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Item In honor of those who died while trying to fly(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 1990) Curtis, LucyI began by literally mimicking the Aboriginal style, particularly their method of dotting on paper or bark. As I worked through the constant repetitions and encouraged subconscious responses in the work, changes began to occur. I soon merged the prethesis pursuit of the dark "screamer" imagery and let the repetitions be my guide to subconscious manifestations that arose. I am always intrigued when new imagery appears that relates to my past life. Yet, with the aboriginal dreamings as influence, I am focusing more on the present and as a result I am seeing subconscious forces come out in the work that are richer and deeper in universal content. There has been a response to the process of grieving. And the thesis has as its intent to honor those loved ones lost and to reaffirm their spirit.Item Goodbye to Bozeman(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 1975) Shore, Curtis JamesMost of the time during the past seventeen years, I have labored fairly happily in the womb of academia. In the last five years, of that time, I have been able to isolate, in my works some of the inklings that were inside me and to make explicit to myself (and to others) what I was capable of. I had freed myself somewhat from external authority and was able to grapple with some of the internal absurdities that make working worthwhile. Whether the works are in fashion or not, I found is completely beside the point. I found also that the critical authority is often trapped behind the word "aesthetic" and that posterity can sometimes be a liar. I realized that what once had been in me an enormous responsibility to "BE A SCULPTOR" had changed in that five years to an inward responsibility to simply do my own work. I can look, back and see that my early work reveals an awareness of becoming, and now, it seems fair to note, my present work is an awareness of being.Item Painting as illusion or not(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 1984) Aro, Kristine AnnWhen I began to consider painting seriously, I was excited by the late 19th Century idea of pictorial illusion played against the two-dimensional picture plane. I later developed a way of working in which I would intricately paint patterns over areas of the paper, then splash water and paint across the image and tear it apart. These scraps of torn paper would be used to make finished work. I started to incorporate small pieces of wood in these paintings and gradually began to work with wood alone. The material nature of wood allows me to reuse it and re-paint it numerous times without deterioration. Its natural character gives me a base from which to start. Two-dimensional problems are expanded: physical sculptural concerns are pitted against the illusionism of painting. The physicality of wood includes both two and three dimensions. In my work I reverse the natural role of these elements. Three-dimensional parts are incorporated into the pictorial illusion of a two-dimensional background (thin plywood). At the same time, I use framing devices and rough edges to reiterate the fact that the paintings are also objects. I thickly paint separate wood elements the same color and texture, fabricating a unified surface. When the piece comes together, it creates an illusion that negates its three-dimensionality. While I constantly make use of these ideas, the most significant aspect of my art is the process by which it is made. It has been said that I 'cannibalize' my pieces, but that term is too grisly. I see my process as one of reincarnation. I use parts of older paintings in my new work. As the parts are recycled, they become entirely personal found objects, reflecting the transition from one painting to another and revealing clues to the earlier pieces (from which they are made). Nails, globs of glue, painted surfaces and plain rough wood all suggest some previous existence. The wood parts assume a new function and a new image with each piece. These small parts, which reflect the process with such facility, may be more important than the finished paintings themselves. It is the process that gives my work its sculptural identity. The paint actually becomes part of the structure: a binder that pulls parts together, lies between layers of wood and sits on the surface. As parts are pried off, raw wood is exposed, reminding the viewer of the underlying materials and structural reality of the painting. My work may look precious: the small scale, the 'objectness', and the rich detail and color lend to this conclusion. But the look of my work is the result of the ongoing process of destruction and reincarnation; and the ostensible 'preciousness' is an illusion denied by knowledge of this process. I approach each piece with the intent of creating a final statement at that point in time. However, after a certain period, I step back to re-evaluate the finished work. I decide whether the paintings have the presence which I first intended. Those that do are left intact; they become metaphors for the way I work. Those paintings that do not withstand this scrutiny continue to be dismantled and eventually re-used; they become active and temporal examples of my process.