Semester of Graduation

Summer 2025

Degree

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Department

Studio Art

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Ground Level is a series of oil paintings embodying the visual form of ruminating over the relationship between time and the persistent evolution of self. Painting is an act of catharsis as I use the personal constants, canine, feline, and equine, to act as placeholders for the human psyche. It is a psychological testament of who I was, who I am, and where I could end up. Metaphorical figures narrate acts of fleeting memories, driven by the fear of what is to come and reflect reverence for what is being left behind. The figures play upon our emotional ties with the external world and our internal dialogue. Light shifts its role in the work depending on whether the context is engaging in nostalgia and memory or if it is diving into a more internal, psychological space. It begins with autobiographical memories and grows into a narrative based on the complexity between the I had and I am.

Date

5-24-2025

Committee Chair

Denyce Celentano

Available for download on Friday, May 26, 2028

Included in

Painting Commons

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