In the history of ceramics my interest centers around times in particular cultures when ceramic containers were an essential part of life. I am most interested in functional pottery produced in nineteenth century North America between the years 1800-1870. This was a period in which some of the finest pots used for containing things were produced.

The purpose of this project was to manipulate imagery present within the Tarot in a symbolic and visual space working through my own process of preconception. Each of the finished pieces was to be derived through an initial traditional process and then altered by use of monoprint methods and the incorporation of found object directly upon the print surface to give the illusion of a three-dimensional character, or actually contain the print in a three-dimensional format.

The purpose of this project was to create and present groups of stelae which contain personal imagery derived from archetypal feminine symbols used as hieroglyphs. The groupings of the stelae, by nature of the problem, took on a ritual appearance. Two groups of twelve stelae each were constructed with materials and techniques used in a fiber tradition. Each individual stele was designed to function alone as well as in a group.

My interest in pictorial representationalism began when I started painting and drawing as a child, and my concern for working realistically continued and developed through my undergraduate years in college. In this investigation i explored the working processes used in a representational approach to contemporary woven tapestries. A brief discussion of the origins of representational woven tapestries with concentration upon Twentieth Century textiles was followed by an analysis of the influences upon my work by artists and stylistic trends.

The investigation concerned itself with the following questions: 1. What was the relationship of the structural grid system to the layered materials? 2. How much of the final results of the works were dependent on the process of constructing the pieces? 3. What processes were used to change surface quality? 4. What were the various methods of installation in a gallery?

This descriptive report is designed to document the development of this conceptual structure. The purpose is to clarify each aspect of the metaphor and its relationship to the conceptual structure thereby providing more organized , as well as new material to strengthen future work. This metaphor serves as a triggering mechanism for visual imagery.

The unique nature of this process raised major technical questions that I intended to address during this project. The purpose was to obtain a quality surface, considering both visual and textural considerations, while using the copper matt finish.

The intent of this problem was twofold: (1) to demonstrate the adaptability of woven tubular forms in an exhibition space and (2) to demonstrate how support structures could be successfully combined with woven fabric forms as part of the overall design. The problem was executed to alleviate some of the limitations imposed by exhibition spaces. Specifically, the more versatile the piece, the greater the potential for aesthetic and structural effect.

The purpose of this study was to examine the standard line of functional pottery produced in my studio. It involved two areas, and the questions I presented to myself were the following: 1. How is each form developed? 2. What consideration is given to the specific function of that form? 3. How can the development of a standard line of production strengthen the personal style of my pots?

The focal point of the study was the use of gestural and photographic imagery in printmaking, and how that imagery could be combined to form a personal aesthetic. The purpose of this project was twofold: to create, describe, and interpret works which called attention to the dichotomy and unification of gestural and photographic imagery; and, to allow for positive personal growth, which would be absorbed into future studio work.

The intent of this project was to utilize hakeme in a personal and cross-cultural manner. This was a reinterpretation of a traditional Oriental technique. Reflecting my own background and interest in earthenware pottery, hakeme was adapted for use on low fire red clay. This reorientation of the hakeme technique to low fire ceramics indicated the strong western influence that i wished to integrate into this body of work. Hakeme was utilized in a self-conscious manner and became a less restrained translation of the technique.

I have designed and built a brickless ceramic studio kiln which is modular in design and consists of ceramic fiber insulation and a protective aluminum exterior skin. I wanted a kiln that employed current technology and would be suited to my needs as a ceramic artist. It is my hope that this research will encourage people to consider the possibilities available when constructing new kilns and to be willing to experiment in order to find new solutions to the problems that continually confront us.

I constructed ceramic/mixed media instruments, recorded rhythmic music composed for and played on my instruments, and prepared a slide presentation portraying my daily rituals a studio artist. I describe in this paper the process involved in creating this environment and give an interpretation of the work by answering the following questions. 1. What were the rituals that were essential to the creation of my work? 2. In what ways did the use of the different visual and audio media work together to create a unified environment? 3. In what ways was the total experience of the different media a more direct and fulfilling expression of my goals as an artist, or are these goals better fulfilled when working in one media?

