Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item A discourse on drawing(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1970) Stanton, Jane BlacksonItem Urban drift(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2014) Goldsmith, Amy Katherine; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Josh DeWeeseUrban Drift is about the flaneur, the derive... the psychogeography of the Midwest. We, as curious beings, drift to places that spark memories of the past; such is the way of a nostalgic subconscious. These drawings and sculptures provide a mysterious and yet vaguely familiar space that illustrates a collision of diluted symbolism and traces of nostalgia. The Midwest is filled to the brim with the geriatric and remnants of times long gone; but the objects in this show provide the atmosphere for an idling sensation to let ones imagination take them to a time of industrial production and shiny chrome, away from the crumbling concrete and dusty interiors. Therefore, this work aims to allure the viewer into viewing the decaying urban landscapes that currently occupy the rustbelt's interiors and the history that is being eroded away from memory in the Midwestern society.Item A book and myth(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 1973) Stifft, Barbara EileenMy ideas are evoked by landscapes, combinations of what I . see, feel, know consciously and subconsciously. I learned logic and rationality as one learns a foreign language. My native tongue is. intuitive emotional inner-feeling. These drawings come from both. I see objects, extensions of objects, their skelectal essence, their connections, growth, history and movement. Each is an aspect of reality, combinations of several evoke reality. Art is never reality, perhaps ones responses are.Item Story line(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 1994) Sontheimer, Matthew StuartI come from a family of great story tellers. As a result, when I think of family members, it is not of their physical characteristics but of the stories that are told by them and about them. This series of sculptures and drawings are portraits in which the characteristics of the persons represented are constructed out of events in their lives, rather than from their physical attributes. These works recount both my earliest and most recent memories. I begin each sculpture by creating a symbol intended to represent a family member. This symbol is derived from a long process of researching the subject’s background (place of birth, important experiences, etc.). This information is condensed into a form, often a common object, which I feel fully summarizes the life of the subject. In a sense, the created symbol is like an advertising logo for the subject, an icon that gives the viewer a visual depiction of the essence of the subject. Advertising logos have in fact influenced my approach to the extent that some of the symbols used are adaptations from actual logos. For example, the eyes on the piece "Myra" are taken from the CBS television logo. Once the symbol is realized, I construct it into an object. The surface of this object is then covered with a language of other symbols and patterns which both elaborate and further describe the story of this person. The patterns on the sculptures act both as a visual ground to hold the symbols in place and as a descriptive backdrop. The descriptive function of the pattern is one which reiterates the theme of the piece, or one which describes a more specific aspect of the subject. For example, the pattern of cascading lines on the sculpture, "Myra" form the name Myra written over and over again. These lines are fragmented into shapes which represent droplets of water, and these in turn, relate to the overall form of the sculpture, a watering can. In "House of Fire" a work about my paternal grandfather, a maze-like pattern on one side of the work surrounds icons depicting significant concerns of his. The framework connecting these symbols represents the ambivalence that my grandfather brought into the events of his life.Item Paintings(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 1986) Isaksen, EvaI grew up in an environment where the winters are without daylight and the summers are without darkness. My paintings reflect the contrast between light and dark, which I still associate with the changing of the seasons in Northern Norway. My color choices are influenced by this change and its effect on my state of mind. The darker colors , which I use more frequently during winter, have a heaviness relieved by bright hues, while paintings utilizing overall higher values, balance playfull darker tones. The world I am painting is one based on an imaginative interpretation of nature being transformed into a world caught between dreams and reality. I collect information about nature by painting outdoors. This information shares significance with memories of real and dreamed landscapes. Nature acts as a source on two levels; providing direct images described in the paintings and providing influence from natural phenomena like seasonal changes and cycles of death and rebirth. The paintings become a personal expression of my experiences of these pehnomena. Ultimately the work is not about nature in a literal or descriptive sense, but a metaphorical or spiritual way. Nature images described as themselves can be seen in a literal way. Yet because they have been used historically, they also are a universal symbolic language. This allows for the possibility of a visual statement which transcends the obvious literal meaning. The leaves, plants, stars, moon and sun which make up the iconography of my work are important to me, because of their everlasting cycle of death and rebirth, and because of their importance through the history of symbols. In Chinese symbolism, for example, a single leaf is an allegory of happiness, while several leaves appearing together represent people, and plants are an image of life and spirituality. Although I am aware of the symbolic language of the iconography I use, I choose these images because of their personal importance to me.Item Moods, attitudes, and erections(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 1988) Hyden, John GarlandMy art is the manifestation of a unique, personal, obsessive vision and is the embodiment of intense emotion. Committed to my own vision and freedom, I have a fierce need for personal expression. My creative process is initiated by automatic drawing, however, the intensely personal nature of my