My Series „Realism“ explores abstraction through brush-applied gel on glass, transforming portraiture into a study of texture, distortion and controlled structure. The result is a black and white series suspended between material realism and painterly abstraction.
02.03.2026 by Sabine Fischer
For this self-portrait series I used gel, applied directly onto a sheet of glass using a brush. I painted the gel intuitively across the head, shoulders and chest area. Instead of dissolving the figure completely, the gel bends and drags light into wonderful painterly vertical and diagonal distortions/brush strokes within the photographic frame.
A large daylight softbox provided controlled and even illumination. The soft light source allowed the texture of the gel to remain visible while preserving the sculptural presence of the body beneath it. In black and white the focus shifts entirely to contrast, surface and structure, removing colour as distraction.
Technical Details
Medium: Digital photography
Process: Transparent Gel on glass, in-camera abstraction
Edition: Limited fine art prints available
Year: 2025
Before photographing myself I tested the material with tulips placed behind the glass. The flowers became my first subject for the process: their recognisable form collapses into sweeping marks, blurred edges and glossy streaks, hovering between photography and painting. In this image the tulips read less as flowers and more as dark, gestural shapes: A painting like still life built from texture and distortion.
In this isolated composition the portrait dissolves into a vertical structure of light and texture. The gel transforms the body into a sculptural presence built from streaks, density and contrast. The figure remains perceptible, yet it is redefined as a physical abstraction shaped entirely in-camera.
In one of the final images the figure was carefully isolated from the background in post-production (Adobe Photoshop) to refine the visual concentration. The intervention remained subtle. The core distortion however originates from the physical gel and the in-camera process, reinforcing the tension between material realism and abstract form.
Hey, I am Sabine / sabinefey, a self-portrait photo artist and graphic designer based in Germany. Since 2008 I’ve been exploring experimental self-portrait photography using light, projection, fog, movement, and surface interventions like oil-on-glass to translate inner states into visual form.
Equipment: Nikon D850/D750 · Sigma 35mm & 50mm f/1.4 Art
Discover new self portrait photography projects, behind-the-scenes insights, and visual experiments. For collaborations, exhibitions, interviews, print requests or creative exchange, feel free to get in touch: hello@phoenixstudios.de
