The objectives of the creative problem may be stated in two parts. First, the utilization of the self-portrait theme in order to explore a variety of drawing techniques, media combinations, and surface manipulations; and second, the maintenance of a sketchbook-diary which accompanies the study as supportive data. The sketchbook entries include not only pertinent visual material but also verbal commentary. The sketchbook-diary is sequential and denotes the various stages of development as well as the progression of the study.

This is a method in which designs as a whole are not pre-planned or pre-arranged, but are developed by applying layers of color. This is an additive method for obvious reasons, and it is subtractive because shapes can be covered with opaque paint or very intense stain. Transparent layers of color applied over existing colors cause hue changes, and the process creates subtleties resulting from one color showing through another.

It is the purpose of this study to visually and technically explore the combination of the direct methods of drawing and painting and the more indirect process of silkscreen printing on canvas. The flexibility of the three technical areas- silkscreen, drawing, and painting- proved to make the combination more feasible.

The problem for the project emerged threefold: (1) to further explore the uses of the graphite medium including the possible integration of wet media color on large surfaces, (2) to use the human figure as subject matter, and (3) to explore gessoed drawing surfaces of masonite and paper.

The intention of this study is to examine the relationship between fired clay and certain found objects. Working from the assumption that clay, being a natural substance, shares a common ground with certain other natural substances, such as wood, hemp, rock, etc., a primary aspect of the investigation consists of discovering successful combinations of these materials. In each design two subordinate problems were encountered. These were (1) determining the best means of combining and preserving objects in a semi-permanent state and (2) ascertaining whether the thrown form is by itself visually satisfying or if it would be improved by distortion.

My work is based upon the photographic image and deals with the juxtaposition of abstract elements within a figurative format. The camera and the photograph have become my sketch book and, as such, seem to influence the manner in which I approach and compose my prints and drawings.

The abstract expressionist movement aided in the development of this new personality for the clay world. An entire new dimension was added with extreme manipulation of ceramic pieces. My work reflects feelings and ideas concerning today's society and the status-quo. Common, everyday images recur in my art objects, with a major interest in cars, food, slogans, and puns. These are all a part of the hysteria of the American scene today.

In the fall of 1972 I was required to read Dee Brown's "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee" as an "atmosphere setter" for a seminar on artists of the westward expansion in the United States. When I first started making drawings of some of the Indian leaders, I had no idea of doing a series. I also had no idea that Indians and more especially those of the West, would be consuming so much of my time and thoughts for such a long period. In the beginning the drawings were prompted by a fascination with the bone structure of the Indian faces. The high cheekbones, the prominent noses and unusual eyes caused marvelous patterns of light and dark, making the faces very conducive to caricature. As I began to know these faces as individuals and personalities, however, I knew that caricature was not the direction which i wanted to pursue.

I resolved to consciously examine the role of precise and spontaneous aspects of my drawings as my creative project. I felt that an investigation into the use of precise and spontaneous elements and their relationship to each other would strengthen my understanding of my own work.

This problem concerns the production of large scale ceramic sculpture and its affect on the working method of the artist. Traditionally, western ceramics deals with functional pieces of a personal scale, that is smaller ceramic works which serve specific utilitarian purposes. The concepts of clay as an art medium and the studio-potter have developed over only the last 125 years of western ceramic history.

Three intaglio prints and three drawings will be investigated to answer three specific questions. The questions are: 1. Is it possible to isolate the source of subject matter in my work? 2. What effect do media and subject matter have on each other during image development? and 3. Does my subject matter contained in an entire work contribute to the subject matter of my later works?

This project is an investigation into the sources of sustained, thematically related images through a series of drawings, prints, photographs and sculpture. Because I have always worked best when I have hit upon an image or set of images of considerable symbolic depth, and because I have generally found such images intuitively, a major portion of this project is to determine if such images can be discovered more consciously.

As a painter, I have been working the past few years to develop a mature pictoral image and the concepts of space that were flexible enough for me to produce what I believed was a valid art statement. I have investigated several avenues for improving my work, i.e., acquiring certain technical painting skills, reading more to broaden my concepts and imagination, and visiting various art galleries and museums. During an earlier critique it was realized that the majority of my paintings were all very similar in scale. I decided to approach my work on a much larger scale than previously attempted in the hopes of discovering a better, or at least different painting concept.

