The problem I proposed to explore involved making changes in personal work practices in the studio as well as studio organization. Using advice and practices that I have gleaned over the past few years, I made changes in the areas of studio organization, wheel production, and the glaze decoration process with the goal of adapting to a limited studio space and becoming more productive.

For the problem in lieu of thesis, a series of ten works were created in which a male image replaced the female image; I continued to utilize the same materials, format, and centralized frontal figure. A record of the work was accomplished by maintaining a written and visual journal on progress and outcome. Some research was made into topics related to the work, and the findings from the literature comprise chapter two of the paper. In executing this body of work and researching related topics, I hoped to better understand my conscious and unconscious processes and motivations in creating both the self-portrait series and the new series.

Since I was a young child, I have had a deep interest in all facets of the cultures of early humans and more modern primitive peoples-- in particular, their art and their mythology. It was my proposal, therefore, to combine these interests with the styles of my earlier works by using images drawn from the various aspects of my ancestry in several pieces of work in which the layering of those images-- similar to the layers of my heritage-- was used. My choices were limited to a set number of images listed in a "dictionary of symbols." I continued to engage in on-going research of these symbols to determine if there were relationships in their meanings between the various cultural elements of my ancestry.

The intention of my mask-making was to present a body of work that visually captured my many encounters with spiritual presences in nature. From my perspective, these spiritual presences can be described most effectively as Platonic ideals, or the blueprints from which all physical forms are derived. These spirits are, therefore, the life breath and animating force behind the material world. I wanted to transcend the mere physical manifestations of nature and create in the masks a primary vehicle or conduit for the spiritual presences that I sensed in nature.

Just as packaging in its most mundane, pragmatic sense refers to the commercial and traditional aspects of jewelry, so also does display. In addition to being a mere vehicle for presentation, the idea of display creates an intriguing set of design and conceptual problems which seem to be a natural extension of my current and ongoing concerns.

For a year I have tried to be as far away from painting (painting in a strict sense, i.e., two-dimensional, canvas, glazes, washes, etc., as possible. I successfully built a quality body of work that was formally sound and conceptually sophisticated, far surpassing my original "fiddler crab period." Now, having grown my other claw I wanted to approach painting in a comparative relation to my other body of work. Specifically, I wanted to show the valuable visual possibilities ready to be investigated in my paintings. For this reason I did not want to completely abandon painting, nor did I consider halting production of my three-dimensional pieces.

Although drawing had offered me many avenues for image exploration and mark making, it lacked the actual physical relief surface that was a natural part of the printmaking plate process (i.e., intaglio plates or relief surfaces). Sculpture allowed the images and marks to be realized dimensionally in the round; therefore, the images became objects.

In order to become more aware of valuable characteristics that may be unique to the paintings and/or the books, I proposed to execute a body of work consisting of four sets, each set containing one painting and one book. I continued using religious icons as subject matter and the motif of the layered pentimento of the fresco as a metaphor for self-investigation.

Each of the pieces in this study was a single room structure which incorporated a window. The scale varied depending on whether the piece as a whole or in part was to be worn.

As I proceeded with my work within this format, I encountered some concerns that dealt with value judgement involving the presentation of an effective installation of this type. The challenge for me was to form a union between the images in my mind and the combination of materials that I chose to use. I wanted the viewer to be conscious of the entire space, as one experience made up of numerous elements.

The purpose for this study was to investigate the effect of painting and drawing when used as an integral part of sculptural form. The following questions are addressed in this study: 1. Does color increase or decrease the three-dimensionality of a form? 2. When used, is color an integral part of the sculptural form or a superficial decoration? 3. Can drawn line (on the sculpture's surface) be used to flatten or deny the sculptural form? 4. Can drawn line be useful in describing or enhancing sculptural forms?

My proposed objective was to create eight illustrations using Fusion as a tool to communicate concepts. I posed the following questions for evaluation. 1. Can I create two-dimensional illustrations effectively when applying the knowledge and techniques I have studied? 2. In what way will the use of multiple techniques affect the concept?

This creative problem project aimed to develop a series of vase forms expressive of clay and its plasticity as developed through the throwing process.

