10 Questions with Karen Ghostlaw

Karen Ghostlaw is a graduate of Pratt Institute with a concentration in Photography, Printmaking, and Bookbinding. "Between Painting and Photography" is a concept that has become her life long study. Karen studied 35mm and 4x5 large format photography, black and white, color, dye transfer, and emulsion processes, including gum bichromate and platinum palladium. Karen also studied large-scale printing, photo etching, photo silk screening, and bookbinding handcrafted Polaroid accordion books, post-bound books, and signature books with multi-layered hardcovers.

In 2012, Karen expanded "Between Painting and Photography" through an in-depth examination of self-portraiture and reflectivity. Layers of the environment with complexities of reflection and self-exploration's added interest led to many discoveries redefining Karen's unique way of expression. This study culminated with the publication of two reflective self-portraits in "Leica Myself". This collection of self-portraits, curated by Rainer Schillings, was published in 2013 to celebrate Leica Camera's centennial. These earlier works became the catalyst for what has become an ongoing exploration in reflection and herself. Karen's Self-Portraits have been exhibited in the Women's Street Photographers 2019, and 2020 NYC Exhibition, and the 2020 "Portraits" show at Praxis Gallery.

karenghostlaw.com | @karenghostlaw

SELF PORTRAITURE PROJECT DESCRIPTION

As a woman with four children, home birthed two of the four, and homeschooled all through high school, Karen's creative output inspires others and provides a platform for creative and independent thinking. This daunting task came with more rewards than sacrifices, and Karen found that sacrifice leads to growth. As the children grew and became independent learners, Karen found herself again, with time and energy to focus on herself while guiding them through their studies throughout the day. She found herself again through her photography, looking at herself, a study that started twelve years ago and continues today.

Self-studies made her more confident in her personal view of herself. The reflections helped her see herself and the importance of her place in the world and her environment. Each portrait addresses a multitude of interesting and complex layers. Herself, her body language, where she is, what is happening around her, how she feels, what she hears, what she smells, compelled by all her senses. Like a voyeur looking at everything as if in a hologram, all components static and moving in that single moment line up rhythmically, becoming one cohesive image. Karen sees herself in life's abstractions, adapting, and finding inspiration in their uncertainties. She reflects her soul while reacting with her environment, weaving the layers together to create tapestries of her life.

INTERVIEW

In your youth, when did you realize that you were going to become an artist?

Ever since I was a little girl, I had to make things. Making anything involves a process. I am driven by the process. It wasn’t until high school that my abilities in math and science found the arts. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to take a class with Maggie Caccamo, my high school art teacher. Maggie was an amazing woman, artist, mentor, and educator who introduced me to the arts. We remained close friends for her entire life; I am still inspired by what she taught me.

Could you tell us a little more about your background and how did you begin making art?

I explored many processes before photography. I have put my hands and mind into many mediums, including quilting, batik, pastels, watercolor, acrylic, oil, metal welding, wood crafting, sculpture, etching and printmaking, and bookbinding. I questioned, when does craft become art? It is when my experimentation became an implementation. I was formally trained in photography by some of the best photographers and educators of the postmodern era. I found photography was the bridge that connected the real world to the abstractions I saw and wished to express. Photography became my praxis. I was not only fascinated by how a camera worked but also how to control and describe visually what I saw through the lens. When combined with the printing processes of that time, black and white, non-silver processes, dye transfer, and color printing from negatives, photography gave me the ability to convey my sense of self and thoughts as praxis. Through these explorations, I began to think about photography as an expression tool, like one would use paint, pastel, pencil, or pen and ink. I found it important to take what I saw through the lens, imagine what it might look like, and turn it into reality. As Picasso said, “Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth.” This idea of changing the focus of what you see and how you see it led to an exploration that has become my life study of “Between Painting and Photography.”

Can you tell our readers what experience of your life is reflected in your works of art?

My work of art expresses where I exist, in space and time. I need to take at least one photo every day. Sometimes I take hundreds of photographs in a day. Like a journal entry, photography helps me remember a personal and visceral experience. I document myself in time and space; I respect where I have been and what is around me. I see the abstractions in life. First, things that are maybe overlooked or considered to be the imperfections in life by some, I always see as interesting. I think it is essential to be open minded, not just to look but to see. I do not change my frame but decide how I wish the viewer to see it or confuse the viewer to think about what they really see. I do this through the knowledge of how to use my camera as a tool.

