Tintype by Dale Bernstein

ABOUT THE ARTIST


Katy Volikas (b. 1995) is an artist born in central Indiana, United States. After a decade of traditional training, she became nationally recognized at age 18. She was selected by Alliance for Young Artists and Writers for the 2014 Scholastic Art and Writing group show and awarded the Silver Key. Critics selected her work after the exhibition to tour the country in 2 separate year-long exhibits. She was then named a 2014 Whitinger Scholar, which “....is the most prestigious scholarship awarded by Ball State University, honoring 8 exceptionally talented students each year with an academic full-ride.” She graduated with a B.S. in Political Science and studied art history, the human condition, and classic literature with the Honors College.

Volikas creates narrative oil and charcoal portraits in a classical style with chiaroscuro and verdaccio techniques. She plans symbolism into the composition centering on religion, literature, historical events, and the natural world. She is best known for creating dramatic settings with American Gothic themes. Her work explores the dichotomy between divinity and the human condition, asserting through each scene that we have the capacity to embody contradictory truths.

Volikas began replicating the chiaroscuro technique from her paintings with Polaroid film in 2018 to produce commercial work.  She developed a method on set to recreate the effect of rare duochrome Polaroid with the regular chemistry of the 600 line. Her collection of film was reviewed by Paris based Newland Camera and she was named a Pioneer in the Polaroid community in 2021. This included her in the financing and development of the world's first integral film back adapter for Land cameras.  Participation in the Newland Collection, a dedicated book, and an international exhibition to show the possibilities of this new technology is scheduled for 2025.