Fine Arts Commons^™

Fragments And Transcendence, David Hill

All Theses

The fragmented figure is a compelling image. To present the figure in fragments is to place the viewer in a position of recognizing their own mortality and fragility, eliciting an emotional response that goes beyond an aesthetic appreciation of the body as form. The Venus de Milo, arguably one of the most well recognized works of art in all of history illustrates this idea perfectly. There are plenty of complete sculptures of the goddess from the same period, but the armless Venus de Milo stands as the epitome of grace and beauty above the rest, and any attempts to restore …

Vernacular Whimsy., Aleta Nadine Chandler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis supports the Master of Fine Arts exhibition entitled Vernacular Whimsy at Johnson City Area Arts Council, Johnson City, Tennessee, November 1-13, 2008. The exhibition is comprised of thirty ceramic sculptures presented on pedestals. The exhibition presents the artist's investigation and reinterpretation of regional architectural elements. Practical consideration of structure, technique, and influence is discussed. Included are detailed images as well as a complete catalog of the thesis exhibit.

A Sweeter Life: A Celebration Of Desserts, Jennifer Gawronski

LSU Master's Theses

My thesis show, A Sweeter Life: A Celebration of Desserts is an exploration in using clay to create a celebratory event. Throughout my graduate studies I have been interested in creating memorable moments for my audience through the use of functional ceramic objects. The utilitarian forms are inspired by specific foods. This body of work celebrates the pleasures of springtime desserts through the use of unique table settings. Each setting has its own theme of fruit or delicacy to highlight the joy of desserts. I am interested in how desserts can be enhanced by their serving pieces and how a …

Eating Wonderland: Recent Work By Sue Johnson, University Of Richmond Museums

Exhibition Brochures

Eating Wonderland: Recent Work by Sue Johnson

February 8 to June 15, 2008

Lora Robins Gallery of Design from Nature

Introduction

We very pleased to present the work of Maryland artist Sue Johnson at the Lora Robins Gallery of Design from Nature, University of Richmond Museums. The exhibition premieres recent ceramic work created by Johnson at the Arts/Industry residency program of the John Michael Kohler Art Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and funded by Kohler Company, Kohler, Wisconsin. This unique residency provides visiting artists the opportunity to learn techniques and work with materials and equipment in Kohler's pottery, iron, and brass foundries. …

Culturally-Constructed Barriers, Hae-Jung Lee

LSU Master's Theses

I have traveled to and lived in many different countries outside my native country of Korea. These opportunities have allowed me to meet diverse people and learn about their unique cultures. While living in the United States, I have experienced culture shock in such everyday activities as observing students eating food during class, wearing pajamas at school, and other similar displays of informal behavior. I was taught to follow Confucian ideas; the basic principles being to respect one¡¯s elders and to be considerate of other people. Compared to Korean culture, Western culture seems very open-minded and individualistic. Adjusting to the …

The Uses Of Enchantment, Anna Belenki

LSU Master's Theses

This work begins with the decorative arts. It is inspired by the seductive color and line of Iznik tile from the Ottoman Empire and the ornate decorative flourishes of 18th. Century Chinoiserie wall paper that depicts fantastic landscapes and fanciful animals. The bears, cats, birds, snakes, and dogs and people dressed in costumes that appear in the tiles are the protagonists of a fairy tale yet to be written. The uses of enchantment are endlessly fascinating. Enchantment fulfills our need for fantasy, beauty, meaning and reassurance. It connects us to the past and equips us to face the present, secure …

Discerning Lines Of Demarcation, Jennifer Dawn Poueymirou

LSU Master's Theses

Discerning Lines of Demarcation is an investigation into the accumulated landscape of distressing times. Situations of mass destruction, loss of family, substance abuse, domestic violence, loss of friendship, and uncertain health have all been encountered within a steady progression in the last five to six years of my life. The digestion of these situations has been slow as the events overlap and intertwine each other. I have tweezed and distilled these circumstances. This is described through different types of terrains that create physical boundaries to represent psychological fears or events. Tied to Your Hate; How Much More Will Fall, Untitled, …

The Chemistry Of My Affections, David Scott Smith

LSU Master's Theses

Although I have always been interested in the origins of my thought processes and the methods and compulsions that motivate my work, in past work I have avoided self portraiture, or blatant explorations into my own sense of self. With my thesis project I wanted to conduct an express exploration into the psychology of my motivations. My initial goal was to create an environment, a sense of place, where both the viewer and myself are drawn into the work, and confronted with a unique experience of personal expression. The focal point is a bath enclosed within a grotto, which symbolizes …

Memories Near And Far, Merrie Marie Wright

LSU Master's Theses

Memories Near and Far depicts the transformation, emotionally and psychologically, that occurs when childhood meets adulthood. The loss of naiveté, accumulation of experiences and memories, and the release of memory necessary to move on to new experiences mark this transition. The events that occur during this time period are represented through seven installations: Incubation, I Am What I Fear, Consumed, An Offering: Gifts for Healing, Between Realities, The Self as a House: Self-Confinement, and Gleanings. The work portrays memories of my personal journey through this time, the struggles I encountered, and lessons I have learned. Color, accumulation, and repetition of …

Led Into Temptation, Pamela Elizabeth Caskanett

LSU Master's Theses

I am leading the viewer to experience a room full of sinful, sensual and guilty pleasures through a visual feast of sugary excess. I create a tactile environment of anticipation, desire and delight. Using sugary sweet colors, smooth curvaceous forms dressed with spikes, nipples, bumps and knobs, and objects of scale. The objective is to make the viewers salivate, confusing desire with need, leaving them to question, "What is temptation?" A visceral visual sugary landscape is created where food and vessel co-exist, each relying on the other to be complete and fulfilling.

In The Dark Woods I Lost My Way, Debbie Kupinsky

LSU Master's Theses

When I had journeyed half our life's way, I found myself in a shadowed forest. For I had Lost the path that does not stray Ah, it is hard to speak of what it was, That savage forest, dense and difficult, Which even in recall renews my fear: So bitter-death is hardly so severe! Dante Alegheri Inferno Canto 1 Dante's passage refers to the losing of a spiritual path, but for me it refers to the destruction of the past, memory and self. My work deals with the loss of the past and the burdens of memory. It deals with …

Full, Leanne Rose Mcclurg

LSU Master's Theses

As an artist I want to make my human experience sharable. I am interested in the connection between the act of consumption, the desire that leads to that act and the repercussions of fulfilling that desire on the body both social and intimate.I have chosen the hand made pot to express my thoughts of filling the vessel. It is in the arena of eating that I begin to understand larger philosophical issues about sentience. Using dishes I made, I have chosen to illustrate the experience of consumption by leaving remnants of a dinner on display during gallery hours. How much …

Experiments In The Decorative Process Of Salt-Glazing, James A. Thornsbury

All Master's Theses

It is the purpose of this study to explore the process of salt-glazing and to develop a representative range of colored salt glazes by the application of soluble and insoluble metallic salts to the surface of the clay bodies. Varying percentages of clay forming constituents and metallic salts were tested to determine their effects on the range and characteristics of the colors obtained, and the ability of the clay body to take a salt-glaze. Firing techniques, kiln atmosphere control, and salting procedures were studied to determine their effects on the color of both clay and glaze, the ability of the …