The Lost Nation Photographs - The Motley Cow, Iowa City, Iowa

My black and white gelatin silver photos are UP. The space they are living in is at the Motley Cow - a fine dining experience in Iowa City. This body of work dates from the early 1990s to 2005. All photographs are hand-printed in my darkroom on fiber paper and are archivally matted --- and are for sale. Please contact me for more information.

sandy@sandydyas.com -- www.sandydyas.com

Jeffrey Foucault - Musician Extraordinaire

Friday night we went to CSPS in Cedar Rapids (in the Czech village) to hear Jeffrey Foucault perform. He sounded so good - way beyond words. And second set his good friend Dave Moore sat in and played his harmonica and accordion. The whole experience of listening to them collaborate and make music was wonderful. In addition, CSPS is brand new. Following the flooding in 2008, CSPS was down but not anymore! It is back and in the finest condition. They now have a small bar with tasty deliciousness....beer and wine. Nice brews to compliment the fine evening you will have.

I have some tiny pics to add from the actual performance - and I made some videos too. But what I have ready to go is one of the images from the NEXT day. On Saturday Jeffrey and I spent a few hours doing a photo shoot. Yes, it was COLD outside. We did some in my make-shift studio and some out at Dave and Lysa Moore's cool cabin on the river. All good. Here is one I especially like from inside my house.

Kelly Pardekooper - YONDER - Easy Ed's Review

My friend Ed Maxin (Easy Ed) writes a blog - on No Depression's site. He posted this review today - November 28, 2011. Gotta read it! Kelly Pardekooper -my good friend and musician, former Iowa Citian and now living in LA has a new record out called YONDER. My friend Gene Flores did the cover art - and boy it is beautiful!!! I just got the new record --- and know I will love it --- gotta pop it in the cd player for the car ride back and forth to Mount Vernon --- teaching photography this month. Keep making music Kelly! Sorry to have missed your show at the Englert this last holiday week. Just too much on my plate...being it was Thanksgiving... I was with my family on the farm in Jackson County.

Hanno Hardt, Professor, Photographer, Scholar

Tonight I found out that my friend Hanno Hardt passed away on October 11th. I am profoundly saddened by this news. Hanno was an inspiration to me while a student at the University of Iowa. Hans Breder and Hanno were friends and I was in Hans' Intermedia program.

Hanno Hardt loved black and white documentary photography. He loved Iowa. "A Time in Iowa" is a book he self-published in 2007. He has self-published a great number of photography books on Blurb.

I still have my notes from his class. We talked about the media. Film, photography, TV. My paper was about Woody Allen and all the controversies surrounding him at that time. I still have that paper. Later, Hanno served as a member on my MFA committee. I appreciated his support of my work.

Over the years, we stayed loosely connected. He wrote an invitation for me to teach and research at the University of Ljubljana last year and again this year. Hanno wanted me to help assist him teach photography and video at the university. He believed in me and in my work as an artist. Hanno Hardt was an incredibly smart and creative thinking man. He was also very generous and kind. I hoped I would see him again...this time in Slovenia.

There will be a memorial for him at the MILL in Iowa City on November 4th from 4pm - 7pm.

Pendulum by Jon Shumway

Beautiful work/cannot really say more....! Love it! Jon Shumway was a fellow grad

student at the U of Iowa in Intermedia Art while Hans Breder was the video guru in charge. For a lot more information go to JON SHUMWAY'S VIMEO page.

IOWA CITY WARRIORS - BLOG by Maria Vorhis

I had the pleasure to sit and chat with Maria Vorhis last weekend. We sat outside the Englert Theatre on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon. She attended the Englert Theatre panel discussion about being an artist here in the Iowa City area. Here is her interview with me - IOWA CITY WARRIORS.

Doug Rickard: A New American Picture

Very inspiring work - it is the IDEA and what we can get from these pictures....! I want to see the exhibit - they are in MOMA now or soon to be.

JOHN LENNON 1940-1980. TODAY IS HIS BIRTHDAY.

