Name: Marilyn Hoogstraten

City of Residence: Grawn, MI

Featured Artwork: Several in all 3 of the current CTAC - TC exhibits AND in the Guild Member Salon Show in Petoskey!

Exhibition: 'Bitter & Beauty' - 'Winter Wit' - 'Traverse Area Camera Club: 2024 Award Winners' 'Guild Member Salon Show 2025'

On View: Now through February 22, 2025

Tell us about the creative process for the featured piece in our exhibition: I look for how the light plays on a landscape, a building, or an object. For Chilly Night I knew it was going to be a cold night and a clear sunny morning, so I went out early to find a lone tree in the middle of a field in the south part of the county, and waited for the light to make the frost sparkle. For Applied Geometry I spent the time waiting for my connecting flight in the Grand Rapids airport walking around looking at how the light played on the architectural elements. For Blender I spent winter days playing with the shadows of household objects in the light coming in my windows.

Who or what inspires your creativity? This is a difficult question to answer, but I would say "life experiences". I didn't get a degree in art or photography, but I look at art, and I learn from fellow members of the camera club and the art community.

Where can visitors learn more about your work? https://hoogstraten.myportfolio.com

Artist Bio: A native Michigander, Marilyn grew up in Richland. After college in Kalamazoo she worked a couple of years in data processing in Mendon before relocating to Grand Traverse County, her home for the past 50 years. Although she began traveling more extensively after retirement, she still makes the majority of her images in her own backyard - Northern Michigan.

LIGHTNING ROUND!

• When I work, I listen to:The sound of silence.
• For example: I don't like distractions while I work, but when I'm working out I listen to podcasts on art, particularly that of Brooks Jensen of Lenswork.
• I studied: At WMU I received a degree in Math, English and Business; my career was Human Resources so I went to a lot of conferences and classes related to that.
• "One" art-related thing I can't live without: My camera, whether it is my DSLR or my iPhone. Adobe Lightroom is also an amazing advancement over the wet darkroom for creating my vision.
• Three words that best describe me: Quiet, a homebody, always looking to learn from others.
• Three words that best describe my art: Serene, Minimalism, Abstraction.

Thank you to Marilyn for jumping in and joining us for our Artist Spotlight Q&A!