At Agora Gallery in Chelsea, the works of two Duggal Visual Solutions clients, photographers Cynthia Chase Gray and Bree Castillau, were standouts in a recent group show, Illumination: An Exhibition of Fine Art Photography. In a presentation that highlighted the work of photographers focused on landscape, still life, action and technique, both Gray and Castillau created medium-scale works that explore nature and landscape, albeit in different styles.

Gray’s project, a collaboration with poet Aden Thomas, unfolded over several months with the two transforming words into images and images into words; resulting in landscape photographs with a distinctly abstract feel through dramatic use of light and shadow.

Gray and Thomas then began working with Zee Morin at Duggal to fine-tune their work into a sophisticated product that included extensive consultation on layout to make the poetry an intrinsic part of the photographic images and custom frames from Duggal’s framing department. Gray, a former editor for Hearst and Conde Nast Publications, now resides in Wyoming and worked with Duggal long-distance until an in-person viewing of the final prints.

Castillau, a Florida native who currently lives in Massachusetts, presented images of animals in their natural habitats. Working digitally, Castillau uses a process that involves adding highlights of soft colors in select areas of primarily black and white photographs. To show her work in the most eye-catching manner, she consulted Duggal’s Ashma Bhulla to create stunning metallic c-prints.

The creativity of both Gray and Castillau, along with Duggal’s attention to detail in paper selection, fine art printing and framing, helped to take the already impressive work of these two artists to the next level, showing the power of collaboration.