JOHN SEXTON & ANNE LARSEN PHOTOGRAPHY NEWSLETTER
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- A NOTE FROM JOHN & ANNE
Welcome to our latest eNewsletter. Since the opening of our joint exhibition Embracing Light at the Center for Photographic Art, life has felt like a whirlwind. We have been honored and humbled by the enthusiastic response we have received to our images and stories. Amazingly, print sales at the exhibition have exceeded our most optimistic expectations! We are pleased to share some recollections and moments from those special days with you below. On a much more personal note, we are also sharing some very sad news. In March, our beloved cat Boots—our loyal companion and cherished friend—crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Many of you came to know and love Boots through our stories and photographs over the years, and quite a few of you met Boots when you attended workshops at our home and studio. He was truly a part of our family and the focal point of our daily life, and we know some of you will feel this loss alongside us. As we navigate this busy season, we hope you are finding moments of peace and inspiration in your own summer days, even amidst the complexities and challenges of the world around us. Thank you, as always, for your friendship and support. With warmest wishes, John & Anne
FOUR ORIGINAL SILVER GELATIN PRINTS BY JOHN AND ANNE ANNOUNCED
This is the first time Anne and I have simultaneously announced four special print offerings to our eNewsletter subscribers. Each of us will be offering two handmade silver gelatin prints from our long-term Venice photographic project. This body of work forms the heart of our current exhibition, Embracing Light, at the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel, where more than half of the 56 prints currently on display were made in Venice, Italy.
Embracing Light: Anne Larsen & John Sexton
Anne has selected Sunday Laundry and Reflections, Venice, Italy and my featured image is Gondolas and Docking Poles, Venice, Italy. Both are approximately 9x9" silver gelatin prints, archivally mounted and overmatted to 16x20" on 100% rag museum board. Anne's print is offered at a special price of $600 - her retail price is normally $750 for this size print, and mine is available for $1,000 - normally $1,250. These prints are available at this 20% off discounted price through August 31, 2025.
Sunday Laundry and Reflections, Venice, Italy
Here is Anne's recollection of making her image: In Venice, Sunday seems to be the preferred day for doing laundry. On this vibrant and sunny Sunday morning in mid-February, laundry was strung from window to window across the city, forming striking colorful banners gently swaying across the canals and courtyards. John and I were on our way to a location we often visited and photographed. We were walking through a quiet neighborhood along a narrow canal passing a house where they had their laundry hanging along the wall, when a boat passed by. The rippling reflections of the laundry, left in the wake of the boat, were like a dance of color, shape, and motion. I quickly set up my Hasselblad camera and tripod, hoping to make a photograph, but the scene had already changed, and the reflections were rapidly disappearing. John had also set up his camera and was working a short distance from me. Together we waited. After what felt like a long while, another boat passed. I exposed a few negatives. Then another boat came. And another. Each time, the reflections were different–never repeating, always changing. We spent a couple of hours at this location, mostly waiting. Each passing boat stirred the canal into a new visual melody–unpredictable and unique. We finally felt we had something promising and packed up our gear both feeling excited and hopeful. It wasn't until I processed my film that I knew if I indeed had a negative that met my expectations. Each frame revealed a different rhythm of light and form, but one negative stood out. In this image, the brick wall and hanging laundry were transformed into something lyrical–an abstract tapestry of color and movement reflected in water. It felt magical, and it had all begun with something as ordinary as Sunday laundry.
