Loss of Innocence uses sculpture, two-dimensional imagery, and text to explore the moment when children lose their innocence or realize their mortality. In the introduction, I explain that there are many factors, such as age and personality, which determine how children will deal with traumatic events in their lives and the duration of time that must pass before they move past the event. Often, children will combine childhood fantasy with random facts to create their own satisfactory explanation of what has happened. In my problem in lieu of thesis, I discuss work that I created with these thoughts in mind. I explore how the sculpture, two-dimensional imagery, and text work together to convey the emotion of innocence lost.

I proposed in my paper to use juxtaposition of unexpected scale in my sculpture, with the expectation that it would create an unexpected tension that is visually stimulating to the viewer. I achieved this by creating disharmony in scale between an object that is perceived as miniature and an object that is perceived as gigantic within each sculpture. I then asked three questions of these sculptures: Was I able to alter the viewer's preconceived notions of the miniature and the gigantic through the manipulation of the size relationship between two objects within each sculpture? Which of these preconceived notions of the miniature or the gigantic became dominant as the main focal point in each sculpture? Did this intentional use of disharmony in scale stimulate enough of my interest to continue investigating this idea? I wrote about three sculptures that had been made for this project. The first was Manifest Destiny, a seven and a half foot tall bronze piece depicting an oil drill with a platform in the shape of the state of Texas. On the platform a gigantic bronze figure rides a miniature bronze donkey across the platform. The second bronze sculpture I wrote about was Gulliver in Suburbia; …

After generating work for many years in an intuitive, “truth to materials” mindset my intent was to explore the interior possibilities of my sculptural forms and relate these if possible, to the exterior. Alongside this exploration of the interior I introduced surface texture and color onto both interior/exterior surfaces. In some cases the work had undergone a change, which lent new meaning and provided new relationships to exist between the interior/exterior of my sculpture. Not all of the work was satisfactory to me, though I feel there were many positive results from work that may not have been successful. I found that the integration of the interior/exterior dialogue into my existing work provided new meaning allowing new relationships within the work that had not existed previously.

This paper is an experiment using digital video to locate and identify the abstract in everyday life and nature. The abstract moment occurs when the image that is captured by video loses its connection with the original context, allowing the images to be viewed in an entirely new way. The abstract moment is initiated by a transformative instant, that instant in which perception is altered and the viewer sees the intended content of composition of light and sound. The project contains four digital videos that record the artist's progress and interests.

Surfacing the Void is an exploration of surface design in relationship to the topic of voids. For the purpose of this paper, two types of void were addressed: shelters and hulls. The theme behind the sculptural works dealt with negative spaces as an analogy for the voids in people's lives. The goal was to find a way for the surfaces to elicit an emotional response from the viewer that correlates to the impression of either shelter or hull. Keeping this in mind, each experiment was approached with how to best represent the meaning of void being manifested. Imagery was applied during different states of the clay: wet, dry, and fired. Methods of exploration included texturing, drawing, stenciling, stamping, incising, decoupage and covering the surfaces with textiles.

The focus of my graduate work was to find my own voice through my continued efforts in woodcarving. I proposed to produce six to eight wood carved sculptures for my thesis that would be dealing with a juxtaposition of struggle expressively portrayed by the figure between two-dimensional and three-dimensional worlds. I used these works to express my emotions about myself, and my interactions with others in a form of nonverbal communication with the viewer. The result of this process did lead me to find my own voice and with this voice I expressed three-dimensionally, not only my own struggles, but also those that many other women have experienced as well.

Work of art in ceramic, sculpture, wood, and trash by artist Amy Wachal as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Angelfish Prayers". Each year, at least 8.8 million tons of plastics are leaked into the ocean: the equivalent of dumping the contents of one garbage trucks into the ocean every minute. The ocean currents carry this trash and dump it onto beaches. The crisis is of massive proportion. An unprecedented plastic tide has occurred, pervasively affecting the world’s oceans, beaches, coasts, seafloor, animals and ultimately, us.

Work of art in Ceramic Sculpture by artist Amy Wachal as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Angelfish Prayers". Coral reefs around the world are dying at an unprecedented rate. Once the coral is dead, the reefs will also die and erode, destroying important marine life spawning and feeding grounds.Chasing Coral is a documentary that inspired this work. The documentary captures visual evidence of coral bleaching, and goes into depth about its causes. Watch it on Netflix.

