Louisiana native William Guion has photographed the landscape and oaks of the South and West for over 30 years. When he was a photography student in California, one of his instructors gave him advice that he would follow for his entire career.  When he asked his instructor how to make more meaningful photographs he said: “find something you love and photograph it again and again. Then, over time, your deep feelings for the thing you love will shine through your photographs”.  This is apparent in Bill’s photographs.

 Southern Live Oak trees grow in a thin corridor rimming the Gulf of Mexico from Texas to Florida and up the Atlantic Coast into Southeastern Virginia. The limbs stretch long and bend low, even dipping into the ground as though it’s supporting or steadying itself with its limbs.  The expression “Live Oak” is derived from the tree’s heartiness and longevity.  Its leaves always appear to be green (it’s actually semi-evergreen and sheds its leaves periodically throughout the year, usually growing new leaves simultaneously.)  A single live oak can live as long as a half dozen human generations and some of the oldest are more than 500 years of age.

Bill has worked on a photo-documentary of the 100 oldest live oaks in the south- He is locating and recording the 100 oldest member trees in the Louisiana Live Oak Society.  He wants to raise awareness for the importance of old, historic trees in our lives.  Bill supports the work of groups and organizations that study, care for, and promote the protection of oaks and other historic trees.

Image references:

G2391fSugarmill Oak, Louisiana (G2391)  Sugarmill Oak was made at the Raceland sugarcane mill in 2009.  The tree is one of three large live oaks growing behind the offices of the Raceland mill, and based on its size (more than 20 feet in circumference), it was likely planted sometime in the mid 1800s.  The mill is owned today by the Raceland Raw Sugar Corporation and serves much of the surrounding cane-growing farms around Raceland. At one time the sugar mill was part of the Godchaux Plantation (pronounced god-chaw). It was one of the largest sugarcane plantations in South Louisiana. In antebellum Louisiana almost every sugarcane plantation had its own mill where the raw cut cane was processed into sugar. But today the number of mills is shrinking steadily, and becoming “cooperative” mills shared my many cane growing farms.

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St. Joe Plantation Oak (G2404) This majestic oak tree is location on the grounds of the St. Joe Plantation in Vacherie Louisiana, 1 hour west of New Orleans, along the Mississippi River.

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Oak Alley Morning Shadows (G2402) & Oak Alley West Row (G2403) These oaks are located on the grounds of Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie Louisiana, 1 hour west of New Orleans, along the Mississippi River. One of the most visited recognized plantation homes in the south.

G2400fEvergreen, New Alley, Right Side (G2399) & Evergreen Oak Alley (vertical view) (G2400) These beautiful alleys are on the grounds of Evergreen plantation in Edgard, Louisiana, right down the road from Oak Alley & St. Joe plantations.

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Twin Oaks in Rain (G2392) This photo was taken in Audubon Park in New Orleans, LA. This tree was most likely planted when the park land was a plantation during colonial days.

G2458fMonterey Pines in Fog (G2458) Bill took this photo in Monterey California (where he lived for a bit from 2000-2006).  He took this photo one afternoon when the offshore fog bank rolled inland off the Bay and blanketed the area.

Frida and Diego

October 20, 2012 – January 20, 2013

The exhibition Frida & Diego: Passion, Politics and Painting features more than 80 works on paper and paintings by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera and more than 60 photographs of the couple, whose shared passion for each other and Mexico's revolutionary culture during the 1920s and 1930s have made them Mexico's most famous artists. Assembled from three distinguished Mexican private collections on Mexican art, the Museo Dolores Olmedo, Colección Gelman, and Galería Arvil, the exhibition provides the opportunity to view almost one quarter of Kahlo's entire body of work and a range of Rivera's painting styles from his early cubist period and studies for his Mexican murals to his portraits and later landscapes. Photographs by Nickolas Muray,  Lola Alvarez Bravo, Bernard Silberstein and others help tell the story of one of the most prolific and politically charged couples of the 20th century.

During their lifetime together as a married couple, Rivera achieved international prominence as a muralist, while Kahlo's intimate paintings were embraced by the Surrealist movement and the Mexican art world but not well known in the broader context of art and modernism. Guest-curated at the AGO by OCAD University professor and cultural historian Dot Tuer, Frida & Diego: Passion, Politics and Painting offers a new perspective on their artistic significance for the 21st century: one that encompasses how their paintings reflect both the dramatic story of their lives together and their artistic commitment to the transformative political and cultural values of post-revolutionary Mexico.

"If I mention the name Versailles, you might think of the elaborate chateau, with mirrored halls, crystal chandeliers and vast rooms filled with treasures. Indeed that does describe the palace. But in 2006 Versailles revealed its most satisfying hidden treasure, and opened to the public a place which I prefer to all the splendors of the palace: the idyllic Hameau of the Queen Marie Antoinette." This is just an exerpt from the writtings from Dawne Polis. You know her as a Photographer, you should read her articles and all accompanied by her photos.

L'hameau de la Reine Marie Antoinette

Gerberoy, a fairy tale village in France

L'hameau de la Reine Marie Antoinette

Photographer Derek Jecxz has been featured in the February issue of Victor. This magazine has a world renowned reputation of showcasing distinguished photographers and their astonishing artwork. Traveling for weeks at a time, fine art photographer Derek Jecxz explores the natural landscape searching for scenes that we may never fine or may not notice until we see his images. Making photographs since the mid-1990's, Jecxz has always focused on fine art landscapes with a special emphasis on water scenes. "My attraction to water," says the self-taught photographer, "is likely due to the creative effect of longer exposure (time) on its movement." Jecxz packs up his truck 6-10 times a year and travels from the southernmost United States to remote locales such as the Northwest Territories and Labrador in Canada. "I drive because of the weight and value of the gear," explains Jecxz, who travels alone. "There's a huge element to being alone. you really hone into the photography... it gets to its purest form." Read more online or download the beautiful magazine in pdf format.

Excerpts taken from Victor Magazine, February issue 2012.

View Derek Jecxz's entire portfolio available print on demand.

Victor