Master's in Fine Art

Coffee post. 

One of the inspirations or themes running along my thesis is having it as a way to express lessons or experiences I've had. We are not that unique, although our experiences are personal to us.

The thesis is called, "The Door is Open", which is symbolic. When I chose it, it was unique to me. Of course, once I chose it, I saw the quote everywhere as things always seem to happen that way! That's good. 

I wanted to represent a time period when it felt like I did not know what I wanted to do with my life and did not fully understand the gifts I'd been given. I read the poem by Rumi, was translated to be called, "The Door is Round and Open". 

It talks about a doorway at dawn that people go back and forth through. To ask for what you really want, and not go back to sleep. There was also a breeze at dawn, which I felt was very symbolic.

When I was writing about milestones that lead me to enroll in my MFA and I remembered that poem inspired me. I thought back to all the mornings I got up early, trying to take a chance on myself. Studying for my undergraduate classes, returning to school after experiencing failure in college and after ten years (probably from goofing around).  Taking a chance on learning how to paint because I loved looking at other's art. 

Another theme emerged about a year after I'd started my thesis. A symbolic poem can take on multiple meanings. The reality of my sister's passing became sobering. I stepped out of denial. I wanted to paint where the two worlds touch. I felt I was there every day reaching for her. It's hard to dig deeper and paint meaningfully instead of just painting because meaningful things make us vulnerable. Unless we realize that we are not alone.  Artists have made art about grief and death a lot. I quite enjoy them. But is probably done many times without mention symbolically.

I will graduate after completing at least 15 more paintings. Then I guess I'll be a professional. 😟. I'll never know everything but it's nice to feel more like I know what I'm doing. Going into an MFA without a BFA was difficult because I had a lot of catching up to do. Simple rules, such as the value system with light and shadow, I had no idea. The problem-solving was almost euphoric when a solution worked. 

There was so much I didn't know. I happy cried a lot. When I painted a knee and it looked good and I couldn't believe it (the painting as a whole was competent and did not represent that moment). When I had to redo a figure a week before it was due because the proportions were off and I had three brushes and a grid and went to work. My solution worked. 

And classes where I was learning so much that I would be working on a new painting and fixing two previous at the same time and never finished any of them to high detail. But I learned a lot. And I did finish new paintings in the next course. Then I went into this thesis project and it's been one if the most rewarding and exciting experiences of my life.

My husband is waiting on me so here's a conclusion sentence that sounds good.