Work of art in ceramic sculpture, steel, trash by artist Amy Wachal as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Angelfish Prayers". Each year, at least 8.8 million tons of plastics are leaked into the ocean: the equivalent of dumping the contents of one garbage truck into the ocean every minute. Unless corrective action is taken, this figure is expected to increase to two trucks per minute by 2030, and four per minute by 2050.The oceans currently hold over 150 million tons of plastic waste.

Work of art in newspaper by artist Amy Wachal as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Angelfish Prayers". Fish created from current newspaper headlines about the degradation of the oceans

Work of art in ceramic sculpture and bronze by artist Amy Wachal as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Angelfish Prayers". On the main island of Hawaii, the lava flows have created Olivine Tide Pools. In this piece, the spirit of the island known as Pele, a fiery goddess, is saddened by the inability of the human species to as yet claim it’s inheritance of dominion and care of the planet and the oceans.

Work of art in ceramic sculpture, wood and bronze by artist Amy Wachal as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Angelfish Prayers". The Sea Otter was hunted to near extinction in the 19th century. Now, thanks to their protected status under the Endangered Species Act & Marine Mammal Protection Act, sea otters are making a comeback in California, Washington, and Alaska. Proof that when people come together and fight for change, there is hope.

Work of art in ceramic and bronze sculptures by artist Amy Wachal as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Angelfish Prayers".

Work of art in ceramic sculpture by artist Amy Wachal as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Angelfish Prayers".

Work of art in Ceramic and bronze (detail of exhibition) by artist Amy Wachal as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Angelfish Prayers".

Work of art in Ceramic Sculpture by artist Amy Wachal as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Angelfish Prayers". Biological diversity in the oceans has decreased dramatically in this century. The primary causes for the losses include the destruction of habitats by trawler fishing, pollution and the steady progress of climate change.

Work of art in ceramic sculptures by artist Amy Wachal as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Angelfish Prayers".

Work of art in ceramic, sculpture, wood, and trash by artist Amy Wachal as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Angelfish Prayers".

Movement, whether conveyed through an actual motion or a gestured implication, remains an underlying theme in my creative process that started with my earliest works. I explored different aspects of kinetic sculpture, because I am seeking new ways to create motion such as experimenting with circulating air, wind, and the use of water features. I created a series consisting of three to five kinetic sculptures which do not rely on sound or direct viewer manipulation.

The focus of my graduate work was to figure my way through a variety of challenges and transitions I was going through as a graduate student and simply as a person finding my way through my education to discover who I am and who I want to become. Perhaps my themes didn't focus primarily on these events in a literal sense, but I think the transitions in my artwork have become obvious through my time spent at UNT and the variations on a theme I have dealt with. All of my work deals with love, attraction, repulsion and the consequences we deal with as human beings when we make choices according to whom we choose to have relations with. It became very important for me to deal with these issues in an effort to discover what my expectations of myself as an artist and a person are.

This autobiographical problem in lieu of thesis explores the subject matter of the sculpture, revolving around the issues of dyslexia and literacy, and builds upon the idea of metaphor and its function in relationship to the sculpture. The four visual and conceptual elements that are emphasized are: (a) the juxtaposition and arrangement of elements and materials; (b) inability to open the books; (c) alteration of the text to make the words illegible, by creating words that are fuzzy or transparent; and (d) repetition and scale. Also discussed are ideas of post modern criticism with an emphasis on semiotics and writing of Derada in relationship to his contemporary analysis of his sculpture.

The following paper reveals some aspects of my thoughts about art. The works discussed are featured in my M.F.A. exhibition. All works are mainly based on the ideas of absence, self-reference and utilization in art practice, even though each piece approaches the subject from differing angles. My dissatisfaction with preconceived notions in the contemporary art, rooted in art history, has shifted my focus from concerns of the direct, physical presence of artworks to the indirect or indecisive elements of their context. From this position I have felt free to explore the paradox of self-reference that is involved in performance. In addition, by transferring art works to functional objects, I have found a way to infuse everyday life with my art, and vice-versa. The ambiguity of interpreting artworks with language means that I present this paper with photographic documentation of my artwork. Combined, this will give a clear indication of the thrust of my graduate studies and the current theatrical direction of my art.

This thesis presents a body of work that acknowledges Rural American landscape and the importance of its conservation. This conservation is not restricted to recognizing the rural landscape as strictly a natural resource, rather, a spiritual place that fosters a positive side of humanity.

This Problem in Lieu of Thesis documents the thought processes that led to the completion of a series of five interactive sculptures. Each piece incorporates a part of the human body taken from its normal context and placed into the context of children's playground equipment.