The following is my BFA Thesis Paper.

     "How does a person see the world? The mind constructs an image of the world in a way that parallels how an artist creates a picture of it, by means of a multitude of signs and symbols that create illusions of reality," (Gamwell, 136). Naturally it follows that as artists we are exploring the very nature of illusions and of reality itself. Whatever concerns are most prevalent in our lives, whatever illusions seem most real are often what we tend to depict in our work. For me, art is an investigation of the spiritual, of the balance between the physical and ephemeral, a striving to create a visual dialogue, a means of personal growth, a development of ideas and ideals. Art is a mirror of our world through which we gain deeper knowledge.
     Among my influences I must count not only artists but also theologians, scientists, and writers who have imparted seeds which blossom into new incarnations in my art. As Albert Einstein states, "Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind." I feel as well that all disciplines are enriched by relations to each other. In my art I explore scientific, philosophical, and spiritual theories and their connections. As Minor White did, I strive to capture an image which will elicit an emotion in the viewer or spark an epiphany which need not exactly replicate my own thought process or feeling in the creation. As long as my audience receives something positive from my work I have succeeded. Currently I am intrigued by ideas of the nature of our makeup, of what is our essence, how our physical and mental selves connect and how scientists and theologians have proposed these things, especially in their connection to art. As I see it, an interconnected current flows through everything, connecting each life form or energy charge. Think of the mass of this combined energy as similar to a battery; as with any other battery or energy source, it can be charged positively or negatively while also attracting like and repelling oppositely charged energies, like a magnet or North and South Poles. Thus this energy flow carries through the universe. Matter charging matter leads to expansion and growth, as in the big bang theory; there exists a continuing cycle of expansion and collapse among the universe itself, as explained in science and referenced in the oldest known religion in the world, Hinduism. The existence of black holes is proof of this theory and is an example of pockets of the energy field in a collapsing phase; collapsing phases are first steps into expanding phases. It is once the total living energy force of all beings has collapsed into the smallest form, smaller still than the smallest thing we can observe or imagine, an atom, that it splits causing an explosion exponentially bigger than an atomic explosion that it may actually cause a "big bang," size explosion. As with any channeled energy, it can be manifested; thus, beliefs of an individual are manifest in the sense that if something exists for you, even if it exists for no one else it still truly exists. By creating art which explores these and other ideas, I hope to open a dialogue which excludes no one, but encourages people to form a pragmatic and metaphysically enriched view accepting of others. German scientists Fechner and Haeckel theorized that the human mind is evolving to a higher state of consciousness, and in 1901 Richard Bucke published supporting argument for their theories. "Bucke declared that aesthetic intuition occurs at the highest level of the mind -cosmic consciousness- and that the most highly evolved minds are those of artists and poets, (Gamwell 99). So it seems artists are the perfect candidates for espousing metaphysical ideas. As Fechner, the founder of experimental psychology believed, the brain is stimulated by color, line, and form, and experiences pleasure from observing beauty. This pleasure is an evolutionary force helping the mind to higher levels of consciousness, and therefore artists are better equipped to gain and impart such evolutions in consciousness, (Gamwell 96-98). Perhaps my affinity for his theory is the reason I have always been enamored with the art of artists such as Kandinsky, who developed work which operated on such principles, hoping their abstract compositions would evoke a sense of the cosmic consciousness in the viewer.
     Along with Kandinsky, I have always been keenly interested in artists whose work have a strong, vibrant sense of emotive color, pattern and metaphysical allegory. Among these influences, I have been inspired by Gustav Klimt for his use of pattern and emotive narrative, Art Nouveau for its sensual, undulating line and pattern, Edward Munch for his expressive line and emotion, Salvador Dali for his double images and exploration of dreams, Alfonse Mucha for pattern and fluidity, the Expressionists, Franz Marc’s emotive color and reverence of nature, Van Gogh’s vibrancy & vibration, and emotive qualities of color, Gaugain’s expressive color and spiritual narrative, Camille Claudel for her pure emotion and incredible skill. I also find myself strongly attracted to the photography of Minor White, Edward Weston, Tina Modotti, Aaron Siskind, Man Ray, and Imogene Cunningham. Artists who explore ideas of physiology and sensuality in fresh ways such as Helen Chadwick also appeal to my sensibility, and I find Gerhardt Richter to be an inspiration for his ability to depict the same subject or event with both an abstract and realist sensibility.
     Although I do not directly emulate any of my influences, I do utilize elements of their styles whether consciously or not. Color does tend to play a strong role in my compositions as in the work of many of my influences. Also, while I do not use pattern in the same clean, ornamental fashion as Gustav Klimt or the Art Nouveau movement, I do have an interest in motifs from nature and often find abstract patterns in my base photographic images which I then manipulate and intensify through the color separation process. Also, the work I am currently doing with collage and transfer layers is in its own way heavily patterned as I see it. The arrangements replicate the patterns of media saturation and call attention to the repetition while obscuring the same pattern through additional layers, much as in advertising and magazine articles patterns and core meanings are deliberately buried such as in an article on how to organize your life to decrease stress which is truly a thinly veiled advertisement for organizational products or a beauty article which tells you to go buy this particular new shade of brand X lipstick. By reacting against these mass media imposed mores and ideals by using and subverting their own methods I can work through the issues in a way that examines societal workings and the role and uses of such outlets and propaganda. Perhaps in this somewhat therapeutic approach I can harness the energy of the advertising cult and help myself and other women find equilibrium in our love/hate relationship to the fashion syndrome. In this area of my work I am seeking mostly to examine these ideas in a way that expresses a balance between the physical and metaphysical selves and asserts that sensuality can play a role in a woman’s being in such a way that is about confidence and love of self rather than an endless attempt at measuring up to some beauty editor’s shallow ruler but is about expressing a strength of character and individuality rather than becoming an edition in a series of model knockoffs spewing forth from popular culture like bolts down the assembly line.

