Looking forward to sharing with everyone. Thankful to BaCA for this wonderful show. 
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Press Release...
Bailey Contemporary Arts Presents The Everglades: Spirit of the Land
Acclaimed Photographer, Phoenix, Captures Fragile Beauty of Our Backyard Wilderness
 
Bailey Contemporary Arts (BaCA), in Pompano Beach, is proud to showcase a stunning exhibit that captures both the majesty and the frailty of the Florida Everglades. South Florida photographer Phoenix began a year-long photojournalism journey to inspire love and respect for the essential wetlands. Now, her solo exhibit of twenty photos will be on display in the west gallery, located inside Blooming Bean Coffee Roasters. The exhibit runs from August 3 to September 28, 2018. A free opening reception with the artist will take place on Friday, August 3, from 6-9 pm, during Old Town Untapped, and the Artist Talk is scheduled for Saturday, September 15 at 3pm. For more information, please visit www.baileyarts.org.
“With this exhibition we are inviting viewers to slow down and enjoy the moment,” said Juliana Forero, Ph.D., BaCA’s gallery curator. “Phoenix has a great understanding of how light and timing work in photography. It's evident that for some of the photographs exhibited, she waited for the ‘decisive moment’ to quote French humanist photographer Cartier-Bresson; working the composition in her brain and waiting for the ‘it’ that would make the photo worth the shot.”
The photographer, who goes only by her first name, established a love of nature as a child during family vacations to national parks. As she matured, she developed an exceptional talent and a passion to help protect nature and wildlife.
“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.”
 
About Phoenix:
Phoenix has translated her depth of experience in leadership and community engagement for large, public-sector organizations into her career as an award-winning, fine art photographer as well as leader of art organizations participating in public art. For Phoenix the extraordinary beauty of nature and wilderness are a wonder. Attempting to fix them in time is her passion; photography is her art. Known for her painterly approach to composition, light, color and texture to capture the soul of her subjects in her photography, her works have been honored in numerous juried exhibitions, showcased in solo exhibitions, including Everglades National Park Gallery and Listowel, Ireland’s Olive Stack Gallery, featured in magazines and calendars worldwide and can be found in private collections in America and Europe. She is the recipient of several awards including the Broward Cultural Council’s Creative Investment Program Grant two times and Best in Landscape at the International Photography Juried Competition as well as the Olive Stack Gallery AIR. Professionally Phoenix serves as president of National League of American Pen Women, Fort Lauderdale Branch and Project COAT and is a principal in the Innovative Public Art Group. A native Miamian, Phoenix lives and works in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
www.PhotographsByPhoenix.com
 
Exhibit Times - during Regular Café Hours Tuesday– Friday 7:30AM - 5PM, and Saturday: 7:30AM – 3:00PM, Sunday: CLOSED
Bailey Contemporary Arts is located at 41 NE 1st Street, Pompano Beach, FL 33060.  For more information call 954-284-0141.
 
About the Pompano Beach Redevelopment Agency (CRA)
A Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) is a dependent district established by City government for the purpose of carrying out redevelopment activities that include reducing or eliminating blight, improving the economic health of an area, and encouraging public and private investments in a CRA district. The CRA is governed by State Statutes, Chapter 163, Part III. The Pompano Beach Community Redevelopment Agency is funded through Tax Increment Financing (TIF). The funds are collected as property values increase and a portion of that increase is captured by the Agency. TIF raises revenue for redevelopment efforts without raising taxes.
 
About Bailey Contemporary Arts
The mission of the Bailey Contemporary Arts (BaCA) is to cultivate, incubate and nurture a vibrant visual arts community that enriches Pompano Beach and its goal of being a nexus of art, creativity, diversity, and inspiration.  Serving as an incubator for artistic innovation and education, the staff of BaCA amalgamates emerging local and national artists with industry professionals to elevate the creative process. Located in the historic Bailey Hotel building, which was, at one point, the center of a thriving downtown in Pompano Beach. Built in 1923, the historic Bailey Hotel is the second oldest remaining building (right behind the old Farmer’s Bank building next door) and is part of the longest contiguous collection of historic buildings in Broward County. 

