Connections and relationships : textures of the earth

Connections and relationships : textures of the earth

Art -- Study and teaching (Elementary)

Painting, American

Lipe, Roberta Anne Hever

2008

Tapley, Erin

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/

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manuscripts (documents)

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61797

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This thesis is the exploration of textured surfaces that physically underlie my paintings, from three-dimensional objects to textural mediums, and the many possibilities that surface textures present in their depth and sculptural qualities. The aspect of chance in my artwork led to conceptual questions, determined in part by the surface textures. I unearthed common themes running throughout my collection of paintings: the presence of natural elements in imagery, creation versus destruction, and contemporary art influences. In exploring the duality of creation and destruction in life and culture, the question is raised of the interdependent relationship between humans and their environment. My art is about my relationship and response to the world around me, and incorporates the items and objects from this world into my paintings. My art seeks to raise the question of the delicate balance between a healthy relationship with nature and an unhealthy one. Technology's ability to connect us to everything and everyone in this global society also disconnects our relationship with nature. The spiritual connections that our natural surroundings provide are explored in the Terra Firma series. My series Au Bord de I'Eau (At the Water's Edge), portrays my reaction to a simple piece of discarded plastic that ends up in the ocean threatening the sea life there. Incendio examines the human relationship with the destructive and regenerative power of fire. Microscopic elements such as diatoms, which have the ability to photosynthesize and keep our oceans healthy, are the subject of the Diatomophyceae series. This thesis presents a visual tour of my development as an artist and how that journey affects my teaching. During the course of this thesis, I examine how to use an open-ended process of teaching art in order to assist my students to discover their relationship with their world. I look at exposing students to contemporary art as an essential component for them to develop their own thoughts about the creative process. The intent for my teaching was to continue an open-ended, contemplative process and to encourage a personal relationship or connection to nature through artwork. This thesis presents the journey from theory, to personal exploration, to teaching practice for me and my students.

2015-06-04

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Western Carolina University Restricted Electronic Theses and Dissertations