PARADISE — The new Paradise Art Center Member Photography Show is providing healing to some of the photographers who were Camp Fire victims.
Photographer James Henson and his family left Paradise after the fire, which wiped out his house and his whole neighborhood. He had lived with his parents there. They moved to Berry Creek temporarily, eventually finding a house in Chico, and they moved there in 2019.
“The fire was completely devastating,” Henson said. “I couldn’t believe it. There were so many fires before, but we would evacuate and come back. My cousin is a firefighter and took photos of where the house was.”
One of Henson’s photos shows the remains of the house.
“The only way I could tell it was our house was that there was a statue of a birdbath with a squirrel,” he said. “That was all that was left.”
Henson said a Good Samaritan sifted through the ash at the house and recovered Henson’s high school class ring, which he said he “was amazed” to get back.
Henson grew up in Paradise and attended Paradise High School. His grandparents owned a photography business in town where they sold cameras and developed film in the back of the shop.
“My grandfather would do wedding pictures on Saturdays and Christmas photos and high school portraits,” Henson said. “My grandmother took care of the store. My father was part of the business when he was a kid and developed film and carried around the equipment for wedding pictures.”
Henson has been taking photos for three years. He became interested in photography when he started taking tours of the United States. He boarded Amtrak trains and traveled across the country taking photos. He also takes local photos.
Henson is also a member of other galleries such as the Chico Art Center and a gallery in Redding. Henson’s work can be found on Facebook under Henson Studio 23. He also has a solo show coming up in April at Morning Thunder Cafe in Chico.
‘Really big show’
Julie Brielle is one of the other photographers featured. She took photos after the Camp Fire, which she said turned into a healing process.
“My son and I lost our house,” Brielle said. “My dad on the other side of Paradise lost his house. We escaped and got out on Skyway but almost died. There were cars burning next to us. A helicopter flew over and dropped water on us, which saved us. The heat made us want to pass out. It was pretty traumatic.”
Brielle said she has since rebuilt a home in Paradise. She was a professional photographer for 10 years, but she now takes landscapes photos as a hobby. She likes to take pictures in Paradise, Bidwell Park and Humboldt County. Some of her photos are in color and some are in black and white.
“I like to use natural lighting outside,” Brielle said.
She took a photography class in high school in Long Beach. Her father took photos as a hobby, and photography “piqued her interest” in her early 20s. This is Brielle’s first photo show.
Brielle’s son has also taken a liking to photography.
“He’s a senior in high school and is taking his second year of advanced photography,” she said. “He’s a really good photographer as well.”
She said taking photographs grounds her and that everyone needs a healthy, creative outlet.
The show features photography from other art center members; 75 photos are featured.
“This is a really big show for us,” said Paradise Art Center vice president Greg Sanchez, who wears many hats. He is in charge of the gallery and of art center facilities and hangs the artwork for shows.
Sanchez said there is not a theme for the exhibit, noting it features “black and white photos, color photos and metal prints.”
There hasn’t been a photography show at the art center since the Camp Fire. Things have ramped up post-fire, with art classes taught there and art center work hung at Nic’s in Paradise.
Saturday, the Paradise Art Center held an opening reception for the show that also was a fundraiser, with 30% of whatever was sold going toward helping the facility. Henson said it needs a new roof.
The Paradise Art Center Member Photography Show is running until March 1 at 5564 Almond St. The art center’s phone number is 530-877-7402. For more information, visit paradise-art-center.com.
Source: Paradise Post
