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Houses of transition

Date

1993

Authors

McMurtry, Amy J., author
Yust, Dave, 1939-, advisor
Kwiatkowski, Ronald W., committee member
Dietemann, David L., committee member
Lehman, Jean P., committee member

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Volume Title

Abstract

The body of work entitled "Houses of Transition" was the result of having undergone a profound personal change in my life; namely the birth of my daughter. These houses were created over a period of approximately a year and a half. At the time when all of these pieces were being created, My husband and I were experiencing either the emotional roller coaster known as pregnancy, or the first wonder-filled year of our daughter's life. For me, both events proved to be exhausting, exciting, and unfortunately somewhat disappointing. Throughout my life, I lived with the belief that once I was to become a mother, I would step back from my own life for a bit and take care of another full time. The realization that this was not possible left me initially angry, bitterly disappointed, but eventually lead to resolution of a significant life transition and acceptance of it. The house form became a metaphor bridging the gap between home which was where I wanted to be and the reality necessitated by my life. Color and shape process and textural composition are used to express the emotions of each stage of this transition. The result is a body of work which mirrors the emotional stages of this significant life change. It is immensely personal while at the same time is somehow universal in nature. All who have had a child understand the biological and spiritual longing to be with that other little person. And all who have been unable to fulfill this longing understand the pain of that separation. These houses of transition helped me to cope with and understand my own situation.

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Subject

Art -- Psychology
Visual perception
Dwellings

Citation

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