Ever walked into a building and thought “If only these walls could talk?” Well they do, to photographer Collette Christel.
From the romanticism of a crumbling castle to the majesty of a towering bridge, Christel sees inspiration in the structures most people use on a daily basis, and through her photography she tries to convey that message to others.
“It’s what looks good to my eye, and then I just point my camera at it,” Christel said about how she chooses her subject matter.
These days, Christel prefers to point her camera at architecture, especially old or historic buildings.
Such places as La Purisima Mission have inspired Christel’s artistic side. It’s these images that make up the latest exhibition of Christel’s work, which will be on display at the Cypress Gallery, 119 E. Cypress, in Lompoc through July 27.
The solo exhibition is a first for Christel, who has shown her work at the gallery before, but not in an individual show. Her work has also been on display at the Flower Festival, Art in the Park, Brushes and Blues, and other local venues. Though she does travel for some shows, and to find fresh subjects for her photos, she prefers to stay local. She will have to do some traveling soon, however, since she was recently accepted to the Santa Barbara Art Walk.
Christel has been a photographer for more than 10 years, having received most of her photography education while pursuing an A.S. degree at Hancock College. After studying photography at Hancock, Christel went on to major in history at UCSB, receiving a bachelor’s degree.
During her early years as a photographer, Christel was still raising her children, making it hard to practice what she loves. Now that her children are grown, she gets to spend more time tracking down the things that catch her eye.
She also gets to spend more time in her darkroom processing her film. With the exception of her color film, Christel processes most of her photos herself, spending lots of time in the darkroom she has in her home.
“I love being in the darkroom, getting lost in the darkroom. You can just close the door and ignore everybody,” she said.
With a preference for the early photographic processes, Christel uses an old-style technique to create a modern result. This is what sets her apart from other photographers in a time when most are using digital.
“The only computer I use is the one around my neck,” she said.
And with that portable “computer” Christel has been able to share her vision, her feelings, and her thoughts.
“When I’m composing a photograph, I put my own emotion in what I’m seeing and I want that emotion to speak back to the viewer.”
Christel will be available to speak to viewers at an artist reception from 1 to 3 p.m. on July 12 at the gallery in Lompoc.
Arts Editor Shelly Cone can be reached at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jul 3-10, 2008.