Edith Krueger-Nye photo exhibited
January, 2007

       Patience rewards a photographer such as Apache Junction's Edith Krueger-Nye. Waiting for that elusive convergence which creates a breathtaking image, she will spend much of her time just sitting.... waiting for the right light, for intriguing clouds or Sonoran desert creatures to appear and punctuate a scene. Even after hours of waiting and digital memory cards packed with images, its common for Krueger-Nye to be left unsatisfied with the results. Moving from film to digital photography opened the door to her to improve upon images that don't emerge as planned.

       Unable to find a digital photography course to enroll in soon after buying her first digital camera, she studied the software on her own. She experimented, learned for herself, and soon earned a reputation among the East Valley's first digital imaging instructors -- teaching photography enthusiasts the basics of the powerful new cameras they had bought, and the intricacies of software that can lighten a leaden sky, enhance radiant colors of a flower and turn a color image into a faux sepia-toned photograph reminiscent of frontier days. The artist's work was featured in our Visitor Center gallery during January, 2007.

       "I was born and raised in Germany, and decided at the age of 12, after reading many books, to come to the United States," said Krueger-Nye. "Arriving in Arizona in 1970 confirmed to me that I had made the right choice. My love for the "Wild West" and everything desert has sustained me throughout my residence here. My home is in the Superstition Mountain foothills, which gives me the perfect spot to watch the seasons, the various changes in weather, the animals and plants with which I share my life here."

       Most viewers find something immediately familiar - maybe something occasionally discordant, too - with her botanical macros and Sonoran desert landscapes. This Apache Junction photographer finds artistic inspiration in nature, and also in photo editing software. Some of her enhanced enlargements resemble pointillist paintings, others are true representations of what was caught in her lens - but with accentuated color from the vast palette available with most digital imaging software.

       Krueger-Nye earned a bachelors degree in fine art from Arizona State University, but chose to put her foreign language skills to work in the tourism industry rather than work as a fine art photographer after graduation. Photography remained a passion; traveling throughout the United States as a tourguide yielded a varied photography portfolio. The gift of a digital camera changed the direction of her life back towards art; she returned to school to learn about the latest computer editing techniques and software tools available to produce memorable images.

       "My original skills in photography had become rusty and outdated. The chance to combine my artistic talent with the potential of the computer was very attractive to me. My favorite pictures are the flowers which grow on my land, and the things most people do not notice at all, things which require patience to photograph. The cactus flowers in April reward me with their brilliance and I spend a lot of time getting them just right. Birds and butterflies get a lot of attention from my camera, which I am seldom without."

       During Summer months she is a tourguide, utilizing her fluency in several languages and affording many chances to bring her camera along to some of the most loved and visited places in the United States and Canada. Winter months are devoted to her art, spending her free time capturing new images around Arizona, and fine-tuning pictures that were taken while on the road.

       "As I have more free time giving back becomes more and more important to me. I am the President of the Apache Junction Society for the Arts, I am on the board of the Superstition Area Cultural Alliance, and I take care of the Apache Junction City Hall Art Show which we have every three months for the area artists who care to exhibit there. I also teach several classes in digital photography each year, and will start teaching Corel Painter in January," said Krueger-Nye. "We hope to find more artists of all disciplines who want to join our club, and be part of a supportive group of artists who share their talents."

       The artist has two grown daughters and four grandchildren; she lives in the Superstition Mountain foothills sharing the land with a range of birds and desert creatures that she welcomes to her Sonoran desert refuge. Images from her exhibit here were available for purchase starting at $15.00 for prints, or starting at $95.00 for framed works. Krueger-Nye has also exhibited her photos permanently at the 12 West Gallery in downtown Mesa and the Cobre Valley Center for the Arts in Globe. She's among annual participants in the Lost Dutchman Art Show and the Gold Canyon Art Show; twice she has been artist-of-the-month at the Superstition Mountain Museum. She belongs to the Scottsdale Art League, Mesa Art League and the Arizona Art Alliance. To correspond with the artist about her next class or inquire about her exhibit here, email edithnye@msn.com or else write to PO Box 2453, Apache Junction, AZ, 85217. More of her work can be seen at http://edith.smugmug.com

       Boyce Thompson Arboretum is located at Highway 60 milepost #223, just three miles west of the town of Superior - a drive of about one hour east of Phoenix or two hours from Tucson ( take Oracle Road North to Highway 79 past Florence to Highway 60, then East for another 12 miles). Monthly exhibits may be seen at our Visitors Center gallery daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. during Fall and Winter months (Summer hours 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.). The Arboretum is an Arizona State Park and daily admission must be paid to enter the Visitor Center where the gallery is found. Admission is $7.50 for adults and $3 for ages 5-12. A membership may be purchased in the gift shop on the day of your visit. To review other recent gallery shows from...

November, 2006 CLICK HERE
October, 2006 CLICK HERE
September, 2006 CLICK HERE
July-August, 2006 CLICK HERE
June-July, 2006 CLICK HERE
April-May, 2006 CLICK HERE
March, 2006 CLICK HERE
February, 2006 CLICK HERE
January, 2006 CLICK HERE
December, 2005 CLICK HERE
November, 2005 CLICK HERE
October, 2005 CLICK HERE
September, 2005 CLICK HERE
July/August, 2005 CLICK HERE
June/July, 2005 CLICK HERE
May, 2005 CLICK HERE
April, 2005 CLICK HERE
March, 2005 CLICK HERE
February, 2005 CLICK HERE
January, 2005 CLICK HERE
December, 2004 CLICK HERE