Venice Art Center is now taking reservations for a special exhibit-related "Swamp Talk" by internationally known photographer Clyde Butcher.

All attendees will enjoy a dinner of barbecue and drinks, with tickets available at the front desk for $50 per person. (Get your tickets early, as they will go fast.)

Come join us on Thursday, November 20, 2008 for drinks and hors d'oeuvres at 5:30 pm. At 6, Clyde will begin his Swamp Talk, at 7 barbecue will be served. This event will feature tales of wildlife and photography told as only Clyde Butcher can.

The evening promises to bring priceless memories from a true photography icon.

About Clyde Butcher
Clyde Butcher's black and white photographs explore his personal relationship with the environment. The exquisite beauty and depth of his work draw the viewer into a relationship with nature. For more than forty years, he has been preserving on film the untouched areas of the landscape. His images are captured with an 8"x 10", 11"x 14", and 12"x 20" view camera. The large format camera allows him to express the elaborate detail and textures that distinguish the intricacy of the landscape. The photographs range in sizes from 8"x 10" inches to 5'x 8' feet.

Recent projects include work for the Florida state's "Save Our Rivers" program, the South Florida Water Management District, the D.E.P., Divisions of State Lands, the Bureau of Submerged Lands and Preserves, Everglades National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, River Keepers, and the Wilderness Society.

Clyde has been honored by the state of Florida with the highest award that can be given a private citizen: the Artist Hall of Fame Award. He was also privileged to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the North American Nature Photography Association and given the honor of being the Humanitarian of the Year for 2005 from International University. He has also received the Heartland Community Service Award from the state of Florida for educating the people of Florida about the beauty of their state. The Sierra Club has given him the Ansel Adams Conservation Award, which is given to a photographer who shows excellence in photography and has contributed to the public awareness of the environment.

Collections of his work can be seen in his books: Portfolio I, Florida Landscapes; 1995 Limited Edition Collection; Visions for the Next Millennium; Nature's Places of Spiritual Sanctuary; Florida Landscape; Living Waters ~ Florida's Aquatic Preserves; Cuba - The Natural Beauty; Apalachicola River -- An American Treasure and in his biography, Seeing the Light: Wilderness and Salvation, a Photographer's Tale.

Public Broadcasting has completed an award-winning ½ hour documentary on Clyde, Visions of Florida. A second video, Big Cypress Preserve: Jewel of the Everglades, featuring Clyde, is also an award-winning program. Clyde was the Host in the award winning nature documentary, Living Waters ~ Aquatic Preserves of Florida and the Featured Guest in the award winning nature documentary, Apalachicola River -- An American Treasure.

For more information on Clyde check out his website at www.clydebutcher.com

Clyde on the beach with one of his large format cameras.