Pictured at left:
DAN LUVS PATRICE, 2006
Smooch! Project Archive category –
Together: Old Marrieds (21-plus years)


PATRICE KOELSCH is a good friend to have, especially when times are dark. And, wow, was it ever dark for The Smooch! Project in the fall of 2006. One month following a June Smooch! shoot, a child died in a horrific sequence of extremely poor parental decisions. In August, without realizing the connection, a large area newspaper published an earlier Smooch! photograph of the father with one of his surviving children, one of a dozen images illustrating a feature story about the project. The image shocked an angry, grief-stricken community and the project was suddenly embroiled in a controversy not of its own making. The Smooch! Project was scarcely four months old and experiencing its most painful period to date. Many people rallied in support the project, a kindness for which the photographer remains extremely grateful. But it was Patrice Koelsch, shown here with her hubby Dan, that the photographer reached out to for help. A Smooch! Project Hero, Patrice teaches meditation and is specifically trained to help people deal with difficult circumstances in their lives. And help she did, guiding the photographer to some much needed clarity during an emotionally confusing period. Patrice continues to share her practice in a variety of settings, including maximum security prisons and while working for The Minnesota AIDS Project. In her own words, Patrice believes that “gratitude is the foundation of human happiness.” There IS much to be grateful for in this world. The photographer well knows that Patrice is high on that list. Thanks so much for your help, my friend!

Pictured at right:
PEGGY LUVS MARGE, 2007
Smooch! Project Archive category –
All in the Family: Kids luv Moms


MARGE LANE was there right from the beginning when she showed up at the very first public Smooch! shoot ever held. We were in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota, back in April 2006. At the time, she declined to participate. Marge is, well, a modest person and wasn’t all too sure about where this all was going. Two years later, you can see she got talked into participating, shown here being smooched by her eldest daughter, Peggy. Here is some background info about Marge: She likes jigsaw puzzles. She’s a dedicated and enthusiastic Bridge player. And she can sew. She can sew really well. A skill the photographer put to good use when it became apparent that the project required a custom backdrop. Following the discovery that the selected fabric was not wide enough to do the job without sewing two pieces together, the photographer made a feeble, laughable attempt to do it herself. Shortly thereafter, she turned to Marge for her expert help. Referring to the artist’s fabric cutting skills to that of “a drunken sailor,” Marge expertly created the first custom backdrop ever used for the project. It was a thing of beauty. Marge is most definitely a Smooch! Project Hero. Her contribution to the project is clearly visible in hundreds of images already captured but it is her steadfast friendship over the years that the photographer has valued most. Thanks so much for your help and support, Marge. You’re the best!

Pictured at left:
RUTH LUVS GAIL, 2008
Smooch! Project Archive category –
The Best of Friends


RUTH WONG knew nothing about The Smooch! Project until 2008, when she worked together with the project photographer on a temporary marketing contract at a local advertising agency. Sitting shoulder-to-shoulder for four months gives ample opportunity to learn at least a few details about someone. Luckily for The Smooch! Project, Ruth liked what she heard enough to do some personal networking for the project. A small contribution, one might think, but her efforts paid off BIG when a referral to a personal contact at the prestigious Walker Art Center resulted in a February 2008 Smooch! shoot. Shown here with her friend Gail as they were making the rounds of craft fairs on a wintery December weekend, Ruth is an art activity aficionado. She is also “firm believer in the ‘magic’ of turning ideas into reality.” Her professional networking and creative project management skills really supported the efforts of The Smooch! Project. In addition, Ruth is an experienced print procurement specialist. If you need someone to help YOUR company turn ideas into reality, send her an email (print_maven@msn.com). She’s looking for a new job and would really appreciate hearing from you. (Her hubby Hayward, her three lovely cats -- Mabelina, Chanel, & Jazmine -- and her gerbil named Ginger would appreciate it too!) Ruth’s efforts on behalf of The Smooch! Project paid big dividends for the project. We’re willing to bet she could do the same for you. Thanks, Ruth, for your help and great good luck in your job search!

