Books & Books Bookstore in Coral Gables will showcase “Small Worlds,” a stunning exhibit that captures the soul of nature and wildlife as seen through the eyes of acclaimed conservation photographer Phoenix. The exhibit runs from Sept, 4 to Sept. 30.
From the majesty and frailty of the Florida Everglades to the haunting beauty of Ireland, each fine art photograph shares a story of our collective small world. Miami native and Fort Lauderdale resident Phoenix saw within many of her larger, collected works compositions that fit the popular square shape.
Thus began her experiment with the “small worlds” 12-inch by 12-inch pieces. Now, her new solo exhibit of 14 photos will be on display in the gallery located inside Books & Books Bookstore, 265 Aragon Ave. in Coral Gables.
A free opening reception with the artist will take place on Sept. 6, 7-10 p.m., during Coral Gables Gallery Night, the first Friday of the month. For more information, visit www.photographsbyphoenix.com.
“With this exhibition we are inviting viewers to connect with the beauty and power of each small world, our world, captured in each of Phoenix’s art works,” said Mitchell Kaplan, founder and owner of Books & Books Bookstores.
“Phoenix has a great sense of oneness with the natural world and understanding of composition, light and timing in photography.
Very much in the manner of French humanist photographer Cartier-Bresson, she seems to capture the ‘it’ moment, the ‘decisive moment,’ that makes the photos worth the shot,” said Juliana Forero, PhD, curator for Phoenix’s most recent solo exhibit at
Bailey Contemporary Arts Center in Pompano Beach.
Phoenix, who only goes by her first name, established a love of nature as a child during family vacations to national parks.
Although, she taught film-making and photography early in her career she left them for some 20 years. Returning to photography in the digital age, she developed an exceptional talent and a passion to help protect nature and wildlife.
Today she is an internationally collected, award-winning conservation photographer who was recently named an Artist in Residence at America’s most visited national park, Great Smokey Mountains National Park.
“Being a nature photographer is a mystical experience,” she said. “Like a meditation of light — color, texture, structure, pattern, and composition — it awakens an inner peace and knowingness. With each image, it is my desire that viewers are inspired to love, cherish and protect the fragile beauty and wonder that is nature as they reconnect with that inner peace.
“For me, preserving nature and wilderness areas is not a luxury, but a necessity for the human spirit. In protecting the world’s nature and wildlife, the environment, we are really protecting the family of humanity. The importance of nature is more than a scientific necessity for creating air, clean water and producing food. It is a sacred necessity for healing and bringing peace to the human soul.”
