Sun City’s Wes Odell is a well-known and award-winning photographer, and this month you can see his 19th Century West and Cavalry photos at the Stubblefield Visitors Center in Liberty Hill. He also has a wall exhibit and works for sale on the Estrada Garcia website (EstradaGarciaGallery.org) in Georgetown.
Wes specializes in two genres: photojournalism, particularly of local people “doing their thing” such as rodeo, boxing, and folkloric dancing. He also enjoys making monochrome prints of “old-time things and people,” capturing the images before they vanish forever. Along the same lines, he says prefers action photography to freeze moments that will never happen again. “Mountains and landscapes will look the same a month from now, but a well-landed punch in a boxing match is a thing to behold.”
His Liberty Hill exhibit features the U.S. Army’s Horse Cavalry Detachment at Fort Hood, and Western Re-enactors, including the Trader from the Mountain Man Rendezvous at Fort Bridger, Wyoming; the Town Marshall, and the Gunslinger.
Wes says each of these show the action just as it happened in the late 19th Century. “Half the exhibit is dedicated to showing the people who were contemporaries of the Cavalry—the ones who lived in Texas and the West during the 19th Century, when the Cavalry was protecting Westward migration and settlements.”
The other half of the collection is titled ‘Gone Are the People.’ Most are in Black and White and some reflect the early photographic techniques the industry now calls ‘antique.’”
Wes says he has a personal affinity for the 19th century and loves the Old West. “Photography has been in my family since 1892 and I had my own wet darkroom when I was 12. At 86 years old, I have known many people in my life who were alive in the 1800s, and I have always been fascinated with the life and lifestyle reflected in those times.”
In addition to sharing his work in shows and galleries, he judges photography contests across the state, and also teaches other photographers the fine art of film photography.
Next up in his hobby plan is to resurrect some of his old cameras and reworking photos from negatives. “There’s just something about seeing the photo appear when it comes out of the water.”
The Liberty Hill exhibit is open Monday-Friday 9am-4pm. You can meet the artist at a reception November 21st from 6:30-8:30pm. Photos, greeting cards and magnets are available for purchase.
See Wes’ works at the Stubblefield Center 1000 Loop 332 in Liberty Hill