GIVEAWAY – Limited Edition Caribbean Wall Calendar 2011

A bit of fun:
On the occasion of Derek Galon’s prestigious art photography exhibition at the Polish Consulate in Canada (December) – Ozone Zone Books organizes giveaway of a fine photo-calendar “Caribbean Highlights – Barbados”. It is a limited edition gallery style, big 12×12 inches, and it shows Derek’s photographs from his two Caribbean books:  Tropical Homes of the Eastern Caribbean, and Exotic Gardens of the Eastern Caribbean.

Photographs from the above books, as well as other Derek’s works – some as old as from 1974 and 1975 (portraits of famous classical music virtuosos) will be displayed at this exhibition.
Additional works by Lex Nowak, Derek’s photo partner, will also be shown, including some stunning, huge panoramas- Lex’ specialty. More about exhibition in our separate post
Everyone is invited!

To participate in this calendar giveaway, simply leave a comment under this post – and please “share”  if you have Facebook account, or “recommend” this link on LinkedIn – by attaching link -copy/paste this:
http://ozonezonebooks.blogspot.com/2010/11/giveaway-limited-edition-caribbean-wall.html

We will randomly pick the winner on 30 of November, and mail the calendar to anywhere in the world.
If you win, we will contact you by email for your mailing address.
We hope you win – and better yet – we hope to see you at the Opening Reception of this photo exhibition!
Thank you for your interest!

You are Invited to the Opening Reception of Photography Exhibition by Derek Galon and Lex Nowak

Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Vancouver
invites you to the opening reception of Photography Exhibition by Derek Galon and Lex Nowak

Thursday, 2nd of December 2010, 4pm to 5:30pm
Exhibition continues until 4th of January 2011
1177 West Hastings Street, Suite 1600 , Vancouver, BC Canada

This unique exhibition presents selected works of two Polish-born photographers:

Derek Galon and Lex Nowak. They constitute the photographic core of the award-winning team of Ozone Zone Books, a Victoria publishing company specializing in photo books of architectural treasures and lush gardens in remote, often hard-to-access places.

Derek’s pictures in this presentation come mostly from two recent publications:

Tropical Homes of the Eastern Caribbean and Exotic Gardens of the Eastern Caribbean but are also complemented by examples of some other, including much earlier, works.

Derek and Lex immigrated to Canada in the late eighties, trying not only to adapt to, but also to actually feel at home in their new country. Frequent moves and extensive travels soon helped them to realize that the real home is where your heart is. You can always find

some familiar features in a foreign landscape that you can relate to:

a particular combination of forms, lines or colours that evoke in you emotive responses. You can also identify recognizable expressions on faces of people you see for the first time, giving you a feeling that you have known them all your life. You can feel at home in many places

when you open your heart to what you see.

Derek and Lex have been collaborating closely for many years.

Derek’s education in fine arts gave him flamboyancy and a sometimes eccentric point of view, while Lex’s engineering background taught him precision and technical perfection. As they do much work together, often exchanging experiences, all these characteristics  can be found in the works of each. Derek’s and Lex’s photographs capture elusive and transitory

moments in carefully selected images of their choice, as seen through the keen and sensitive vision of the artist who beholds them. From Derek’s black & white portraits of classical music legends, through vivid and sunny Caribbean delights, to Lex’s soft and mellow landscapes of British Columbia or wide and impressive panoramas – these images have restorative powers to uplift our souls and open our hearts to the natural beauty of our world wherever we may decide our home is.

– Margaret Gajek

WIN a free copy of Limited Edition Photo Wall Calendar 2011 “Caribbean Highlights” at the Opening Reception.

A draw for three calendars (the latest product by Ozone Zone Books) will be held at 5pm.

Dominica (Eastern Caribbean) Cottage for Rent

Friends asked us recently to post their offer and spread the news to all interested in visiting the most lush and unspoiled Caribbean island – beautiful Dominica.
Here is their note:

Hideaway holiday breaks in the
cool mountains of Dominica.
~
Brand new one bedroom private
cottage, sunken bath, lounge sofa bed,
4 acres of private gardens,  stream,
barbecue. microwave,
FREE internet, DVD/TV
~
centrally located…..
50 mins to airport, 40 mins to Roseau
15 mins to Miracle Lake, Emerald Pool
 and beaches,  10 mins to  Layou River
~
3 Day Breaks for $375 US
7 Days for $795 US
(suitable for up to two couples)
*
Contact Deb Andrews : +1 767 449 7814
OR email: deb@caribbeanlandandproperty.com

also…FOR SALE! ASKING PRICE $395,000 US
http://www.caribbeanlandandproperty.com/moredetails.php?1281

Exotic Gardens of the Eastern Caribbean book featured in radio shows

Today were invited to take a part in two radio talk shows (each one 30 minutes), sharing our stories with thousands of listeners of Garden Rebel radio talk show (Vince Sims at WOKV Florida), and also  “Bob Tanem in the Garden” show (KSFO560 San Francisco area).
Both shows are hosted by renowned garden experts, who today focused on our new book, giving us two enthusiastic  thumbs up.

You can find here excepts from today’s Garden Rebel talk show
http://search.wokv.com/m/audio/35122961/the-garden-rebel-vince-sims-nov-7-2010-11-30am-12-00pm.htm
and here is  blog by the Garden Rebel – Vince Sims.
http://gardenrebel.com
We were nicely surprised to hear during the show that, some years ago  Vince knew the legendary botanist of the Caribbean, Iris Bannochie. We know well the garden she established in Barbados,  leaving it as a gift to the people of Barbados in her testament. It is profiled in our book, and is called Andromeda Gardens. To hear that they closely knew each other,  exchanged various plants, and discussed gardening was a delightful surprise to us.

Bob Tanem commented on various plants of the Caribbean region, and it was great to hear his professional comments, as well as some fascinating historical information he added to the show.
http://www.ksfo560.com/showdj.asp?DJID=2362

We would like to thank both hosts for the chance of talking about our book, and for their enthusiastic comments on our work! Another talk show (CBS radio in Los Angeles) is scheduled for next week.

Montreal Gardens destroyed by Hurricane Tomas.

When we recently launched our second Caribbean book – Exotic Gardens of the Eastern Caribbean, little did we know that photographs we took will soon have archival value. Just today we received message from acclaimed garden designer Timothy Vaughan, that the Montreal Estate Gardens in St. Vincent he cared for so much – were smashed by hurricane Tomas on Saturday night (30 October)!
We did not hear back from our various friends on Barbados and st Lucia, which were also severely hit. In St Lucia 12 people died as a result of hurricane-related accidents.
But we don’t know yet about the fate of gardens featured in our book, nor residences from our Tropical Homes of the Eastern Caribbean book.
I will post more news as our friends pass information to us.

Thankfully – we were told – Dominica did not get a direct hit, although the hurricane went pretty close to it.

Montreal Gardens were on top of our all-time favourite places in the Caribbean. Timothy says all tree ferns are gone, tulip trees are destroyed, not to say about smaller and more fragile plants. It is terrible news, and we can only hope that the team of dedicated gardeners there will be able to restore this amazing place as well as possible, and nature will help heal its wounds.
We still can’t believe it, it seems impossible. Our thoughts are with people of St Lucia and St Vincent in these hard times.