Jul 10

Patricia Fortlage

Patricia Fortlage is an experimental photographer who has exhibited across the United States, especially in California. Notable recent exhibitions include participation at Gallery 825 in Los Angeles, Brand Gallery in Glendale, California, Soho Photo Gallery in New York, and Hyde Gallery in San Diego. Publications include features by independent magazines such as Women United Art, CanvasRebel, and Dodho. Patricia’s awards include first place prize in a juried exhibition by Soho Photo Gallery and several recognitions by the International Photography Awards.

The current body of work focuses on a series titled Not As It Seems which conveys Rorschach test-like appearances of frozen objects. Patricia captures objects in the process of freezing in water with particles of ice formations. Capturing the process of freezing water creates distortions of various objects into complete abstractions which conceptually challenge the notion of assumptions. Because the photography remains based on actual objects and becomes captured in a process of freezing, the viewer will be left with trying to identify the composition only to be left in puzzlement.

These crystalized slabs of mid-frozen theatrical props (or installations) convey a sense of monochromatic aesthetics, not so much because Patricia uses black and white photography, but because the composition remains consistent with a frozen mini-landscape, set up by the artist. The photography can be described as a study in texture and crystalized form, like a science project, Patricia conveys the deep aesthetics of water but in an unfamiliar manner using detailed close-up photography to capture the beauty of freezing water. Ice has one ton of pressure per square inch, such a powerful natural force creates physical properties leaving dimensions of bubbles, scratchy surfaces, and gem-like features.

Sideswiped (pictured above) appears to be a floral-shaped object becoming crystallized and perhaps even destroyed by the process of being frozen. The unpredictability of the crystallization process creates smears of forms, shadows, scratches, and bubbles across the surface and around the composition creating an abstracted form of nuanced aesthetics. Conveying a complex T and X layout, the subject appears almost like a dandelion having pollen from petals exploding across the plane.

Patricia Fortlage creates brilliant compositions which exemplify extremities in contrast and texture. She captures a deep aesthetic of objects in the process of becoming frozen in submerged water to convey a sense of gem-like qualities and castle-like structures and landscapes of crystalized form. Her art remains immensely promising towards bridging with new concepts of contemporary image-making in regards to integrating scientific and natural processes in theatrical and installation-type settings. These energized compositions shatter notions of abstraction and challenge the viewer to test the limits of visual comprehension through complex textures and variation in surfaces.