Artist Statement

A home is a place where one feels safe and accepted, or one where people can be themselves without fear of judgment. While many think of their home as the place they live or wherever their family resides, some do not feel safe or loved with their families and must seek comfort elsewhere. In my artwork, the subject is sitting on the ground in the library reading a book, while surrounded by books in order to escape her life outside of what she is reading. She is immersed in the books, clearly not paying attention to the world around her because she feels safe when she is around literature.

To create this work, I had to go to the library and set up a realistic looking area where one could be reading. I took books off the shelves and laid them around the subject as if she had piled the books around her herself, and laid a few of them open as if she was reading them. I exaggerated the number of books that would actually be around her, but not to the point of it looking entirely realistic. I had the subject sit and actually read the book in her hands for a few minutes to capture what she looked like when naturally going through a book while looking comfortable.

While taking this photo I learned how to exaggerate scenes enough to get a point across while still looking realistic.

Unedited Final