Artist Statement
The Everglades: Spirit of the Land
Photographic work by Phoenix

The photographs in this exhibition portray the waters of the Everglades in a moment of serenity and reflection. They invite viewers to pause, become one with the vista, and appreciate the beautiful landscapes in this exhibition. This body of work is part of a year-long project by Phoenix, where she photographs South Florida’s wetlands and the Everglades.
 
“It has been said that the camera reflects both ways. As an artist, every vision I capture through my camera’s lens is a reflection of my heart being touched by the soul of wild places and their inhabitants. 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.”

Last fall I was challenged to take my photography skills to a new place. MAC Art Galleries' owner Mary Ann Cohen invited selected artists to create their versions of Dali original pieces she was exhibiting at her Fort Lauderdale and Jupiter galleries. This was extra special since she had never invited a photographer to participate in this exhibit in past years. I was simultaneously honored and puzzled. How was I, primarily an outdoor and nature photographer known for my painterly approach to realism, going to "tackle" surrealism photographically. 

From the available works I narrowed it down to two that spoke to me: Surrealist Flower Girl and Beatrice. At the time, I felt I had made my choices based on visualizing how I could reinterpret them through photography. Reflecting back as I write this post I realize that I was possibly also attracted to these pieces subliminally. I have a life-time of being called "a strong women" and I haven't always liked the connotations that come with it. Often wanting to be the "feminine" I was raised to be self-reliant, independent and, honestly, strong, not in the physical sense, but mentally, emotionally and consciously. Looking back, I have no regrets and, best that I know, it has served me well to handle the roller coaster rides of life. 

I share these two images with you since they have been accepted into the "Wild and Crazy" Red Eye Beyond Exhibit that opens this Saturday at ArtServe. They are also available through MAC Fine Art.

I hope you enjoy the images of the Dali original (on left) and my homage (on right) to it along with my interpretation -- photographically, color palette, symbolism and verbal notes.

Special thanks go to my longtime friend, graphic artist and yoga fashion designer Sushila for helping me turn my visions into reality; painter and sculptor Colleen Rochette, who granted me permission to use photographs of some of her eggs in "Surrealist Flower Girl/I Am Women" and my hair stylist extraordinaire Jasmine, who graciously sat as my model for both pieces.

​Surrealist Flower Girl ​

Inspired by Salvador Dali's Surrealist Flower Girl, "I Am Woman" reveals all that is within every women. I delighted in the nuance of each piece that created the whole art work – individual photographs, drips of color, colorful birds’ eggs, the scanned watercolor background, every color choice. Each individually and collectively tells the story of I Am Women. I am Mother Earth. I am spiritual. I am intuitive. I am all knowing. I am beauty. I am mystery. I am birth. I am rebirth, renewal, regeneration. I am air, sand, land, water. I am strong. I am vulnerable. I am Mind, Body and Soul. Dali’s symbolism speaks loudly so we may notice the powerful and complex being Woman.
​
Beatrice

Beatrice, Dante’s real-life muse and literary angelic guide through Paradise, symbolizes beauty and grace. There is a dichotomy about her in Dali’s art. She seems to have an exaggerated strong or is it firm profile, yet she has a soft side too as she’s embraced by what appears to be small birds along with locks of curls. I saw her as one with nature – the world and herself – a living goddess wearing her crown of roses graced by a hummingbird, who too is simultaneously strong, demur and at peace.

As I spent time with each Dali piece, merging the metaphysical and physical symbolism, envisioning my homage photographs to his master pieces, I feel I discovered a new truth, that perhaps I always knew and chose to overlook. The nature or perhaps perceived idealized nature of the feminine is really a balance of many strengths; all worthy of embracing.

Now you've seen another side of my photography. For more "conventional" portraits, click to see more strong and beautiful women and beautiful life moments. 

And, next time you need a new, updated portrait (for work, social media, websites, magazine articles or gifts) or have special, intimate events you want to capture for life-time memories, I hope you'll call on me. [email protected]

l'd love to hear your feelings. Abundant Blessings!