The Isle of Man and Southeast Texas both display unique aspects of their geographical localities. In many ways they share similar attributes. I feel strongly that we are a product of our past and of our surroundings. So what type of imagery can be dealt with as a personal icon to link the two diverse places of my past and present?

The purpose of this problem-in-lieu of thesis is to explore the effect of scale in my sculpture, on me as an artist as well as the viewer. My work addressed the following questions: 1. Can smaller-than-life-size sculpture communicate with the same intensity as my previous life-size work? 2. How does scale affect the ability of the work to communicate ideas and feelings? 3. Can the sculpture be as confrontational without occupying space as we do? 4. Does a larger-than-life-size piece gain intensity in any of these questions due to its scale? 5. How does scale affect my feelings toward the work and my method of working?

Over a period of two decades, Raymond D. Nasher, a Dallas-based real estate developer, and his late wife Patsy amassed a collection of significant modern sculptures. For years, pieces from the private collection--numbering over 300 as of 1990--were on display in various museums and civic institutions, and they were installed on a rotating basis at Northpark Center, a Dallas shopping mall developed by Nasher. Since the 1987 Dallas Museum of Art exhibition, the collection has been shown in several major international museums. This study documents the formative period of the collection, the Nashers' collecting and exhibiting philosophies, and four early exhibitions of the sculptures. It includes a chronology of the Nashers and major acquisitions of sculpture.

For the purpose of this study I intended to use Majolica to allow me both more flexibility in the physical act of decorating my ceramic work, as well as the opportunity for the expansion of my selection of symbols. During this investigation the following questions were addressed: 1. Was the color range attainable with Majolica relevant to my work? 2. Was my chosen imagery complemented by the special properties of Majolica. 3. Did the textural possibilities of Majolica benefit my work?

My work already shared some of the characteristics of the gravesites that I proposed to study. They were similar in that they both attempted to integrate sacred and profane imagery. Both called attention to personal events and related these events to a larger scheme. Finally, both were involved with the creation of objects of veneration according to personal edicts, but in relation to already established mythologies. I proposed to create a body of work based on the information gathered from the investigation of three predominantly Mexican graveyards-- one in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and two outside of Laredo, Texas.

There are three recurrent themes in my work: 1) environmental installations utilizing ecologically unsound materials 2) incorporating air space with plastics 3) conceptual inspiration derived from dreams. I proposed to address these three themes by employing materials traditionally used for industrial applications (as in plumbing supplies and dry-cleaning bags) as fine arts media using fiber related techniques in environmental sculptural pieces.

The goal of this problem was to incorporate clear nylon monofilamnet in a series of weaves traditionally chosen for their absorbent virtues that in these cases would achieve interesting textural effects and light-reflective qualities in addition to varying degrees of transparency.

This thesis investigates how the interior of the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center of Dallas accommodates the three groups which use the space: the patron, the musicians, and the administration. Following the Draft Brief of 1981 prepared by the Dallas Symphony Association's Concert Hall Building Committee, each area is discussed as to what was actually built and what concerns were met. The primary data were the symphony center and interviews with I.M. Pei, architect; Russell Johnson, acoustician of the concert hall; Charles Young, associate of Pei, Cobb, Freed & Associates, interior architect of the concert hall; Carolyn Miller, Trisha Wilson & Associates, designer of the Green Room, Richard Trimble, designer of the musicians' areas, and Joe Pereira, designer of the Administrative area.

I believe that an artist needs a mechanism(s) built into his or her working method out of which the greatest number of options may arise. I suggested that, for me, painting on paper could be one such mechanism. I wanted to pursue paper as a viable surface on which to paint and discover to what extent it would influence my choices in the working process.

The objective of my problem in lieu of thesis was to produce twenty hand-built porcelain objects which reflected this conception of beauty. To review the success of my project, I asked three questions to evaluate my work. 1. Was there significant structure to my works? 2. Was there significant discord within these structures? 3. Did the tension created through the interaction of these two elements of my work create beauty?

I intended to create a body of work using a variety of media and a combination of imagery that is both subjective and objective in regards to representation. I incorporated into the work, words and phrases which are not related to the imagery. This has allowed the work to be variously interpreted. I wanted certain elements of the work to appear simultaneously very old and very new.