Lauren D. Thesis Paper

Lauren Doyle 

Independent Studio/ Professional Practices

Wall, Bruce

11 May, 2009

Reaction and Thoughts Toward Independent Studio Class 

1. What were some of your original expectations for your artwork within this course and how does

this compare to your actual experience this semester?

For the Independent Studio / Professional Studies course, I expected a tough schedule. A personal (self created) schedule of goals and projects for the semester. I heard many concerns and comments from previous students of Independent Studio and hoped to not make to same mistakes. Mistakes such as, not following a personal schedule or procrastinating until a week before the exhibition. I already had a goals in mind and new had to execute results. 

2. Summarize the proposal for your intended body of work, and explain how this has

been realized or perhaps altered during the course of working.

I intended on studying relationships between past and present; a man, a woman, two women, two men, couples. Displaying “artifacts” and or tools men or women used to signify what duty was done. Symbols will be painted, ripped, dipped, and experimented with to find a statement or feeling for each painting. The “American 1950’s housewife” peaked an interest within my brain. I feel a personal connection to women who lived during hard times. Thoughts compared to 2009  and 1953 strike a nerve. A peculiar nerve within my brain that wishes to be found. A location only to be named by a mental exploration through paintings and drawings. 

3. Describe the pieces you have completed this semester and how you feel about the state of the work

at this point. What are the main ideas behind the work and how have you tried to communicate those ideas

through each piece?

I had an idea of a standard or  “picturesque”  image of  a 1950’s kitchen. From there, I built a world around a women’s life and personally made fun of her suggested occupation; a life of preparing food, pleasing her mate, cleaning, while forgetting about herself.  I began with direct images of women cleaning and women gossiping right in the center of the paintings. A direct emotion wanted to be heard. As I went along, subconsciously I abstracted and curved emotions; not only suggesting one feeling or thought. I placed my characters in different areas to make the viewer think about what I was trying to say. Again, all was subconscious and I only discovered the new thoughts recently. Currently, I am extremely pleased with the series and art I created. I have never could say I enjoyed every piece of art I created this semester. Yes, areas within some artworks I would tweak but overall I am very pleased with the body of work. 

4. Describe the materials you have worked with and any techniques that you have developed or

expanded upon. How have techniques and materials played a role in your ideas and feelings about the

work?

The material list was consistently changing and evolving throughout the semester. Every week I could discover a new way to scrap or texture the surface. Discovering new ideas was continuously exciting! I tried to write down the discovered ideas and techniques as I went along. Materials such as paper, newspaper, received letters, stamped envelopes, photographs, laser prints, charcoal, graphite, chalk, conte, texture paints, and acrylic paints. All were pasted on a thick wood slab to increase stability. 

 ,5. Have any comments about your work or thoughts expressed during critiques stood out in your

thinking and helped to change or alter the direction of the work for the better?

Yes, I was very impressed with the emotions or thoughts the audience or class received through my paintings. Many ideas were correct with my intended ideas. Therefore, I was excited to see my artwork was communicating effectively. 

6. What artists, art movements, art historical time periods or visual culture issues have you

researched? (Visual Culture Paper, etc.) What specifically has influenced you from looking at these artists?

Artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, Larry Rivers, Edgar Degas, Vincent Van Gogh, Henry Matise, and last but not least, Henri Toulouse Letrech, inspired my creating. Their choice of colors, line use, paint strokes,  and instinct of free hand movements to evoke a gesture quality caught my eye. Specifically, the impressionist, post impressionist, abstract impressionist, and pop artist of the 1950s. Inspirations from paint use and technique but most importantly the artist’s messages or thoughts within the artwork inspired my artwork. 

7. From meeting and speaking with art professionals this semester, what insights did you gain about

the art world and what it means to be a professional artist? Who made the biggest impression on you and

why?

By meeting and speaking with the art professionals, I gained an insight of survival. I myself, already was aware of hardships artists chose to endure. Hardships of consistently creating, for themselves, respect, and hopefully a career can be mentally exuasting and frustrating. By meeting artists who have become successful was surely inspiring to see first hand. The professional artists jumped through all the hoops of fire, made it to the finish line, and even had families!

8. Artist Statement: What is the essence of your artwork put into words? This can take the form of

a description, a philosophical position, a poem, quote from a favorite artist, or any combination of these. A

good artist statement tells us something about the mind set of the artist and compels us to look further into

their world.

A spontaneous connection, a rhythmic mark, and a conceptual relationship defines an artist's mind. I was taught to just paint and forget about the rules. Feel the paint and feel the rush of sudden thought. Pattern of repetitive line, gesture qualities, and implied value create a never ending thought process. Enjoying the process of your work enables you to consider the length and travel of your journey not the ending mark. Rauschenberg once said, "I wanted to use the surprise and the collectiveness and the generosity of finding surprises." Mistakes are born through surprises. I learn through the mistakes and create a new direction that I never knew existed. Capturing energy from a days worth of interaction with city-folk or aged grandfathers grasps my muse. Then there is medium; acrylic, chalk, pastel, charcoal, ink, and from these more formal mediums springs spontaneous ones; coffee filters, cardboard, insulation, old cans, and twigs. To me though, categorizing these is pointless, as the true joy springs from combining them with reckless yet calculated abandon.