In this project, I further examined my work as a fictional layering of vernacular culture within the discourse of historical art. This investigation addressed the sources of my art, both in the outside world and in the context of an inherited art tradition. I focused on the issues of the formation and function of my work as an estheticized representation of this culture.

The object of this problem in lieu of thesis has been the exploration and identification of the retained two dimensional design idiom in the sculptural format of my work. (By this, I am referring to the lateral, planar quality which often continues as part of my designs.)

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 contains physical and illusionary layers of images which reflect or relate cultural and personal experiences. These experiences address collective cultural patterns or personal and collective experience simultaneously. Visual metaphorical and literal patterns represent behavior and experiences. Inherent in the presentation of these types of patterns and experiences is the implication of time and the relationships between old, new, and changed experience. One vehicle for effectively portraying these linear layers of literal/metaphorical images in fibers could be visual images representing a metaphorical pattern combined with literal patterns. The literal pattern would either reflect or have a relationship with the metaphorical pattern. Another vehicle for expressing the linear layers of images could be varying representations of depth of field exist.

I was curious as to what my work was about and what images were important to me. There had to be a reason why I was driven to do what I did, whether it was a conscious, conceptual purpose or a subconscious, intuitive reason. The problem of this investigation was to discover which of these I used in the creation of my images or whether I used both.

I endeavored to investigate how temporal forms could be used as an avenue for addressing my sculptural concerns. These concerns included the relationship of form to material, the temporary manifestation of enduring principles, and responsibility to materials and their meanings. My pursuit of this investigation arose from both a search for alternatives in a field with a tradition of permanent object orientation and an effort to expand my own perceptions of what constitutes sculpture and the activity of sculpting.

In this proposed study, I hoped to discover compositional elements that once added to the work would convey my conceptual ideas. I was interested in exploring the addition of deep pictorial space and increasing the size disparity between the figures as possible solutions for injecting a level of irony and/or eluding to the subverted agenda of the content. I wanted to see if these two secondary compositional adjustments subtly conveyed not only a strategic contradiction of the art historical concept of expressionism but the numerous accepted truths in society.

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?

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.

The triumphs over daily conflicts correspond to monuments that commemorate specific events of my life as a woman. The monuments commemorating these events necessitated an intimate format because the events depicted deserve close personal attention. The intimate scale offers the option of being presented as a sculpture with a base that has a detachable, wearable part.

Using this conflict between death and dying versus hope and new life, I searched for an undogmatic way to convey a Christian antidote to the despair and ugliness of post modern art. The struggle was to find the imagery, format, and media combinations to express a vision, with realism and hope, for the late twentieth century, in a unique and interesting context.

Dualities of all kinds exist in the world today. Being a visual artist and sculptor I recognize these dualities every day of my life in the natural and man-made forms I see. These forms can be broken down into two categories: the geometric and the organic. The purpose of this problem in lieu of thesis was to explore how organic and geometric form could be combined to create a unified sculpture in stone and how the finished sculpture affected me as a viewer. The figure was the main organic form represented and addressed in this problem.

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 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.

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.

The objective of this study was to obtain an aesthetically pleasing surface, by altering the surface to enhance a particular form. I incorporated plant and landscape imagery from my past experiences.

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.

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 focus of my work was a study of contrasts which entailed taking a found natural object out of its original context and combining it with certain constructed man-made elements and allowing an interplay between the components to occur. The contrasts and interplay between these organic materials and their physical incorporation into objects of art/jewelry have been enhanced by further exploring the differing natures of the various materials used and the tension created by the placement of these materials. Through the juxtaposition of organic mateirals, refined materials, and man-made materials and by constructing them in an architecturally sensitive manner the contrasts were heightened.

I plan to investigate the fusion of predominantly linear marks with solidly rendered forms to create a sense of space, depth, and texture within a series of paintings. The investigation will seek to answer a four part problem related to the creation of a series of paintings. The four part problem will explore whether or not the combined use of line, textural surface information, and buried images will have the potential to operate as an expressive agent in painting. This investigation will also address the series as a whole by evaluating the evolutionary process which may occur when color and solidly rendered forms are re-introduced to the canvas and combined with the primarily linear marks.

My creative project was to expand the depth at which non-clay materials such as wood and metal (brought, found, or otherwise acquired) were successfully blended with clay, both physically and visually. Also, imagery--so essential to the narrative quality of the work-- was to be expanded upon to provide a constant freshness that avoided repetition or variation for its own sake.

Prior to 1990 I worked exclusively with large scale formats, using traditional oil painting media on canvas. During that year I became interested in the effect produced by more intimate passages within larger works. Discovery of a scroll of Chinese ink drawings in 1992 increased my interest in small scale composition.

The esthetic issue of the metamorphosis of forms is the basis for my work. In parallel configurations natural form, abstract form, and the extrasensory world of light energy forms move together to form a field of force. The unfolding of the destiny of forms against such an energy field makes a resolution of forms bounded by rhythm and organic shape. The energy field that is the product of forms captures the relationship among natural form, abstract form and light forms of the spirit. The radiation of meaning is the focus of the combination of these forms in a field of force. The problem becomes then the definition of meaning in the multiple declaration of three forms of representation with the treatment of the extrasensory world of light energy as the articulation of an element of perception.

With this project I explored pottery forms of Bernard Leach and his apprentices. By exploring this work, it was my intention to expand my forms and address the following questions: 1. What Leach pottery forms were most compatible with my work methods and decoration? 2. What significant changes could I make to these Leach forms to adapt them to my own style of working character? 3. Would producing these adapted forms in two different clay bodies and using different methods to reflect landscape imagery lead to a style that I could call my own?