College of Arts and Sciences Department of Art

DESIGNED BY: ASHLEE FOSTER, DANIEL SIEW & CHELSEA VANHOUTEN

PHOTOS BY: NATALIE FLEMING, JENN BISHOP & AMBER SLITER

SENIOR THESIS 2015PHISM (SORRY, GRANDMA)

The Senior Thesis is a yearlong course during which students, under the

guidance of faculty members, develop concepts, processes and intentionality of

their work. The result is a public exhibition showcasing their accomplishments.

At this formative stage in their artistic development, students are encouraged

to initiate and ‘drive’ the concept and methodology of their final project, a

culmination of an interdisciplinary curriculum.

It is fascinating to observe the positive transformations that occur within

works and presentations done by students during this period. After a seemingly

endless set of creative challenges and explorations, with many permutations,

combined with critical awareness, conceptual savvy, planning and logistics, we

arrive at an appreciable project for each student.

The results are derived from a combination of dialog, collaboration,

research, persistence, insight and refinement.

George Afedzi Hughes and Reinhard Reitzenstein 2015

are we ever really alone as millennials?

i am just relaying a sequential series.

curating a narrative using influence of

sci-fi cinema, follow the gang on their

road to finding out the answer.

HANNAH BELOTTEBACHELORS OF FINE ART - PHOTOGRAPHY

“2000:A NOSEBLEEDALLEGORY”

As a portrait photographer, my goal is to capture the intrinsic qualities of each person I

photograph. In this piece, I aim to wipe away those qualities in order to ask one question:

Who are you really looking at?

JENN BISHOPBACHELORS OF FINE ART - PHOTOGRAPHY

“ANONYMOUS”

The psychological effects that certain materials have on a person is fascinating to me.

Inanimate objects can remind people specific events that happened in their life, triggering a

negative or positive response. My goal is for my piece to be a sort of trigger. I wish to make

myself come face to face with my own fears and things that make me uncomfortable, with the

hope that it might have similar effect on the viewer.

The materials that I used were chosen with a very specific motive in mind. The use of

petroleum jelly and latex impacted and trapped in plastic wrap is a materialization of the fear of

sexual acts. These materials can produce a high level of anxiety in me and a feeling of lack of

control. It is difficult to control the patterns that the jelly and latex make on the plastic wrap.

The petroleum jelly in the plastic wrap looks like the aftermath of a sexual encounter.

Even though it is a protected encounter, there is no mental protection if it is unwanted

sex. There is so much of the petroleum jelly that it becomes overwhelming, as sex

often can be.

There was a great amount of repetition and obsession that went into the

creation of this piece. Once something violently sexual happens, one often

thinks about it all the time. The materials that you saw during the act

become triggers. These triggers force one to come to terms with what

happened. The repetition used to create this project became a kind

of therapy. The more I spread petroleum jelly and liquid latex on

the plastic wrap, the stronger and desensitized to the materials I

became.

BAILEY DANAHYBACHELORS OF FINE ART - SCULPTURE

“DEATH OFAN INNOCENT,OCT. 2010”

I have always been fascinated with math ever since I was a little kid; it came easy to me and

by three years old, I was solving division problems. When I decided to become an artist, my

goal was to infuse as much math into my art as possible. I began to study mathematics and

was heavily influenced by the Fibonacci sequence and how it appears in nature and the human

body.

Conceptually my art deals with this juxtaposition of nature and math. Nature is very soft while

math tends to be rigid and precise; I like to combine nature and math through the geometry of

a grid system by making the image seem pixelated.

Another concept that appears in my work is the idea of preservation. In today’s world

everything is digital; we send text messages instead of hand-written letters, selfies

instead of photographs. I am interested in exploring how things might be preserved

for future grandchildren and how important it is to remove oneself from the digital

world every once in a while.

In my piece, I used a portrait of my grandma and combined it with some

letters she wrote before she passed away as a sentimental piece to

preserve my own family history for future generations. I wanted to

hand paint all of the dots and letters instead of just printing them

on transparent paper to add in another layer of items that can be

preserved. Lastly, I decided to paint the portrait on ten different

panels to convey the idea that sometimes a person has to

look at something from a different perspective to see the

whole picture.

