Captivated In Time

Rochester Institute of Technology

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Theses

Thesis/Dissertation Collections

2007

Captivated In Time

Melissa S. Newcomb

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Recommended Citation

Rochester Institute

of

Technology

AThesis Submittedto the

Faculty

of

TheCollegeof

Imaging

ArtsandSciences

In

Candidacy

fortheDegreeof

MASTER OF FINE ARTS

"Captivated InTime"

Melissa S.Newcomb

(Approval Page)

Chief Advisor:

Luvon Sheppard

Luvon Sheppard

(Signature)

Date:

Associate Advisor:

Alan Singer

Alan Singer

(Signature)

Date:

Associate Advisor

:

Tom Lightfoot

Tom Lightfoot

(Signature)

Date:

Department Chairperson:

Don Arday

Don Arday

(Signature)

Date:

I,Melissa Newcomb, hereby deny permission to the RIT Library of the

Rochester Institute of Technology to reproduce my print thesis or

dissertion in whole or in part.

DEDICATION:

Idedicatethis thesis to_my

family

for_{their support,}

love,

and encouragementthroughout_mylife.

Many

ofthepieces

aretitledand remembered as special people in_mylifewho

have beena greatinspirationtome and_my

family,

and will

liveoninthis

body

of work. Ialsodedicate andthank_my

committeeLuvon

Sheppard,

Alan

Singer,

andTom

Lightfoot fortheir encouragement,time,and supportinthe

TableofContents

I. Introduction/Proposal

II. Personal Background

III. _{Historical Information relating}tosubject

IV. ConceptandDevelopmentof work

V. Developmentand research ofArtists

VI. ProcessandProduction

VII. ConclusionandThesis Exhibition

Introduction

Proposal

Thepurpose ofthis thesisistoexplore and create a series of portraits ofdolls.

Withthis themein_mind,Iwill exploretheideaof perfectioninthe

design,

_{construction,}

and representation ofdolls. Inthe

history

ofdoll_making,dollmakers misunderstood

girls'

imaginations. {Madeto

Play

House,

59)

Eventually,

designers begantoquestion

what adollshouldlook

like,

whatitshould_represent,and what roleitshould_playinthe

livesof children. Womenandtheirexperiences withtextilesbegan_makingdollssoftand

not

brittle,

or_sharpbecause itwas morelike

handling

a realbaby. Dollswere _soft,

portable,

durable,

and_safe, notbrittleor_sharp,

turning

themintoamore realisticform

similartoa realbaby.

In revisiting mychildhood_memories,IrememberhowpassionateIwas about_my

dolls

(they

were_mycompanions_growingup),andan

increasing

presencethat_eventually

cametolife in_myownimagination. In_{reality, these}dollswere_onlyartificial objects

thatgenerateddelusionsof

life,

butplayed animportantpartin_mychildhood identity. I

was

learning

howtobea mother

by

_nurturing and_attendingto thecare of_{this object,}

perfectin_everydetail. Itwas _onlynaturalto thinkitwasreal.

Ina series of portraitsIwillbe_{reconstructing dolls}as objects ofimperfection

by

recombiningfragmentsofdollsfrom mypast_alongwith childhoodimagestoformnew

identities. Thedolls become disfigured

bodies,

and arecreationoflife. Iwilltherefore

bereconstructing thesedollstosuggest animage ofinventiontoexpress_shape,and_my

Ina series of photo realistic_paintings, Iwanttoreflect upon_mymemoriesas a

child and_{my relationship}withdolls. Thepaintings willbereconstructions ofdollson

canvas with various sections combined andlayeredtocreate a wholethatworks

together,

although not_completelyfit

together,

but is still recognizable and understood. The

paintings ofdollswill_eventuallyevolve_{into dollhouses}constructedina similarformat

and patternthroughscale andlayering. Theprocess willbethe use ofdigital

photographs,old_photographs,and

drawings,

historicalresearchondollsandof_mypast

memories. I havestartedtolookatEllen Phelan's DollpaintingsthathavetherealismI

want_{to achieve,} andtheuse of

lighting

inthephotographs

by

Laurie Simmonsand

Cindy

Sherman. Iwill continuetovisitMargaret Strong'scollection of

Dolls, Dollhouses,

and

miniatures atThe

Strong

Museum.

My

approach andtechniquewill referto thework of

David

Hockney,

Photo

Realism,

andExpressionism. Inthecontinuation of_myresearchI

'Captivated InTime"

Melissa Newcomb

When Iwas_{growing up}part of_mytimewas spent_playingoutsidewith

friends,

butmost ofthetimeIplayed with_mydolls and pretended

they

were real. Iwas ina

fantasy

world,where Icould re-create_mylife in_my

imagination,

with_myown_storyand

everythingwas perfect.

My

childhoodwithdollswas animportantaspectof_my

identity

inthatIcould create alifewithartificial objects_{in my}imaginationthrough

interaction,

and pretendto_playroles such asthatof mother andteacher.

During

that time_my

childhoodfeltperfect and_real,but itwasn't_reality, Iwasjusta child_pretendingand

practicingtobean adult. Miriam Formaner Brunellsaid,"Theportrayaloflove between

adolland a_girl,which often straddledtheboundaries betweenmaternalloveand

romantic

love,

was_{reciprocal, communicative,}and

passionate."

(Formanek-Brunell

24)

Overtime_{my interaction}andcollectionofdollsgrewuntilI reachedan agewhenI left

thembehindtoexplore newinterests andchallenges.

Thedollsof_mypasthavenow re-entered_{my life in}theformof_myartwork. As

Igrewfromchildhoodtoadulthood whileIwasnolonger playingwithdollsIwas still

collectingotherthingssuchas

fabrics,

china,

jewelry,

andhousehold itemsthatyou

wouldseeinadoll house.

