Ardent Dwellings is a work about longing, self-exploration, and construction of identity through the arrangement of meticulously drawn and cut paper elements. Mainly consisting of drawn dried flower forms and expressive female hands, these elements come together in deliberate arrangements of spaces and relations. The moments of sensuality resulting from these exploratory touches signify moments created through traversing bodies and identities. To achieve this exploration visually, I created a collection of eight drawing collages and a large paper installation with mixed media components. The elements in this work are carefully placed in relation to one another with the intent of constructing an abstract narrative exploring the who, how, and the why of the self—specifically the queer self and the search for belonging that accompanies the discovery of this identity. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.F.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

In my work, traditional printmaking techniques are pushed to their limits as a foundation for cut-paper installations and sculptures. The work reflects on notions of interiority and exteriority in relation to the body and nature, drawing from my experiences in meditation to create a two and three-dimensional visual play primarily using paper. Because of their illustrative looseness, the biomorphic structures convey a variety of sensations, shapes, and movements that are related to the interior of the body and exterior forces in nature. In this report, I plan to discuss topics of process, materiality, sensation, objecthood and phenomenology within the context of my work and as these topics relate to other artists such as: Lee Bontecou, Francis Bacon, Oskar Fischinger, Richard Serra, and Judy Pfaff. I also plan to indicate a contemporary and art historical context for the work, placing my pieces within a specific canon of visual culture. / text