Suzanne Olvey

Date of Award

2012

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Anderson, Kim

Keywords

Buddhism, Art, Zen, Painting, Self, Non-Self

Area of Concentration

Art

Abstract

Stemming from Buddhist philosophies of detachment and non-self, I created paintings, sculptures and prints over the course of this thesis project to relinquish my ego as an artist while, simultaneously, creating a visual aid for the audience to meditate on similar concepts. Like many Modernist artists like Motherwell, Marden and Calder, my work is an exploration of medium, while maintaining a contemporary graphic quality. Rather than inventing predetermined compositions, the grain of the wood surface or the paint material become as important as the artist in this process, dictating lines or creating their own. Because I follow lines that exist in the grain of the birch panels, my paintings are already present in the wood before the painting process even begins. The sculptural piece makes the lack of predetermination more evident. Each part is relatively randomly generated and then integrated into the sculpture based on the balance and placement of the pieces that came before it, the same way lines are added to the paintings. The sculpture being roughly human sized and the paintings the size of large windows, my work creates a space for the viewers to reflect back on their own senses of "self" in relation to the amorphous creatures that float around them.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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