My

artworkhasprovidedmewiththe_opportunitytoreflect

upon_mymemories as a child and_{myrelationship}withdolls makingthema partof_my

lifeonce again.

My

childhood was atimewhenI was

happy

just playingand_pretending

tolivetheperfectlifeIhadcreatedin_mymind;a placethatIcould control.

Reflecting

Thedolls have becomeeven more meaningfulto me

today

because

they

helpedme re

open_mychildhood memories.

The re-discoveryof_mypastbeganwhenIvisited_mygrandparent's attic where

some of_my

mothers'

dollsthatIusedto_playwith,were packed_awayin boxes.

Seeing

themagain caused metoreflect on_mychildhood. Thedolls' worn outdressesand

matteddown hairmadethemappear old and_neglected,butnot

long

ago

they

were clean

andbeautiful.

Seeing

theirconditionbotheredmebecause itwas asthough

they

had

servedtheirpurpose and were nowforgotten. Thisreactionledmetodocumentthedolls

intheatticthroughdigitalphotos andtheimages broughtthedolls backtolife. Imade

themappear perfect again

by

_re-dressingand_re-composingthemintonewidentities.

When Iwas a child adollwas _{something I}saved_{my weekly}allowanceforand so

I tookgreat care and alotoftime_choosingone_{among many}atthe

toy

store. As Ire

openedthepastIreflected on whoIwasas a child andIcould seehowmuchIhave

changed as anindividual. Iviewedtheir

faces,

tangled

hair,

and wrinkled_clothingofthe

dolls

differently

as a child. Now

they

are nolonger my

babies,

justobjectsthathave

gotten old and out-dated. Ifelt_emotionallyand_physicallyconnectedto theminthat

worldthatdoesn'texist anymore. Iwantedto

bring

thatworldandthe

feeling

back

through_mypaintings and photographs. Iwantedto

bring

thedollsbacktolife.

Nowas an adultthe_realityhassetin_nobodyand_nothingisperfect. IthinkI

try

toachievethatperfectionbut_myattemptshavenevermet_mystandards. _{Things worry}

me_more,andthingsIthought tobebeautiful as a child areviewed

differently

now. I

haveoutgrownthe_{play I}enjoyed so much as alittle girl andthedolls haveoutgrown

thembutnowthefeelingsnolongerexist unless_{somethingtriggers my memory}like

settingthemoutfor display. Newdollsare

being

madethatare more realisticthanwhat

was available whenIwas a child. The sad part

is,

with new

technology

othertoysare

being

produced

limiting

theinterestindollswithinthemarketplace. Childrenare no

longer_playingwithdollsas much as

they

used

to,

_preventingchildrenfrom_usingtheir

imaginationand_preparingthemformotherhood.

Society

is_changingas_well,

encouraginggirlstopursue otherinterests. I was encouraged and shownhowtocarefor

my

baby

dolls. I was proudthat_{someday I}couldbea mother.

Shownin figure 1 and

2,

1havere-assembled adoll_usinglayerstocreate a

reconstruction ofthedollwith various sizedfragmentstorepresent a section of memory.

Intheproduction of_manyimagesofthedoll forthefinalreconstructedimageeach

fragment hadadifferent_{scale, size,}and color.

Combining

themcreated a unique and

very appealingphysicalform.

Eventually,

I cameto theconclusionthat theseimages

werethe

beginning

stage and sketchesforthepaintings. Thepaintingsthatgrew out of

theinitial contactwith_{mypast, the}

body

for_my

thesis,

have ledto adeeper

understandingof whoI wasandwhoI have become.

In reflectinguponthis timein_mychildhoodthrough_myartI am

looking

forthe

compassion,

beauty,

andperfectionin lifethatI don'tthink_{reallyexists,} but Ican create

inapainting. Thepaintingscanlasta

long

timetoshowtheappearance ofthedolls

always_stayingthe same, andneverchanging. Thedollsthenremainperfectthrough

[image:11.538.137.441.64.329.2]

Figure 1 Figure2

Melissa Newcomb Photo Collage 2006

Melissa Newcomb PhotoCollage 2006

Iamfreein paintingtoexaggeratefacialfeatures_makingthemappear more

perfect and_appealingand_makingsome areas moredetailedandfinishedthanother areas.

Idressthemand almost_playwiththemagain asI restorehow

they

were. Itleavesroom

forwhoever viewsthepaintingsto

bring

to theworktheirown

thoughts,

_memories,and

compassion

they

_mayhave felt_growingup. Otherviewers who_{may have} a similar

connection withtheirdolls_mayalsofeeltheconnectionIhaveexpressedthrough_my

paintings. Herethedollsalways liveon as_somethingperfect even thoughthedollsare

really agingovertime. Here

they

are on

display

tobelookedat and enjoyedfortheir

beauty

as _somethingthatalthough outdated appear so perfect.

Atthesametime thedollsare fragmented because

they

don'tquite

belong

the_{way my}life hasgone, it istheprocessI gothrough to seekthatunified whole of

perfect

life;

_purity;an abstractionofreality.

Inmost of_mypaintings,I exaggeratetheeyes ofthedolltoconfronttheviewer.

Thefabricattachedto thedoll inthepaintings adds anillusionof realto theartificial.The

dollsappeartobereal sotheviewercan

identify

withthematerial and recognize whatit

is,

andthepaintedfabric saysthisis justa painting. Thepaintedfabric_{may look}realbut

it's justmadetolookthat way,reallyit's justan_abstraction,a_copyof_somethingthat

doesexist. Intricatedetails likestrands of

hair,

_eyelashes,andfoldsthatare painted

(along

with subtle pieces of real

fabric)

are visiblefromadistance.

