Art and Design Commons^™

My Spring 2023 Honors Thesis, Callie Honaker

Undergraduate Honors Theses

For my thesis project, I displayed fifteen printed photographs of self-portraits that I have made outside of class. In these self-portraits, I have applied special effects makeup to my face to create different portrayals of myself. These range from more abstracted makeup to characters. The majority of these makeups are from the chest up and created with face paint and self-made prosthetics. In this imagery, I have also chosen accessories and the background to coincide with the makeup and the mood that I am conveying. Minor adjustments have been made digitally in order to enhance how the image comes across. …

Preying For A Miracle, Hannah Oakes

Undergraduate Honors Theses

For my BFA Capstone exhibition Preying For a Miracle I analyzed the Biblical book of Job found in the Old Testament in relation to my own life. My interest in the Book of Job stems from a human desire to understand suffering, especially suffering that is unprovoked. At the beginning of the book of Job, Job is described as “blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil”. (Job 1:1) As the first chapter of the book progresses, Satan comes to God and presents a wager. Satan insinuates that Job is only faithful to God because God has “put a …

Undesirable Forms, Maria Risner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Master of Fine Arts exhibition, Undesirable Forms, presents a collection of paintings and sculptures that focus on the repulsion and discomfort a woman can experience within her mind and body. These works were exhibited at the Tipton gallery, in downtown Johnson City. The pieces included in this exhibition consist of encaustic paintings on panel, and sculptures created from plaster life-casts.

The ideas discussed in this paper are influenced by Julia Kristeva and Sigmund Freud’s work relating to the abject/grotesque female body. This paper also discusses inspiration from other artists, such as Natalie Frank and Helen Chadwick, who work …

Sexual Assault Victims And How They Cope: A Creative Thesis From A Survivor’S Perspective, Taylor C. Campbell Ms.

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis shows the creative process that fine artist Taylor Campbell went through while completing a painting show about the sexual assault epidemic on college campuses. Because she has been a victim of both sexual harassment and assault while attending college, she dives deeper into how she and other survivors cope with their trauma and uses her creative outlet to help get conversation started about the epidemic. She hopes with her research and her paintings that other survivors will realize they are not alone in their battles and are surrounded by people who are ready and willing to help. She …

Remembrance: Drink While The Water Is Clean, Marissa Angel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis paper supports the Artist’s Master of Fine Arts exhibition held at the Tipton Gallery, located in downtown Johnson City TN from November 30, 2015 through January 22, 2016. The works Included in the exhibition consists of a series of mixed media collage paintings, a large scale etching combined with clay and a site specific installation.

The Exhibit features work that delves into the concept of nature as a subject of beauty, as well as a symbol of the resiliency of life. The work in this exhibit exposes the separation that exists between humanity and the natural world. Through …

Submersion, Hannah M. Harper Ms.

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The artist discusses the influence, concept, and process behind creating a cohesive body of work and accompanying show, Submersion, for the completion of her Bachelor of Arts degree and undergraduate research for the Fine and Performing Art Scholars branch of East Tennessee State University's Honors College. The show is to be held May 1st through May 7th of 2014 with its reception on May 3rd in the Submarine Gallery located on ETSU campus. The artist explored themes of the unknown, subconscious, and memory, using water as a reoccurring symbol. The works include five large portraits and two small to medium …

A Matter Of Taste., Charles E. Haskins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis paper supports the Master of Fine Arts exhibition at the Slocumb Galleries, East Tennessee State University, from March 14th through March 18th, 2011. The exhibit is composed of nine oil paintings depicting an invented story about two characters who create a soup for a cooking competition. The show A Matter of Taste chronicles an allegory concerning the evaluation of creative works. Through Gaudie and Baudie's "odd" recipe this work illustrates the ways in artists and art audiences interact and determine artistic value. The work is inspired by techniques in distortion and narrative painting. The following expands on the …

Mud And Ashes., Timothy Mcdonald

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The artist discusses the work in Mud and Ashes, his Master of Fine Arts exhibition held at Slocumb Galleries, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee, from March 28 to April 1, 2005. The exhibition marks a turning point in the artist’s work, occupying a beginning place as he completes his graduate career. The work consists of fifteen paintings and one sculptural installation. The paintings are on paper and employ local materials such as red clay, pollen, and beeswax along with traditional artist’s materials such as oil and charcoal. Fire and a power sander have also been used as …

Aftermath, Emily Frances Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My work is an attempt to express some of the deepest emotions held within myself; truths that seem to flow straight from my unconscious to the surface through forms that are raw, powerful, ambiguous, mysterious, emotional, and pure. In my paintings, I am dealing with the aftermath of rape.

In my paintings, I combine content with complex studio processes by using the figure, limited watercolor palette, expressive mark making, and a distressed surface.