Professional photographer Colette Guste has seen New Orleans like few others.
As a member of one of the major restaurant families in America, Colette brings a unique perspective, perception, and style to her art & photography showcasing the remarkable French Quarter.
Colette Guste's great-great-grandfather, Antoine Alciatore, established world-famous Antoine's restaurant in 1840, the oldest restaurant in the country still owned and operated by the founding family. Colette is the a member of the fifth generation of the family to be involved in its operation. Working in the legendary restaurant every day, Colette is on a first name basis with the city and many of its greatest admirers. Colette grew up in Antoine's network of dining rooms, stretching through several buildings and three floors. There she watched Mardi Gras parade by their balconies when bands and floats were still allowed to march in the French Quarter. As part of old New Orleans, many of the most distinguished Mardi Gras social organizations still keep their private dining rooms in Antoine's restaurant. "My photographs reflect bits and pieces of time standing still," Colette says. "The French Quarter in New Orleans is a dream come true for all those interested in old world architecture and a feeling of romance." With her artist's eye, she constantly spots and records details of houses and settings that many pass by daily and fail to observe. Her pictures of the French Quarter represent "segments or a glance of beauty that my senses gaze upon while capturing a slice of beauty in a building or in a particular scene." Colette studied art and photography before taking on the role of marketing for Antoine's. Her professional photography and ceramic tile art is based on digital photography -- highlighting simple and exquisite details that bring the history of New Orleans alive. With a sharp eye and a fresh vision, Colette locates and records for posterity the charms of the old French town of which her family has long been an integral part. Her New Orleans art captures the spirit of a city that's sleepy but restless, graceful and flamboyant, romantic and whimsical. Her photography records the most authentic old European setting in the United States .. where her family has lived, served, and loved for 163 years. |
