Date of Graduation
7-2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts in Art (MFA)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Art
Advisor/Mentor
King, Sam
Committee Member
Andree, David
Second Committee Member
Levenson, Abra R.
Third Committee Member
Mitchell, Marc E.
Keywords
Art; Landscape; Painting; Phenomenology; Poetics
Abstract
The Branch on Which the Blossom Hangs is a body of paintings which address the relationship between landscape or physical presence and the primary experiences of emotion and perception. Through this examination of phenomenology and the malleability of the perceptual apparatus, the paintings express my feeling of dislocation caused by a cycle between depression, dissociation, and mental well-being. They question how an individual relates to their environment. The paintings seek to elicit the allusive and embodied qualities of poetry, framing and evoking a broader experience without defining it. By using the recognizable visual language of landscape, abstracted to the point of familiarity if not identifiability, and immersive, human scale, the works envelop the viewer in a space in which they cannot comfortably situate themselves. This elusive quality is vital – to accurately express these fluctuating states, they must balance a sense of both distance and belonging.
Citation
Coffey, T. S. (2020). The Branch on Which the Blossom Hangs. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/3822
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Coffey-Stilled-16x18in-2020.jpg (5207 kB)
Coffey-Someplace-Higher-On-16x18in-2020.jpg (3683 kB)
Coffey-Sizzle-16x18in-2020.jpg (10422 kB)
Coffey-Orchard2-72x96in-2020.jpg (8105 kB)
Coffey-Lost-Path-48x60in-2019.jpg (5410 kB)
Coffey-Lonesome-16x18in-2020.jpg (3067 kB)
Coffey-Fall2-144x96in-2020.jpg (20800 kB)
Coffey-Beam-16x18in-2020.jpg (3841 kB)
Coffey-An-Impossibility-16x18in-2020.jpg (10961 kB)
Coffey, Thomas 05 Graduate Painting Untitled Oil on Panel 48x72in 2019.jpg (6103 kB)
Coffey, Thomas 03 Graduate Painting Untitled Oil on Panel 48x60in 2019.jpg (8359 kB)