It is rare that the soul and presentation of a book truly mirror and celebrate its subject matter. Listen to the Trees, John Sexton's homage to these stately and eloquent voices of nature, accomplishes this mission. Photographs of trees are the heart of Sexton's work, and the luminous images in this collection embody the distinctive vision he has developed by listening closely to the natural world. From the quiet dignity of eucalyptus bark enfolding in its cycle of renewal to the sweeping grace of a mature aspen forest, these photographs brilliantly evoke the essence of trees - their primeval strength, their beauty, and their serenity. Stewart L. Udall's introduction and James Baker's essay provide intriguing insights into our contemporary, historical, and mythological relationship with trees. The portfolio of images is coupled with inspiring excerpts from prose and poetry by an eclectic group of writers, among them Father Thomas Berry, Black Elk, Robinson Jeffers, Starhawk, and Minor White.
John Sexton was born in 1953, and resides in Carmel Valley, California. Respected as a photographer, master printmaker, author, and workshop instructor, he is best known for his luminous, quiet, black and white photographs of the natural environment.
John's most recent book is Recollections: Three Decades of Photographs, an award-winning retrospective volume, published in late 2006 by Ventana Editions. John's previous award-winning books include Quiet Light, a monograph representing fifteen years of his work, and Listen to the Trees, which were published by Bulfinch Press/Little, Brown and Company, along with Places of Power: The Aesthetics of Technology published by Ventana Editions.
He is Director of the John Sexton Photography Workshops program, and teaches numerous photography workshops each year for other programs in the United States and abroad, emphasizing printing technique and mastery of the Zone System. Some of these other programs include: Anderson Ranch Arts Center, The Ansel Adams Gallery, Maine Photographic Workshops, and The Palm Beach Workshops.
His informed and entertaining lectures for photographic and professional organizations, colleges and universities, discuss the aesthetic and technical aspects of fine black and white photography. He has presented lectures for, among others, George Eastman House, Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona, Boston University, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museum of Photographic Arts, and the Seattle Art Museum.
A recipient of the 2005 North American Nature Photography Association Lifetime Achievement Award, John is a consultant to Eastman Kodak Company and other photographic manufacturers. He worked as both Technical and Photographic Assistant, and then Technical Consultant, to Ansel Adams from 1979 to 1984. Following Mr. Adams' death Sexton served as Photographic Special Projects Consultant to The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust. From 1985 to 1993 he was a member of the Board of Trustees of The Friends of Photography.
John's photographs are included in permanent collections, exhibitions, and publications throughout the world. His work has been featured on the CBS Sunday Morning show, and on the MacNeil Lehrer News Hour. Bank of America, General Motors, and Eastman Kodak Company have used his photographs in national advertising campaigns. Sexton's photographs have been featured in numerous periodicals including: Time, Life, American Photo, Backpacker, Photo Techniques, Darkroom Photography, LensWork Quarterly, View Camera, Black and White, Zoom, Outdoor Photographer, Outside, TWA Ambassador, Southern Accents and Popular Photography.
EDUCATION * Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, departmental honors, Art - Photography, Chapman University, Orange, California * Associate of Arts, with honors, Photography, Cypress College, Cypress, California
SELECTED HONORS AND AWARDS * North American Nature Photography Association, Lifetime Achievement Award, 2005 * Kodak Professional Icon, 2004 * Kodak Professional Legends Online, 2000 * Cypress College, Thirtieth Anniversary Outstanding Alumnus. 1997 * Photographic Book of the Year Awards, First Place Monograph: Listen to the Trees, 1994 * Brooks Institute of Photography, Honorary Master of Science degree, 1990 * Imogen Cunningham Award, 1981
SELECTED ONE-PERSON EXHIBITIONS John Sexton: Twenty Years of Photographs, major retrospective exhibition, Monterey Peninsula Museum of Art. Quiet Light, traveling exhibition organized by the United States Information Agency, toured in fifteen countries in Europe, 1994 to 1996. International Center of Photography, New York, NY; Clarence Kennedy Gallery; Polaroid Corporation Cambridge, MA; The Weston Gallery, Carmel, CA; Photo Gallery International, Tokyo, Japan; Focus Gallery, San Francisco, CA; The Afterimage Gallery, Dallas, TX; Photokina, Cologne, Germany; Alinder Gallery, Gualala, CA; Folio Gallery, Calgary, Canada; The Ansel Adams Gallery, Yosemite National Park, CA; Susan Spiritus Gallery, Costa Mesa, CA; The Friends of Photography, Carmel, CA; Kathleen Ewing Gallery, Washington, D.C.
