Gallery 'n' Gifts Features Steven Lee

Gallery 'n' Gifts, First Friday, June 6 from 5 – 8 p.m., will feature Stephen Lee. A photographer, Lee is a newcomer to GNG and enjoys the warm family-coop atmosphere of the local art community.

Lee has lived in Tehachapi more than 20 years and his primary passion is capturing the natural beauty of God's creations.

The Eastern Sierras, including Alabama Hills and the area around Bishop, have resulted in some of his most prized works. The abundance of California wildflowers gives him the opportunity to create unique images of the California flora.

Lee's first camera was a Kodak Instamatic that he received as a requested birthday gift, in junior high school. How many know what is a Kodak Instamatic? At a point in time it was a technological advance of its day. Lee's interest continued to grow in high school, as he began experimenting with other cameras, such as the Brownie and his dads Argus C3.

Saving his money, he eventually purchased his first 35mm SLR and built a darkroom. Aside from his own use, he also used the darkroom to develop and print yearbook photos, taken at Wheelus Air Base High School, in Tripoli, Libya.

Lee continued to develop his photography skills, using a 4x5 view camera, while employed in aerospace. Fascinated with the technical side of photography, he transitioned to a DSLR and began printing on desktop printers. Investing in a large format printer has given him the opportunity to create a "fine art" quality to his larger landscapes. His most recent works are printed on canvas and mounted in gallery wrap format.

Lee has shown his work at the Kohnen Bakery Gift Shop, Crossroads and Backstreet Galleries and is currently showing at Gallery 'n' Gifts. Although under construction, his website, http://stephenleephotography.com, provides a sampling of his work.

With warm spring evenings in the forecast, June 6, First Friday should be a wonderful time to enjoy downtown Tehachapi and chat with Lee about his work.

As always, Gallery 'n' Gifts at 100 W. Tehachapi Blvd., will have delicious fare for all to savour.

Gallery 'n' Gifts is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For further information, please call 661-822-6062.