Do you have a role model that you’ve drawn inspiration from when working as a photographer? Tell us more about your source of inspiration…

I was fortunate to have schooled under the guidance of William Gedney. Not only was William Gedney, a teacher and a mentor, but also a role model for how I would come to approach my work. He had a way of sharing his knowledge that was never intimidating but guiding, allowing me to make my own discoveries. He was there to help me find my answers and solutions. He taught me how to use my tools, how to take what I had captured, and in a multitude of ways, express my ideas through paper printing and bookbinding.

Karen, you are a visual storyteller; you create a series of photographs that encompass details and abstractions which explore a unique vision of the world around you. Today with the COVID-19 Pandemic, people worldwide need clarity and outspoken communication to secure their projection in the future. How do you successfully use abstraction through photography to communicate a clear idea about your thoughts and philosophy? 

I agree that people worldwide need clarity, but to find the clarity, you need to look, think, and invest in exploring the world around you. We often see what we are told to see, how and what we are seeing, what we should learn, think, and become. I believe we have lost the ability to think independently and creatively. Picasso said, “The chief enemy of creativity is ‘Good Sense’”. I am a story teller, my stories speak about the world as I see it. There is no failure in science, but knowledge is gained through experimentation, which leads to new discoveries. Through these results, we change, and we create change. Through my work, I intend to instigate a sense of observation for the view to make their own discoveries. Not to look at one of my photographs and instantly understand what they see, but to question what, why, where, who, and make their own conclusions. This is my world, “Between Painting and Photography.”

What are you trying to communicate with your art?  

I see the extraordinary in the ordinary. My photography communicates reality through my imagination. This has led me down this interesting path of questioning everything I see in “Between Painting and Photography.” By abstracting the obvious, not playing by the rules, I use my camera interchangeably as a paintbrush. There is no absolute truth, narrative, or message behind a single image, only an opinion influenced by what I wish to convey. Finding idiosyncrasies apparent in daily life, I title my work to message the viewer, engaging them to see the abstractions both comfortably and in a revealing way.

What is the most challenging part about being a photographer during pandemic times?

I think you can be a photographer at any time as long as you have a camera. It is your idea of photography that changes when your world is turned upside down. In actuality, our eyes project what we see upside down; it is our brain that turns it right side up. I have thought a lot about this during the Pandemic, often turning my images upside-down to force the viewer to participate in what they see and how they perceive it. I find it challenging to be separated from my street photography and not have constant action and the energy and complexities it presents. The Pandemic forced me to find a new direction, exploring nature, isolating landscapes, and the challenges and abstractions they present.

How do you see your projects evolving in the next five years?

I have wanted to explore my self-portraiture through photography and multimedia. I am working towards creating large scale installation pieces that weave together self-portraits printed on a variety of textiles. The series of woven pieces will be implemented with three-dimensional objects seen in the photographs themselves. I think it is a natural progression in my work to move forward with a multimedia project, going full circle in retrospect to where all the inspiration began. I am also beginning to reinvestigate a project that I have been wanting to work on for years. I have 35mm negatives from a class with William Gedney from Pratt Institute in the 1980s. I want to hand bind a book of platinum palladium contact prints of these negatives. Another book project I am working on is a compilation of combining an abstraction from nature with a street abstraction side by side, in juxtaposition with two complex canvasses balancing the scales.

Any photographer you dream of meeting in person? Why?

Wiktor Dabkowski comes to mind. I see in a single photograph a story of a lifetime. A fabulous story always to be told, and the wonderful way he tells his stories. For me, it would not just be meeting him, but to see how he works and what his workspace looks like. I would like to understand and see his process. I would also have loved to have had a conversation with Vivian Maier, especially regarding her self-portraiture work. She has always been a significant inspiration. More than anything, I think about having a one-and-one with William Gedney now at this point in my life. I would love to share the influences he had on my art and the deviations I have made. It would be so nice to thank him.

Could you tell us some interesting facts about your life?

I am a Libra. The scale. I find I am drawn to the dichotomies in life. I need the energy and abstractions of the city as much as I need nature and isolation to balance. My physical condition is important to my well being. I was a gymnast, softball player, tennis player, am an expert skier, having heli-skied in the Andes in Chile, and skiing in the Adirondacks every winter. I love to cook and share food and conversation with friends and family. My family is a great source of inspiration. I love to produce work, and I am prolific in the amount of work I produce. I have to produce work because my work is who I am. I am incomplete without it.