Greetings!

We hope that you are enjoying your summer and finding time to embrace your passion - whether it be creating new work, traveling, or letting you mind wander while on a beach or hiking trail. Speaking of traveling, we recently returned from 3 weeks in Spain: a trip centered on Photo Espana in Madrid (where Steve met with gallery directors and museum curators), but also aimed at exploring Andalusia, Catalonia and Basque country. For those of you who follow Steve on Facebook, you can find an online travelog. Quick summary: 9 days in the south, 4 days in Madrid, 5 days in Catalonia, and 4 days in Hondarribia (near San Sebastian).

We thought that rather than repeating the travelog in what is, after all, a photography newsletter, we have included a few documentary photographs that capture selected aspects of three well-known examples of Moorish architecture in Andalusia (the Alcazar in Seville; La Mezquita in Cordoba; and of course, the Alhambra). It is nearly impossible to describe either in words or single images the deep emotional reactions each of us had to the incredible delicacy and complexity of the highly geometrical and expressive plaster-, tile- and wood- work, as well as to the harmony of the architectural design of each site. Also included is an example of modernist architecture in Barcelona. We promise to include more, and more interpretive images as part of future newsletters. What we cannot do is to capture the richness of the Fundacion Miro, the Reina Sofia Museum, the Dali Museum, the MACBA, the CCCB in Barcelona, the Guggenheim, and the Picasso Museum: a richness that allowed us to witness and contemplate the evolution of artistic vision, as well as the vitality of contemporary art in Europe and around the world. An amazing and moving trip.

One of Karen's images, Breakfast, John's Island, has been accepted into the Illusions show at the Center for Fine Art Photography in Ft. Collins, CO. The show runs from August 3 - Sept. 1, 2012.

Both Steve and Karen have images accepted into the All Art Arizona 2012 show at Art Intersection, 207 N Gilbert Road in Gilbert, AZ. The show will open on June 2 with a reception from 6 - 9 pm and run through July 25.

Steve has had 2 images accepted into the Equivalents: 17th Annual Photo Competition Exhibition at the Photo Center North West in Seattle. The exhibition will open August 3rd in the gallery with a special visit and lecture with W.M. Hunt held that night at the Seattle Art Museum At 7 pm.

Karen has received a Bronze medal at the PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris International competition for her portfolio of images, The Structure of Nature.

Both Steve and Karen have created Facebook pages devoted solely to photography. We have each populated a 'timeline' where you can trace the development of our very different visions. For Steve, we invite you to visit: http://www.Facebook.com/StephenStromPhoto/ and for Karen, http://www.Facebook.com/KarenStromPhoto/). The 'milestones' on each of our timelines is generally accompanied by selections from an associated portfolio; we invite you to 'have a look' and, if so motivated, send feedback. The pages also provide a quick reference for upcoming events. If you like what you see, please take a nanosecond to click the 'like' button. Doing so will not only provide an 'instant high' for us, but more importantly, help to build a community: one where we can easily see and marvel at what you are doing as well. You can also follow our progress and view larger portfolios of images by visiting our websites: http://www.karenstrom.com/ and http://www.stephenstrom.com/.

Steve has nearly completed a catalog for his retrospective to be held at Verve Gallery in Santa Fe from October 26 to December 21. The opening reception will be on 26 October with a gallery talk on 27 October. The catalog will be graced by an introduction written by Rebecca A. Senf, Norton Family Curator at the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson. We expect to announce options for obtaining copies of the catalog in the September newsletter.

Several of Steve's images will be included in the Desert Grasslands exhibit at the Tucson Museum of Art, January 26 - July 7, 2013.

The complete archive of our newsletters is now available on both of our websites.

To order Steve's books through Amazon, click on the book cover.