University of Iowa Iowa Research Online Theses and Dissertations Spring 2012 Master of fine arts thesis Douglas Ross Degges University of Iowa Copyright 2012 Douglas Degges This thesis is available at Iowa Research Online: http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/2854 Recommended Citation Degges, Douglas Ross. "Master of fine arts thesis." MFA (Master of Fine Arts) thesis, University of Iowa, 2012. http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/2854. Follow this and additional works at: http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd Part of the Art Practice Commons
MASTEROFFINEARTSTHESIS by DouglasRossDegges Athesissubmittedinpartialfulfillment oftherequirementsforthemasteroffinearts degreeinartinthegraduatecollegeof TheUniversityofIowa May2012 ThesisSupervisor:ProfessorJohnDilg
Copyrightby DOUGLASROSSDEGGES 2012 AllRightsReserved
GraduateCollege TheUniversityofIowa IowaCity,Iowa CERTIFICATEOFAPPROVAL MASTER STHESIS ThisistocertifythattheMaster sthesisof DouglasRossDegges hasbeenapprovedbytheexaminingcommitteeforthethesisrequirementforthe MasterofFineArtsdegreeinArtattheMay2012graduation. ThesisCommittee: JohnDilg,ThesisSupervisor DavidDunlap AnitaJung JohnFreyer
ii Tomyparents,LeeandEllen,andtomybrother,Allen. Thankyouforteachingmethattherearesomanywaystosee thisgreatworld.andtohamlettdobbins,thankyou forshowingmethewayhere.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Iwouldliketothankmyfamilyandfriendsfortheirsupportand encouragementoverthesepastthreeyears(listedinnoparticularorder): Mom,Dad,Allen,Jean HeyGrandmother Degges,MeganDirks,Hamlett Dobbins,JoeandGeniePatrick,DavidDunlap,JohnDilg,SueHettmansperger,Laurel Farrin,SusanChryslerWhite,AnitaJung,JohnFreyer,RonCohen,MichaelPerrone, ConnorMcNulty,JustinLeBlanc,KathleenPeniciaro,TriciaLong,BlakeWalker, RhettKent,BlakeJackson,WesAdams,ChaseBlack,RyanRasmussen,Royce Chestnut,DanaHaugaard,MaryLaube,JonathanRing,AndreaFerrigno,JoshBlack, ChrisReno,DanFeinberg,RudySalgado,SusannaCrum,AndyMoeller,PeteSchulte, DanielStone,andKatieHargrave.Thankyoufellowtravelers! iii
TABLEOFCONTENTS LISTOFFIGURES... v OLDMANSTUDYGROUPANDTHECORACLEDRAWINGCLUB... 1 SOMETHINGSFROMALONGTHEWAY.......12 iv
LISTOFFIGURES Figure 1. OldManStudyGroup1..2 2. OldManStudyGroup2.. 3 3. OldManStudyGroup3..4 4. OldManStudyGroup4..5 5. TheCoracleDrawingClub1...6 6. TheCoracleDrawingClub2 7 7. TheCoracleDrawingClub3 8 8. TheCoracleDrawingClub4...9 9. TheCoracleDrawingClub5.10 10. TheCoracleDrawingClub6. 11 11. pegandupchuck 13 12. fromaboveandtothewall.. 14 13. foundpart...15 14. pair.16 15. pair2.16 16. alimbandaletter3...17 17. alimbandaletter9...18 18. alimb,aletter,andawhisper 19 v
1 OLDMANSTUDYGROUPANDTHECORACLEDRAWINGCLUB InthecourseofstudyingpaintingforthepastthreeyearsattheUniversityof Iowa,Ihavefoundcollaboratingwithotherartiststobeagreatwayformetotryon differenthats.twoofthesecollaborationsinparticular,theoldmanstudygroup withhamlettdobbins(memphis,tn)andthecoracledrawingclubwithdavid Dunlap(IowaCity,IA),havegivenmethelicenseandopportunitytopretendtobe someoneelse.thesecollaborativeprojectshaveaskedmetoconsider,andattimes adopt,evenifonlyforamoment,theinterestsandconcernsofanothermaker.afew monthsintothesetwoprojects,inoticedthattheworkiwasmakingonmyown,in theisolationofmyownstudio,wassuddenlyopentotheworld sinnovations,and notjustmyown.atthebeginningofmyfirstspringsemesteriniowa,ibeganusing GPSdevices,digitalcameras,andimageeditingsoftwareinhopesoffindingthe samekindofplayandpleasurethatcamesoeasilywithcollaboration.previously, thereweretimeswhentheinitialidea,orprovocation,wouldbelosttothelabor thatithoughtwasrequiredformypaintings.thefollowingworksarefromboth collaborativeprojects,andmark,atleasttomyeyes,aturningpointinmypainting practice.
