Browsing by Author "Kokoska, Mary-Ann, committee member"

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Open Access
Contemporary body adornment influenced by Elizabethan, Victorian and Tribal African design
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2004) Douglass, Hilary, author; Getty, Nilda, advisor; Carlson, Linda L., committee member; Kokoska, Mary-Ann, committee member; Lundberg, Thomas R., committee member
Body adornment is linked to a person's identity, a view of self, and how a person is viewed by others. Elizabethan and Victorian women's clothing addresses the issue of identity. Many of the ritual objects worn by some of the peoples of Africa are also strongly linked to the idea of self-identification. My artwork has been influenced by the large-scale and dramatic presence of Elizabethan and Victorian women's attire, and by the beautiful objects of ornamentation created and worn by the peoples of Africa. Specifically, my work has been affected by the size and the visual dominance of tribal African and European adornment. The purpose of my large pieces is not to dominate, but rather to be a symbol of power and femininity of the wearer, thus enhancing their feeling of self-identity.
Open Access
Creating worlds
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Wilson, Eleanor, author; Sullivan, Patrice, advisor; Osborne, Erika, advisor; Kokoska, Mary-Ann, committee member; Doenges, Judy, committee member
A longing for adventure is a component of human nature. The adventures that I am interested in are ones that can only exist in the realm of imagination. Fantasy has traditionally been a way to vicariously find that adventure. More recently, video games have allowed the player to become immersed in new worlds. Like video games, film, and fiction, my paintings also use imagery from fantasy worlds. A large portion of my work utilizes paradoxical humor through the juxtaposition of unlikely objects or settings and the anthropomorphization of inanimate objects that act as the protagonists in the stories the paintings tell. I incorporate aspects of interactivity into my pieces that allow the viewer to cross the line and become a participant in the piece. In my works, I try to highlight the limited nature of the world we live in versus the unlimited nature of imagination. To create imaginary worlds I use the art style of many games in the way I incorporate visual elements.
Open Access
Emerging worker project
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2007) Jentzsch, Keith, author; Voss, Gary Wayne, advisor; Lundberg, Thomas R., committee member; Kokoska, Mary-Ann, committee member; Sparks, Diane Carol, committee member
To view the abstract, please see the full text of the document.
Open Access
In search of self
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2004) Ferrer, Kim, author; Voss, Gary Wayne, advisor; Pettigrew, Ruth, committee member; Kneller, Jane, 1954-, committee member; Lundberg, Thomas R., committee member; Kokoska, Mary-Ann, committee member
I am a hunter and gatherer of forgotten and discarded objects I find on the side of the road, in dumpsters or in empty fields. In the studio, these materials are reprocessed and reconstituted, becoming metaphorical vehicles to communicate how life and the world impact me. The pursuit of materials is engrained into my daily life. My interest can be aroused by an objects unique form, color, texture, gesture or translucency. This practice engages me with my instinctual nature and begins an excavation of my internal world. Intuition helps accomplish the task. Bringing an intuitive disposition into my hunt gives me the ability to measure things at a glance, to name the essence of the thing, to fire it with vitality and discover its enchantment. Through intuition I learn how to sort and understand my attraction to certain materials and how they are connected to my emotions. As in life, the act of creation is a series of births and deaths. It relies on impulses, desires, patience, surrender, intuition and trust to complete its voyage into uncharted areas of the psyche. The evolution of this process is shrouded in mystery. It is as if I am finding my way along a path that has already been laid out for me, the pieces having already been created. As I slowly sift through myself and let emotions filter through, I begin to uncover and unravel the mystery and discover what each artwork needs in order to become whole. My work is a personal catechism of toil where process and materials act as a door into the psychological and metaphorical meaning of a piece. The materials can be as simple as old discarded wood fencing, rice, straw or windblown plastic. The creation process is triggered and fueled by emotions. Whether it is constructing, sewing, wrapping, tying, carving or stacking, the labor that ensues relates to and embodies the content of the piece. The unconscious, empathic dialogue I have with materials and how to utilize them can be equated to deliverance. Through a sacrifice of efforts I am able to release a part of myself into my work and remember who I am. Much of my thesis work speaks to the Life/Death/Life cycle of relationships, relationships with others and oneself. Each phase of this cycle portrays elements of loss, surrender, acceptance and growth. For example, in "Metamorphosis," the cylindrical, oval-shaped metal cage acts as a physical body to house the thick, opaque plastic sheets that take on an ethereal, sarcophagus-like form (Figure I). The texture on the plastic is reminiscent of aged or dead skin that is dry and ready to be shed. Although the plastic form seems to be nestled in the metal cage, it is also sewn in along the sides with nylon filament. These looped stitches that are randomly placed have been cut, and further suggest the shedding or transformation that is slowly taking place. Two pieces of thick rope are tied and wrapped around the middle portion of the cage with one piece running through the middle of the interior down into the plastic form, coming out on the bottom where it is wrapped around a large, white rock. Metaphorically, this rope acts as an umbilical cord, a source of nourishment and hope for the death process that is underway. The wrapped rock anchors the piece in reality and distinguishes the external world from an internal world. By surrendering to loss, the cycle of death is embraced with new growth being its final destination. The work in this thesis represents a journey of conflict and resolution. The themes of birth, death, home, love, loss, surrender, separation, faith and creation are both personal and universal. These themes have been an integral part of my life since childhood. My work sets the stage for an awareness of feelings and gives the emotions of the past a place to go. As I work out these struggles through my art, I am always cognizant of an underlying longing for peace and comfort. It is the actual physical work of making art that brings this sense of tranquility into my being. It is then that I am home.