Pictured at right:
MELANIE LUVS SUE, 2007
Smooch! Project Archive category –
All in the Family: Kids luv Moms


SUE GINSBURG first became involved in The Smooch! Project in early 2007 when she and her beautiful teenage daughter Melanie volunteered to help manage a Smooch! shoot set up in a too-small room during an art opening at a Minneapolis art center. Together, they flawlessly coordinated the shoot and had a great time doing so, as you may have already gathered from their photo shown here. This was Sue’s first volunteer effort on behalf of The Smooch! Project. Luckily, it did not turn out to be her last. Sue has continued volunteering at Smooch! shoots and, most recently, begun offering her professional business skills as well. Her company, GrowthLynx, helps businesses increase revenues and grow through disciplined business development planning, implementation, and smart marketing. To that end, Sue creates actionable strategic business plans as well as the metrics necessary to track the results. In her words, she helps build the bridge between ‘wanting to grow’ and knowing ‘what to do to get that growth.’ Sue has volunteered to facilitate the first gathering of the Smooch! Project DREAM TEAM: A group of Smooch!-committed individuals who have provided support and advice to the photographer since the beginning of this documentary effort. With Sue’s expert guidance, the Dream Team will review the photographer’s dreams for the project and offer their collective ideas on making those dreams a reality. The Smooch! Project is extremely fortunate to have someone with Sue’s skills in its corner. The future of the project is looking really great. Thanks so much, Sue!

Pictured at left:
VANESSA LUVS NAILAH, 2008
Smooch! Project Archive category –
All in the Family: Extended (aunt & niece)


VANESSA WILSON’s initial involvement with The Smooch! Project began in late 2006, when she agreed to serve as a photo assistant for a shoot. Her valiant and skillful efforts during what turned out to be a very challenging situation was a godsend for the grateful photographer. Following the experience, however, there was absolutely no expectation that Vanessa would have any interest in working with the project photographer ever again. How delightful to be so wrong! Incredibly, Vanessa gathered several valuable insights from that initial experience and generously shared her ideas for future shoots with the project photographer. She also has this amazing ability to engage with perfect strangers during a shoot and, after only a moment, convert them into enthusiastic participants. It was Vanessa who caused the exclamation point to appear on the new Smooch! Project logo. All you need do is listen to her say that word, which she delivers with a little lift on the end and a mischievous smile on her face, and you can’t help but visualize it! Vanessa also creates gorgeous handmade gift cards. Give yourself a treat and go take a look at them at dbjdesigns.com. No two cards are the same; each is as unique and beautiful as the friends and loved ones lucky enough to receive them. The project photographer feels very lucky as well, that Vanessa has such a strong wish for The Smooch! Project to succeed. Thanks so much, V!

Pictured at right:
LEAH LUVS BARB, 2006
Smooch! Project Archive category -
All in the Family: Kids luv Moms


BARB COLLETTE is now a happy grandmother after successfully raising two fine children with hubby Jim, in their hometown of Duluth, Minnesota. She and her husband are also stained glass artists and have been awarded several commissions from churches, businesses, and individuals from throughout the Northland area. Their beautiful work can be seen at glassjewel.com. In addition to all these most excellent accomplishments, Barb is also the twin sister of The Smooch! Project photographer and is credited as the source of the all important first smooch that began this project. (The entire story can be found in the "Smooch! Info" section of this website.) When she has time, Barb also helps manage the larger, most challenging Smooch! shoots, including a memorable 3-day shoot during the 2008 Minneapolis Uptown Art Fair. Her organizational skills, patience and friendly personality has made her an invaluable asset to every Smooch! shoot she has supported. Barb really shines as she answers questions, helps people fill out their paperwork correctly and manages the scheduling of soon-to-be-Smooch! participants during busy shoots. Her skilled efforts during these shoots allows the project photographer to concentrate on taking the most beautiful photographs possible. Hundreds of people have now had the pleasure of working with Barb at a Smooch! shoot. Her contribution to the project is clearly visible in every gorgeous photograph found in the Smooch! Archive. Thanks so much, Barb!

Pictured at left:
JAMES LUVS KAREN, 2008
Smooch! Project Archive category -
Together: Young Love (1-4 years)


Photographer KAREN VAN WERT is a member of the Minnesota-based organization WPVA (Women Photographers / Visual Artists) where she and the Smooch! Project photographer met a few years ago. Now a personal friend, Karen has provided hours of consultation, ideas, and Smooch! shoot support. Her excellent photographic skills and promotional savvy make her an invaluable resource for the project. Shown here with hubby, James Fuchs, Karen is wearing one of her beautiful photographic pendants, samples of which can be found on her website, KVW Creations, along with other gorgeous works of hers. Many more examples of her landscape photographs can be found on her personal Flickr site. Karen shows her work widely, all of which have a strong yet lyrical compositional strength, a characteristic that really shines in her pics of common objects as viewed from unusual angles. Many thanks to Karen for freely lending her considerable skills to the needs of The Smooch! Project. Her support of the project has helped make it what it is today.