In the Master in Fine Arts program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, my desire is to build upon my professional, academic and artistic experiences. I am passionate about all these areas; it is these experiences that form who I am and I want to convey my identity through my art in and out of the studio.
My employment with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln affirms my decision to apply for this program. The tuition remission I receive as an interactive media developer for the university solidifies my ability to further my education in art. In this program, I desire to investigate the uses of the computer as a tool in fine art, specifically painting and drawing.
Aside from allowing me financial stability, my Bachelor of Arts degree in animation and media arts has given me a solid knowledge of computer applications and techniques involved in today’s creative computer arts industry. The first goal I want to achieve in the program is to take my experiences in the computer arts as well as fine art and explore avenues of combining the two. My second goal is to move my focus away from the typical client-based production associated with much of modern day computer and creative arts, to a more open, self-expressive fine art approach.
To further my exploration of the combination of traditional arts with technical or computer based art, I plan to start with the areas I am most familiar with: animation, graphic design, motion graphics and video. I am now exploring animation with a fine art-influenced format of painting and drawing. As an animator and media artist, one of the main focuses of my current work is combining the programs and processes native to the computer industry through projection and reference. The ideal of animation in basic form -- drawing to create motion -- is where I have started my analysis. This abstraction is what I want to research in the MFA program.
The traditional production process within my profession is largely client-based. In the MFA program, I plan to create art with the absence of client expectations and identity. This brings me to my second goal, shifting the focus from the client to my own interpretation of these processes. Without the boundaries of a client I am allowed to fully immerse myself in the concepts and ideas that I believe are important. I feel passionate about conveying the creative side of the animating, designing, and motion graphic process, without client implementation, there is no inherent restriction on my artistic vision.
In my exploration of these goals I feel I can not only use my specialized degree but also invent new ways to utilize digital mediums and traditional art practices. Although I am currently concentrating on animation philosophies I am driven to expand upon my familiarity with graphic design and video as other opportunities to analyze this.