ASHLEE FOSTERBACHELORS OF FINE ART - GRAPHIC DESIGN

“GENERATIONAL PERSPECTIVE”

Hello! My name is Sicily Fredericks and I was born on my mother’s birthday in April, 1990. I

started my life as an early surprise and was a rare baby that could see the world sooner than

most. Growing up I had always been inspired and amazed by the new and unseen, you’d always

find me exploring and creating with every chance I had. Those habits have traveled with me

my whole life. I enjoy all forms of art and have produced work in many different mediums

throughout my years, always wanting to know more, always seeking for the new and unique.

I’ve always had a passion for the special differences that makes everyone who they are. I’ve

embraced many abnormalities and fostered many outcast ideas. In this process of exploration

and further understanding the oddities in life I’ve discovered the enjoyment and excitement

of standing out. Since my early years I’ve constantly been reminded of how different

usually was seen as something bad or unwanted. I’ve encountered first-hand how an

average society can treat the unusual. Often times in my life I’ve felt like a freak of

nature, I’ve felt like a monster. But by embracing what makes me different I’ve been

able to truly shape who I am and further develop my talents.

Through my work I’m trying to show that it’s ok to be different and that this

difference helps to make the world a brighter, more unique place. I want

to create a space where there’s more room for free expression and

nonsensical enjoyment and less room for negativity. I understand

how society puts pressure on people to be the same and conform,

it makes being unique a scary thought for many. That’s why

I chose to take something traditionally considered scary

(monsters) and turn it into something cute, unique, and

most importantly fun. I designed my letters to all be

diverse but feel like a happy community of ‘misfits’.

These creatures of mine are supposed to be appealing

and inviting and upon seeing these letters I hope

people will open their minds a bit and be willing to

think in a different way. I’d like people to challenge

their preconceived notions of the term “monster.” The

wearable monster accessories I created are there to help

people bring out their inner uniqueness. I invite the willing to

display what makes them unique in a strange but fun way without

having to be afraid of the judgement they would normally receive for

SICILY FREDERICKSBACHELORS OF FINE ART - GRAPHIC DESIGN

trying to be creative or for acting in a fashion seen as a “abnormal”. I’m hoping that

after participating in my show people will be inspired to pursue their passions and make

positive changes where others are afraid to act and upset the status quo. After all, the

only way to make a difference is by being different.

“MONSTER WEAR”

The intention of this project is to illustrate the relationship between virtual worlds and how they

are used by people as a means of escapism. The idea of fictional planes is realized in books

music, art, film, and other forms of entertainment. It is consumed and handled by people for

their own use, but the inherent qualities of the fictional planes of existence can serve to sever

the user from reality when it is used as means of escapism from reality.

This stands as an example that anything can be bad for you in excess, or if used incorrectly.

The piece however, is not meant to frame the subject in a way that completely condemns it,

but rather to show the consequence of its misuse. The project is meant to externalize and

personify the instances of human behavior in and around the virtual environment, as well

as give life to the operation of the mechanical elements of the world, in order to keep

the world in a state of existence. These objects, specifically the computer server, are

stylized to express the threat that they pose to the well being of the mental health of its

inhabitants.

The project is made up of 8 illustrations, the main image is a depiction of a

fictional plane where existence is reliant on real life objects that keep the world

running, its purpose is to show the computer server as a living being that

exists to keep in place rules and parameters that are applied to the world

that its tethered to. Although the virtual world is something that exists

as a parallel to the real world, it is vulnerable to dissolution solely

because of the fact that it’s anchored to reality with a computer

server. Once the server goes offline, and stops consuming

the electricity that fuels its operations, the virtual plane is

dead. Because of this, anything stored in the virtual plane,

including time spent, accomplishments, and social

connections, will evaporate when the world ceases to

exist. The only thing remaining for each individual

is the absence of activity in the real world that is

leftover from their endeavors in the fictional world.

The accompanying illustrations are meant to show

instanced events in the world server, as well as how the

human consciousness moves between the real world and

the unreal, and how it affects their life.

CRAIG FUSCOBACHELORS OF FINE ART - GRAPHIC DESIGN

“WORLD_SERVER”

In this series of paintings I am portraying some of the mental battles that I have fought within

my own mind. I quite often find myself having over anxious responses to stimuli in my life.

Sometimes this self defeating cycle can hold me back and make my grip on life loosen. As

I am maturing I have realized that I am my own most dangerous weapon. Realizing that the

problems I am facing can lie within myself has helped me take control of my anxiety.

