Year of Award

2009

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Other Degree Name/Area of Focus

Ceramics

Department or School/College

Department of Art

Committee Chair

Beth Lo

Commitee Members

Brad Allen, Hipolito Rafael Chacon, Michael Monsos

Keywords

ambiguous form, ceramics, nature, ocean, R.W.Emerson, wonder

Publisher

University of Montana

Abstract

There is a radical unity supporting the vast diversity of appearances in nature that makes distinct categorizations like “animal, vegetable or mineral” superficial at best. The unifying element has been called energy, or, as Emerson put it, “thought is the common origin.” This guiding principle, a life spent by the sea, and an enduring fascination with nature’s forms, has resulted in my current body of work. By combining formal references to animals, vegetables and minerals I create intentionally ambiguous ceramic sculptures that seem to exist in the fluid margin between categories. My aim is toward something composite that challenges the habitual assumption that objects must be either one thing or another in favor of a more open “both/and/maybe” interpretation of form. Through this investigation I hope to share my curiosity about the likeness that pervades the variety in life.

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© Copyright 2009 Eva Lys Champagne