Gondolas and Docking Poles, Venice, Italy
The elegant, asymmetrical black boats known as gondolas are among the most enduring and iconic symbols of Venice. Since the earliest days of photography, they have drawn the attention of countless photographers. With their timeless curves and quiet grace, gondolas possess a seductive beauty that continues to inspire. Over the course of our seven photographic journeys to Venice, Anne and I have each explored the visual possibilities these remarkable boats present in our own ways. For me, long exposures have been especially rewarding, offering a way to translate the gentle motion of the water into something poetic and elusive. Among the many photographs I have made of gondolas over the years, this image comes closest to expressing the vision I had long hoped to achieve. The morning I made this image, we arrived in Piazza San Marco well before sunrise. A light mist drifted across the Giudecca Canal, softening the distant view of the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. I searched for a location where I could organize the gently bobbing gondolas in the foreground, with San Giorgio's architecture providing a luminous backdrop across the water. Once I found a promising location, I made small, deliberate adjustments to the camera position–left, right, higher, lower–until the elements aligned in a way that felt just right. I made my first exposures just before sunrise. This negative was made shortly afterward, when the delicate early light was just beginning to kiss the facade of San Giorgio. I had hoped that the interplay of mist and light would provide a sense of atmospheric space and depth, while the long exposure would smooth the movement of the gondolas and water into subtle tones and gestures. I was intrigued by the textured algae clinging to the marble steps leading into the canal–something Anne and I had noticed on previous visits. At times the algae is present, while at other times it has recently been cleaned off by Venice's diligent maintenance crews. (Did you know that every morning, teams of workers begin sweeping every calle, bridge, and campo by hand well before dawn?) On this particular morning, the algae was abundant, and I felt the dark, somewhat mysterious shapes, added a visual anchor to the image. During the long exposures I made that morning, I employed a simple yet highly effective technique that Anne and I often use in the field. By carefully moving a piece of opaque black mat board up and down just in front of the lens–shielding the upper portion of the image–I was able to subtly "burn in" the sky and distant structures during the exposure. This helped achieve a more harmonious tonal balance between the darker boats and water below and the brighter sky above. Additionally, whenever a boat passed through the Giudecca Canal, I briefly covered the lens entirely to prevent the moving vessel from registering in the final image. My intent was to preserve a sense of stillness and quiet simplicity, allowing the softened surface of the water and the delicate, luminous light to define the mood of the photograph. While we generally offer our photographs as open editions–as is the case with the two prints above–we have also chosen to release a pair of limited edition prints from Embracing Light, created specifically for the title wall of the exhibition. Each is approximately 14x14"in size, mounted on 22x28" 100% rag museum board, signed and numbered on the mount. Only ten prints of each image will be made in this size, plus two artist's proofs.
Marble Floor, Interior, Venice, Italy
Here is Anne's recollection of making her image: Venice is a magical city with its maze of canals, campos, narrow calli, and its extraordinary buildings with their intricate stonework and gothic arches. As John and I were exploring Venice, I often wondered what life might have been like during the city's golden age. What secrets and treasures still lie hidden behind the weathered walls of its grand palazzi? This photograph of an amazing marble floor was made in one of those breathtaking architectural spaces. John and I first learned of the building from a poster we happened upon while exploring Venice–featuring a striking interior view. Intrigued, we sought out the location to see if it might be possible to make photographs there. To our delight, and definitely to our surprise, we were granted permission to do so. The structure itself was absolutely stunning–elegant in its design and rich in atmosphere. The floor, with its intricate patterns and the patina of age, immediately drew my attention. Sadly, Venice is sinking, shifting, and tilting due to several unfortunate circumstances. As soon as you begin to organize an image through the camera's viewfinder you immediately notice that nothing is level. To me this is part of the charm of this captivating city. As I was lining up my camera in this grand room, I remember saying to John "I'm sure this room was built level, but it certainly isn't level anymore!" I liked how the lights, illuminating the paintings, were reflecting in the marble floor revealing its sheen. It was my attempt to convey both the beauty of the floor and the reverence I felt while standing in this remarkable space. Enjoy!
Staircase, San Giorgio, Venice, Italy During our four months of photographic exploration in Venice–spanning seven trips over eleven years–Anne and I frequently sought permission to access interior spaces. We made countless requests, often returning with supporting documentation from curators, museums, and other respected artists and institutions from both the United States and Venice. Most of the time, the answer was a polite, but decisive, "no." Occasionally, we were granted permission, but those times were few and far between. We never gave up and tried to not be discouraged by the many denials we received. On only a few occasions were we met with curt or dismissive responses. Generally, we were treated respectfully, though access was still denied. The grand staircase in this photograph is located inside the 17th-century Benedictine monastery on San Giorgio Maggiore Island. We had requested access to this space multiple times, across several trips, and in a variety of ways–all initially without success. One of the unexpected gifts we experienced during our Venetian journey was the gradual building of friendships. On our first trip in 2008, following a recommendation from our physician, we visited a small wine shop which we likely would never have done had it not been for his suggestion. When we returned to Venice two years later, we made a point of revisiting the shop, and I believe because we once again had our photographic equipment, one of the proprietors recognized us and we struck up a conversation. As it turned out, he was an avid photography enthusiast, and we would frequently stop by the shop and visit with him. He was filled with suggestions of different areas, and in fact it was his connection that finally "opened the doors" to the monastery with this amazing staircase. We had similar experiences with a number of people that saw the two of us during our repeated visits–remember, we stood out a bit. Since our trips were always during the winter months, we were usually wearing our Gore-Tex rain parkas, had our large camera packs filled with Hasselblad gear, and our tripods in constant tow. Thanks to that connection, we were granted permission to explore the 17th Century Benedictine monastery both inside and out. As we began our initial visit, I was instantly stopped in my tracks by this grand staircase. It seemed to me as if it had a relationship to some of M.C. Escher's impossible architectural constructions and spatial paradoxes. I immediately began studying the staircase with my viewing frame. After some exploration I found a position where all the elements that intrigued me came into alignment. I used our Hasselblad FlexBody as it has some view camera like movements. However, with the 40mm extreme wide-angle lens, they were very limited, even at the smallest aperture. I wanted to render this magnificent space without convergence and hopefully succeeded. Moving the camera just a few inches changed the geometry of the image, and I explored different possibilities. As the light shifted through the tall windows, I worked patiently making images with subtle variations. Our contact there came a couple of times to make sure that we were okay and was astonished at the amount of time we spent in the same location. We learned that the staircase was an attributed to Baldassare Longhena, one of the great Venetian Baroque architects during the 17th century. Constructed of Istrian stone and marble, the staircase beautifully blends classical and baroque design elements. I hope the photograph conveys something of its mesmerizing geometry I felt when making it, and that, as you look, you feel drawn into the rhythm of its ascending and descending forms—just as I was. Here are the four prints available during this special offer:
Shipping of prints will begin August 1, 2025, and all remaining orders will be fulfilled no later than November 10, 2025. All prints are carefully prepared and packaged in specially designed protective shipping boxes, and shipped fully insured via UPS ground. If you have any questions about the prints, please feel free to contact Anne at 831-659-3130, or email: info@johnsexton.com. Our office hours are Monday through Thursday from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, Pacific Time.
