No matter that the photographs may be made in New York, San Francisco, Rome, St. Petersburg or Paris, they are all taken by Zeny Cieslikowski and they are all done with an attention to composition and detail so that the rest of us may delight in his successes. It is his trademark style. Zeny makes them all so that we may see the best of what he saw.

There is plenty to see in these fine photographic compositions. At his everyday best Mr. Cieslikowski shows us the possibilities as can be seen in this year's Southwest Arts Festival® poster, "Fountain Tree Road."

The festival comes to us again this year on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, January 23, 24 and 25, 10 am to 5 pm.

He searches the roads and landscapes of all those places we would surely like to see ourselves. Starting in France and Spain in 1967, he devoted much of his time to find those very places. These opportunities that Mr. Cieslikowski affords us, allow each of us to get a little closer to those places where we might like to be. From Napa to the Amalfi Coast, Zeny takes us on a journey of prodigious proportions. The pleasure of the experience of "being there" is a product of his expert vision and sophistication with his trade. There is no better.

"I spend time prior to each trip studying the language, culture, history, economics and politics of my destination. These studies help me to better understand the culture in which I find myself and influences what I see and often what I photograph."

Using both color and black and white film, most of the work is taken using a Hasselblad 500C with Zeiss lenses.

Collectors from all over the world surely must agree. President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan, President and Mrs. Mikhail Gorbachev, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Hope, Mr. Winthrop Rockefeller Jr. and many others would agree. They have them too. What better a testimony to the lasting success of Mr. Cieslikowski's efforts. Not many of us will ever get to see these places, yet Mr. Cieslikowski chose his photographs in a way that prepares us for the opportunity, should it happen. He combines the best of good value, exciting color and just the right place as he finds it, creating drama so real we can reach out and touch it. "When I first saw this place, Fountain Tree Road, I decided it was just about perfect. It had all the characteristics that I look for as I compose. Lifelong experience told me this would be a good one."

Most of his work is printed in limited editions, signed and numbered by the artist. He uses Kodak professional negative film printed on Fujicolor Crystal archive paper. He does not digitally enhance or manipulate his work in any way. What he saw is what we get. "My aim is to capture that fleeting moment of the convergence of light, texture, color and form in a composition that transcends the split-second . . ."

Mr. Cieslikowski sees photography as a language with its own vocabulary. He uses it to communicate about everyday things in a not so everyday way. Don't miss this year's festival, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, January 23, 24 & 25.