William D. Cannon Art Gallery

The San Diego Union Tribune

Victor Raphael likes to let his imagination take off, much like the space explorer he dreamed of becoming in childhood. Using a little Polaroid camera, he has launched a series of multimedia works that depict the vastness of the universe. "The freedom to explore is central to my art, and to my psyche as well," said the Los Angeles-based artist. "The genesis begins with these Polaroid photographs. I like to combine low-tech with high-tech."

More than 50 of his works are showcased in "Victor Raphael: Space Fields," which opens today at the William D. Cannon Art Gallery and continues through March 18. First, Raphael took Polaroid snapshots of televised NASA programs. Then he embellished the palm-size images with gold leaf and acrylic paint. Some photographs went through additional transformations, eventually becoming large prints and paintings. Others were made into panoramic computer scenes that can be manipulated with a cursor.

In small and large images, stars explode in primary hues, neon-colored nebulae are framed by pitch-black space and zooming comets leave a wake of glittering particles. "I say to myself, 'I'm going to transform this work into a different medium,' " Raphael said. "You have to make certain choices, and sometimes the technology can take over. It becomes a creative process, and I want to embrace that so I'm not just making an enlargement."

A former printer and editor of independent documentaries and videos, Raphael spent the early part of his career mastering numerous disciplines. In "Space Fields," his understanding of cross mediums is evident. One painting, for example, is the result of integrating multiple photographic images. In another, electronic scanning is creatively used. Raphael's multimedia works have been displayed in solo and group exhibitions at a variety of venues, including the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography and the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art.

In 2000, "Envisioning Space," a 20-year retrospective, was shown at the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art at Pepperdine University Center for the Arts in Malibu. When Raphael ponders the infinite, he said, his spiritual life and his work as an artist intersect. "I think this series is about awe and wonder," he said of the new exhibit in Carlsbad.

"The power of nature helps you get outside of yourself and your culture. You think about bigger things and ask big questions, like 'Why are we here?' and 'How did it all begin?' " Some of Raphael's best feedback has been from youngsters. "What I find interesting is the range of responses," he said. "Someone might say that my work looks like a bunch of Cheerios in space and someone else might say that they see an underwater scene. My imagination can spark their imagination and that, to me, is the beauty of it."