In the narrative painting series Discount Meat, I employ grotesque realism to emphasize the rupture of corporeal and social boundaries, reframing the body as a site of discontinuity whose physical and perceptual structures are in constant flux. Through this approach, I synthesize fragments of lived and observed experience into invented narratives with an emphasis on embodiment. By emphasizing the apertures connecting the body’s interior with the outside world, I seek to problematize the image of a discrete self, suggesting instability as a central element of physical identity. Across this web of disjointed narratives, I strive to portray the emotional range and complexity of human experience in terms of vivid physicality, depicting tedium and pain while allowing space in the work for levity and imagination.

Thesis (M.F.A.)--West Virginia University, 2000. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains iii, 21 p. : col. ill. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 9).

AbstractPAINT MEDIATIONS Theresa Faye Pfarr, Master of Fine ArtA thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Art at Virginia Commonwealth University.Virginia Commonwealth University, 2004Major Director: Ruth Bolduan Associate Professor, Painting and Printmaking DepartmentMy paintings are contentions. I work in response, answer, and reaction to the media world. I carry a collection of incongruent images in my mind, bits and parts of the images I deal with everyday. The images stuff my mailbox, clutter my space and get in my head. I am questioning, though praising, the exploits of advertising and its mode of symbolic function. Whether their exploits are ethical is really of no concern to me in comparison to our cultural belief systems, which allow them. Advertising doesn't exploit children more than they are exploited already. In my paint investigations I forge and draw parallels to relocate meaning, as does the media. Through painting figure into space and space into figure things begin to dissolve or evolve, making the paintings both figure and of figure. The children in my paintings claim their spaces and close out the adult world.

Lifeline: Expressions of Intimacy Through Paint is a body of paintings that seeks to bridge physical distance by sensually applying layers of oil paint to recreate the physicality of my husband. I allow the viewer to enter into a private exchange by the use of intimately charged spaces, like the bed, which demonstrates how paint can be a conduit for touch in absentia. By intensely remembering my partner in these works, I reconstitute my knowing him through paint and seek to move beyond mere representation to know and express him better. Therefore, these paintings not only bridge the physical distance between my body and his, but search for meaningful expressions of my internal conversations as I make visual discoveries that expand my understanding of him. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.F.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

SELF/PORTRAIT is an exploration of the creative process. Based in the genre of portraiture, this collection of work seeks to reveal the ways in which the artist's relationships and circumstances have factored into the creation of the resulting exhibition. This exploration involves the assessment of abandoned projects with the aim of gaining a greater understanding of their qualities that have served to motivate the creation of his art, and those that have hindered his artistic process. This thesis exhibition and support paper use an autobiographical approach to seek the elements of the artist's perception of art which have influenced the production of the work displayed, and how these are effected by the task of creating a Master's thesis exhibition. It explores the qualities of both Portraiture and Painting which have inspired and directed his endeavour. SELF/PORTRAIT seeks to display the artist's work as a process rather than a product.

My painted self-portraiture explores identity as changing social performance or masquerade and examines bodily flesh as the vital interface for reciprocal encounter on life’s stage. The larger-than-life sized images demand viewer attention and compel intersubjective engagement. The works also affirm artistic agency and subjective presence through gestural brushwork and the vivifying power of oil paint. Hybridity and ambiguity in the images suggest the dynamic and reflexive nature of identity. A theatrical colour palette further reinforces the notion of identity as social performance or masquerade. Conceptually the works are rooted in both post-modern feminism and phenomenology. Artistically they draw inspiration from contemporary figurative painters and portraitists who use this medium and genre to navigate the boundaries of self and society.

My painted self-portraiture explores identity as changing social performance or masquerade and examines bodily flesh as the vital interface for reciprocal encounter on life’s stage. The larger-than-life sized images demand viewer attention and compel intersubjective engagement. The works also affirm artistic agency and subjective presence through gestural brushwork and the vivifying power of oil paint. Hybridity and ambiguity in the images suggest the dynamic and reflexive nature of identity. A theatrical colour palette further reinforces the notion of identity as social performance or masquerade. Conceptually the works are rooted in both post-modern feminism and phenomenology. Artistically they draw inspiration from contemporary figurative painters and portraitists who use this medium and genre to navigate the boundaries of self and society.

SELF/PORTRAIT is an exploration of the creative process. Based in the genre of portraiture, this collection of work seeks to reveal the ways in which the artist's relationships and circumstances have factored into the creation of the resulting exhibition. This exploration involves the assessment of abandoned projects with the aim of gaining a greater understanding of their qualities that have served to motivate the creation of his art, and those that have hindered his artistic process. This thesis exhibition and support paper use an autobiographical approach to seek the elements of the artist's perception of art which have influenced the production of the work displayed, and how these are effected by the task of creating a Master's thesis exhibition. It explores the qualities of both Portraiture and Painting which have inspired and directed his endeavour. SELF/PORTRAIT seeks to display the artist's work as a process rather than a product.

To portray women without objectifying them is an intentional, political act. The art historical tradition is to paint women to extol their sexual beauty and to encourage possessiveness. There is a new guard of women painters who provide a counterpoint to this tradition by depicting a more multifaceted version of the female psyche. I align myself as an artist with them by attempting to broaden the depiction of women as subjects in painting. My subjects are beautiful and observable, but not consumable. They are more public than private and more iconic than intimate. My paintings have a strong connection to traditional portraiture in both style and technique. However, my subjects are contemporized through the use of modern fashion, unexpected facial expressions, unique color relationships and photographic cropping. / text

The diploma thesis entitled As long as I don't remember who is wearing trousers anymore consists of a series of large-format paintings. The work is the result of the author's long-term interest in figural painting and especially in the pastel technique and its possibilities of depicting the atmosphere. Through the atmosphere of the image, the diploma thesis creates a space for narration and mystery. In the textual part of the diploma thesis, the author deals mainly with formal aspects of painting.