soon as the word spread via CRFM's Facebook page and newsletter, the auction took off at a rapid pace. The power of Social Networking and love (not in any particular order!) First 10, then 20, and finally up to 140 donations of auction items poured in. Stunning artwork, photography, food, services, unique experiences like learning to make maple syrup at the sugar house, or sitting in on Faith Middleton's show. Within 2 days we have raised over $4000. Winter Caplanson , one of the Market Masters has been a non-stop whirlwind and the driving force that has organized and rallied her Community "posse" to come to the rescue.

The Auction will run from Friday February 25th to March 4th. An extra Winter Market at the Coventry High School will extend the Winter season with one more market day full of additional opportunities to support the project and allow auction winners the opportunity to pick up their winnings at the market.

The "Good Ending" to this story? The greenhouse will be rebuilt in a Community effort on May Day, complete with Maypole  and a Pot-luck. With over $4000 raised in less than 2 days so far, I'm certain we will meet our goal of $7500. 

Here is some information. Please contact me at suemuldoon@suemuldoonimages.com for a PDF to print and hand out. It looks like this:

Read articles here from The Courant,  Fairfield Food Guide and Conscious CT 

I will let you know how much we raise after the tally on March 6th. There is a week to shop and auction! One of the auction items from me is a Social Media Package which will teach you how to make and upkeep a BLOG...like this...and 20 photo gift cards suitable for framing, and $50 gift certificates to Miya's Sushi

There are so many people to mention, it would be easier to see who donated what if you go to the auction.

GROW THE GREENHOUSE

I am proud to call this community...friends.

You can also view a lot of their web pages and blogs to the right here....




www.suemuldoonimages.com  

Capaldo Floral Design

Sometimes ideas come to 

you in a "round-about" way. 

Inspiration and Synchronicity mash up at some strange intersection.

Take this logo and branding element for the new

www.capaldofloraldesign.com  website , for example.

First I'll show you the end result, and then work 

backwards to show you how it developed.

The Challenge: 

Design a logo that could be used across a variety of media. 

Print.  Web.  Social Marketing.  Blogging.

Something that would be recognized in all formats. 
Describe and visualize  a floral concept
in a brief and fleeting moment.

You only have a short time to capture someone's attention.

   Branding

The LOGO

I liked how the negative space between the A the P kept the circle flowing, and the line of the A..

 

To go on the Website 

www.capaldofloraldesign.com  

(you can go and look but come back, promise?)

 

and use as a Facebook Badge 

(you can click on the badge above to go to the Facebook Page)

and a sticker for gifts, vases. flowers, envelopes

and a Favicon 

(that little icon that goes in the browser bar when your website opens)

Let's not forget the Business Card

Or the web Banner
 ( I may change this, I like the gradient but I like the calla on dark black better)

Can you imagine, it all came from this? 

www.suemuldoonimages.com

" 3 silk callas sittin' on the table"

I wanted to see how 3 callas grouped together

and bended into a "C" would look. 

The photo was taken on an antique painted red table. 

The callas picked up the hue from the table, gave it a warm glow. 

My intention was as a test picture for form,

but ended up being the first and final choice

Edited and cut it out in Photoshop (silhouette)

Lift it over

 to another blank photo

Put it in a new background 

(don't you love the curl on the calla tip pointing back? Kind of coy like a little "shoulder toss") 

....and let the fun begin!

A logo is born.

Thanks for taking a look at my latest project/sleep depriving/gotta love it or you wouldn't be so fanatic to get it done artwork!

I think it pops on Ed's website and  I love that it will be 
directing people to Ed's stunning floral designs. 
He is so fabulous with flowers AND Brides.
I get to work with creative people all the time,
in many areas ! 
Love it.

Go to www.capaldofloraldesign.com to see it insitu

...it all starts with a great (and sometimes a humble) photo!

If you're considering redesigning your brand or want to change up your media presence  via web, blog, Facebook and more, 
contact me at suemuldoon@suemuldoonimages.com
Or view my webpage at www.suemuldoonimages.com



Shameless self-promotion addendum:

If you like the Blog..please pass it along to friends, or bookmark it, or sign up to Follow!

You can also check out some of my favorites on the sidebar to the right and see my pictures in some, 

other peep's great ideas in  more and just cool stuff I like. Resources.

I'll be doing some classes this Spring on how to set up your own Blog,  

and how to take pictures to put on the web or FB or blog...stay tuned.

New Adventures

2010 had some wonderful photo adventures. 

I'm looking forward to even more in 2011!

 I had an enjoyable year taking and sharing photos. 

Flowers, weddings, music, family and foods.

My last event of 2010 was documenting the amazing 

catering services of Jordan Caterer Design Event Planners 

for Jeffrey Rapoport at the New Britain American Museum of Art

I have lived in Connecticut most of my life (with a wanderlust diversion for 5 1/2 years to Oklahoma, Nevada, Seattle to name a few spots) I was an Art Major in college, and I can't believe I never made it to this beautiful Museum before. My camera brings me to fabulous locations and adventures.

Between the Museum setting, the wonderful food and smiling faces of the Jordan staff, I had much to work with. What a great canvas for the lens.

I also met Bun Lai and his staff from Miya's Sushi and learned more about his commitment to sustainable seafood. Jordan Caterer's and Chef Kevin Cottle  also have a strong passion for Local Sustainable food choices, which overlaps with other interests I have like the Coventry Farmer's Market.

There has been a lot of synchronicity in 2010 and I am anxious 

to see what is in store for me for 2011.

Take a look at some of the food, fun and art from 

this stunningly beautiful event.

To see the whole gallery go to www.suemuldoonimages.com

 This is Mike, the bartender. I love this shot with 

this painting in the background. 

The band plays in front of Lisa Hoke's installation. This isn't going to 

be up for much longer,so try to see it while you can.

Chef Cottle was always on the move!

  

The artwork was admired by many. What a place to have an event.

  

The raw bar as viewed from above.

 I've had a fascination with glasses this year. This is one of many shots.

 Bun Lai and his chef from Miya's Sushi

  

Even non-food shots , anything in my

path that caught my eye caught my lens.

 

 The colors of foods are so rich.

  

This is Jordan, of Jordan's Caterers.

 Don't you just want to dive into this picture. 

I can't wait to make a trip to Miya's Sushi.

.

I will be making a relaxed trip to 

the museum soon with some photographer friends.

Thank you for taking the time to share my escapades with me.

Remember...IT ALL STARTS WITH A GREAT PHOTO