Exhibit Features 9 East Bay Photographers

WALNUT CREEK, CA — Nine East Bay photographers, including two who have shown at San Francisco's de Young Museum, are featured in a photography and art exhibit in Walnut Creek.

The show, which runs now through May 31 at the De Valle Educational Center, is the culmination of an advanced photography workshop led by longtime Acalanes Adult Education photography instructor Bill Helsel.

The nine photographers are Jonathan Bitz, Kimberley Enright, Rob Hamner, Jeff Heyman, Rich London, Sunyo Suhaimi, Robin Sullivan, Westeigh and Rosemary Wheeler. Also displayed are paintings and drawings by students in several Acalanes Adult Education art classes.

The Advanced Photography exhibit is a wide-ranging collection of photographic genres and styles: Bitz displays a unique array of black and white and color photos, while Enright presents a series of "rustic" photographs. Hamner explores camera movement in beautifully rendered color images, and London uses a lightbox to create a unique view of everyday objects. Suhaimi explores Niles in vivid, nostalgic color photos. Sullivan tells a uniquely "noir" story in black and white, and Wheeler features photographs of outdoor scenes from a different perspective.

Heyman and Westeigh both had landscapes exhibited as part of The de Young Open, held last year at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. In the Advanced Photography exhibit, Heyman juxtaposes clouds, land and water, while Westiegh explores "Echoes of Absence." Both are a series of black-and-white photographs.

The Del Valle Education Center is open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday- Friday, at 1963 Tice Valley Blvd.

See the photographers and their work here.