Stanislaus State BFA/BA Graduating Seniors Exhibition 2016

BFA/BA GRADUATING SENIORS EXHIBITION 2016

B FA / B A G R A D UAT I N G S E N I O R S E X H I B I T I O N 2016 University Art Gallery Art Space on Main Department of Art School of the Arts California State University, Stanislaus 1

300 copies printed

BA Graduating Seniors Exhibition

BFA Graduating Seniors Exhibition,

May 5–27, 2016

May 11–June 30, 2016

University Art Gallery

Art Space on Main

School of the Arts

School of the Arts

California State University, Stanislaus

California State University, Stanislaus

One University Circle

135 West Main Street

Turlock, CA 95382

Turlock, CA 95380

This exhibition and catalog have been funded by: Associated Students Instructionally Related Activities, California State University, Stanislaus

Copyright © 2016 California State University, Stanislaus All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the publisher.

Catalog Design: Brad Peatross, School of the Arts, California State University, Stanislaus Catalog Printing: Claremont Print, Claremont, CA

ISBN: 978-1-940753-19-5

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C ON TENT S

Director’s Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 BFA Images and Statements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 BA Images and Statements.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

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D IRE C TO R ’S FO R E WORD

The University Art Gallery and Art Space on Main are very pleased to present this yearšs graduating seniors. These important exhibitions and accompanying catalog showcase the many exceptional artists graduating this year from the Department of Art at California State University, Stanislaus. As Gallery Director, Professor of Art, and Department Chair I have had the pleasure of working with these students in their endeavors to complete the BFA and BA programs.

These degrees are a pivotal part of their development as artists. As a result of their outstanding accomplishments, I am pleased to call these graduating students colleagues. I look forward to seeing them have long and excellent careers in the arts.

Many colleagues have been instrumental in these exhibitions. I would like to thank the BFA and BA students of the Department of Art for their work and being part of the exhibitions; the College of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; California State University, Stanislaus for the catalog design; and Claremont Print and Copy for the printing this catalog.

Many thanks are also extended to the Instructionally Related Activates Program of California State University, Stanislaus, as well as anonymous donors for the funding of the exhibitions and catalogue. Their support is greatly appreciated.

Dean De Cocker Director University Art Gallery Department Chair California State University, Stanislaus

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B FA I M AG E S A N D S TAT EM EN T S 7

Joel Agu i lar

I’ve always felt my paintings were a place of sanctuary where I can deal with the experiences that I’ve had in my life and the way I’ve felt through those passages of time I can invest that into a creative process and in return have a moment of release and a way of moving forward in my life.

A forest or sky can be a great metaphor for life, it can be beautiful and enjoyable, a place of comfort and relaxation, but at the same time it can be so dangerous and a place where your life can be lost in a way. In my paintings I feel like I’m exploring and investigating the different mixture of colors that when I look at the sky and clouds my mind creates these visional frames and would hold on to them because the moment would be so quick and temporary, I believe that my paintings are my attempt to freeze that moment in time.

To me these portraits represent how a person’s identity changes depending on who and where they are. Others subconsciously change personas in order to fit in with their peers or are strongly influenced by social bonds, forcing them to act untrue to themselves because of where they are. By saying that, every weekend has felt like a ritualistic routine, bonding with friends through inebriation and it felt like an obligation to be there or apart of that. You realize that you can’t keep that pace up, especially when having other goals to pursue it became a real clash of priorities.

I definitely feel that art is such an individual pursuit that you need to really ask yourself who you are and what do you have to say, by doing so you can really go into the depths of your mind and it’s not always an enjoyable experience but the result of creating a painting from that process to me is one of the most satisfying things that I can do in my life.

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Untitled, acr ylic on canvas, 2016 9

M ad ison B e tten c o u r t

Working with a range of materials such as paint, plaster casts, wood, found imagery and objects. I am influenced by the ideals of my immigrant grandmother and experiences of sexual assault and abusive relationships. Exploring societal and contemporary art issues of gender and identity I apply this background to my artwork.

