Elisabeth Smith is from Greenville, South Carolina. She will graduate from Clemson University in May of 2014 with a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts. Her concentration is photography. While at Clemson University, Smith worked as an intern for Lee Gallery for three semesters, learning a variety of tasks that are essential for working in a gallery. In the future, Smith plans to further pursue her photography career and explore other opportunities in the art field.
Artist Statement
We build homes to protect ourselves from the elements, but continually bring components from the outdoors indoors. Potted and silk plants and nature themed linens are furnishings that decorate our homes. We want to be around what reminds us of nature, but fear being in real nature for long periods, hiding in our shelters.
My photographs depict scenes and furnishings from within the home and daily routines individuals conduct in the home. However, I depict these scenes and routines without the hypothetical “four walls” of our homes, exposing us to nature. We clear land to make a space to live in nature, but then build homes to protect us from nature, living in nature while maintaining a barrier. My work questions how individuals would react to living normally in nature without the physically and psychologically protecting “four walls” of their homes and how others would assess them.
Muse and Motion 