Browsing by Author "Boyd, James W., committee member"

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Open Access
Between the lines
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2005) Howard, Mark Lawrence, author; Ellerby, David A., advisor; Kokoska, Mary-Ann, advisor; Lundberg, Thomas R., committee member; Boyd, James W., committee member
In my exploration of line and structure of a picture's surface I have relied on analysis, as well as intuitive response to the work as it progresses, as a method of creating art. Attitude is an important element in influencing what inevitably is produced. A rigid mind produces rigid art and, conversely, a more fluid mind can create freer art, art which may therefor evoke an emotional response from an audience, rather than intellectual analysis of form or objects. In my use of materials I chose encaustic for the majority of the works, which requires heat in its application. While researching the history of prehistoric art I serendipitously discovered that heat and fire are commonly associated with shamans in tribal cultures, and since the axis mundi is an integral shamanic motif in this series, it seems appropriate that another shamanic element is included. The material of beeswax is another connection to the shamanic aspect of my work in that it is a natural substance, and thus reinforces the theme of nature in this body of work. It is the shamans' respect and communion with nature, and their art created from this perspective, which has motivated my own artistic investigation as well as inspiring historical research into primitive cultures. The nonobjective forms I have employed serve to function artistically as language or symbols rather that representation of objects. It is this symbolic nature of visual art that is the core of my thesis. This form of art, abstract or nonobjective, relates to music in its structure and transcendence of material reality, as well as explores a temporal dimension. What is communicated in this art is conceptual as well as observational, as much of my imagery is inspired by concepts of natural systems, formed by unseen forces, yet manifested in pattern and structure.
Open Access
Toward the fecundity of being
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2002) Butler, Joshua E., author; Dormer, James T., advisor; Simons, Stephen R., advisor; Ellerby, David A., committee member; Boyd, James W., committee member
The images represented here, both abstract and representational, deal with the question of how the concept of "self" relates to "Being" (as with Heidegger) through the study of the interrelation between the artist, materials and the subject matter. The premise for the early nonobjective and surreal experiments was the assertion that the state or qualities of being that an artist brings directly and uninhibitedly to the artists materials would be found as content in the image that resulted from this relationship. With these images I was interested in invoking a heightened, rich visual presence that reflects a sense of being on the edge of life and death. It seemed that this would be the place of being where "self" would most readily be revealed. While nothing "substantial" was found, it began to occur to me that what was most interesting about the process was that moment or series of moments where "I" was sublimated into the creative process within the materials and subject matter. During this time a transition began to occur with my image making. I began to understand "self" as a function of relationships in general. The peculiar aspect of the relationship between artist, materials and the subject matter is that it is a relationship within which all involved are transformed. The artist grows and changes through the process, the materials are transformed from raw materials into living visual language, and the subject matter ceases to function as a consumable object "it" (the land for example) and instead becomes, in Martin Buber's words, "thou" that now functions as the beloved. (It seems ironic thate one answer to counter-consumerism is not necessarily overt activism, but rather, educating people to be studio artists.) While I was in the process of understanding all of this I began to work more and more from everyday life. Our human experience of Being is by its nature relational in that we are what (and how) we are engaged in at any moment. The nonobjective work was becoming like a song stuck in my head. I was finding in the World, as it offers itself for investigation, a bottomless well of spectacular visual information. In contrast, the investigations into my internal environment were exciting at first, but the process and imagery was fast becoming repetitive and boring. The still ongoing series of plant and garden images are a result. My new thesis is that if my being-in-the- world as an artist is relational and I know that the quality of being that I bring is reflected as content, then as an artist, I can choose what type of relationship to participate in. In doing so I take responsibility for both the contents of my life and of the images because they reflect and inform each other. The land, and gardens in particular, gives me an opportunity to reconnect with my original Nature. Gardens are especially interesting because they are the work of directly participating in Nature by bringing the experience into our urban environment. This series of images involves bringing the materials to the gardens and making marks that are a direct response to the interrelationship of my being and the being of the environment as a whole. As such, I choose to participate in the fecundity of Being.