2 Figure1.OldManStudyGroup1,acryliconpanel,12 x10,2011
3 Figure2.OldManStudyGroup2,acryliconpanel,12 x10,2011
4 Figure3.OldManStudyGroup3.acryliconcanvasonpanel,2010
5 Figure4.OldManStudyGroup4,acryliconcanvasonpanel,2010
6 Figure5.CoracleDrawingClub1.4 colorbicpenonpaper,2011
7 Figure6.CoracleDrawingClub2.4 colorbicpenonpaper,2011
8 Figure7.CoracleDrawingClub3.acryliconpaper,2010
9 Figure8.CoracleDrawingClub4.acryliconpaper,2010
10 Figure9.CoracleDrawingClub5.4 colorbicpenonpaper,2012
11 Figure10.CoracleDrawingClub6(inprogress).4 colorbicpenonpaper,2012
12 SOMETHINGSFROMALONGTHEWAY Thefollowingworksweremadeprimarilyinmythirdyearofgraduate schoolandreflecttherangeandplayfulnessfoundinanumberofmycollaborative projects.thisbodyofworkexploresvisuallanguageandimmediacyinpainting.in thestudio,ijuggletwoverydifferentapproachestopainting.ontheonehand,i m makingtraditionaloilpaintingswhereimageryisfoundintheactivityofpainting. Thisapproachtopainting,initsdirectness,standsinsharpcontrasttomyother studiopracticethatmakesuseofvariousdigitalprocesses.manyofthesedigital toolsandapplicationsappropriatemytraditionalpaintingsassourcematerial, treatingthemasworksinprogress,andrawmaterialtobeexaminedandpulled apart.afterafewroundsofdocumentationandimageediting,iamleftwithastack ofimagesthatarethenprintedontraditionalsubstratesusingalargeformatinkjet printer.theseimages,particularlywhenprintedoncanvas,becomenearly indistinguishablefromlargewashesofinkandlayersofsandedpaint.foreach parentpainting,i llgothroughthisdocumenting,editing,andprintingcycleover andoveragain,eachtimemovingfurtherandfurtherawayfromtheoriginal source theoilpaintingthatsparkedthefirstgenerationofdigitallyproduced work.inasensemypracticebeginsinpaintingandthenleavesit butnotforlong, asmyworkalwaysseemstofinditswaybackintothelexiconofpainting.itismy hopethatthesepaintingsaskwhatcanbemadeofadiscreteobjectthrough conflatingpartswithwholesandindividualswithgroups.
13 Figure11.pegandupchuck1,oilonpanelandgessoonpanel,22 x30,2010
14 Figure12.fromaboveandtothewall,inkjetprintoncanvasonpanel, 16 x14.5,2011
15 Figure13.foundpart,inkjetprintandacryliconcanvasonpanel,18x14.5,2011
16 Figure14.pair,inkjetprintandacryliconcanvasonpanelandoilonmasonite, 12 x17,2011 Figure15.pair2,inkjetprintoncanvasonpanelandoilonmasonite, 13.5 x21.5,2011
17 Figure16.alimbandaletter3,lasercutplywood,28 x24,2011
18 Figure17.alimbandaletter9,lasercutplywood,30 x14.5,2011
19 Figure18.alimb,aletter,andawhisper,lasercutplywoodandacryliconcanvas onpanel,approx.5 x7,2011