Unlike so many Bay Area artists, Chris Rochette wasn’t necessarily drawn to the Bay Area, he was sent here. As a matter of fact, growing up in central Massachusetts, he had no idea that inside him was an artist just waiting to be hatched way out west in Alameda. But when he joined the Coast Guard, he was given a choice: did he want to be stationed on a cutter in San Diego? Or would he prefer Alameda? Alameda seemed the wiser choice for one very simple reason: the central route across the continent would allow him to pass through the heart of the Rocky Mountains, something he had wanted to do since childhood.

While stationed in Alameda, he was sent out to patrol the seas in Southeast Asia on a Coast Guard Cutter. It was while he was on that tour that he began to “faintly suspect” that he just might be an artist. He had owned a camera for a few years prior to that trip, but he had always felt limited by a small memory card. So, before departing for Asia, he treated himself to a 2G card. Suddenly he could take all the photos he wanted and from that moment on, he was pretty much on his way to becoming a photographer. Entranced by the Ports of Call he was visiting in that exotic part of the world, he could hardly put his camera down and he returned to Alameda with 1,200 photos stored on that 2G card.

But the Coast Guard was not finished with him: on his last patrol, they sent him out to patrol the oceans around South America. Before leaving on that trip, Sarah, his soon-to-be wife gave him a digital SLR. He used his time underway to learn as much about photography as he could and he returned to Alameda with over 14,000 images in his camera.

Although when he was growing up he never really considered that art was playing any significant part in his life, in looking back he has come to the realization that the seed had always been there. He had always been drawn to photography, feeling a deep appreciation for more complex photographs. With a special interest in industrial images, he began to see art in the things he was seeing everywhere - freeways, shipyards, the desert, the coast - and translate them into pieces of artwork. He believes that photography is truly a compulsion for him: almost everywhere he looks, his eyes see are constantly processing the scenes before him into photos.

Upon his return from South America, he knew that he wanted to begin sharing his photographic visions with others. He and Sarah began researching various galleries in the area. Although there were a few that seemed somewhat promising, none seemed as welcoming as the Frank Bette Center for the Arts. So shortly after his return from South America, he found his way over to Paru Street where he found a warm and welcoming atmosphere. He began showing his work almost immediately. His first Frank Bette Center show was “Peaches ‘n’ Cream in May 2007.

Like so many other artists who have become involved with the Frank Bette Center, Chris feels that the Center has made a very big difference in his life. It didn’t take him long to realize that his new association with the Center was truly helping him grow as an artist. Here was a place where he was able to communicate with other artists. Here was a place that not only appreciated his art, but encouraged him to stretch his abilities and develop and grow. He began pushing himself in his drive to create fresh new ways to look at the subject matter of his photos. Re-examining his older images has helped him gain valuable insight which, in turn, has helped him in the creation of his innovative newer works.