Inthe

beginning

thefocuswasjustontheobjectitself"the

doll",

whichexplains

thebackgroundarea offlatcolor. Otherelementshadnotbeen includedyetbecausethe

research andthoughtbehindtheworkwasjust

beginning

toevolve.

Eventually

the

paintings starttohavea placeintimewherethespacehasa moredetailed_environment, a

roomthatseems small comparedtoa real roomthatwouldbe solargeinlife.

Every

part

ofthedoll is_{covered, wrapped,}and packaged. Someofthecoverings aretransparentso

you seethrough

them,

but_{nothing is behind}the

fabric,

justpurecolor,lightand shadow.

Thepaintings areautobiographical because

they

are about_mylife. I'mnot afraid

ofthe

dolls,

Ifeel at ease

looking

atthem. Somedollsare sold with alabelor name and

some are_not,

leaving

theownertoinventa name orlabel_givingthedoll itsown

identity

andpersonality. In my

life,

dolls hadan

identity

basedon_{my imagination. Inmy}work

eachrepresentationhasan

identity

basedon_my

interpretation,

involvementandthought.

Each doll hasa_storyofitsown andis dressedand presentedinamannerthatrepresents

one was played with morethananother. The paintingshave varioussections of unfitted

partsthataretobeplayedwithintheviewers mind. Ileave itopenfortheviewerto

resolvehow

they

fittogetherbasedontheirownthoughtsandmemories. Perhapsthis

rekindles memories ofdolls

they

oncehadandhow

they

relatedto them. Theseunfitted

parts couldbemoved aroundbutIhaveplacedthemincertain spotsinthe_painting

because,

whileIfeelthe

body

is

interchangeable,

thefaceshould remainthesame. The

body

imagecan changebutthefaceistheconstant stable point ofthepainting. Ileave

the

body

sections sotheviewer candressthem. Asfortheface:Iwantittoremainthe

same;becausetheface describesthecharacter ofthedoll. To_me, it isthemost perfect

part ofthedoll anddoesn'tneedtobechanged.

Allofthesepaintingshavean

identity,

whichhas been informed

by

_my

identity,

butasobjects

they

do havealifeoftheirown.Thepaintings communicatethrough the

detailsand exaggerations ofthedollsappearance.

They

havea

face,

and_{everything is}

recognizablebut_maynot always

belong

together, they

areputtogetherasif

they

do fit

andmake_upa perfect object.

They

are puttogether this_waybecause it's howIview

dollsandit's_{my way}of_{communicating how I}feelabout perfectionthroughplacement

andarrangement.

The

history

ofdoll_makingissoimportant intheevolution of_mypaintings. In

dollmaking,maleinventorsusedhardsubstanceslike sheetmetal and woodtomake

dolls. Thewooddollsandmetaldollswould_conveya

beauty

thatappealedtoAmerican

consumers.

However,

because

they

were not soft andpliabledollswere

becoming

too muchlikemachines,and

they

were_{too controlled,} childrenwere notabletousetheir

imaginationsor evenhavea companion. (Tosa

16)

"Inthenineteenth

Century

thedolltookon aformal

identity

as atoy. Somewere

inclined

tobe

heavy

or awkwardtohandle

because

ofthematerials andtechniquesused

inmanufacturebut itswhat appealedto thenineteenth_centurymiddle class

child."

(Tosa

20)

"With

dolls,

childrenlearnedabouttherealities of

life,

and customs and manners

were often

directly

learnedthroughplay. Withdolls children are abletopractice and act

outthelessonsof adultlife."(Tosa

21)

Iremember as a child_actingouttheseroles and

pretendingtobethemotherfigure. "Inthepast children were

highly

encouragedto

emulatetheadultfemalesaroundthem." (Tosa21)1emulatedtherole of anadult

during

playwith_mydolls. SowhenIreadthe

history

on children

being

encouragedto takeon

these roles, Ifelta connection andknewI wasintheright place_researchingand_painting

dolls.

"Izannah

Walker,

Martha

Chase,

andElla Smithwerethedollmakers who used

the textilestockinet since itwas

lightweight,

_{elastic, washable,}anddurable."

(Formanek-Brunell

68)

Thedoll hadtobe lightweightsothatchildren couldhandlethemmore

easily. "Thedollsweretobesafe andharmless.Whilesomefemale and maledoll

inventors aimedfor_naturalism,women were more

likely

torefertosoftdolls forthe

touchbecauseof someinthepastthathadrigidity, thosestuffed withhorse

hair,

and

saw-dust."

(Formanek-Brunell

72)

Intheend children preferredthesoftdolls.

In

trying

toachievetherealismina

doll,

Chaseusedimagesof real childrenin

ordertopaintthree-dimensionalportraits ofdollfaceswithherownoilpaints. Dolls

startedto lookmore realisticthanever since closeattentionwas paidtoproportions. I

think thiswasa_veryimportantpointin history. Dollswerealso madetobewashableto

stopthespread of germstochildren. "The doll

industry

was

booming

and always

changingtomeet_upto thestandards oflife."

(Formanek-Brunell

72)

Thecreation ofthedoll

being

softis somethingI

try

toachievein_mypaintings.

Theuse ofthesmoothtexturedcanvas and

blending

of colortoalmost ablurrepresents

themas soft.Althoughsome edges_{in my}paintings appeartobe_sharpand almostlikea

cutout,it'sonlytomakethemcomeforward. Thishelpselaborate ontheactuallookof

plastic or skin as_verysoft, adelicatetexture thatappears onthefacesof_mypaintings.

