Claritas: Where Light Meets Form

Abstract

This thesis describes how I came to create the body of work for Claritas: An MFA Thesis Exhibition, the culmination of my thesis project at George Mason University. I reflect on the journey that brought me to painting; my painting process; as well as the philosophical, spiritual, and aesthetic influences that led me to create the paintings in my exhibition. In the studio, I struggled to find light in my paintings, which mirrored my own inner process of stripping away the dark veil of ego to reveal the claritas, or the radiant brightness of light, that I discovered within myself. As I was working in the studio, I was only dimly aware of my unconscious motivations to paint. Through my overt exploration of the perceptual issues of color, light and form, I expressed my personal process of individuation. I propose that my paintings are metonyms of this inner experience, as evidenced by the formal qualities and documented responses to my work.