Find yours... All photographs copyright 2018 Latitudes Fine Art Gallery Stephanie Hogue and Steve Munch All rights reserved Latitudes Fine Art Gallery 401 E. Main St Ventura, CA 93001 805-642-5257 www.LatitudesFineArt.com
Latitude and longitude are a coordinate system by which a position or location of any place on Earth’s surface can be determined and described. To us, it means a bit more. If you mapped out all the moments of meaning in your life, one at a time, what would it look like? All the experiences, people, and places… they are all connected inside of us, like a line of thread and pins on a map. We often cling to objects that spark those memories and make us feel like we are there. Our magic moments heal us when we feel broken. They help us find our way home when we are lost. They connect us to the best parts of ourselves. Everything we do, every moment, every breath, every action, it all comes down to a few simple things. We want to feel alive. To feel connected. To feel awe and wonder. To remember why we are here. To us, photography isn’t about the camera or the print, its about connection. We connect with people, and we connect them, to their magic moments. Art has the unique ability to transform not just spaces, but it transforms us in the process. This book is a collection of our favorite magic moments and hopefully some of yours too. These are our Latitudes. To find out more about the stories behind the images and their magic moments, please visit: LatitudesFineArt.com/magicmoments
Latitudes Ventura Photo RefLections by stePhanie hogue & steve Munch Poetry by Tasha Cleaveland 34°16’15”N A celebration of the coastal communities in and around Ventura County.
Last Moments Skies streak in kaleidoscopic hues purple pink orange enveloped gently as colors kiss skin sand waves children play dunes blow dogs run surfers race birds soar dolphins dance sand tumbles in rolling waves eyes close memories etch soul fills
Surfer’s Meditation Dip Into the liquid. Into the dark. Let it begin. Pull Stroke by stroke. Breath by breath. Playing it’s game. Release The worry. The want. The weight. Gaze First light glimmers in sparkling ripples waking the dawn. Listen Quiet so loud it drowns out thought. Feel The pulse. The thrill. The defeat. Connect To the depths. Of nature. Of you. Of it all. This is why you’ve come.
Old Wooden Pier Massive legs dig deep into the sand, Holding the weight of everything. Old wooden beams, echoing days long gone by. Stretching out to touch islands beyond reach. Pummeled by waves and sun, By sadness and dreams, By time. Footsteps walk along it’s planks, Unacquainted and familiar. Surfers and sailors. Fishermen and families. Bridging the distance, Of plans and generations, Of moments in time. So many years, Holding the weight of everything.
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but the moments that take your breath away. Unknown Author
What is Found We chose this place One at a time For so many reasons And really, it chose us Native grown Unable to imagine anything better Quietly content Knowing the value of what you already have Stumbled upon This secret place On your way somewhere else Knowing it was this you were searching for all along Sent here Unaware of the gift Mesmerized by it’s magic Knowing how lucky you are Summer fling This place you visit Unable to shake it’s imprint Knowing you never can Searching, seeking A place to call home The perfect reflection Knowing it is everything We found this place So many reasons But really what we found here Was us
Five Islands Tell me the story of our Islands. Of 12 miles and 12,000 years. Of prisoners and shipwrecks, explorers and settlers. Of barking lions and the fearless fox. Of sea caves and stars, plains and rivers, cliffs and bays. Of the lighthouse that protects it’s shores. Tell me the story of the Seashell People. Of their Tomols and the Rainbow Bridge. Of black sage and the scorpion tree. Of the white powder hill and the Lone Girl. Of baskets and beads, arrows and acorns, carvings and calendars. Of their dolphin family that greets you on your way. Tell me the story of our Islands.
In Winter of 2017-2018, our community was rocked with a devastating fire and heartbreaking mudslide. This place that we call home looks very different, and it feels very different. At Latitudes Fine Art Gallery, we have a unique niche - part art, and part heart. When our Latitudes Family stops by now, we ask how they’re doing and hold our breath. More often than not, our exhale is with relief that their homes were spared… but sometimes it is a sigh of sorrow. We love our community and hate to see it suffering. Steve Munch and Stephanie Hogue So much of our world can easily be taken for granted as it becomes ordinary and familiar. Through the lens of our camera, we search for treasures. Sometimes the images present themselves, other days they aren’t so obvious. But the difficult days are the most rewarding and often most surprising. Those are the days when we find beauty in the smallest things... the fleeting moments and the subtle gifts that surround us. These moments are the ones we love to share the most. Steve and Stephanie One thing we weren’t expecting, was to hear from our Latitudes Family who lost their homes, so quickly after the fire. It seemed strange to us that replacing lost artwork was so high on anyone’s list. But we came to discover something we never really knew before - artwork has a power that we just didn’t realize. When you are uprooted unexpectedly, and staring at blank walls in a new place with nothing that feels like home, familiar artwork can be the anchor that you need to begin to recover again. Looking around a room and seeing your favorite little turtle or landscape of your town, or the pier that you and your partner picked out years ago, can give you hope for tomorrow. We didn’t know how much our artwork impacted people on such a subconscious level until now, and we are truly humbled by it. Objects carry with them energy and stories. To hear that “she just wants her Two Trees back on the wall”, breaks our hearts and opens us up deeper and in new ways, every time. It makes us understand ourselves and others better, it makes us better artists, and, better humans. This disaster has changed the landscape of our land, lives and hearts. We will never forget, but we will rise again, together, stronger than ever. Thank you for being a part of our Latitudes Family.
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