"ART REIMAGINES REALITY"  - Ellen Fisch

Ellen Fisch studied photography and architectural drawing in college, and went on to lead two separate artistic lives: one as a photographer, the other as a painter. “I never combined the two,” she says. For the past 12 years she has focused on photography and says “I did OK as an architectural photographer,” but she adds, “I missed drawing and painting.” So she started drawing on her photographs with pencil, pastel, charcoal, and gold leaf. The results surprised and intrigued her. “I noticed that when used as accents and in small amounts, other art materials add depth and subtle nuances to photography.” She describes her technique as “enhanced photography.” She shoots digitally, desaturates the images before printing them on a fiber-based paper, and then draws on them. “I like the blacks,” she says. “I have the ability to [draw in] the real darks, and highlight the foliage so it appears to be capturing the light on the surface.” The images shown here are from Fisch’s “Park Slope/Prospect Park” series, which is currently on view at Jadite Galleries, 413 W 50th Street in New York, through February 26. Fisch will be at the gallery on Saturday, February 23 from 1-6 p.m.