Abstract

The creative works of Lithic employ nature as a visual meeting place to investigate the connection of art objects to the human spirit, explore a balance between scientific naturalism and spiritual abstraction, and work to expand on the use and craftsmanship of consumer and post-consumer materials.

The goal of any art work is to connect with the viewer on a spiritual level and, as an artist, the search for that relationship always brings me back to nature. The natural world is a place for moments of shared ‘awe’ and wonder. It is in nature that questions of human origin and the world beyond ourselves are founded. These investigations of how and why humanity came to be are interpretations of our relationship of nature. The study of science and spirituality comes down to a spectrum of understanding between realism and abstraction. The forms and images of Lithic look for a balance between the two. The works act as specimens of this ideal unity, linking abstract spirituality and scientific reality.

Created in the likeness of nature, the works of Lithic were crafted with consumer and post-consumer materials. Fabricated using recycled cardboard, consumer craft materials, and traditional fine art mediums, the union of these materials in my process transforms and elevates the materials into something greater than their intended purposes. The employment of these methods engage with our reality of a consumer culture alongside the ideals of scientific and spiritual theory.

The sculptural and pictoral investigate our inner relationship with the natural world. By blending theories of spiritual abstraction and scientific realism with the elevation of consumer materials, the objects and images challenge the viewer to find a common sense of wonder within a crafted natural world.

Advisor

Amy Toscani

Committee Member

Alisa Eimen

Committee Member

Diana Joseph

Date of Degree

2016

Language

english

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

College

Arts and Humanities

Recommended Citation

Moriarty, M. N. (2016). Lithic [Master’s thesis, Minnesota State University, Mankato]. Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato. https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds/581/