To explore the above ideas I created a series of paintings in sequential order. The series depicts

the process of turning my hair into a noose. Using a physical part of the human body as a

weapon to end life brings recognition to the fact that we don’t always have absolute control

of our own minds. By making distinct stylistic choices such as reductive portraits, I hope

to highlight personal characteristics in each painting. The progression of color from one

painting to the next creates a climatic effect, and the subdued turquoise echos the deep

emotional resonance people have with the color blue. The large scale of the paintings

is supposed to encourage the viewers to appreciate the paintings from two viewing

distances (far away and up close). This duality mimics how problems can inflate,

depending on where our focus is drawn.

ALICIA GRUNDERBACHELORS OF FINE ART - PAINTING

“I AM MYOWN MOSTDANGEROUSWEAPON”

With every breath, time rushes past us, slippery and stealthily, taking us on a journey through

space. What if we could escape the crosshairs of space and time by taking a direct line

to another time and place? Wormholes are regarded as a potential reality because of their

connection to Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. For now however it is a great fantasy

imagined by science fiction writers, physicists, and philosophers alike. I consider my work to

be a sculptural science fiction that takes advantage of the distinctly different gallery rooms at

Hi-Temp.

The first piece is called “The Prototype” and is my depiction of an imaginary machine that

someone may create in their backyard. The piece is created from reclaimed and found

objects with a distinct purpose of connecting us to the world that already exists. This

includes both the present and the past which is why I have chosen objects that show

signs of age to assemble into a new creation. The rope extends out of the machine

and into a hole on the wall. The room that this takes place echoes the theme of the

prototype with walls that are raw and old.

The sterile white cement of the next room reflects my depiction of the

futuristic version of a wormhole machine. “The Corimbus” is a structure

of concentric circles that is drawing the rope of the past down from the

ceiling. I have made the Corimbus from new steel which represents

the creation and fabrication of new objects that cutting edge

science typically demands. The exception is the repetition of the

blue rods that also appear in the Prototype and they represent

a connection between how the two machines work.

AUSTIN LAUGHLINBACHELORS OF FINE ART - SCULPTURE

“THECORIMBUS”

I have always found an interest in the sub culture of the world of tattoos. I have also have

a great interest in the Nordic culture and my work is a intersection of these two cultures. I

have created images that would be a great image for tattoos using the Nordic culture to pull

inspiration from. My artwork is in two different fields of art which I have intertwined to create

my work. These mediums are that of the digital work and also that of the sculptural. I have

created all my images using the latest technology to create my sculptures and my screen

print images. There is a lot of hands on technical aspects that are overlooked when creating

the work I am making. This is what I enjoy so much in creating something that seems simple

because the backend of this work is tedious and time consuming. I have an eye for detail I

strive for perfection in the work I do. I am taking the work I have created and placing it into

another place to be seen. Not only will my work be seen as artwork, but now I am creating

a commodity out of it as well. Now my work will becomes wearable art. This is the

intent of my work to put into the world to be seen by as many people as possible.

While it has become a product it is also artwork in which I am expressing myself,

and others can purchase it to help express themselves as well.

ERIC MACPHERSONBACHELORS OF FINE ART - GRAPHIC DESIGN

“THEVALHALLABUCKLECOMPANY”

My thesis is an ode to Helen Frankenthaler. She was an abstract expressionistic painter, whose

processes of using washes of paint on unprimed surfaces have faded with time. My piece:

Helen is an attempt to revive and make relevant a less frequently used process by applying it

on mylar. Frankenthaler’s abstract expressionistic body of work inspired me to the extent of

fixation. She claimed to have named her paintings based on what was physically apparent –

precisely what she saw. Regardless of what other people see in my work, I see the inspiration

derived from Frankenthaler that fueled the most recent enlightenment of my formative stage.

Helen is a 50 feet long. Nothing was preplanned but improvised. The doodles in my

sketchbook are similar to the organic forms rendered in my piece. Just like doodling my

process follows a natural, momentary visual thought. I juxtaposed geometric rectilinear

shapes with the organic forms as a contrast of imagery. This contrast speaks to the

man-made versus the natural. All forms in the piece interact with each other and

with the background in various ways. The piece has sections of different visual

conversation so that no one specific area is exactly identical to the next.