Thesharper edgehelps definethecontours oftheform. Thedoll is_{really only}a

representation of_somethingelse whetherit isa_{woman, man, child,} orbaby. Surrounded

intheworld

by

_adults, a child_onlyperforms actionsof_playwith adollthatimitates

actions carried out

by

thechild's mother.Itwas about

dressing

thedollwithwhatever

outfitthatwas appropriatefortheevent oftheday. (Formanek-Brunell

22)

"All Childrentalk to their

toys;

the toysbecomeactorsinthegreatdramaof

life,

brought downtosize

by

thecamera obscura oftheir_youngminds, andtheirchildren

demonstratedthrough_playtheirgreat_{capacity for}abstraction andtheirenormous

imaginativepowers."

(Tosa

22) "Everything

becomesa creative_{expression, toys}offer

thechild anintroduction_{to art,}orratherto thepractical applicationof_art, and no work of

art, howeverperfect, will give riseinan adultto thesame enthusiasmthesamecertainty."

(

Tosa

23) Relating

to_myown experience with

dolls,

I enjoy watchingother children

relatetotheirdollsasthough

they

werereal.

Margaret

Woodbury Strong

hada passionfor_collecting,and nowThe

Strong

Museum

today

honors hercollectionsin

Rochester,

NewYork. Her

increasing

interest

was_collecting

dolls,

doll

houses,

andtoys. When IvisitedhercollectionI was

overwhelmed withtheamount of objects. Eachdollwasdifferentand wornfrom

being

held

by

itsoriginal owners. Eachdollappearedtobe_staringat methrough thecases as

though

they

were

telling

methat

they

allhadalifewhich was seenthrough theireyesand

the_agingof_{their clothing,}

face,

andhair. Thedoll housesIfoundthemost

fascinating

were_extremely

detailed,

andtheminiature objectsdisplayed hadahigh_society,almost

rich,lookto them. Asa childthisplace wouldhave beena

fantasy

land. I saw

similaritiesto_mypaintingsbecausethedolls_{in my}paintings wouldlookrealwithoutthe

detail. Itwas_amazingtosee whatwasrealin_{the past,}andhow

they

are presenttoday.

Ialso realizedthatIwasn'tjusta painterbutadoll_painter, a subjectthathasbeenand

stillremainspopular_{among many}artists. Artist'shave influencedmeandinspiredmeto

pursue _somethingthathasa great

legacy,

history,

and continuestolive ontoday.

Inthework ofpainterEllen

Phelan,

while she portraysdolls

differently

thanI

do,

some ofthethoughtsbehindtheworkarealmostthesame. "Herimagesofdolls_convey

morehumorand_{vulnerability}of

being

alivethroughtheirvarious

poses."

(Armstrong

14)

Herpaintingsaredonethroughobservation

by

_workingfrom life. Iobservethrough

myphotographs. Howeverherworkissimilarinthatshe achieves a sense of_realism,

andherimagesemphasizetheideaof

being

"gazed_{upon, to}beplayed with."

(Armstrong

25)

Thesense ofrealismis_{something I'm}

improving

uponin my_paintings, andtobe

"gazedupon, andtobeplayed

with"

isone ofthemajorideasI am_workingwithin my

paintings. Allthefragmentsaremoveableand not_permanentlyattached so

they

can

potentiallybeplayed with. _{I already}feelasthough_{I'm playing}withthepiecesbecause

they

arein blockformatandI'm

building

uponthemwith paintlikea child would_play

withblocks. Thedoll'seyes are enlarged sothatthedollappearstobe_makingdirecteye

contact withtheviewer_emphasizinga_{relationship betweenthedoll}andtheviewer

through_mypaintings.

IreferredtoEllen'sworkinthe

beginning

stages of_{making my}owndoll

paintings. Iwasinterested in herapproachbecause itwasthesame subject matter and

only

dealing

with a_{few different ideas behind}thedoll. Ifind hersubtleapproachand almost

foggy,

blurriness,

and"atmospherichaze"or_renderingthem

"visually

distant"

quiteinteresting. Theobjectsbecomethese"figuresstranded intime."

(Armstrong

14)

The

feeling

and physical appearance ofthedolls inthepaintingsprovidemewitha sense

of past and also present. Thedollsare not whatwesee

today they

are of adifferenttime. Eachonehasa presence intheplacement andtherole

they

_playonthesurfaceofthe

painting. Ellenstates: "Whenyou_playwith

dolls,

they

are animated

by

theprojection of

imagination. Asopposedto thematerial projected

by

achild, thematerialIwas

projectingwas

adult."

(Armstrong 15)

Shealso states: _{"It really}hadtodowith emotional

relationshipsbetweenmenand_women,mothers and

daughters,

genderdefinitionand

howitcomes_{about, the}femalesense of

self."

(Armstrong 13)

Ina_waythese

relationships are about women and whatitsliketobeafemaleandit happens alittle in

mypaintings and couldbe interpreted ina similar_way,onlyitwasn't_{something I}was

trying

toachieve.Iwas_reflectingmoreuponmemoriesfromchildhood_upto_myadult life.

Ibeginto_playwithdolls

by dressing

thedollsin

fabrics, by

_attachingfabricsand

attachingsquareor rectangular canvasesintheshape ofblocksthatcanbemoveable and

played with_mentallywhile_playingwiththemsince

they

werenot_permanentlyattached.

Ellenmakesadistinction betweenthechild'simaginationandheradult

imagination.

_The

distinction in_myworkisthatbecausetheactual_{dolls have}aged

they

nolongerlookthe

way Ihavepresentedtheminthepaintings. Ihavepresentedthem the_way

they

looked

in_myimaginationwhile_growingup.

However, they

aredisplayedasthemainfocus

with subtleintroductionsoftexturedwall-paper andfabricwhich makethemappeartobe

on

display

withthe_majorityofthebackgrounds_{appearing very}flat. Asa child_mydolls

were not on

display,

butplayedwithand appreciated.

