Browsing by Author "Toppin, Ayn K., author"
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Item Open Access Someone who looks like me(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2005) Toppin, Ayn K., author; Yust, Dave, 1939-, advisor; Coronel, Patricia D., committee member; Hall, Bruce, committee member; Lehene, Marius, committee memberThematically, my paintings reflect the life long struggle of coming to terms with self-identity. The process of creating art enables me to navigate the complexities of identity while examining the connection this has to our emotional behavior. I use the figure as a tool to explore the space between self-actualization and self-presentation. Dualities, their balance and imbalance, make up the majority of the questions I address in my work. The primary examples are self/other, emotional/corporeal, private/public, sameness/difference, and reality/performance. I'm interested in challenging societal conditioning which teaches to disguise homosexuality and emotional expression, and question how this conflict constructs our self-identity and self-worth. My emotive response to these issues is the driving force behind my work. This thesis is a visual journey through the obscurity of existence, a search for a sense of recognition within oneself.