work soon transforms these spontaneous images into a personal story or narrative. These narratives make autobiographical references and visualize personal experiences, dreams, and emotional responses. I utilize random juxtapositions to create enigmatic compositions containing violence, sexual allusions, and psychic crises. In my daily life, I expose only that part of myself that I want others to see, repressing my more ambitious, erotic, and aggressive desires. However, the id rebels against the censorship of the superego in my art allowing full expression of my fantasies. There are several predominant aspects of my true character which reveal themselves in my work. First, I visualize myself as a victim-hero in a dangerous and senseless world gone out of control. I have no power over the world and can only live with personal virtue and be self reliant. Consequently, I often deal with the darker side of the psyche, my own as well as that of others. Secondly, I have many erotic thoughts which exist in the realms of both fantasy and reality. My thoughts range from fears of impotence, castration, embarrassment, and rejection to the pride of extreme prowess and virility. A third major aspect of my work concerns pain and death.Item Sculpture and drawings(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 1985) Mohr, Marilyn HurnItem Drawings(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 1989) Rausch, Selisa ClaireThe chair first appeared as subject matter in my earlier works, where it came to represent the absence of another individual. Looking back, it marked a point in my life when I needed to reevaluate my sense of self and accept being alone. My thesis works in culmination of that search for personal (as well as aesthetic) identity. The chair now serves as my partner in silent conversation. Acting as a stand-in for a human figure, it personifies the visual dialogue between artist, and subject. The chair is removed from its original environment and drawn in a studio situation. With its back to the wall and raised up on boxes, I humbly address it face to face. In the process of drawing, when I transfer all my attention to a form that seems to be looking back at me, I end up searching not for the character of the chair, but for the uniqueness of myself. This physical condition is also a kind of therapeutic situation. Having the actual chair in front of me, my hand automatically responds to what I see. My conscious mind is then free to explore the problems and questions I have in my life and my work. It offers me the chance to assess my predicament and work toward change and personal growth. Ultimately, my drawings are more a personal meditation than an outward expression of ideas. The neutrality of my subject matter enables me to concentrate more on the manipulation of pictorial elements. I initially choose a chair by how well it lends itself to drawing. Sometimes the dirty yellow color or slick pink vinyl the chair is made from, the pattern on the sofa or the compositional structure of the form itself will suggest different ways of manipulating the drawing surface. Because the chairs are more a vehicle for a creative process, I am not interested in giving them a specific environment or story line. Rather, they exist in the drawing in timeless space. The chairs are not cropped, but drawn life-size, or on a human scale, which to me gives them a sense of physicality or presence of. form. Most of the drawings are monochromatic where figure and ground are united by an overall surface pattern, color, or texture. Repetition within the form as well as the repetition of marks add to the visual harmony. Repetition is also evidence of the amount of time spent in visual dialogue with the object.Item Stories(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 1996) Morrill, GinaI use imagery and scale that is toylike. This focuses the viewer on the story and invites a special intimacy with the piece. When a viewer pulls the ring articulating a sculpture or laughs at the playful nature of a composition, that viewer is no longer merely an observer. The sculpture “Saint Behind the Glass,” the patron saint of metalsmiths, metalworkers, artisans and craftsmen is a composition expressing my gratitude after three years of study and asking for a blessing as I go forward. Each person who pulls the ring is blessed. Being a metalsmith influences the scale and sense of preciousness in my work. From this training I am accustomed to working small and using select materials. In accenting my work I like to explore the concept of value by mixing materials such as silver and semiprecious stones with objects having sentimental value, i.e. china doll pieces, pet tags or master links from a motorcycle. I use carvings to bring the parts together and make the sculpture whole. Apollinaire called assemblage sculpture a visual poetry, but I feel compelled to add words, to make my visual poem a ballad. The text is used to complement the sculpture rather than explain it.Item Rebirth and regeneration a personal myth(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 1989) Rifkowitz, LewisMy work is derived from a personal mythology, focusing on how myth determines human values. Most myths act as social commentary: a type of oral and written tradition which imparts a methodology of making life traditions. My role as artist functions somewhat as commentator and critic. The personal commentary I address ranges from male/female issues to social issues. The sources of information that I use for my work vary; being inspired by nature, and provoked by personal, political, and social actions. What I do is describe a network of relationships among forms; organic, architectural, and figurative, attempting to reveal the connection between form and issue. The work deals with the ideas of life and balance; life on the edge, and life in harmony. Working within this emotionally charged context with the theme of rebirth and regeneration, certain images have emerged. These forms are rooted in my past and project symbolic meaning. Houseforms are indicative of home and homeland, and sticks, stones, eggs, and whirling tops are the basic building blocks of youthful imagination exploring nature. Architectural elements are symbolic of culture, knowledge, and societal concerns. In unison with the figure, these elements make a somewhat cryptic and enigmatic attempt at narrative; creating truths or events that will hopefully transcend their personal revelation into the mystery of my place within the larger world.