Now,

I viewthedollsas a

fragmentoftime thatis lostandI'm

bringing

themback

by

_playingwiththecanvasesand

attachingtheclothingas Idid in_mychildhoodfantasieswiththedolls.

Figure3 isanimageofEllen Phelan'sworkthatIreferredtoandFigure4isone

ofthefirstpaintingsI did

by

_attachingthefabricand canvas'sto thesurface.Here Iwas

trying

tostrivefortheideaof realnessmuchlikeEllen Phelandid.

Figure3 Figure 4

EllenPhelan XIX. _TravelingCostume,1987. RichardArmstrong(pg 16)

MelissaNewcomb "AFragmentofTime(Cindy)"

2006

[image:18.538.106.470.364.609.2]

InFigure4 Ikeptthe

background

flatand_simple, Ididn'twanttoinclude

anythingthatwoulddetract fromthefocusonthedoll. Ipaintedthebackground blueto

complimentthepinkdressandfleshtoneswithintheplastic oftheface. Insome areasthe

paintis loose_givinga more expressive_qualitywhere other areas aretighterand more

realisticlooking. Iwantedittobeaboutthefabricandtheassociation ofreal versus

artificial. From adistanceone might ask whetherthatlaceispainted or real. The

materialdidn't havemuch perspective and some ofthefabric looked justplacedwhere

other areas created anillusionas it foldedandbendedaroundtheedges. Ineverintended

forthis tohappeninthefirst_painting,butitwas_workingsuccessfully.

Icontinuedtowork ontwoother paintingsthatwouldbecomemore complex asI

startedtoadd more canvases andfabric. Istartedto thinkabout

breaking

outofthe

square and rectangularformatwhich isthemoretraditionalshape of a painting. Istarted

toputthecanvasestogether

by layering

as Ididwiththephotographicimages inthe_very

beginning.ItwaslikeI was

building

and_constructingthedoll again_{using my}own

processlikea childwouldas

they

builtthingsout ofblocks.

Asa_result,Iproduced animagethatwascut out andbeganto_playwiththespace

arounditwherethenegative spacebecamea part ofthepainting. Iattachedthepieces

togetherinthebackwithstrips of woodthatwere stapledintothecanvastohold it

together. _{After working}onitfora while Ibeganto start_eliminatingpiecesthatdidn't

quitefittogether. _{These scrap}piecesjust became extrasthatwere laidonthefloorof_my

studio. Iwasthen

thinking

whatifIwanttoremovethesepieces and move_{them around,}

playwiththem? SoIstartedto thinkof an alternative. Itwasbroughtto_myattentionto

try

workingwithVelcro andIlikedtheideaof_usingamaterial Icould removeifneeded.

Figure 5isthe_paintingwhere Istartedto thinkabout

breaking

_awayfromthe

traditional shape of a canvas.Intheprocess ofthis_paintingthe

background

color [image:20.538.224.402.173.370.2]

changedtwice. Ifound withthefirstcolorthatitwastoodark

because

itgavethedollan eeriefeel. I found_puttinginaflatcolorhelped

bring

outtheeyes ofthedollwhich becamemore alive and real.

Figure 5

Melissa Newcomb "A FragmentofTime(Barbara)"

2006

As Icontinuedintothe third_{painting I}decidedtogobackto the traditionalformat butnot

forgetting

whatIjustcompletedin Figure

5,

becauseIknew itwas _{something I}

wouldgobacktoor elaborate oninthepaintingstocomeinthisseries. Iknewwhenthe

paintingwastakenout ofthe traditionalformatwiththenegative space_comingthrough

and around each_section,itexaggeratedthefactthat theseparated partsdidn't_really

belong

together,

that

they

wereparts ofdifferent dolls. Whenattachedtoatraditional

square or rectangularbase itwas easiertoresolve atthisstageof_myprocess. Thepieces wereputtogether

by

arrangement andalignmenttocomposea compositionthatfit

togetherand worked. I feltmore comfortablebecause itwasthe typical size and shape of

acanvas. Infigure

6,

1startedto thinkaboutdifferentsized canvasand_addingmoreinto

themain canvas. I alsotried towork alittle largeras Iwas

feeling

more confident and

comfortable withthissubject matter. Inthis_{painting I}thoughtalotmore aboutthe

arrangement ofthecanvas ahead oftime_{before attaching}themwithVelcro. I also

startedto thinkmore aboutdepthandhowI could achieveit_{using different}thicknesses

[image:21.538.202.371.175.429.2]

of woodfortheframeand_goinglargerthanwhatIhadusedbefore.

Figure 6

Melissa Newcomb "A FragmentofTime(Kathy)"

2006

I also startedto thinkaboutthefinishedqualitiesofa_paintingand_whycouldn'tit be

blackand whitewithno color? _{When reflecting}upon_{my memory}most oftheimagesare

a shade ofblackand white and_onlyafew incolors. So I startedtoexperiment with

drawing

onthecanvas aswellas_paintingbutnot

developing

_everysection ofthe

painting. Somesections were a sketch and remainedthatway. Otherareas went alittle

further butwould remain anunderpainting. Inthedrawnareas Iexperimented with

pencil andlighter

fluid,

thelighter fluidallowedthe

drawing

penciltomove easier_giving

theimagemore

fluidity

and a_painterlyfeel.

Then,

I sawthatsome oftheareas whichhad

onetransparentlayerof painthadeven more of an attractive_qualitythan themore

finishedareas. SinceIwas_workingwith

fabric,

the

transparency

ofthelighter fluidwith

pencil,andthesubtletransparentpainted areasIstarted_{to ask,}whatifIincluded fabric

thatwastransparent? ThisiswhenIstartedto

bring

in fabricthatyou could seethrough

which added another element ofdepthon

top

of what wasbehindthisfabric.While

thinking

about_{the transparent material,}Iwas

thinking

about some paintingsIdid inthe

past withdollswrappedincellophane andthework ofRosenquistwho also didpaintings

ofdollswrappedinplastic.