I think of my thesis as a visual interpretation of emotion – from the dusky

section at the beginning, a climax at the mid-section, to dwindled forms/

fading ink drops at the end. My thesis presents the viewer with visual

information with an open interpretation.

KELLY MAGEEBACHELORS OF FINE ART - PAINTING

“HELEN”

My thesis project, You are Me, strives to illustrate the presence of outside influences on an

individual’s identity. I do not believe that any one person is exclusively self-made; he is a

combination of elements. While he is a distinct individual, physically apart from others, he is

still the product of his environment and the people surrounding him. My own thesis project

depicts how the people closest to me, my mother, father, brother and best friend, have helped to

shape me into the woman I am.

You are Me is composed of five acrylic paintings, four triangular and one square. Each of the

triangular pieces depict the hand gestures of the four people closest to me, the square piece

depicts my own portrait. Prior to painting each piece, I asked my four subjects to select

phrases, quotes or lyrics that they feel define who they are as a person. I hand-painted

these phrases and words within the silhouette of each of their hands, mimicking their

own hand writing. I repeated the same process within my own self-portrait, using my

own hand writing. Though I used phrases that I had personally selected, I also used

my loved-ones’ quotes within the portrait in order to illustrate their impact on my

identity. They have shaped who I am, and the morphing of text with portraiture

illustrates that union literally and metaphorically.

The morphing of text with human figures within my thesis project

derives influence from Surrealism and text-based works of the

twentieth century. My work does not endeavor to convey or repeat

the exact reasoning behind either movement; I simply apply

certain techniques and select portions of their philosophies

for my own use. André Breton, for example, describes in

his Surrealist Manifesto the transformation of reality

through art. René Magritte applied this philosophy

in his paintings depicting metamorphosis, or the

superimposing of images to create a new reality.

My own work employs this technique to convey

its theme. When adding text to a piece, I also strive

to follow the basic principles of past text-based

works. Like Ed Ruscha’s or Barbara Kruger’s works,

for example, my own pieces require the audience to

actively read rather than to passively look, creating a

relationship between the works and the audience. My

ANNA MAXWELLBACHELORS OF FINE ART - GENERAL STUDIO

paintings can both

manipulate form and

tempt my audience

to analyze and read.

Through the unity of

text and portraiture,

I convey my own

interpretation of

the variations and

potential surrounding

personal identity,

specifically my own.

“YOU ARE ME”

My piece is a subway train made of subway tickets. Each cart is covered in several tickets of

different costs. What I am trying to say with this piece is how much money the average person

puts in the subway trains. Each day you may use the train two times a day going somewhere

and getting back, not bad right? That is only four dollars. The next day it’s four more dollars and

so on. By the end of the week you have spent 28 dollars, now think about a month. There are

deals where you get a discount through your school.

Each train is built from the frame of a simple toy train with the unnecessary parts removed and

covered with tickets. The area around the tracks are made to look like the platforms you find

on subway stations. I chose to flip the ticks to give it a nice contrast to the colorful tickets

of the train. The back carts have a lot more solid tickets intact. The first cart has a lot of

cut up tickets. I chose to do this because it shows off the shape of the lead train cart a

lot better then if it had the box shape of the outer carts.

MANNY MCKEEGANBACHELORS OF FINE ART - GENERAL STUDIO

“TICKETS, PLEASE”

The central theme of my paintings revolves around high fashion, pattern, the digital age and

the female form. I am provoking the viewer to encounter these concepts and challenge the link

between traditional painting and digital media.

The aesthetics in my paintings are motivated by color theory and the creation of boundaries,

using them as a tool to structure expression. Incorporating hand made patterns and the

permitted accuracy of man made tools; I have created an atmosphere that provokes the viewer

to challenge the precision and authenticity of mass digital media.

The Patterns in my paintings are inspired by digitally rendered patterns. Traditionally,

patterns in the modern world are digitally rendered and printed onto fabric, wiping away

any flaws. My artistic vision is to create patterns and designs within my paintings that

are technically clean and tight, while having organic and expressive qualities. The

colors in my paintings are encouraged by the experimentation with unmixed colors

and the overlapping of multiple hues, creating bold and balanced colors.

The influences of my paintings stem today’s fashion designers and how they

have given new life to traditional paintings by reprinting them on to fabrics

to be worn as garments. To be modified and expanded on multiple

platforms is what I wish for my work.