While painting I apply the materials unconsciously until the meaning of the piece has revealed itself to me. This process allows me to make a connection between the materials used and my own psychological state at the time of creation, therefore deepening the signification that can be interpreted from the final artwork. Utilizing imagery such as old photographs or pieces of old books that I have found in antique stores, along with cutouts from contemporary magazines such as Cosmopolitan, I construct a dialog for the viewer that connects the past with present ideas of society.

Found imagery allows me to create an impartial distance with my artwork so that it can become relatable on a broader societal scale while utilizing my own personal outlook.

My sculptural work often begins with an overall idea that is related to the struggles of the everyday woman in modern society. Similar to my painting process, I often find a deeper connection that is discovered through the process with the materials. These associations created unconsciously expose the psychological reasoning that supports the overall motif.

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Veronica, ceramics and latex paint, 2016 11

L eon ardo Co n tr e r as

I believe my art work does not come from reality, but from my imagination and interpretation of dreams. I am very influenced by fantasy, dark humor, and use 1980’s and 1990’s pop culture references. The use of these references due to that today 1980-90’s references are still very relevant in pop culture, especially in films, television, and even in the digital age.

I grew up during this time period, which was a big part of my youth. What was interesting during the 1980’s, President Ronald Regan was responsible for making the United States military larger, and declaring the war on drugs which is still happing today. While expanding the military complex and the war on drugs, they were animated series like G.I. Joe and Transformers that were extremely violent, but those Saturday morning cartoons did not transition into 1990’s.

However, the 1990’s saw a change in video games which became violent in comforts of your own home. Looking back at those shows seem very comical, but have dark undertones that I believe changed many people that grew up in my generation that would later join the U.S. military and fight in the Middle East after September 11, 2001. I try not to be too serious of the subject matter or make pieces that are very difficult to read, but the work will be up to the viewer to have their own opinion.

I normally do not focus on social or political issues, but if I do, there is added humor that people can quickly understand. I use sculpture as a medium to show the viewer that there is something very tangible where the viewer knows they can touch the piece.

Sculpture is a process like any other medium, but is similar to my journey from the beginning when I start a piece and the end when I finish.

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Untitled, resin, wood and graphite, 2014 13

V ictor ia Har dy

I use fragmented objects in my work to show a distortion of time and space in the environment which they exist. I use fragments to rebuild broken objects into something that is broken yet complete. Things exist in the minds of people in different ways, one person might associate a certain object with something different than another person. The viewers have their own preconceived notion of what that particular object means to them. I show past and present state of a person, place, or thing in my work. This creates a distortion in the perception of reality in the mind of the viewer, leading them to question their own preconceived notion of that particular person, place, or thing.

A ghosting effect is present in my work, the see-through ghost-like areas represent the past state of things and although they are not presently in that state.The past continues to exist in the consciousness of the people that have witnessed that past state and in the present only fragments of the past can be seen. The solid colored areas represent present day conditions of that object and render as solid objects, firmly grounded in the space.

I use memory and imagination, with the aid of old photographs to render the fragments of the past that are present in my works. The present elements in my works are done from observation and memory.

The past and present collide in my work causing a distortion in time as the past and present confront each other, creating a dialogue about time and place, and the effects of the passage of time.

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Home #1, acrylic on canvas, 2016 15

L eticia Her n an dez

I believe that the materials I use, whether wax, wood, latex, or metal, solidify what it is that I am trying to relay to the public. These materials represent for me, motifs of change and permanence. Wax is a subtle way to represent both the body and the ephemeral aspect of our society. I use the wax as a way to support the fact that society is constantly changing and becoming impacted by everyday influences.

Just as wax responds to the impact to the environment, I depend on the range of wax’s properties to create my work. When I work with latex it gives me the ability to remove the form being cast from its everyday reality, and place it in a space where its meaning is changed according to the aging of the latex.

The work that I am currently producing has a connection to issues of the loss of life, fertility, and childhood experiences. I think it is necessary as an artist to speak of issues that are familiar, and even discomforting, because it gives a voice to a space that has been a void for many years. What I want viewers to get from my work is that our own mortality is connected to that of other living organisms.