I was

thinking

abouthowIwanted_myviewersto_reallysee andfeelaboutthese

pieces. Idiscoveredthepaintings werefullof colorandlifeandIwantedthem tobe

enjoyedbecause

they

were almost a portrait of_mylife._{The memory}of_mychildhood

couldbeconnected with others whohadsimilardolls. Each paintinghadan

identity,

and

was perfectedto_mystandards. Itturnedoutwhen_goingthrough theprocess of

reconstructingthedollas a wholetheimageresultedintoanalmost perfectdoll.The

workwas

becoming

_{very exciting}andattractive_{to people,}andIknew intheend

somethingwonderful was_goingtohappenwithinthesepieces.

In researchingtheworkofChuck Closeand_visitingan exhibition ofhisworkin

Buffalo Iwasamazed

by

hisprocess. The scale,detailand colorwerejust incredibleto

seeinperson. Figure 7isanexampleofhowhe beginshiswork witha photographthat

isgridded and numbered. Thenhere-representsthecolorintotheblock hegridded off

onhiscanvas as shownin figure8. 1find hisapproach similartomine sincehestarts with

aphotograph, andblocks itoffingrids asIdo.

[image:23.538.125.454.61.342.2]

Figure 7 Figure 8

"

S>-^c/fc>^

P^yf^^^

ZOO/

ChuckClose, Maquettefor_{SelfPortrait,}2001

Polaroidwith artist'stapemounted onFoamcore 33%x22"

KirkVamedoe_{(pg 13)}

Chuck_{Close,SelfPortrait,}2000-2001 OilonCanvas

108x

84"

Kirk Vamedoe_{(pg 18)}

He maynotbe_workingwiththedollasthesubject_matter,but he isstill_workingwith

theportrait of_somebodyand_recreating itina_veryrealisticbutexpressive way. Each

block is justcolorthatis_veryexpressive andfree.

Stepping

backitall comestogetheras

a wholewhichhappensinall of_mywork. However Idonotbreak_upthesurface as

muchbutIdousethephotograph as_mysketch,ashedoes. Irelatedtohisworkthe

mostbecauseofhisapproachandthoughtprocess. Ididnot grid_mycanvas out_perfectly,

however it didtakealotofthought. Before

touching

thecanvaswith abrushand_paint,it

was sketchedoutinpencilandmeasuredout astowheretheblockswere_goingtobe

placed. Insomeform it didtakeonthedimensionof a gridinthe

beginning

stages.

While Iwas_workingonthedollpaintingsIwas also

thinking

aboutdoll

houses

andhowImightliketoincludeadollhouse inthis

body

of work. I started_workingwith

cut-out papers such as wall_paper,actual doll house_{wood, windows,}anddoors. I

received permissiontophotographthedoll house

furniture

and miniaturesina store. I

alsohadphotographs ofthedoll housesIhad seen atthe

Strong

MuseumthatIusedas

references. Thedollsand_{doll houses}at

Strong

werekept incasesthatcaused abitof a

glareinthephotographs. Ifound it

interesting

intheglass_coveringof alltheseobjects

that_myreflection was

being

capturedintheimagethrough theglare. Idecidedto

bring

myselfintothe

imagery

ofthedollhouse_usingchildhood photographs. Iexperimented

withimagesof_mychildhoodthatItransferredonto paper_using acetone. Iusedthe

transfersinthedollhouse behindwindows. Ididn'tput_mychildhoodimages_anyplace

elsebecauseIwantedtheroomtobeviewed and appreciatedforthedetailsand patterns.

Adding

images of_mychildhoodinthewindows was subtle and appealing. Theacetone

transfershadanaged appeal. Atthispointthedoll housewasatwo dimensionalpiece.

Eachroom wasitsown separateblock. _{So many}ideaswere possible withthedoll house

but itwas_goinginanotherdirectionfromthedollpaintingsandwasfartoocomplexto

bring

togetherwiththem atthispoint.

However,

itis_mynext projecttopursue afterthe

completion of_mythesiswork. Ifoundthedollhousevaluableinthegrowth and process

ofthesepaintings.

Thewall paperfromtheoriginaldollhouseideawasincluded inthesubsequent

dollpaintings. Iwas

thinking

aboutthis_alongwithpatterns andfabrics ingeneral. I

began

looking

atthework ofMiriamSchapiroas showninfigure9.

Asa resultIbegantousewallpaperinthebackgroundas showninfigure 10

alongwithshadowstomakethedoll looklike itwas sitting. Thewall paper addedto the

three_{dimensional quality} ofthis_paintingandinsomeareas appearedtolook likea

drawing.

Figure9 Figure 10

Miriam_Schapairo,Patience. 1977.

AcrylicandFabric CollageonCanvas 30x22"

Gouma-Peterson, Thalia,(pg 81)

Melissa Newcomb "AFragmentofTime(Beulah)"

2007

Intheareas where wall-paper was_{attached, the}patternwas_verysubtle and softwhich

appearstosome people as a sketch. Ichosewall-paperthatwas subtle and softbutnever

thoughtitwould appear as adrawing. Ihadmovedonfrom workingwithaflatcolorin

thebackgroundto

bringing

indifferentshades of color and_using shadows and wall-paper

togive a more realisticfeelto the dollanditsenvironment. Itwas

finally

time tostart

including

a place where_mymemoriesstemmedfrom becausethepaintings were

developing

andIwas_{growing in}theprocess.

