Patricia Fortlage

Patricia Fortlage is an award-winning documentary and fine art photographer, and subtle activist.  Her goal is to create work that moves people, work that inspires change, especially for women and girls.  Studies have shown that if you invest in women and girls, entire communities will be raised.  Patricia seeks to do just that.  For the past 17 years she partnered with just such programs in developing countries to document their work, the issues they faced, how they addressed those issues, and the awareness they sought to bring to that work.  Alongside this, she has also created bodies of work here in the US to advocate for women and girls.  Even now, with a progressive diagnosis of Myasthenia Gravis and the physical limitations that that entails, she continues to create work to improve the lives of her sisters everywhere.  Even her fine art work seeks to tell a story and inspire change.

Patricia recently completed a campaign titled, “Wonder, girl!” which focused on breaking stereotypes for girls and young women.  She photographed over 40 women in an effort to inspire teens and tweens by showing them all things are possible.  She also partnered with mental health experts on a project titled, “Life Sentence.”  This project highlights the often life-long challenges for victims of sexual assault.  This, along with the work she has done throughout developing countries as a documentary photographer, has been the highlight of her career thus far.  She has been approached by numerous women who finally sought help with their assault because Patricia’s images showed them that they are not alone, nor should they feel embarrassed for how they have tried, or not tried, to cope. 

And now Patricia has begun a love letter to the chronic illness community, an ode to the women who are gaslighted every day.  This current series, Lemonade, highlights the realism of living as a woman with chronic disease/disability. This is her story.  Women with any kind of ongoing health struggle face incomprehensible discrimination, gaslighting, and dismissal. Patricia is working to expose that behavior, to lift the veil, and encourage change through fine art and conceptual photography. Patricia would like to show that there is poignant beauty here, and power, and fight. That she has much yet to offer. Yes, there are challenges and there are truly gruesome moments… and some of that is shared as well… but she mostly aims to shine a spotlight on the resilience and fighting spirit and BEAUTY that still lives within her. There is even a bit of humor. she attempts to make lemonade out of lemons each and every day and she aims to shine a special focus on that duality.     

Although Patricia’s work is highly realistic, it also often evokes a quality that is both intense and dream-like. The reason? Her hope is for the viewer to have an immediate emotional reaction to her images, as opposed to an intellectual reaction, one that will move them and inspire them in how they themselves move in the world.  She hopes to sometimes educate and inspire with her work, sometimes shock and surprise.  At its most poignant, she hopes to inspire positive change.  Patricia’s work has been published nationally and she has widely exhibited in solo and juried exhibits across the US.