ARTmonday: Matthew Brandt’s Lake Photos

I really love these funky landscape photos by Matthew Brandt. He’s an L.A.-based photographer who studied at Cooper Union and UCLA, and has gotten a lot of attention lately. He made last year’s Forbes “Top 30 Under 30 in Art & Design“ list compiled by Jeffrey Deitch, Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles and artist Chuck Close. There was also a great article about him in Elle Decor. A number of important museums own his work, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art,  Brooklyn Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and Elton John does too. I actually just learned about Matthew Brandt because he’s speaking at MassArt in Boston on Oct. 30.

These images are part of Matthew Bradt’s “Lakes and Reservoirs” series. After shooting his Western landscapes,he heads to the darkroom (a photographer who still uses a darkroom!) to soak prints in water he has collected from those same lakes. A print might bathe for a few days or a few months, and the results vary depending on the length. Some look like traditional landscapes gone awry in the darkroom (or attacked by a bottle of bleach); others have a techno illustrated feel, while others resemble dreamy pastel pieces.

I’m in love, but guessing they’re a bit over my budget. Wah.

American Lake WA E3

Fall Creek Lake OR 4

Dexter Lake OR 3

Big Bear Lake CA A1

Indian Tom Lake CA 1

Horse Thief Lake OR 1

Hills Creek Lake OR 4

Klamath Lake OR 4

Lake Hollywood CA 3

Marys Lake MT 2

Stone Lagoon CA 2

Veil Lake CA 5

Wilma Lake CA 1

Yuba Lake CA 3

Lake Selmac OR 1

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