Here are some happy snaps from our Venetian photographic adventures...
Anne and I are both proud, and very pleased, with how our exhibition, Embracing Light, turned out at the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel. After months of intense darkroom work by each of us, it was immensely rewarding to see all of our 56 handcrafted silver gelatin prints beautifully installed on the gallery's tasteful gray walls. That initial excitement was amplified by the remarkable weekend of events surrounding the exhibition, culminating in our opening reception and lecture on Saturday, June 7, 2025.
We were honored–and humbled–by the number of people who attended our presentation and joined us in the gallery afterward. It was moving to reconnect with so many cherished friends from the photographic community, some relationships spanning more than fifty years, including a fellow photography major from my time at Cypress College. We even had a friend, and former workshop student, who traveled all the way from Argentina just to attend the opening weekend events! Joining them were many longtime friends and supporters from the Monterey Peninsula–neighbors, physicians, our veterinarian, physical therapist, and others–who generously took the time to celebrate with us. The outpouring of support was genuinely overwhelming and has continued in the weeks since, as visitors come to see the show and share their thoughts and impressions with us. Initially, when planning the exhibition with executive director Ann Jastrab and the events, Anne had decided that she did not want to participate in the lecture, as public speaking is not something she had ever done previously. As time passed and the two of us discussed the situation, Anne eventually agreed that a lecture that included not only images, but comments, by both of us was the best approach. Anne was dreading the experience and after our audio-visual setup, calibration, sound check, re-check, I can relate (with Anne's permission!) that she was extremely nervous and sat quietly outside Carpenter Hall, the venue for the presentation, as the crowd began to grow. We were pleasantly surprised that it ended up being a standing room only group with more than 165 in attendance. Not only was it a sizable group of people, but they were also a GREAT audience! When time came for Ann Jastrab to introduce the two of us and we headed to the podium, Anne reached deep inside herself, and with true professionalism, beautifully delivered her portion of the presentation–which bounced back and forth between the two of us. Her portion of the talk was executed with the skill of a seasoned professional. We tried to keep a lively pace and interspersed humor and Anne had some real zingers of her own starting right from the start. The interchange with the audience was vibrant and it inspired us both do the best that we could. We had hoped for a lively response from the crowd, and they provided more than we had anticipated. With that as a hope we did not record the event, as that never translates well to an online experience. One aspect of the presentation that we added just the day before was taking the audience on a brief photographic trip with us in Venice. Fortunately, this was very well received. We concluded by sharing some of Ansel's words of admonition and encouraging people to resist, protest and using a phrase that Ansel often used, "Give 'em hell!" We were stunned when we received a standing ovation. Discussing it later, I said to Anne, "It's pretty amazing for your first public presentation to receive such a response." And Anne quickly replied, "It sure was, but I never want to do that again!" Just as we approach nearly everything in life, we wanted the number of prints to be equitable from each of us. Of the 56 prints in the exhibition, Anne has 29 prints, and I have 27. The largest portion of the exhibition is our work from Venice, Italy, and consists of 32 prints–evenly divided between the two of us. In the Venice portion of the show, our photographs are interspersed. Several attendees shared that they appreciated this aspect of the display–which was precisely what we had hoped to achieve. The Venetian images were made during seven trips to Venice, beginning in 2008 and our most recent trip was in 2019, where we spent a total of four months exploring the magic of La Serenissima. At the request of the Center for Photographic Art, we prepared a reference list of all the photographs included in our exhibition. This document includes thumbnail images of each print; however, please note that the thumbnails are provided for identification purposes only and are not intended to reflect the quality or tonal range of the original prints. You can download the list directly from the CPA website at the link below: We will both be at the CPA gallery this coming Saturday, July 17, during the PhotoWalk Carmel 2025 event to meet visitors and talk about our work. We'll also be present for the reception and raffle at the gallery from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.—a perfect time to enjoy refreshments and connect with others who share a love for the magical medium of photography. PhotoWalk Carmel 2025 offers a unique opportunity to explore eight outstanding photography galleries in Carmel, including the host venue, the Center for Photographic Art.