Open Access
Light works
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2009) Dillo, Sophia Dixon, author; Yust, Dave, 1939-, advisor; Faris, Suzanne, committee member; Kokoska, Mary-Ann, committee member; Lehene, Marius, committee member; McKee, Patrick L., committee member
Light Works explores the incorporation of light into painting in both small wall works and large hanging installation works. The pieces have a quiet gentle presence that sets the tone of the space they inhabit. Light is incorporated into the pieces through the combination of opaque layers such as off-white paper and white paint, with transparent and translucent layers of plastic and Mylar. Varying combinations of these materials create subtle visual effects as the light interacts with the layers. Elements of shadow, light, and visual fogginess or clarity of material all occur depending on the viewer's spatial relationship to the works. These works are non-objective. They use all-over patterning in order to not establish a visual hierarchy between forms. The viewer's attention thus tends to alternate between the whole of the work and the particular forms of the pattern. The combination of scale, composition, light, color, material, and physical placement of the works creates a space of simplicity, openness, and stillness. The intention is to situate the viewer in the immediacy of direct experience. Instead of our usual mind of naming, comparison and association, these works try to evoke a felt sense that exists before labeling, before thinking. I intend to have this space invite a specific experience of beauty, beauty as an activity of mind, a mind that reaches out to an object and returns nourished.
Open Access
Passage of time
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2006) Alpern, Amerinda, author; Voss, Gary Wayne, advisor; Alexander, Ruth M., committee member; Kokoska, Mary-Ann, committee member; Lundberg, Thomas R., committee member
This collection of work is an expression of my changing body and psyche as a middle-aged woman. For me this is a transformative time of living on the edge between the two halves of my life, young and old. I've chosen to work with the depictions of women's breasts because they are the central icons of femininity; they represent the generative, nurturing aspects of women, as well as their sexual nature. Although identity changes throughout one's life, these times of passage offer opportunities for intense reflection while the body and psyche reconfigure themselves. Changes in the soft tissues of the body occur with time. The breast is one of the more noticeable areas of the body that exhibits these changes. At mid-life, while observing these changes, a woman has the opportunity to consciously let go of socially imposed standards of how she should behave and look, and redefine herself on her own terms. During the process of making molds of many women's breasts, I discovered and wanted to demonstrate how completely unique they are, ranging from the breasts of early adulthood, small and firm, to the weight and distortion that aging brings. Of the range of women who participated in the casting process, one woman was still lactating, other women had nursed their children many years ago, and there were women who have not had children. These castings represent transition away from youth into the unknown, into mysteries yet to unfold. I have chosen to express these ideas through the use of clay, plaster, and bronze. Clay is a fragile substance before firing, soft and malleable like breast tissue. Once fired, the clay castings become more fragile, like dried delicate tissue. Plaster can be used as an intermediary material in the mold-making process or as an end product in sculpture. Fragile plaster castings make way for the strength of bronze. Bronze, like the strength of tempered women is an enduring medium withstanding the passage of time. The wall-mounted breasts represent the underlying unity of women's experiences through time. The small bronze works embody my emotional passages of womanhood, the reconfiguring of self, the release of youth, and the welcoming of wisdom.
Open Access
Reciprocity through drawing
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Davis, Rachael Lynn, author; Lehene, Marius, advisor; Kokoska, Mary-Ann, committee member; Ryan, Ajean Lee, committee member; Lundberg, Thomas, committee member; Cooperman, Matthew, committee member
My drawings are founded in visceral moments of reciprocity with nature. I am seeking the quality of my experience as a living being within the larger living being of our planet. My drawings consist of a repetitive white line symbolizing what this experience might look like. The intent of these lines is to describe the relationship of feeling and vision, to convey micro and macro oscillations of my perception of the earth, and to represent the sacred essence of life. My motivation lies in a need to convey a depth of concern and reflection concerning our present ecological crisis.
Open Access
Reticulation: earth and aesthetics
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2009) Anderson, Kimberly, author; Simons, Stephen R., advisor; Dormer, James T., advisor; Kokoska, Mary-Ann, committee member; Twarogowski, Leroy A., committee member; Cafaro, Philip, 1962-, committee member
My love and respect for the natural environment has deeply directed my artwork. This series of work evolves around an in-depth study of environmental issues. My artwork is a response to the research; some works simply use the issue as a starting point while other work clearly displays the concern. The printmaking lithographic process has also guided the development of this work, both conceptually and aesthetically. Within this series, I am trying to bring beauty, mystery, curiosity, and conservation of the land back into our daily focus through the image-making process. The work is my way of internalizing the natural world and expressing my concern for it.
Open Access
Techno-humanity paintings: art as social commentary in the digital age
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Luna, Charles, author; Sullivan, Patrice, advisor; Kees, Nathalie, committee member; Kokoska, Mary-Ann, committee member; Martell, Christine, committee member
My thesis paintings utilize narrative to convey social commentary related to humanity in the Information Age. During the early part of the new millennium, I have found the social assimilation of digital media tools and systems, along with the collective beliefs and behaviors associated with them, to be both fascinating and disconcerting. Through my art I endeavor to express the paradoxical relationship between the established social benefits of information technology (IT) and its questionable effects on humanity. The work allegorically mingles the socially normalized with the absurd suggesting implicit dissonance underlying explicit harmony. The atypical integration of personal imagery with both historical and contemporary iconography is designed to evoke divergent contextual associations of the subject matter. Through these conceptual mechanisms the work encourages reflection regarding the cultural influence of IT in society.
Open Access
Unwearable war: a visual exploration of transversal politics
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2008) Rockinger, Sara Pierce Rockwell, author; Lundberg, Thomas R., advisor; Kokoska, Mary-Ann, committee member; Faris, Suzanne, committee member; Aoki, Eric, committee member
To view the abstract, please see the full text of the document.