In consideringallthesenewthingsIalsowentbackto_playingwiththecut-out

shape ofthedollin_{Figure 1 1 especially}

focusing

on areasthatappearedtolookmore

finishedover others.The colorsinthis_paintingwere_veryrich,vibrantandhada

romantic_qualityto thembecauseofthe transparentdark

burgundy

coloredfabricthatlies

overthepainted surface. Thepainted areaunderneaththefabricwas_comingthroughand

[image:25.538.108.435.55.328.2]

italmostlooked like itwas part ofthefabric but itneededtobemoretransparent. I

wantedthe_paintingandthe_realityofthefabrictoworktogether. The fabricIhad

originallychosen wastooflatand opaque. The_{paintingoriginally}hada pink

backgroundthatwas subtle,likethecolorIrememberin_mybedroom as a child. I

changedthecolortoa

deep,

rich redbecause it'sa color_{I enjoy}nowbutwas mixed with

thepinkIremember_growingup. The fabricIwas_workingwithdidn'thavethe

transparency

or

translucency

likethefinalpiece offabricI added. Ichose a pieceof

materialthatwould work withthecolors inthe_paintingand was subtle andnot

heavy,

flat,

and opaque astheoriginal piece Ihadchosen. _{The painting}cametogether through

color,fabricchoice and arrangement perfectly. Ratherthan_gluingthe

fabric,

whichIhad

done inFigure 10 wheretheglue camethrough the_{fabric giving}ita wet

look,

Idecided

to_actually

try

tosewitthrough thecanvastoattachthefabricanditworked. Thisgave

the_{painting something}morerealtolookat,and allowed metodressthedoll ina more

permanent way.

Idecided itwastimetodoamuchlargerpainting. The scale couldbe_very

empowering. This paintingwouldbethe_paintingthatwould

bring

all oftheworkIhad

alreadycompleted

together;

itwouldbecomethefocalpoint.I didn'treferto_anyartists

while_workingonthis_{painting I}just letitbe freeandhappenwith whatIhad_already

learnedandresearched. Istartedto

develop

thefaceofthedollanditwas obvious_my

skillshadimprovedwiththedetailandaccurate proportionsand color ofthedoll's face.

AsIcontinued withthis_paintingtherewasalotto thinkaboutbecauseofthe

scale. The largercanvasesthatwere

being

attached wereheavier. Insteadof_usingblack

and whitedrawingslikeIdid inone ofthepreviouspieces,Itooka monochromatic color

schemeintwoof_{the canvases,}andtherest ofthecanvases attachedto thesurfacewould

be in fullcolor.

Figure 1 1

Melissa Newcomb "A FragmentofTime(Joyce)"

2007

Thetwopieces worked

together,

butremained a workinprogressthrough thestages of

thedevelopmentofthe_paintingas a whole.Thebackgroundcolor wouldchange, and

evenbegantogetdarkerin_color, andthiswas not_somethingthatwas_working forme. I

was_actually

having

nightmares aboutit because_somethingjustwasn't

fitting

together.

So Ichangedthecolortored. Thewhole_{painting began}toworktogetherandbecame

morebalancedas shownin Figure 12.

Ialso decidedtoleave someof whatwastherebeforeas a simplelinethatran

downone side ofthepainting.Itappearedtometobean_openingof what wouldbenext.

Itlooked liketwodoors_opening andtheviewbehindthem. Ithenwas_questioning

whethertoaddfabric butIhadrenderedthe_paintingso_stronglytoa completed stageit

wasn't needed. Ididneedtoincludesome other elementlikethewall-paper or a pattern.

[image:27.538.223.353.91.317.2]

I

decided,

ratherthanattachthewall-paperitneededtobemore_controlled,and so I

decided

topaint a patternthatlooked likewall-paper.

Inthedarkersection ofthe_{painting it looked}almostlikevelvet.The darkglazesI

usedinthepattern were_veryattractive. Thepatternhada_veryelegant and romantic

aspect andbroughtthewhole_paintingtogether. Outofall ofthepaintings Ifeltthemost

attachedto thisone

because

ofthe_scale,andbecauseI could seehow_myskillshad [image:28.538.206.375.229.514.2]

developedand grown.

Figure 12

Melissa Newcomb

"A FragmentofTime(Margaret)"

2007

Therewas still another_{painting I}was_workingonalongsidethisone whichis

shown inFigure 13. Inthis_{painting I}used more of a cut-out oftherectangular/square

shape of atraditionalcanvas. Ialso wantedtoexperiment with_paintingon anotherkind

offabricother_{than canvas,}soI stretchedfabricover woodframesanddidan outlined

tracing

ofthedolls lower half. ItturnedoutIdidnotlikethe_waythepaint moved onthe

fabricand_onlyfilledcolorinthebackground_givingthedoll a cut out shape almostlikea

paperdoll.Itwas_verysimple and minimal_makingitattractive andappealing. Idid

however

develop

thedoll's facemorebutwasableto

bring

the twohalvestogether

by

usingan orangefabric. Thefabricpicked_upthecolorinthedoll's facethatwasdraped

[image:29.538.192.354.149.425.2]

overthelower halfandbroughtthesectionstogether.

Figure 13

'?

Melissa Newcomb "A FragmentofTime(Kay)"

2007

This paintingwasnot one of_myfavoritesatfirst because it didn't lookas complete as all

theothers. Howeverit didn'thavetobecompleted. Itwas openfortheviewerto

completeintheirown mind. The paintingwasdifferentfromtheothersbecause itwas

the

beginning

of wherethesepaintingscouldleadtonext. Itbecamea great pieceto

completetheseries andleavethatthoughtopen.

