Artist Statement
Hello, my name is Travis Rockett. Thank you for taking a moment to explore my work.
This series was created during a trip with Spectrum Art Gallery to photograph inside Alcatraz National Park. The atmosphere of the space was dark and moody, filled with a haunting sense of regret and fear. I originally captured the images in black and white to emphasize that tone.
For this exhibition, I wanted to elevate the work with a deeper sense of history and time. To do that, I used the Van Dyke Brown printing process—an alternative photographic technique that dates back to the 19th century. It involves hand-mixing chemistry to create a light-sensitive emulsion, which is then brushed onto watercolor paper.
From there, I create a digital negative of each image, which is contact printed onto the coated paper using a UV light box. Exposure times typically range from one to one and a half minutes. After exposure, the prints go through a series of washes and are fixed in a Van Dyke Brown solution before a final rinse. Once dry, the prints are heat-pressed and prepared for framing.
I hope you enjoy the show, and thank you again for your interest.