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Flesh, latex and push pins, 2015 17

M ar k Mac iel

Mark Maciel uses painting and videography from a source that connects with nature in the life that surrounds him. Mark uses his interests to document and express his moments throughout his everyday life.

His paintings are done by memory and painted with selected colors to express his disposition of the landscape. He plays with texture to give depth and a further elaboration on his expression. His prime choice of scenes are sunsets and twilight zones in time. Photographs can help for references and trigger the special moments of his memory. He continues to explore his choices of color and design in his work His videography plays the same role as his paintings. Documenting and expressionism is his main focus, keeping the main subject on key by exploring new ways and techniques to explain his message of life throughout time.

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Untitled, oil on canvas, 2016 19

G u adalu pe M o s qu e da

I am interested in expressing my feelings visually because I am one of those types of people that cannot express myself well verbally. The process of unconscious painting has helped me vent and go through what I was going through the moment.This pushes me to let it all out in a sort of art therapy way. As I do my pieces, I get into this state of mind where it turns off and goes on autopilot. The mind keeps ideas away from our conscious to where psychotherapy relieves one by letting it out artistically, offering the individual with a deeper understanding of self. Feelings are a big role in the pieces that I produce. It is a never-ending factory of emotions that one goes through every day. It can be from feeling happy one moment to feeling sad in the next. We as people never entirely express ourselves because we are afraid of being exposed, afraid, and naked. The vulnerability scares us and we are afraid of what others might think. I am willing to take that risk and let my emotions be out and about, letting them roam in my art.

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Unconscious Dreams, conte crayon and charcoal on paper, 2015 21

M att S ahlit

My interests include society, emotion, and the idea of paradox. Throughout my life I have noticed that the world we live in, as well as the society we have constructed within it, are polluted with contradictions, some of them brilliant, some of them birthed through ignorance, and many of them completely unnoticed. I find it intriguing and important to attempt to understand how we diversely react to these paradoxes within our lives. My personal belief is that art is created in order to elicit a desired (or undesired) reaction. I use a combination of organic concepts and geometrical form to create work that can investigate, ignore, destroy, rebuild, confirm, or challenge the viewer’s preconceptions. While I naturally strive for aesthetic exactness, I understand that nothing in life is unquestionably correct, therefore I embrace unavoidable error.

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Untitled, acrylic on wood, 2016 23

Cr istal Ta de o

As a child, I experienced many family deaths and became aware of the aspects of death while attending funeral services. I recall vivid scenes of my grandmother and grandfather on their deathbeds and remembered the sick odors of the hospital room that made me nauseous.

After my grandfather’s passing due to a heart attack on the living room floor, I shared a room with my grandmother. For seven years I became accustomed to her schedule, the time and manner she partook activities, such as her soft-spoken voice during prayers at night while lying on her recliner, the sweet scent in the air when she brought in her meal, and the morning laughs that would wake me up every now and then. There was an essence of comfort from her goodbye hugs before I went to school each morning.

Working with large-scale sculpture has resulted in installations, which capture a nostalgic and dream-like setting.

I mesh fragments of childhood memories and the concepts of death into a body of work, which seems to contain themes of fear and repressed memories. My installations contain a narrative and may not be directly read as the end of life but hint at it. Several signifiers are consistent in various places of my pieces to associate them with the next narrative scene. Death is an uncomfortable subject to many, yet it is something everyone knows is real, and something everyone shares.

Recently, I have deliberately used diverse materials, such as plaster, gauze, wood, and latex, to gain textures, which seem to provoke discomfort. These materials suggest a sense of decay, shoddiness, and fragility through the use of domestic household objects that also represent figures. Most of the environment is dark with solitary objects lit to become a primary focus for the viewer. The incorporation of sound is used to aid in the temporal transcendent experience. In addition, there has been more incorporation of neutral colors, such as browns, tinted whites, oranges, and dark cool colors, to provide the viewer with a sense of a loss or silent frustration. This creates a new trancelike reality, in which a heightened sense of fear blurs and skews thoughts and perceptions. By evoking this oneiric experience I can begin to come to terms with the trauma of death of others and for myself. Although, it seems dreams free us from reality, they are a representation of it through symbols.The trauma and mourning over the death of a loved one carry on or attach themselves to a consciousness recognized in a dream as a reproduction. The reproduction of this illusion of a dream derives elements from reality, is linked with material one has seen before, and from what has been experienced externally or internally. The blurred dream-like installation is like a hypnotic infusion and undermines the physical reality of the environment. The repressed fear of loss and the spiritual component of possession cause the subconscious to emerge and suggest the possibility of redemption.

