Interview: Elizabeth Bard
Luca Curci talks with Elisabeth Bard during Secret Spaces, third appointment of BORDERS ART FAIR 2023.

Elisabeth Bard studied fine art and photography at Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio and worked as a graphic artist with 20+ years of experience in the field. She returned full-time to photography during the late 1990s and makes this the main focus of her creative endeavours, viewing herself primarily as an artist who just happens to use a camera. Abstracts focusing on texture, color and time are her main love and focus. Elisabeth has exhibited locally, including local museums such as the Biggs Museum of American Art and the Delaware Art Museum, and has won multiple awards for her work including the prestigious Delaware Emerging Artist for Photography and placed first and third in the Brandywine Plein Air Competition and was has been twice selected as a Master Artisan for Delaware By Hand, a division of the Biggs Museum in Dover, DE. She is a member of several local arts and photographic organisations in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Luca Curci – How did you get into photography? Do you remember why you took your first professional photo? 
Elisabeth Bard – I studied as part of my fine arts degree. I did all the courses I could, fell in love with it, and then decided I wanted to be a painter. Well, that did not work out so well. So now I “paint” with the camera as my brush. I want to get the viewer to slow down and take in their surroundings, which are often quite beautiful. And we as a people breeze by and don’t look around us. I delight in trying to get the viewer to figure out what the image is from.

LC – According to you, what makes a good photo? Which details do you focus on?
EB – Composition; simplicity, isolates the subject. This is much easier said than done. I spent at least a year if not more working on getting only three items in each photo. That makes for very minimalist images. Layering textures and combining images is another approach I use. As well as motion in the original exposure to create impressionistic landscapes and cityscapes. Everything is done in the camera, with relatively minimal processing to make the image sing.

LC – Where do you find your inspiration? 
EB – Everywhere. All around me, every place I look. Particularly when I travel. And I love to travel. Finding new places is exciting. As is my backyard. 

LC – What is the most challenging part about creating your artworks?
EB – Getting an abstract I like. Isolating details of the scene. Finding textures in wood. 

LC – How is your creative process?  
EB- Slow down, and pause to take in your living spaces. Look at the world around you. Spend time exploring the environment, natural and man-made. Explore our world.I also like to combine images that are all from the space general space, layer them to create a montage of that place using textures and formatting the images to make an image that gives a sense of place and time.

LC – What do you think about the concept of this exhibition? How did it inspire you? 
EB – I liked it. I am extremely happy that Its Liquid liked my work. I obviously like things that get bypassed. I used images from Morocco that I had been working on for the past year. In Morocco, I was concentrating on the textures and on keeping it simple. I had bronchitis during the trip, so my energy level was low. My images were quite surprising to me afterwards. My right (or is it left?) brain was working overtime. I think it helped me to “let go” and let my brain do the work unconsciously. It’s kind of a zen thing.

LC – What is the message linked to the artwork you have shown in this event?
EB – How is it connected to the theme of the entire exhibition?  If one does the above you will find the secret spaces all around you. Even in between spaces if you look really closely. Sometimes I get quite involved with a subject and spend hours with it, after working completely around the subject. I have a piece of driftwood that I spent the month of June shooting, and I plan to do that again. The wood is fascinating dry, wet and in between. This makes for interesting images. 

LC – What do you think about ITSLIQUID Platform?
EB – This is my first time, and it has been very good so far. I am deeply honoured to have my work included in the exhibits. Everything has been quite smooth. Guilia has been really helpful with what I was unfamiliar with.

LC – What do you think about the organisation of our event? 
EB – Very professional so far. I can’t say more until I visit in July for the next opening of Future Landscapes. But the pictures for Secret Spaces are quite exciting for me. I have been sharing on Facebook and Instagram.

LC – Would you suggest a collaboration with us?
EB – Yes, I already have several people, mostly my mentors and their really devoted following. My mentors advocate for fine art photography. I would not be where I am without their assistance and teaching.  What do you think about our services? I will definitely be trying more in the future. It is quite an exciting prospect and a great leap forward for my career. I am excited to be included and will be looking to do a more in-depth posting with ITSLIQUID.