NATALIE MILLERBACHELORS OF FINE ART - GENERAL STUDI0

“DIGITAL BITCH, BLACK DRESS,& DIGITALLANDSCAPE”

What I wanted to do with my project is to imply movement and texture with the use of crepe

paper, and acrylic paint. I also wanted to experiment with media that I don’t usually get to use

being that my concentration is in Graphic Design; I wanted to go outside my comfort zone. The

media used in my piece is crepe paper, gesso and acrylic paint on canvas. I placed the crepe

paper pieces into a flowing wave-like design that implies a flowing movement from one canvas

to the other. The flowing areas of crepe paper trail off one canvas and goes into the second

canvas. The waves in my design change in color and texture, the painted areas of the design

provide my piece with contrast as does the changes in color.

DIANA PERALLONBACHELORS OF FINE ART - GRAPHIC DESIGN

“WAVESOFCHANGE”

“Amor fati: let that be my love henceforth!”

-Freidrich Nietzsche

When you look at your life and all the moments that led to great change, do you have any

regrets? Are you satisfied with your choices? Could you do it all over again without a single

change? Have you accepted your fate?

The Story So Far is the result of my coming to terms with mortality, the soul, and fate as the

greater force of the universe. It is a reflection on my path to now and my acceptance of its

twists and turns. There is an infinite abyss beyond our conscious existence with endless

possibilities, but we are only present in this one. I have studied and adopted histories,

myths, and traditions from other cultures to find the intersections and explanations

of our world. A belief in existence beyond our bodies can be found across cultures,

tribes, and nations of the world.

Natives of North America use traditional hoop dance to tell these stories of

creation and destruction, and pass them on through the generations. I use

modern hoop dance, an infusion of the traditional, dance techniques,

and flow arts, to tell my stories. There is also a long history in mankind

of colored light signifying the soul, spirit, or aura. By using an

LED hula-hoop as a mark-making tool, I am able to bring this

belief into my work with an ethereal quality. Above all, I am

trying to address the loss the world will suffer when digital

photographs become corrupted files and leave nothing but

memory behind. This obsession with documenting every

moment of our lives has led to massive digital archives

but few physical photographs. Will our traditions be

preserved? Will our faces be remembered?

SAMANTHA L. ROMANDBACHELORS OF FINE ART - GRAPHIC DESIGN

“THE STORYSO FAR”

I’ve always been interested in pop culture, and what’s relevant in the interests of the youth

today. If it’s trending, I’m the first to know it. My work identifies with graffiti art, and tends to

provoke thoughts about the present time in our society and our media oriented society. For as

long as I can remember I have been mainly influenced by music. Going to music festivals as a

young artist I was always drawn to the band merchandise, and fashion that closely represented

the lifestyle of the music scene.

In the past year I received a request to illustrate on tennis shoes for my friends sister. Quickly

accepting the challenge I asked her what she wanted the design for the shoes to be. She

said, “I just want them to be a reflection of myself.” Taking that to heart I sat down with

her and struck up a conversation. Through our conversation I got to know her better.

After this experience I decided to create a line of sneakers that reflects an individual’s

unique personality. For myself, these shoes are a symbol of an era of music, and

expression. When I wake up in the morning and put my clothes on, I think about

what kind of message I want to portray, and I work that into my day’s designs.

Being able to understand personal identities is a quality of mine that I do

not take for granted, and I use this ability to design something relative to

the person I am creating for. For me, band merchandise is something to

remind you of an experience that lasts long after the show is over. I

am hoping to create the same type of experience through the shoes

I design, enhanced by a handmade look and feel.

LINDSAY SIEGMANNBACHELORS OF FINE ART - STUDIO ART

“GRAFEETI”

“And the people in the houses all went to the university, where they were put in boxes, and they

came out all the same.” –Malvina Reynolds

After he gives himself what he considers to be a well-deserved pat on the back and those in

his intellectual circle applaud his efforts to abandon the box in which he has lived hitherto

blissfully ignorant of the external world proper, it never occurs to him that there is—and always

has been—more than one box, whose walls he might discover, had he the foresight to walk

three steps in any given direction.