Along

thesidewall of_mystudio

lay

aboutfiveto six canvas'sthatwere extra

piecesthatdidnotfit into all ofthepaintingsIhadcompleted. Iwas

thinking

about

including

themwiththeother_work,either

hanging

thembelowthepaintings orjust

laying

themonthefloor_alongwith scraps of wall-paper andfabric. The layoutwould

havetheappearance of_mystudio orhow dollsanddollclothes mightlookina child's

room. Iplayed withthearrangement ofthem_alongwiththearrangement ofthepaintings

onthewallsbeforetheinstallationoftheshow andIhadnot cometoafinaldecisionas

tohow_everythingwas _goingtobepresented. I would resolveitinthespaceIwas given.

Inthe

hanging

oftheshowIdecidedtoeliminatetheideaof

including

theextracanvases

onthefloor_alongwith scraps offabricand wallpaper. _{After seeing}thespaceandthe

paintings

hung,

they

all stoodontheirownand_addingthematerials onthefloor detracted

fromthework. Plusthe_galleryfloorwasbricksotherewere allthesefragmentsinthe

flooranditwastoo distracting.Itended_up

being

a greatdecision inthepresentation of

theworkshownin Figure 15.

Along

withthepaintingsIhad been workingon abookthatincludeda nicelayout

of some of_myphotos wherethedollswere wrapped inplastic. Ididsome research asto

whatIwantedthe title tobebecause Iwantedittosuggestthebookwasjustaboutthe

images,

andnottext. Ialsowantedatitlethatwould represent_mythesis. I came_upwith

the word"Captivate"withthreeotherwordsthatwoulddefine it ina subtleway:

Beauty,

Charm,

andDelight. Thebookwhichis shownin Figure 14 becamea great success. It

was greattowork withanotherdesignerwhohelpedwiththelayoutanddesignand

printingofthebook. Inthe end, thebookkeptthe titlewiththeotherthreewords onthe

next_page,

Beauty,

Charm,

andDelightwhich said_everythingitneededto.

Figure 14

Melissa Newcomb

"Captivate"

(Digital PrintedBook)2007

Whenitwastime toinstalltheshow each_paintingneeded atitleandIdecidedto

givethemallthesame

title,

but

distinguishing

them

by

namesofpeople who were a part

of_my

life,

past and present. IdidnottellanyonethisandIwas

hoping family

members

comingto theshow wouldbe honoredortouched

by

thenames._{Each painting}wastitled [image:31.538.199.390.62.206.2]

"AFragmentofTime (andthename)."

Figure 15

Melissa_Newcomb,MasterofFineArtsThesis Exhibition.₍₂₀₀₇₎

)

During

the

Opening

_my

family

didnoticethenames ofthepaintings and

they

were sotouched. Severalpeopletoldme whichpaintings

they

could relatetomore or

which onesweretheirfavorite. Ifound it

interesting

and_excitingtoseetheviewers [image:31.538.192.396.380.550.2]

relateto thework. Itwas a great crowd and_{something I}will alwaysremember. So_many

people enjoyedtheshow andthework.

Evenafterthe_closingofthe thesis showIcontinuedtoreceive comments and

feedbackon_{the work,} anditwas goodtoheartheimpact it hadon people. Itwas_my

goal all_alongtomake an impressionon people andhave_something

they

could relateto

andremember withintheirown experiences. Itwas a wonderful

journey

_upto thispoint

and so much waslearnedand remembered_alongtheway.

Iseethiswork_continuingon afterthecompletion of_myeducation. I am_already

thinking

about_myideas foradollhouseproject andhowIplantoexecutetheideas _along

with someotherplansforthefuture. Ithinkinthesuccess and growththrough_myyears

being

educated, thiswas a great_endingas a student.This

body

ofwork wasso

deep

and

meaningfultomein_everyaspect of_mylife andIwas

happy

tobeableto sharethiswith

everyone. Thedollswillliveoninthesepaintings and

they

will alwaysbepresent and

realtome and Ihopeothers will remembertheminsuch away.

They

will remain as

somethingcaptivatedintime.

Bibliography:

Armstrong,

Richard. Ellen Phelan From The Lives

Of

Dolls. Massachusetts:

University

Gallery,

Fine Arts

Center,

University

ofMassachusetts

At

Amherst,

1992.

Carter,

CurtisL. Dolls In

Contemporary

Art A Metaphor

Of

PersonalIdentity. Wisconsin: The PatrickandBeatrice

Haggerty

MuseumofArtMarquette

University,

1993.

Desmonde,

Kay. All_{Colour Book ofDolls. New York: Crescent Books A}division ofCrown Publishers Inc. 1 974.

Formanek-Brunell,

Miriam. Made To

Play

House. Maryland: The John Hopkins

University

Press,

1998.

Guare,

John. Chuck Close LifeandWork. New York: ThamesandHudson

Inc,

1995.

Gouma-Peterson,

Thalia.Miriam Schapiro

Shaping

The Fragments

Of

ArtAnd Life. NewYork:

Harry

N.

Abrams,

Inc. 1999.

Livingstone,

Marco.

Pop

Art A

Continuing

History. New York:

Harry

N.

Abrams,

Inc. 1990.

Schorr,

Collier. Laurie Simmons Photographs 1978/79. New York: Skarstedt Fine

Art,

2002.

Tosa,

Marco. ClassicDolls. New York: Abbeville Press.

Udall,

Sharyn R.. O 'KeeffeandTexas. Texas: The Marion Koogler

McNay

Art

Museum,

1998.

Vamedoe,

Kirk. Chuck Close

Blood,

SweatandTears.

Library

of

Congress,

2002.

Yassin, Robert,

Steinem, Gloria, Brach, Paul, Schapiro,

Miriam. Miriam Schapiro WorksonPaper. Arizona: Tuscon Museumof

Art,

1998.