In addition, we will be at the CPA Gallery for a meet-and-greet on the final day of our exhibition—Sunday, July 27, 2025, from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. We'd love to chat about the photographs on display and connect with you in person. We hope to see you at some point during the exhibition! We greatly enjoyed visiting with the old friends, making new friends, answering questions, sharing tales about the making of some of the photographs. We have continued to do this over the weeks as friends have joined us at the gallery. Thanks to all of you that have seen our exhibition up to this point and taken the time to share your thoughts with us. Embracing Light marks our fifth two-person exhibition, and it is by far the largest. It's been an extraordinary experience—one we will always treasure.
REMEMBERING BOOTS We have some very sad news to share with you. On March 14 we had to help our baby Boots across the Rainbow Bridge. He was the love of our lives. Just over 15 years ago this little guy–dressed in his tuxedo suit–completely stole our hearts. We had seen him on and off around our house for about two years prior to him adopting us. He would lie in the grass sunning himself, chase moths, or hunt for gophers but he would never let us get close to him. John named him Boots.
As time went on, we began to see Boots more frequently and we grew concerned that he might be living in our floor. Our house is on stilts and there was a small opening underneath where a critter could get in. We decide to close any openings we could find, but first we had to make sure the kitty was out. We got some cat food and as Boots was gobbling the food up, we sealed up the hole in the floor. He even let John pet him. The next morning, Boots was on our front pouch waiting! He was so loving, purring, rubbing and butting his little head against our legs. His demeanor had completely changed overnight from being a cautious and scared kitty to a trusting and loving little boy. We decided to take him to the vet to have him checked out and to learn if he had been micro chipped – which he had not. The vet estimated his age at around five to seven years old. We didn't know what to do. We knew we were not about to adopt a cat. We gave Boots a collar on which it read, "If this is your cat, please call …." no one called. Boots was welcome to hang around our house. He had to be an outdoor cat. We would feed him when we were home, make sure he got his vaccinations, but he mainly had to take care of himself. Well, that did not last a week. Soon Boots was living in the house, and it was the best decision he made for us. After a couple of months, we changed his collar to just saying "Boots" along with our phone number, and we had him chipped.
Boots was an amazing cat with a huge personality! The best companion we could ever have wished for. He was funny, smart, loving, a great hunter, an adventurer–at times too much for our liking. He loved climbing trees, serving as our protector, trickster, and a great heating pad in bed. He did not care for change. It was okay for him to change his routine–but not us. Every evening–except during winter–we would sit outside together for half an hour or so relaxing, and Boots would be lying in one of our laps. If we were 10 minutes late Boots would remind us. He would find us and pace back and forth, then sit and stare at us, until we would come. He loved his cozy time with us and we with him. About three months after Boots moved in, we had to go on a two-week trip. Concerned about how he would cope without us, we asked our neighbor, Jerry–who loved cats–if he would feed Boots. Jerry was to come twice a day to our house and feed our little boy. Well Boots had a better idea. To save Jerry the walk to our house, he simply moved in with him. Jerry used to have cats and his kitty door was still installed, so Boots could come and go as he pleased. He spent the two weeks with Jerry, getting lots of belly rubs and the two of them bonded. We were happy for Boots though a bit worried that our kitty had abandoned us. Well, the day we drove down our driveway, Boots heard the van and came bolting out of Jerry's house, greeting us with lots of meows followed by purring, head butting, and cheek rubbing. What a welcome! From that time on, Boots would move in with Jerry whenever we went on a trip. It was a perfect arrangement for everyone. We had promised ourselves when the time came, we did not want Boots to suffer or to have a life that did not have a good quality. Saying goodbye to him was extremely difficult. We were lucky to have had him in our lives for more than fifteen years! It is amazing how large a void such a tiny creature can leave! Sweet kitty dreams Boots ❤️ To learn more about Boots, and his adventures,follow these links: http://www.johnsexton.com/newsletter07-2024.html#anchor06 http://www.johnsexton.com/newsletter05-2023.html#anchor08 http://www.johnsexton.com/newsletter07-2021.html#anchor08 http://www.johnsexton.com/newsletter09-2020.html#anchor06
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