I cannot pity him, as I do the compliant flock. His art is an art of Order; it carries the stench

of novelty for the sake of novelty; it is lauded by the institution because he unknowingly

caters to the institution, because that is all he knows. His art is an art that exudes false

superiority. It screeches with an esotericism that drowns out the husk of sincerity

dying behind the canvas. He mistakes moonlight for the sun.

Our society is geometric; it is apparent order, an authoritarian matrix through

which we are not made to see, but choose to anyway; it is a Menger sponge

of Plato’s caves, wherein we all believe we’ve seen the sky.

It would do us all some good to take ourselves less seriously, to

embrace a bit of Disorder in our lives. I, for one, would like to see

the sky someday. So come, Visitor. Let us play a game together.

Hail Eris.

DANIEL SIEWBACHELORS OF FINE ART - GRAPHIC DESIGN

“LIFE, ASTHE ART OF PLAYING GAMES”

My work analyzes mutation, through concepts of the organic and the synthetic world. I explore

the significance and microscopic details of cells. Cells can become infected mechanisms that

deconstruct the body through cancer. A single cell can spread mutation through unity and

division. Once this mutation arrives to the blood stream it can spread throughout the entire

body. My work conceals this disturbance beneath a layer of idealized innocence in the tonality

of colors. This piece conveys the contrasting emotions of tranquility and chaos.

I am interested in the eruption of mutation due to society’s norms that may be known as

hazardous yet ignored until the body begins to deteriorate. I examine scientific images of cells,

tumors, and surgical procedures, along with processed foods. I paint body parts straddling

the line between the natural world and the synthetic by using both fine details and motifs.

Environmental carcinogens cause 75-80% of cancer diagnosis and death in the

United States. By installing these visual representations of mutated cells to the

walls, I bring attention to the process of mutation. The cells become trophies to

those who have changed their life style and have survived the battle, while the

red blood cells symbolize the never-ending cycle.

My work also involves the investigation of habits that lead to the

consumption of carcinogens, and the way they are accepted within

society. By warping the canvas into irregular cellular shapes I bring

this invasion of small cellular forms into our physical and visual

world.

AMBER SLITERBACHELORS OF FINE ART - PHOTOGRAPHY & PAINTING

“MUTATED CELLS”

My artwork takes a critical view of life’s meaning through six different dream scenes. I revisited

my dreams in waking reality by painting them to allow people to reflect upon the deprivation,

darkness, solitude, silence, or vacuity in their lives.

Carl Jung’s dream theories are closer to what I see, feel and experience than any of Freud’s

scientific methods of dream interpretation. Jung suggested that dreams are doing the work of

integrating our conscious and unconscious lives. This mythic world of Jung’s is the realm of

archetypes, which are the universal energies of every human who is not only in conflict with

society but also with him or her self. My art installation tries to restore the dreamer’s feelings.

The black box environment in my installation establishes a dream-like surreal space,

suggesting notions of mystery and tranquility, and formally unifies the six disparate

dream scenarios in the chamber. The contents of each dream are unique and they are

set inside six separate cubes. In addition, a peephole was installed on each cube to

change the viewers’ visual experience.

I hope through this perceptual experience that the viewers are able to resonate

with my dream presentation, and encourage them to explore the dream

process further and perhaps also decode mythical, archetypal characters

in the dreams and possibly question “What is the meaning of the life?”

JINPU TAOBACHELORS OF FINE ART - GRAPHIC DESIGN

“DREAM”

Relief carving has become my secret passage through life.

This senior thesis project is a self-portrait through other people and a personal topic through

public means.

The Buffalo Punk DIY community that I had found became the focus of most of my thoughts

after stepping into my first show two years ago. From the very first song I heard that first night,

I instantly fell in love with the passion these musicians and friends had for what they did. It felt

relatable. These people that I would later call my family and this community that I would so

quickly call home.

My discovery of relief printing changed my whole thoughts on fine arts four years ago

when I stumbled upon it. After five years of self-harm, the marks made from carving

were the most relatable images I’ve ever found. I’ve never enjoyed having so much

passion towards a process.

For this final piece it was inevitable at this point to connect my passion for this

process with the passion I see everyday in the Buffalo Punk DIY Community,

the community who’s passion saved my life.

The multiple use of collage continuously leads back to the

mismatched connections of all the people and places that have

brought my life together as a whole; the collage of over one

hundred pictures taken throughout a year of shows to create

one cohesive image, as well as the multiple different strips

of papers to create the final image.

