New Art

Senior Thesis Exhibition

My senior exhibition: "Dots" will be available for viewing form May 2- May 11, 2007. The closing reception takes place Friday, May 11 from 7:30-9pm in the Gorman Lecture building at the University of Dallas.

Part II: Positive Alternatives

Prep. Drawing for Laughter
Charcoal and graphite on paper
18 x24"
2007

I should mention that the way the exhibition is now arranged will direct relationships between one piece to its counterpart. In other words, every facial expression has an "opposite" and will be facing it. Laughter, for example, will be located directly opposite of Rage. If you can recall the Rage image, it's clear that the face uses almost the same muscles when it forms an angered expression and when it forms one of laughter. Interestingly, becoming enraged represents incarcerating oneself by one's own emotions while laughter represents the exact opposite. Laughter is an expression of liberation. I think of it is an expelling of positive energy. Sometimes, laughter can be seen as a mask, however. In this case, it would serve as a protection device.

In retrospect, I'm starting to think that all of the emotions we experience are negative but in order to proceed with life we supercede those negative emotions with positive ones. I'm discovering that the will to be positive may be just as important as the expressing of positive emotions.


The first image is a photograph of the prep. drawing for the print photographed on the bottom.

Prep. Drawing for Contemplation
Graphite on paper
18 x 24"
2007

Arrogance: Man as God

Arrogance
Oil Pastel on paper
20 x 24"
2006

As I previously discussed, the inevitable feeling of inadequacy of being human is appropriate because we were created. Because we were created by a Higher Being, we strive to ulimately be like Him. God-likeness is man's goal, in other words. Our decision-making, action-taking, and emotional dispositions are effected by this drive toward the Universal Good.

Often, however, the goal becomes obscured by our own selfish motives. We begin to separate ourselves from the Universal and fall in love with our particular needs. Here, we tend to place our desires ahead of everyone else's needs. Suddenly, our goals are more important and we feel that we have a sort of "priority" over others. This, of course, is arrogance, or as I understand it, replacing God, the Universal goal, with oneself, a particular need. For some, this state of mind incumbently defines their character. For others, it's only felt once in a while. Whatever the case, it is part of human nature to get caught up in goals.

In arrogance, man places himself at the top of an imaginary hierarchy, a false class structure. The only hierarchical relationship that exists by nature is the one between the Creator and the created. Despite the classes we invent on Earth to order society are trumped immediately by the natural Order. We forget that a lot!

This would have been part of my thesis exhibition but I felt that the image was not illustrative enough. The drawing was fairly successful but it would have been difficult to create an adequate print made of small dots. I chose to elimate it completely. No print was ever created.