This thesis explains the stories and concepts behind each piece that was discussed on the opening night of my MFA Exhibition. The works, entitled Film Noir, Brains, Trains, and Beer, The Boy Next Door, Peterbuilt, and 10-50, H-1, was discussed more specifically and in greater detail. Speaking in public has always been a difficult task, especially on the subject of my art. My images deal with the highly intense subject matter of violence inflicted onto others as a result of human social behaviors. These vile social behaviors are translated into colorful and humorous lithographs, etchings, and drawings. These images are displayed to the public for individual interpretation. This thesis discusses audience interpretation before the literal meaning is revealed, how much information should be revealed to the viewer, and how this information manipulates the aesthetics of the piece.

I have been working with horses as imagery for about seven years and my problem in lieu of thesis continued along this vein by researching the roles of the horse in history, specifically mobility, and developing work that creates visual links between the past and present roles of horses. I am a printmaker and the work involved in the project consists of prints that use layers of related images and juxtaposition of unrelated images to accomplish my goals of cohesion between horses and the machinery that has replaced them. As the project developed the links between past and present society became my impetus rather the horse and mobility, and my future work will respond to this.

In an effort to continue the conceptual and aesthetic growth started in graduate school, I have produced a body of work dealing with the relation between the fragmentation of the figure and the self-perception of beauty. I produced twelve prints that have been exhibited at Cora Stafford Gallery. I have analyzed the body of work conceptually and formally and chose to discuss six pieces in a problem- in lieu-of-thesis. My work and book references informed the content of the paper. I divided it into three chapters; Introduction, Description of the Work, and the Conclusion. Within the body of the paper the paragraphs are sectioned into descriptions, methodology and intent of the six pieces. I went into detail of the process and content and addressed the questions posted in the Statement of Problem.