CHELSEA VANHOUTENBACHELORS OF FINE ART - PRINTMAKING

“MY HOME, MY SCARS, MY RELIEF”

Evolution is a critical part in thriving as a species. Humans have remained persistent as a

species through studying our presence in the world around us, as well as, the microbial world

within us. To survive we must continuously critique and redefine the significance of these

worlds. It is easy to neglect the vast complexities that lie within each life as the skin subverts

and acts as a barrier for unwavering compassion.

I am fascinated by the internal universe through which we are constantly forming theories

into anatomical functions. Our understanding of the microbial presence has been prominently

focused on physical afflictions and overlooking connections with psychological happenings.

Presently, there are proven antigenic pathogens that affect the mood and behavior of its

host. Unfortunately, it is rare that we attend to the affliction before physical symptoms

arise. It is rare that we bridge the connection of theoretically opposing conditions. We

tend to stigmatize psychological defect as an intrinsic responsibility to the person

suffering, yet we have empathy for those who have physical ailments. This causes

internalization which mutes the conflicts that are brewing within. Suppression of

psychologically motivated symptoms is just as fatal as avoiding treatment for

a terminal ailment. It takes acceptance to for this to come to fruition, but the

stigma of weakness and shame often triumph.

Lucid Flesh, questions a potential future where the anatomical make

up has evolved to a translucent epidermis that brings to surface all

forms of biological disturbance. The evolved science disproves

the stigmas of psychological disability as all afflictions are

rooted in a parasitic relationship. In this world, we are

sensitive to the complexities of all internal happenings.

This evolved characteristic stems from the theory that if

we had something theoretically tangible like a parasite

or antigenic pathogen to blame, would the sensitivity

rise as intrinsic shame dissolved. One would be

able to shed the affliction like dead skin and proceed

through remission.

SUSANNA VAUPENBACHELORS OF FINE ART - PRINTMAKING

“LUCID FLESH”

Throughout the duration of student’s course at university, there is an apparent progression

from who a person was before enrolling and who they become when ready to enter the “real

world”. My artwork at UB has always been personally tailored to my personality, factors about

my life mixed and the various results of each reaction, not holding back the extremities.

Naming this piece The Vulture’s Eye felt appropriate. In Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart;

one of the first prominent narratives written under the stream of consciousness literary

technique, the main character developed an infatuation with the eye of his victim, consistently

calling it a “Vulture Eye”. The effects this eye had on the character were apparent, as he

gradually unravels into the very person he denies being previously: a madman. For me, UB

and impending student loans are the vulture’s eye in my life, and I gradually unraveling.

This piece, in its near-30-foot extremities, allows the viewer to submerge themselves

within my stream of consciousness and view the sporadic narrative the way my

mind tells it. No consistencies, no stability, dynamic transitions. These factors

help reveal the last four years of my life; whether it’s three years at UB, a year

abroad in Australia, the odd jobs picked up along the way, and the eight

countries I’ve made my journey.

Exhibiting a personality that is often described as “dynamic”, among

other things, my thesis project is accurately labeled “mixed media”.

Whether it is acrylic or oil paints, inks, collage materials or

graphite, this canvas strips away the exterior of how I present

myself and intensively explores the vast contrasts of my

experiences through my time enrolled.

The experiences influencing this eschewed narrative

come from the desire to always have a story at the

end of the night. These events could be personality

traits like always fighting authority, challenging myself

with obstacles that I hadn’t faced before, or calling out

the falsely self-entitled for thinking that they are owed

everything. Maybe pieces of this thesis represent the

tenacious self realization when I had to stop conforming to other’s

desire of my person and finally be comfortable with the authentic

MATTHEW ZIELINSKIBACHELORS OF FINE ART - STUDIO ART

version of myself, whether other people accepted it or not.

My thesis project isn’t just a painting, it isn’t just what I have learned at this school within

the last four years, my piece represents the need to take on too much, the importance of

satisfying my own hunger over another’s, and neophilia overpowering inexperience in my

pursuit of creating art.

Whether you appreciate or loathe this piece, it really doesn’t matter to me. In the end, this

is my thesis; these are my ideas, stories and experiences. This university is my vulture’s

eye, and this is the stream of consciousness I’m drowning in currently.

“THEVULTURE’S EYE”

College of Arts and Sciences Department of Art