Barbara Cox Photography
Exhibit December, 2009

      Summer's intense heat is over, autumn brought cooler temperatures and welcome swaths of color across the high country forests -- now December reminds us to have a jacket for desert hikes and cool mornings. Early December offers the chance to see vivid flowers and also autumn foliage on the same day with a walk through the gardens at Boyce Thompson Arboretum, and a new month-long exhibit of photography by Barbara Cox also celebrates the change of seasons and Sonoran desert scenery. Her show runs all month, and she invites guests to her "Meet the Artist" Gallery opening reception December 5 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

      Bright red flowers of an Australian Bottlebrush, seen in Barbara's photo at left, contrast with the lovely canopy of orange leaves of the Chinese pistachios -- seen in the photo at right -- which are at their most glorious during late November, sometimes lasting through the first ten days of December here at the Arboretum. Cox, who lives near Roosevelt Lake, is an avid photographer who has learned to look at the larger landscape as well as the intimate nooks and crannies that exist at Boyce Thompson Arboretum and other locales in Gila and Pinal Counties.

      "Images chosen for the December exhibit reflect nature as seen through my camera lens," said Cox. "I've had a camera in my hands since I was a little girl growing up in Canton, Ohio. I remember when my mother encouraged me to look through the viewfinder of my Kodak 620 Brownie box camera; over the years, I've continued photographing friends and family and then on a trip to Sun Valley, Idaho in my Junior year of high school, my perception was awakened to the intense beauty of nature, especially mountain scenery and wildlife. When my photos from that trip came back from the processing company (Kodak), they had attached blue ribbons to several of my landscape photos. That was my ticket to a lifelong passion for photography."

      Cox has traveled the world and spent time in Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, France, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand; St. Maarten, all 50 United States and the Maritime Provinces. Her camera always accompanies her wherever she travels. "My late husband and I traveled to Arizona in 1993 for a winter and I realized the canvas for my photographs was in this soon-to-be adopted home state. I had always wanted to be an artist with paint and a paintbrush, but discovered I can 'paint' with my camera."

      Over the past decade she has honed her craft and studied under famed Arizona landscape photographers, traveling to Lake Powell and working with Gary Ladd for an intensive week and also working with David Muench at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and the slot canyons of Page. Workshops gave her insights about the importance of light and how it can make the difference between a good photograph and something breathtaking.

     " One of my delights is to look through the camera lens at flowers and get close enough to see and photograph all the intricate details that nature has provided. It’s like looking through a microscope, but at a view I can capture forever, and share via photography. My closeups of bottlebrush, up close and personal, revealed hundreds of seeds otherwise invisible to the naked eye. Remember how the goldpoppies carpet the desert each spring? I'm that photographer you see lying down on the ground to get just the right angle for a shot of one of my favorite flowers!"

      "Boyce Thompson Arboretum is a great place to see nature at its best. There's a varied landscape, abundant wildlife and an almost infinite amount of floral treats. I sell prints under the brand name of 'Nature’s Inspiration Photography,' which is a testament to the beauty of our earth which never ceases to inspire me. The photographs I take are a result of that inspiration and I'm happy to have opportunities like this month-long exhibit to share these images with Arboretum visitors."
      Cox is active with several different art leagues that promote visual arts in Gila, Pinal and Maricopa Counties -- including the Artists of the Superstitions and The Cobre Valley Center for the Arts, Globe, AZ.
      Barbara and her partner, Maynord Simenson, collaborate on the matting, mounting and framing of her work. Matted and mounted prints are available for purchase during the exhibition, together with the framed works -- and greeting cards, too. To contact the artist about commissioned works call 928-467-2551 or else email thinny7@juno.com; those without internet access are welcome to write to Barbara Cox, PO Box 726, Roosevelt, Arizona 85545.

      Boyce Thompson Arboretum is at highway 60 milepost #223 near the historic copper mining town of Superior, a drive of about 45 minutes due East of Mesa. During December visitors are admitted daily from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., and the Arboretum closes at 5:00 p.m. (during Spring and Summer months the schedule is daily from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.) New exhibits begin each month and may be seen daily during business hours; the Arboretum is an Arizona State Park and daily admission must be paid to enter the Visitor Center where our gallery is found. Admission is $7.50 for adults and $3 for ages 5-12. Annual memberships at the Arboretum begin at $45, and include a year's access, guest passes for your friends and family, along with many other benefits. A membership may be purchased in the gift shop on the day of your visit.
View other recent gallery shows from:

Barbara Cox December, 2009

Margaret Whittaker November, 2009

Artists of the Superstitions October, 2009

Marilyn Barton September, 2009

Gila Community College August, 2009

Deborah A. Lee June, 2009

Margie Porter May, 2009

Timm Chapman January, 2009

Paul Kinslow December, 2008

Maggie Leef November 2008

Sharon Sieben October 2008

Nicole Royse September 2008

Judy Bottler Photography May 2008

Bob Estrin Photography April 2008
Mary Isham Watercolors March 2008
Susan Strom and Cathy Franklin Lightning Photography February, 2008
Arizona State Parks Plein Air Paintings January, 2008
Carolyn Gray & Connie Thomas December, 2007
Jean Sullivan November, 2007 Sue Cullumber October, 2007
Adriane Grimaldi September, 2007
Pima College print-making students July-August, 2007
Mesa Arts League June-July, 2007
Fred Charlton May, 2007
Paul Mudersbach March-April, 2007
Linda Kaiser February, 2007
Edith Kreueger-Nye December, 2006 - January, 2007
Cindy Carrillo October-November, 2006
Bob Rice September, 2006
Bud Heiss July-August, 2006
Mesa Arts League June-July, 2006
Sandy Tracey April-May, 2006
CJ Rider March, 2006
Jessica Green February, 2006
Steve Davidson January, 2006
Don & Carole Schupp December, 2005
Carolyn Gray November, 2005
Martha Burgess October, 2005
Boeing Photographers September, 2005
Lightning Lady Susan Strom July/August, 2005
Mesa Arts League June/July, 2005
Jeanette Bronson May, 2005
Tom Stanley April, 2005
Kathy McClure February-March, 2005
Pam Smyth January, 2005
Tina Faust December, 2004