This problem is involved with attempting to answer two basic questions: (a) Can I, a commercial artist, expand and develop as an artist through screen printing and make valid aesthetic statements unrelated to client and/or product? and (b) Can knowledge of reproduction methods and photo-mechanical techniques be successfully utilized in screen printing for non-commercial purposes? Extensive notes in the form of a journal were maintained as work on the project progressed. These notes, combined with the completed prints, were the sources of data for this paper.

The problem for this creative research in lieu of thesis has been to investigate in depth the difficulties and possibilities encountered when combining the woodcut and intaglio media into one entirely editionable print. Arriving at this particular problem was natural-- I feel an innate affinity and facility for creating with the woodcut medium.

This document is an attempt to objectify the subjective. The purpose of the investigation was to determine how a previous mode of expression, namely, two dimensional mixed media, could evolve toward an expressive mode which incorporated the making of three dimensional works. The main concern was to determine how the two dimensional statement gave way to one which was three dimensional, or what constituted the three dimensionality of the work.

During the last several years, my art work has evolved around a developing concept nurtured by a fascination with timeworn relics of the past centered itself around an emotional sensibility toward deteriorating fragmentary remnants of archaeological finds and relics of ancient art, predominately pottery shards and old textiles. I was intrigued and stimulated by the feeling of age and by the beauty of these worn and irregular shapes.

The impetus for this project emerged in an effort to move beyond small scaled weavings executed in neutral hues to larger pieces with more color. All of my previous work had been technically oriented, lacking in direction, and limited to neutral hues which blended well together and were readily available. I determined that the project would involve answering two basic questions: (1) could i successfully push these panels to large scale, and (2) could several of these large panels be manipulated to create an interchangeable piece that would work visually in more than one arrangements.

The questions answered by this investigation were as follows: 1. Will a clay surface accept multiple emulsions and multiple development processes with little or no loss of detail? 2. Can a gum-bichromate print be accomplished using a normal 35 millimeter negative in an enlarger? 3. What is the effect of different oxides and fluxes on the emulsion? and 4. What is the effect of firing on the experimental emulsions?

The concern in this project was the utilization of metal joining processes which used no heat in the construction of sculpture. The problem area was motivated by an attempt to avoid some of the inherent problems and limitations incurred when welding, brazing soldering are employed. Specifically, the following questions were considered: 1) Can the non-heat joining process be utilized as a design element? 2) Does non-heat joining allow the use of lighter (30-16) gauge metal? 3) Are distortion and bracing problems reduced by use of non-heat joining processes? 4) Can more diverse metals such as aluminum, copper, brass and bronze be utilized in these processes? 5) Do these non-heat processes make allowances for manipulation of the metal prior to the construction of the sculpture?

The purpose of this project is to provide a record, much like the ones left to us by Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, of the personal influences which motivated the present artist to function productively as a sculptor for a period of one semester: from September 1, 1975 through December 12, 1975. The methods involved in charting such artistic transpirations consisted of two types: a written diary, daily recorded, which indicated the progress, regression, frustration, inspiration, and perceptions which were experienced by the artist during the three-month period; and a series of personal, emotional self-enquiries.

In this creative project, I investigated the problems of producing, selecting, presenting, and installing a one-person exhibition. I executed a series of 31 drawings, paintings and prints from which 21 pieces for the exhibit were selected. From the body of work executed prior to and during my graduate study, 21 pieces were included based upon the relative quality of the imagery. There were no restrictions with regard to media or size. My goal in this project was to assemble and present a coherent and harmonious exhibit in the North Texas State University art gallery.

The purpose of the creative project was to investigate the relationship of figure to ground in a series of paintings in order to better understand how I perceive the space in my work and to analyze the block-out process. Questions regarding the figure/ground relationship are as follow: 1. What is figure, what is ground and what is ambiguous as I see it? 2. What effects do overlapping, shape size, color and value have upon the figure/ground relationship? The portion of the investigation concerning the block-out process has two questions. They are as follow: 1. How do I begin the block-out process? 2. How do I decide what to block out?

My problem was to investigate some of the possibilities which have arisen through my previous work by producing twelve fabric pieces and eight paper pieces. Specifically, the following questions were to be examined: 1. Are there traditional designs or techniques in quilts of the past that can be utilized in my own work? 2. Are the primary colors (red, yellow, blue) in manufactured unaltered fabric more effective than painted or altered fabric? 3. Is there a correlation between the color and imagery in the paper pieces and those of the fabric pieces? 4. Of the project pieces, is there a size that generally appears to be more successful than others?