Cory Willingham van der Does: BFA Thesis Work Continues....

F5: Painting the Psychological Impact of Extreme Weather

For my thesis (F5: Painting the Psychological Impact of Extreme Weather) I employ the depiction of extreme weather events such as tornados, hurricanes, and dust storms in a narrative format to move the viewer to the unsettling space that lies between basic instinct and self-awareness. Why and how do we react to such severe and life-threatening storms? These paintings work to define and contain these psychological states within a single moment and shed light on the complexity of human motives and the way we relate to the world around us.

Employing painting techniques such as abstraction, collage, and experimental surface treatments, I explore new possibilities within the narrative tradition. I combine images from sources such as meteorological surveys, psychology textbooks, scientific journals and websites, and personal photographs to create highly textured paintings deeply layered with meaning. By exploiting the unique properties of oils, acrylics, and charcoals, and by embedding within the paint natural materials such as pine needles, rocks, twigs, sand, and moss, and incorporating man-made common household construction materials such as spackle and bead-board panelling, the forms within the compositions and the surface of the paintings become interdependent in the translation of the message.

If you are interested in additional information about this body of work or my thesis, please don't hesitate to email me!

Monday, February 1, 2010

BFA Thesis Work Continues....

I am really happy (really!!) to report that I am on the home stretch with my BFA thesis. I have begun the final painting that will be exhibited beginning April 1, 2010. My thesis involves the investigation of how we (as a modern culture) are psychologically impacted by extreme weather events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, flash floods, and dust storms. Along with a written thesis, I have created a body of work that is narrative in nature, capturing psychologically-taut moments during these storms.

This thesis has taken me close to a year now, and I'm looking forward to the light at the end of the tunnel. At the same time, who wants to be done with something they love doing?? Not I, said the fly.