Art and Design Commons^™

Creating Color: Unearthing The Chemistry Of Ceramic Glazes, Jessica Mariah Hargis

Honors Theses

There is something magical about taking lumps of cold clay and turning them into a functional form. The transofrmation process is what first peaked my interest in ceramics. I turned this visual art form my junior year of college after being completely overwhelmed by my chemistry major. Not only did Ceramics 1 teach me basic hand building and surface design techniques, but it allowed me to literally pound out my stress. I've gained a strong adoration for ceramics because it relieves my stress and gives me the opportunity to express myself.

After taking Ceramics 1, enrolling in Ceramics 2 was …

Beauty Is Born Of The Rain: Walter Inglis Anderson's Art And Isolation, Chloe Evelyn Huff

Honors Theses

Walter “Bob” Inglis Anderson: naturist, painter, and ceramicist. Some say he was mad, while others were inclined to say that he was merely passionate regarding nature and his watercolors. However, he is highly regarded as one of the most talented artists east of the Mississippi. In the following pages, his life, art, and battles with a mental illness will be spread out and investigated closely with the primary goal of observing whether his bouts of illness affected his art. To investigate this relationship, it is necessary to examine Walter Anderson’s early life and art, along with his progression into mental …

Abstract Expressionism: An American Phenomenon, Judee Thompson Royston

Honors Theses

One of the newest types of painting in the modern tradition is Abstract Expressionism. It began in New York around 1944. All the experience of Americans with modern art had been poured into the melting pot of the city. Present were not only eminent native artists, but also Europeans with established reputations--refugees from Fascist Spain Nazi Germany, and Occupied France. Their meetings with each other brought about interchanges on all levels of thought and practice. Out of this mixture came not an adaptation of a trend formalized abroad but a new style of painting created in America.

It is true …

The Use Of Color, Lois Kirkpatrick

Honors Theses

With receding colors or appropriate contrasts, the apparent size of a room can be markedly increased. Ceilings can be made to seem higher or lower with a coat of paint. Where there is no sunlight, its effects can be simulated with yellow walls, and excessive brightness or glare can be reduced with cool, darkish surfaces.

Forces Influencing The Art Of Vincent Van Gogh, Judee Thompson Royston

Honors Theses

The violence and brilliance of the canvases of Vincent van Gogh remain as mute reminders of a short and tragic life. A misfit in a world that could not appreciate his genius until after his death, Van Gogh lived passionately and impulsively, reaching out for vague, unattainable goals and trusting his innermost thoughts to strangers. Suffering rejection and indifference from those around him, he stands today as the archetype of the neglected genius.

The French Impressionists, Bill Merrell

Honors Theses

Impressionism seems to have arisen as a close study of nature and external phenomena. It was at first regarded as a meteor destined to go out, but now the name "impressionist" appears to be an imprecise description of the group of painters who in 1874 held an exhibition and by a penny-a-liner were dubbed Impressionists. They were a mixed lot: some of them were already known as followers of Courbet and Manet, others had worked under the influence of Corot, one at least was a disciple of Ingres. In 1870 they had been more or less independent painters, each going …

Belief Even Unto Martyrdom, Susan Murray

Honors Theses

From the title of this Special Studies project it is perhaps difficult to determine that it is about Vincent van Gogh--the sensitive Dutch boy--the passionate artist--the rejected man. With this short summary of his life and the trials, the problems, and the love, I hope to show how the statement "belief even unto martyrdom" applies to van Gogh. I further will endeavor to prove that Vincent van Gogh was the father of the modern Expressionist movement.

The Weird World Of Surrealistic Painting, Barbara Battle

Honors Theses

When the topic Surrealism is introduced to the average conversation, the general knowledge concerning it is that Dali is supposedly the main Surrealist, and that the Surrealists painted nonsensical make-believe canvases. But the weird world of Surrealistic art goes much deeper than this, and its roots are far more attached to the importance of man's existence. The movement of Surrealism, though somewhat short-lived, was one of tremendous fervor and power. The men who developed it had an entirely new insight toward not just painting pictures, but toward building a new philosophy of life.

Two of the main characteristics of Surrealism …

China Painting, Julie Ward

Honors Theses

I chose hand painting a complete twelve-place setting of china for my special studies project. I will explain how each step is done and how I chose to paint mine.