PATRICK ALT

&

THE LOS ANGELES LEAGUE OF PLATINUM PRINTERS

 Patrick Alt (1950-2013)

BIOGRAPHY

Patrick Alt (1950-2013). Patrick, a resident of Southern California since 1970, received his BFA from California Institute of Fine Arts (1972) and an MFA in painting from the University of California, Irvine (. In addition to his mastery of fine art photography, Patrick’s professions included, exhibition designer and curator for the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, CA, founder and president of Space Inceptions, commercial interior designer of a design and architectural firm, and a career as a nationally published furniture designer, as well as a professor at UCLA Extension.

Patrick’s work has been shown in numerous exhibitions throughout the United States and Japan, and is included in many important private and corporate collections. His photographic work has been published in photographic magazines, as well as series of books made in collaboration with his younger brother. Throughout his life, Patrick was represented by G. Ray Hawkins in Los Angeles, Susan Spiritus Gallery in Newport Beach and currently Peter Fetterman Gallery at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica, CA.

With 45 years of photographic experience, Patrick was internationally known for his mastery of the challenging platinum process, and his expert knowledge of large format cameras and optics.  He restored many large format cameras, including a 18 x 22” mammoth plate from the late 1800’s. His images of nudes, still life's, and landscapes are printed in toned silver, cyan, and the exquisite alternative process of hand coated platinum/palladium, using cameras ranging in size from 8"x10" to the aforementioned mammoth plate.

 PROCESS AND THE DOMINANCE OF INFLUENCE

The Pictorialist, a group of photographers active primarily between the years 1880 to 1920, worked using the Platinum process extensively because of its delicacy of tonal ranges and its potential for expressing characteristics of more traditional art making methods such as drawing and etching.[1] This labor-intensive process emphasized the role of the photographer and encouraged the individual to identify as more of a craftsman than mechanical aide. Championed by Alfred Steiglitz and the Photo Secession, Platinum was used by outstanding photographers such as Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, and Edward Steichen.

The platinum-palladium process also offers a number of variations, which the photographer can closely control.[2]

As an active member of The Los Angeles League of Platinum Printers, Patrick Alt continued to periodically engage with other members to discuss and share multiple sensitometric, chemical, and mechanical tasks which must be mastered for consistent and predicable results found in a Platinum print. This collective of individuals proved to be the basis of Patrick’s knowledge and compendium of practical information regarding the non-silver photographic process. Since this process allows for a variety of chemical permutations, the complexity increases as the subject is mastered. Each photograph represented in this exhibition was conceived from his own connectedness to his friends who similarly, experimented with the alternative processes. Specializing in the female figure, topographic significance, and documentation made during multiple road trips through out the western United States, this series hints at a man’s education on the concept of visualization. 

THE DESERT                                                                

 No process is “superior”, and the decision to concentrate on a process other than silver was made based on factors other than the desire to be different. The members of the LALPP, was first introduced in 1993, at the annual Alternative Photographic International Symposium (APIS) in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This communal like-minded, persistent group of photographers, shared artistic ambitions that traveled beyond the darkroom. Death Valley, CA was a frequent destination for some members of the group to go and photograph. They often worked with the same models and ventured out to locations that granted them with the privacy needed to create pictures that would be much harder to do in overpopulated areas. Often, Patrick would explore a location prior to the actual shoot with active member, Luther Gerlach. Their conversations often revolved around photographic philosophy and one another’s imaginative and painstaking photographic techniques. During the early 2000’s, Patrick and Luther went on to building a mammoth plate camera (18x22) together. The group’s collaborative methods and influence on Patrick is illustrated in the first photograph presented in the exhibition.

 Besides Death Valley, Patrick also had a significant relationship with the abandoned shacks found out in Twenty-nine Palms. The majority of the existing shacks, historically can be found throughout the larger region known as Morongo Basin.[3]

Located about four hours south of Death Valley, these shacks are one of the last remaining communities of “jack rabbit” homesteads located in the American West. This derelict scene served as another frequent stop for members of the collective to come photograph and experiment with its surrounding structures. Seeking a escape from the material world, the shells of what used to be lively, occupied homes provided the photographers access to unusual props such as old couches, broken down cars, and water towers.

Patrick’s exploration out in the field among his colleagues guided his practice once he returned to the darkroom. His skill for producing prints rapidly and effectively stemmed from the willingness and generosity of those colleagues, he chose as his collaborators and mentors. Starting in the 1980’s, Patrick would annually host a forum event the same weekend as the art fair, Photo LA. Other photographers working similarly would travel and attend the event in hopes of gaining additional technical knowledge of platinum printing. This forum also became an opportunity to trade prints with each other and the start of Patrick’s own photography collection. To date, the collection includes work by photographers such as Manual Alvarez Bravo, Edward Weston, and Lucas Samaras. This evolving collection had also stimulated Patrick’s practice of photography.