As a result of modern medical practices, our bodies are becoming increasingly transparent. This transparency not only adds to the perceived omnipotence of medicine, but to curiosities with these modes of bodily exploration. Even with this new visibility, many questions remain as curiosity continues.

Artist Statement

This thesis project consists of twenty oil paintings and watercolors. It is a series of visual problems based on work from direct observation as opposed to work from imagination. The concern is to show how the works from observed nature affect the imaginary pieces and how the imaginary works lend unexpected elements to the observed works. With a particular interest in color, visual energy, and painterly form, the project shows how these two avenues of exploration start out separately and eventually blend.

This thesis is for a Master of Fine Arts in Painting and feature the work and words of Patricia Reppenhagen.

This thesis features the work of Carolyn Jeans Mills for a Masters of Fine Arts in Sculpture.

A thesis report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Painting.

A thesis report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Painting.

My artistic practice addresses issues of how memory shapes our identity and how to use memory in order to better understand our perspective. Through the construction of liminal space I reflect upon the subconscious and conscious mind. These images address issues of identity and how longing and nostalgia affect the human psyche. Through photographs of sculptures, paintings and light installations I address the architectural spaces in the world around me as catalysts.

Sustainability has become a major concern of contemporary product design. Whether it's furniture, appliances, apparel, or technology designers of every field must now consider the ecological impact of the products that they create. Sustainability of material resources, impact and by products of manufacturing processes, energy using in production, product lifespan, and disposal are all things that must be carefully considered to maximize product sustainability. Strategies for reducing negative environmental impact include maximizing material usage, using recycled and or biodegradable materials, minimizing product weight and transportation, reducing energy consumption, and dematerialization. In more recent years the idea of increasing product lifespan has received a lot of attention from design theorists. This doesn't just mean making goods that can physically last a lifetime and have superior performance. The consumer must have an attachment to the object. This attachment comes from an emotional connection. Contemporary designers must find innovative ways of creating an emotional bond between product and consumer. How can mass produced goods achieve this goal? I believe the answer is involving the consumer in the design process in order to personalize and customize the products they buy. Made to order goods offer the customer the opportunity to co-design the products that they desire so that they suit particular needs and wants. Instead of selecting pre-manufactured goods from a store or website consumers can now personalize and customize an increasing number and range of products. Companies like Longchamp, Nike, Levis, Addidas, and Ralph Lauren are capitalizing on the fact that consumers want to personalize and customize the products they consume without having to lift a finger. By allowing customers to choose colors, sizes, styles, and even adding personalized logos these companies are capitalizing on the fact that consumers want customization. People become more invested and more attached to objects that they have spent effort in creating, allow for self-expression, and that are unique to the user. The consumer is allowed to be creative but this is only from a limited amount of choices available to them. My research involves taking the concept of customization further to make products that are completely unique to an individual. Nothing is more personal and individualized than the human fingerprint. I am exploring how the fingerprint can be abstracted and used as texture on the surface of furniture. By making objects that are personalized to the user it is my goal to deepen the connection between owner and object to increase product lifespan.

While traveling home from work we may glance out our windows at these industrial structures whose fluorescent lights glow throughout the night. These places, often located on the outskirts of the cityscape, leave the viewer with a mix set of emotions. First, our reactions to the height, shape and form, whose towers and beams stretch high into the sky, loom over our tiny human frames. Regardless of the beauty that may be offered to the viewer at first glance, there is an underlying feeling of disgust and disregard, as these manufacturing plants stand as the agents of our environment issues in this era. This initial, fleeting, sense of wonder is what draws me to these locations as a photographer. There is a type of ordered rhythm that these locations embody, a type of ceaseless production whose beauty is within the confines of its method of production. Every pipe and tube has a specific purpose, which leads to uniformity in shape and positioning. Every light is set to illuminate the space, not only for functionality, but also for security. Every road, wall and doorway is placed just so in order to maximize efficiency. These places manufacture, process, and ship raw materials in vast sums every single day all across the globe. They provide us with all the tools and materials we need to make our society function, but more importantly, they allow us to transform our surroundings into whatever we may choose. Inside, engines thump and grind at a steady pace. Conveyor belts hum as they slide down their tracks. Outside, a truck comes in through the entrance to pick up its order, followed by another, and still another after that. In following some of the same techniques laid out by photographers before me, my hope is to capture the massive amount of details and nuisances of these locations. The night skies serve as the constant throughout these images, grounding these locations in the same timeframe; at once connecting them in this fashion, but also allowing each of them to be it's own unique structure as they reach up into the black sky in varying fashions. My hope for the viewer lies in a reassessment of these locations. While they do presume, as any images of industrial locations do of this era, to speak about the connection between manufacturing and environmental issues, my hope is that they are able to offer much more. While they are connected with these problems, they are also connected with the solutions to these problems, and in this regard, deserve a second glance, and hopefully, a second evaluation of their aesthetic qualities.