Katherine Bilsky

“I've realized that every photograph is abstract, even if it's a picture of reality."

Working with experimental photography, Katherine Bilsky has created for her viewers a porthole into a metallic-y cosmic world. Sometimes sharp and sometimes gooey, the forms in her images frequently fill up the entire composition, leaving the eye to enjoy a visual playground of color and direction.

Untitled, Digital Print. 2011

GE: Are you looking to create a career for yourself in photography?

KB: Ever since I took Digital Photo as a class, I've been interested in a career using the different Photoshop methods. I love the idea of manipulating photographs to obtain endless finished products. When I took that class, we did a project where we had to take Mylar and photograph the reflected images. I loved it off the bat, and for my senior thesis I decided to use it and explore the different compositions that Mylar could create.

(Note: For those that may not be familiar, Mylar is a metallized plastic sheeting. It will reflect about 98% of the light that hits it.)

GE: Can you describe the process in which you capture your Mylar images? What do you look for in these shots?

KB: I shoot different patterns from various objects and photograph them in the raw. I've always had an eye for composition, and I believe it's one of the most important elements to a successful photograph - abstract or not. After I take the pictures, I edit them in Photoshop. Most of my images aren't different from the originals, unless they're specified as experimental. This is where the symmetry comes in.

Untitled, Digital Print. 2011

GE: Where did the idea of creating symmetry in these pieces come from?

KB: Professor Luciana at Marist College showed me how symmetry could play a part in my project, however I decided that flipping it four separate times provided a more powerful effect.

GE: How important is color in these pieces? Do you think they could be successful in black and white?

KB: As for color, I love it in regards to these photos. However, I believe that to have a successful photograph, logo, or pretty much anything, it has to work in black and white as well as color. Last semester I layered images over my Mylar pieces in black and white and they were aesthetically successful.

Untitled, Digital Print. 2011

GE: In what ways does your photography connect to your studio work such as drawing or painting?

KB: The black and white layered images (mentioned in the previous response) are able to used for my drawings, which is a large part of my process. This connects my digital and studio work, which appear different, but contain the same themes such as composition, emotion, and process. Also, in Multimedia Authoring, I used Adobe Premiere to edit videos of Mylar, which gives movement to my photographs. This was interesting because in every frame of the video there was a different image that could have been used with my photography project. This is an example of how important it is to apply what you've learned in different aspects of Digital Media.

GE: How has your art changed in the part few years?

KB: I used to be very concentrated on emotion and reality. My freshman year I would just draw reality, and over the years my work has progressed. I've been able to use abstraction to convey emotion and I've realized that every photograph is abstract, even if it's a picture of reality. A photograph is just a moment in time, and a picture may look like reality, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a photograph. Overall, I love making people think, and I love making the viewer feel something when they look at my work, which is what art is all about. It takes dedication and time to be a successful artist, and I'm blessed to have the talent and support to create photography as well as art in other different medias.

Untitled, Digital Print. 2011