I LOVE YOU JOHN - THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DID TO CHANGE THE WORLD AND TO MAKE IT A BETTER PLACE

Photos from Berlin and the Czech Republic

RIVERSIDE THEATRE - IOWA CITY

Showing some new and old work at Riverside Theatre - it is up now until early October. The photographs and collages all focus on children and being a mother. Katie Roche and her daughter Stella are featured as well as Susan with the Red Tomato - aka Caroline Louise. My photographs are intended to compliment the production FEET FIRST IN THE WATER WITH A BABY IN MY TEETH - Written and Performed by Megan Gogerty; Directed by Alexis Chamow September 9 - October 2, 2011

A Benefit for Sonny Lott - The Mill - August 21, 2011

ROB HANN -- I LOVE THAT PHOTO

Really like Rob Hann's photography - read his interview online - ILOVETHATPHOTO photo magazine. And also SEE more of his work online at acurator.com

Stolen Moments by Andy White

Andy White, musician friend who is living in Australia and from Northern Ireland has just released a new book of his fine poetry - STOLEN MOMENTS. The cover photo was taken on a jaunt up to Minnesota a few years back. This one I took using a film camera....cannot say I do that too much anymore. But film is film and nothing digital matches black and white film. Congrats to you Andy! I look forward to getting my own copy soon!

Firenze! Tourists, Life and ART

Chris Offutt and His Roots

My friend and writer Chris Offutt is interviewed on USED FURNITURE -- Reading the Groove by Robert Stapleton. Chris talks about his newest project - a film called The Trapper. Simpleton mentions the forward Chris wrote for my Down to the River; Portraits of Iowa Musicians.

Caroline Louise Flys! - Cover of MAKE Magazine

More great comments about the cover of MAKE magazine - a cool literary magazine out of Chicago. Here is the latest review/blog: Literary & Alternative Magazine Reviews. "It is the photograph on the cover from Sandra Louise Dyas, though, that so aptly captures the essence of this issue, and it is what keeps MAKE on my coffee table for friends to notice."

This is Where I Am From - via Easy Ed's Blog

Ed Maxin recently blogged about AMERI-TOGRAPHY 2: This is Where I Am From. Ed tells it like it is. He understands the photographs in way that I do not seem to be able to verbally express - I just use the camera. Ed blogs on NO DEPRESSION --- go check it out!

ROBERT FRANK & JUNE LEAF - PULL MY DONKEY

JESUS & McDonalds

On my way home from Burlington, Iowa, I spotted this along highway 218....

in case you cannot see it clearly, it says "crafted for your cravings".

REDHOUSE RECORDS - NOD TO BOB

A Nod to Bob 2: An Artists' Tribute to Bob Dylan on His 70th Birthday -- Redhouse Records released a new tribute album - this spring - my photo is featured as the cover and another one is within the CD. The album features Red House artists PIETA BROWN, Hot Tuna, THE PINES, Meg Hutchinson, Lucy Kaplansky, John Gorka, Eliza Gilkyson, Danny Schmidt and more!

BLOOM! ART EXHIBITION IN BELLEVUE, IOWA

BLOOM! ART EXHIBITION IN BELLEVUE, IOWA

An ART EXTRAVAGANZA in Bellevue, Iowa --- right on the Mississippi River. Artists showing are Jamie Elizabeth Hudrlik (my daughter), Susan Becker, Andrew Wyeth and Sandra L. Dyas (me). Friday, June 3rd is the OPENING RECEPTION at Off the Wall Art Gallery & The Great River Gallery - 6-9pm. Following is live music by JOE & VICKI PRICE at the bar next door to the gallery.

Mother's Day 2011

Aline Smithson - of LENSCRATCH created a Mother's Day Blog of photographs of Moms. My Mom - Doris Mae Dyas on Our Homestead Farm near Andrew, Iowa 2010- is included in this wonderful collection.

L E N S C R A T C H: The LENSCRATCH Self-Portrait Exhibition 2011

L E N S C R A T C H: The LENSCRATCH Self-Portrait Exhibition 2011

Wonderful bunch of self-portraits by photographers!

Katie Roche and Stella

In early March 2011, Katie Roche and her daughter Stella agreed to work with me to make new portraits. I wanted to photograph Katie again...this time she was/is still....pregnant. The stark landscape in the backyard of their home in Iowa City became an important part of this portrait. Life is coming...it is nearly spring.... Portraits are always a collaboration for me. It was a brief shoot -- life moves so quickly -- I always feel very lucky I am invited into someone's home to make their portrait. Thank you Katie and Stella. New pictures to be included in my project called "Lost in the Midwest".