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This thesis presents the results of a longitudinal study of a painting class for a group of mentally retarded and physically handicapped young adults. The author's observational journal and the students' paintings provided the basis of the thesis. The author gave maximum freedom to her students and the students fully exercised creativity through their painting activity. Eventually each student created his own style in his painting. This experience brought a new identity to the group. The students evolved from a collection of separate people into a cohesive social unit. The author tries to show, in this developmental process, how intellectual and emotional events and probless were met and solved by the students in their painting activity. Painting is seen as a powerful medium of communication and expression for the students. In order to esphasize this point, the author used three case histories which include 132 pictures presented in VOL. II.

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