The problem was to combine yarns and fabrics, through various textile processes, (off-loom and on-loom techniques may be incorporated), that involve a personal dimension and an aesthetic value. The specific questions to be examined were the following: 1. How are successful textural surfaces achieved? 2. What kinds of interdependence among color, surface texture, and imagery exist? 3. How foes scale affect the works? 4. In what ways are autobiographical images compatible with the processes?

In the visual arts, I was interested in creating patterns with clay, glass, and metal, utilizing the visual elements (line, color, shape and texture). I arranged, rearranged, and distorted the elements until I obtained a fragmented, yet, unified pattern. My visual ideas were rhythmical (gestural) in nature with or without the direct stimulus of music. Concepts originated in my mind with symbols and sounds simultaneously.

I wanted to produce a body of work related to the problem of decontextualizing objects. By challenging the object's habitual associations, I hoped to provoke a new set of relationships for the viewer. I kept a journal of personal information, dreams and events, that might later provide imagery for and insights into the work. My goal in the endeavor was to acquire concision and complexity in imagistic language, a language in which the definite and the indeterminate would coincide very simply to provoke a variety of unexpected associations.

It was my intent that the formats work harmoniously with the printed matter, conceptually, aesthetically, and functionally. Specific concerns addressed were 1. How did the format contribute to a clearer understanding of the print concept? 2. How did the functional design and construction of the formats contribute to or detract from the successful unification of print and format? 3. How did the aesthetic design and construction of the formats contribute to or detract from the successful unification of print and format? Five formats were constructed, several consisting of multiple parts. A comparative photographic record of each print, as originally conceived and subsequently displayed within these formats, will be presented for evaluation.

The intent of this study was to construct a group of forty wheel-thrown vessels, comprised of four forms, in series of ten. The surface of these pots was to be enriched through the use of various materials and techniques. These included slip trailing, brushed slip, glaze and over glaze colorants. The decorative theme I pursued was based on abstract floral images. I admire both the ordered structure of plant forms and the slightly imperfect symmetry contained within their various parts. I have attempted to express their gestural quality and delicate nature in my surface decoration.

In developing the ideas for this project, one of the major questions to be addressed was how well this method of combining prints, drawings and jewelry into a single collage would contribute to expressing the themes of intimacy and secretiveness already present in the individual pieces. It seemed that surrounding the jewelry with an environment that shared and repeated the private qualities of these objects would increase the intimacy of the work.

From this investigation, I hoped to answer the following questions. 1) Was there a relationship between the apparent disorder evident at a boundary area and the wave form? 2. Was the wave configuration an archetypal motif? 3. If there was an archetypal wave form, did its presence transcend the use of a scientific medium?

I developed twenty-three stains to use in low-temperature salt firing for my work. The stains that i made were compared to the commercially made stains to determine the similarities and differences. I felt that after much experimentation using a variety of different oxides in different amounts and calcining these amounts together in an electric kiln (heating the oxides up to about 1733 degrees Fahrenheit) that I was able to produce stable and consistent stains.

The purpose of this project has been to consider the importance of the words in my work. The problem was to focus more clearly on the use of words and their relationship to the visual elements and content. It was hoped also that it would determine how the work is altered by these factors.

Questions that arise are: 1. How will the form and content of my current work be affected by a more implicit narrative form? 2. How will the work be affected by: a. source of imagery? b. scale of images and overall works? c. materials? d. intent? Will the intent of my current work change because of a more linear narrative format? 3. Assuming the narrative will change from one piece to another, what will be the effect of placement of images in each work and how will the placement of each work in relation to the others be affected?

The synthesis of mechanical/organic abstracted forms with suggestive power and specific purpose are elements i decided to continue to explore. I wished to make a more careful and systematic analysis of how something man-made could be transformed into a quasi-mechanical abstraction, perhaps a process similar to that in the Mayan art. The purpose of this project was: (1) to analyze how the shapes and forms arise in my abstract images and (2) to devise specific functions for them within the context of the final form.