Mindful Generations

Author

Susan Wade Elster, University of Northern Iowa

Availability

Open Access Thesis

Keywords

Elster, Susan Wade--Exhibitions; Slides (Photography); Academic theses; Exhibition catalogs; Photographs;

Abstract

Mindful Generations is the term I have given to my creative process and my careful attention to the activity of painting and drawing. The result is a great number of small scale paintings and drawings assembled into two large installations. As an artist, I have observed in myself that the activity of making art has the ability to transform my mental, physical, and emotional states into a focused consciousness that transcends the need to relate to any concern outside the act of making art. Having realized this, I assigned myself the task of establishing a method or pattern of working that serves as a base from which I can begin my projects without the need to fulfill any preconceived ideas as to what the finished product should be. I decided to approach the beginning of each project with general rules to keep in mind throughout the entire process. Establishing parameters from the beginning is not intended as a confining or limiting step, rather as a liberating step to create for myself an arena or situation • where each part of the painting process is valued and accepted. It is my feeling that if the work is allowed to evolve on its own, the outcome will take care of itself. It is crucial that there be no interference in the generating process due to struggles with materials. I prefer to work with strong supports such as Arches 300 lb. watercolor paper and mat board because these surfaces can tolerate layers of paint and linework without breaking down physically. Watercolor, pencil, and pen lend themselves well to the work because of their versatility and immediacy. Throughout each project, all materials must be accessible and ready to use so that the pace of the work is never interrupted or slowed down.

Year of Submission

1994

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Art

First Advisor

Felipe Echeverria

Second Advisor

Crit Streed

Third Advisor

Jo Siddens

Comments

The source material included 9 photographic slides.

If you are the rightful copyright holder of this thesis and wish to have it removed from the Open Access Collection, please submit a request to scholarworks@uni.edu and include clear identification of the work, preferably with URL.

Date Original

1994

Object Description

1 PDF file (9 leaves)

Copyright

©1994 Susan Wade Elster

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

Recommended Citation

Elster, Susan Wade, "Mindful Generations" (1994). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 2581.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/2581