VANITAS STILL LIFE

This photo was taken as a part of a project for a photography unit in 2014. It was my first foray into painting with torchlight, and I absolutely fell in love with the technique. The concept behind this image was this idea of a self portrait translated into still life. The books represent a thirst for knowledge, the quill and leather bound notebook a desire to record and document life's experiences, and the bright red flowers a symbol of human fragility. BUT the flowers are artificial and this represents a struggle to be authentic. This is one of my most favourite photographs, and I hope to continue it into a series in the future.