A jug of wine, a loaf of bread, a collection of photos and thou…
That’s not precisely what the poet wrote, but Fort Berens Estate Winery is proving that wine and art are indeed a good combination.
Last week, Fort Berens presented its third Art at the Winery show, highlighting the intriguing and inspired photographs of mother-and-daughter photographers Kansas Allen and Dallas Kempfle.
The show opened July 19 and closes in mid-August. Photographs in the show are for sale, framed or unframed. The display features portraits, digitally colour-enhanced landscapes and carefully selected photos of Lillooet scenes and subjects ranging from the Mile O Cairn and Fraser River to a fierce bald eagle and a shy black bear.
Allen’s photograph of the cairn was taken from sidewalk level, with the stone monument looming majestically above her.
She laughs as she recalls how she lay down on the sidewalk to frame and take the photo.
“Dallas said, ‘Mom, I don’t even know you.’ She was so embarrassed,” says Allen.
“My inspiration to photograph comes from the beautifully scenery BC has to offer,” says Allen. “You barely have to travel out of your back yard before you’ll find something.”
Kempfle adds, “We have so much wonderful beauty in this world that I can’t wait to share it with, well, with the world.”
Allen was initially inspired by her dad Frank Field and both she and Kempfle also studied photography in high school.
Each has her own preferences about what she enjoys photographing. Allen does not like photographing people, preferring to capture landscapes. “A mountain doesn’t move,” she says. “You can take a hundred different photos of a mountain and it’s not going anywhere. You can’t take 100 different photos of a person – they’re going to get bored.”
Kempfle enjoys taking portraits and experimenting with different lenses to try to capture the essence of a person. Some of her most striking images are intense black and white photos of faces with another photograph of hands overlapping the faces.
The first two Art at the Winery shows featured the works of Doug Grossler and Ian Routley. The next exhibitors will be Annessa Terry (Aug. 16) and Brad Kasselman (Sept. 20).