                                                      Originality, Multiplicity, and Cause in Series
     My own resistance to the "Tyranny of the multiple," is perhaps a reaction as much to the society of the spectacle as anything. Just as I withstand the temptation to emulate the inundation of media telling me to buy this or that product so I can become "perfect," a carbon copy of fashion, Hollywood, and advertising prototypes, I want each of my finished artworks to have their own imperfections and individuality. Rather than perfectly replicate themselves, I prefer them to speak of an evolution of an idea. I acknowledge the transient nature of existence and do not feel a need, as Man Ray did, to insure the indestructibility of my work by "making duplicates very easily," (Gookin 6). Instead I empathize more in this respect with "Munch’s passion for variations, and consequently his experimental methods," (Cohan 11). As recognized in Gookin’s discussion on multiples, "Since the idea of a Readymade is dependent on its prior existence within the sphere of the world, to make a replica could have no significant impact on its meaning since no ‘original’ exists," (Gookin 6). I suppose I want each piece to have an originality, to speak of its creation. I can see the validity of the multiple in the case of artists exchanges, such as portfolio exchanges; in these instances the multiples become a commodity in a more real and immediate sense, the artist becoming empowered by a bartering system in which the artist’s own works on paper become a more valuable mint than that of the government. I see this as an act of artist community and revolution. I only feel the need to mass produce my own work when an immediate audience stands by to receive the work as in cases such as the print exchange. In the case of political aims where mass distribution of an image is intended to spread an idea, I feel it is more efficient to only hand pull the original which can then be scanned and mass produced mechanically leaving me free to move on to something else and therefore maximizing my time. Even in my straight photography I prefer to limit each image to a manageable edition. When an image is produced to the point of fame and we then associate the aura of the original with the piece in its museum setting it poses a complex set of issues. I wonder if we as artists are somehow seeking this same over saturation of our images to elevate ourselves to the status we give master works in the Louvre, but in the case of an exact edition, where is the original? Is there any sense of the "aura of the original?" Is this loss of the aura of the original a reflection or comment on society at large, on the tendency to emulate and reproduce personality and style? "Photomechanical and industrial reproduction allow an image or object to be transferred into an art context while retaining the signifying power drawn from its original context. Mechanical reproduction is not simply about indicting civilization for being mechanistic , detached, or alien, but allows the artist to perform a serious anthropological examination of contemporary human behavior. By pirating images and objects from their original source, exhibiting them changed or unchanged, the artist directly ties the public audience to the work, using the powers that recognition provides. The work of art is empowered with an immediate sense of community, of a quality that the artist and public have in common." (Gookin p7) So it seems the multiple/original dilemma is one artists can play with to express their own ideals and reactions to society, politics, and art world politics, and ideas of aura or spirit itself. Perhaps it is most effective for me personally to use edition when it has a cause and point relating to subject matter and the intended purpose of the art while maintaining a focus on monotype when replication does not serve a strong enough purpose. I do find an appeal in the socialist tendencies of the original intent of the edition as Gookin describes it, "Fine art editions challenged the aura of elitism and exclusivity attached to the original work of art, while retaining the sense of ‘quality’ that such works implied. Proliferation of multiple copies of an image facilitated its increased availability at a lower cost. Their accessibility then became a way for the art world to embrace a more democratic platform by representing the interests of a wider art audience previously excluded from participating in the art market." (Gookin, p6). However, from a purely pragmatic sense, I feel it is easier to create a single piece and find a buyer than it is to have a warehouse full of work from editions which never fully sold out. I strongly agree with Cohan’s assessment that, "Printmaking stands as the art form most capable of variation and alteration. Its very nature is on of experimentation and variegated execution. Since its invention, print’s capacity for exact repeatability has brought it a certain regard, but this regard has circumscribed the print’s role," Cohan 9). I may start to experiment with editioning more as I increasingly participate in community service projects and need to be able to quickly produce work to be sold in fundraising events, but even still I think I will continue to work primarily in monoprints and only very small exact series such as editions of three in cases where I want multiple copies.

                                                       Community and Development as an Artist
      I see it as crucial for the success of my work to be involved in community, both within the art world and my neighborhood. As my art strives to in some way enrich or enlighten the viewer, I would be hypocritical or unfulfilled if I did not attempt to make a real impact on my environment and its inhabitants. To this end I plan to work with Community Stepping Stones to develop a printmaking program for Tampa where artists may utilize the studio space and take classes. The program will act not only as a producing studio but as a fundraiser for the other branches of the program such as public art and after school and summer programs for children and teens. By being a part of the community I can spread and expand my ideas in a symbiotic way. Also, the studio will afford me the opportunity to be highly involved in grant writing and the organization of fundraising shows. I wish to have gallery shows in the space as well which will raise funds for the community program and help promote art in the area. By helping the community I can afford myself the opportunity to gain experience in areas which will make me a stronger and more successful artist and curator. By teaching I will enhance my own knowledge while making a positive impact on the lives of others, and by participation in public projects I can put my conservation practices into stronger effect by fostering them in others and having the ability to experiment more with incorporating recycling into art, a long term goal.
      I hope to be able to do all these things with my art, to enrich others, explore and expand ideas through a visual dialogue and to be an ever evolving person. If I can just do a little of this each day, I will have satisfied myself. Hopefully by sharing my ideas and knowledge in an open exchange I can constantly increase that knowledge by learning from others and by developing my community and artist community around me I can secure not only my future but help to enrich the future of other talented individuals as well.