Her Story
AMERICAN, BORN 1933 Marion L. Patterson received a B.A. degree with a major in philosophy and a minor in art from Stanford University in 1955 and an M.A. degree in interdisciplinary creative arts from California State University, San Francisco, in 1970. In addition to her degrees, she has studied under some of the country's greatest photographers, including Dorothea Lange, Minor White, Beaumont and Nancy Newhall and Ansel Adams. Patterson has been an active free-lance commercial photographer in both the United States and Mexico, as well as a widely exhibited fine art photographer. She has participated in numerous photographic expeditions, including treks to Nepal, Pakistan, Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet.
Career
From 1958 to 1961, Marion worked for Virginia and Ansel Adams in Yosemite and has remained closely associated with the Adams family since then. From 1961 to 1964 she was assistant to the photography editor of Sunset Magazine. While at Sunset, she prepared her first major exhibit, which was shown at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 1965. Living in Oaxaca, Mexico, for a year resulted in another one-woman exhibit, at the Oakland Museum in 1966. In 1968, Marion Patterson began teaching at Foothill and De Anza Colleges in California, later becoming chair of the Foothill photography program. She has taught workshops for the University of California Santa Cruz Extension among others.
Marion in the Media
WhirlIgig , a platform for engaging in the lives and minds of creative individuals interviews Marion. This indepth interview spans from her unique adaption of mixing media, faith, philosophy, life experiences, & world travel to what drew her to choose photography & writing with light.
Documentary on California photographer Marion Patterson, who studied under Minor White, Dorothea Lange, and Ansel Adams. A collection of her photographs titled Grains of Sand was published in 2002. Patterson's photographs focus on the natural surroundings of the central California coast, the Sierras, and the deserts of the Southwest.
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This book brings together 57 of the best black-and-white photographs of Marion Patterson, who describes her work as “photographs of the intimate landscape, simple and contemplative like a zen garden.” The images focus on the natural surroundings of the central California coast and Sierra, as well as images from the Southwest and the deserts of California.
Black & White Gallery
Color Gallery
Places of Power
An Oral History
Marion Patterson, 91 years young
Contact Marion
Deepest Gratitude