Influences of fixed frozen mementos of time, age, decay, nostalgia for the home, dreams, or death of materials relate to my appreciation of artists, such as Doris Salcedo’s Untitled Works (1989-2008) and A Flor de Piel (2014). Niki Feijin’s photographs from his book Decay Disciple (2013) depict abandonment and preservation of a past aged environment. Other artists who influence my work include Eva Hesse, Chiharu Shiota, Anya Gallacio, Claes Oldenburg, Rachel Whiteread, Do Ho Suh, and set designs or props from the films of Andrei Tarkovsky, such as Nostalghia (1983) and Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby (1968).

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Ectoplasm, video performance still, 2016 25

Jean ie Tr an

“Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” –Cesar A. Cruz As a mixed-media artist, I enjoy experimenting and combining different materials to create my work. My portfolio ranges from installations to paintings. One medium that stays consistent in my portfolio are abstract paintings. I often work on large canvases in order to paint more freely and openly. My inspiration stems from many artists such as Franz Kline, Helen Frankenthaler, and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

My work in abstract painting tends to focus on both my sexual curiosity and insecurities. Just like the quote above, these abstract paintings represent ways that I may feel uncomfortable in the world. The mixture of figurative forms and outlines often represent pieces of myself that I do not showcase in person. Mimicking dreams, the free flowing lines against patches of thick paint illustrates me floating in my reality.

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Foreign Home, acrylic on canvas, 2015 27

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B A I M AG E S A N D S TAT EM EN T S 29

M aicel B ar s o u m

I often compare my creative process to the mechanics of a prism: an invisible, white light enters through a triangular form, dissects what is hidden, and reveals a spectrum of ideas. The goal of much of my artwork is to refract the mundane to unveil the hidden treasures within it. My photography frequently displays a sense of dreaminess and surrealism. It explores scientific concepts that range from the observation of space-time to parallel universes. I am greatly inspired by the natural world and the creatures that reside within it. Harmony and concord are two words that I try to reflect in my own work as I am left in self-reflection of His. Music plays a significant key in my work. Similar to light, I aim to transpose the audible into the visual. Lyrics from different songs weave into one another and provide an insight that was not visible to me before. In this sense, the mechanics of a prism are reversed.

As an illustrator, I am most drawn to Japanese woodblock prints. I believe that the use of line and placement of colors greatly reflects one’s personality in many aspects. Like my photography, my drawings often depict nature and animals. I aim to make my figures dynamic in movement and character. My style of drawing is inspired by an assortment of sources. These often include video games, manga, children’s animation, and comics.

The geometric quality of my photography also spills forth in my graphic work. I use simple shapes repetitively to create ornamental design elements to my work. At times, my simplistic approach to graphic design is combined with my drawings to create a juxtaposition of machine-like quality versus a more natural appearance.

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Introspection, digital photograph, 2015 31

Ap r il Cas tillo

Hello, my name is April Castillo and I am currently a graduating senior at Stanislaus State with double bachelors degrees. My first is Business Administration - Accounting and the second is Art Studio Drawing. Most people need to reread my majors just to make sure they read that correct. Yes, you did. I love art and numbers and I couldn’t choose between a major I liked more, so I did both.

I have successfully overcome many challenges in my life. Many can’t believe I’m not overwhelmed simply by my daily struggles of being a quadriplegic.

On the contrary, I am excited about what new challenges lay ahead. I defy expectations when I tell people I grew up doing twice as many things they did. I never let anything stop me from what I set my mind to do, especially not my disability. I may not do it the “normal” way but “normal” is boring. I adapt everything to me. People can’t believe I’m able to go jet skiing, but it’s one of my favorite summer activities. Along with being in a summer dance class, I ride ATVs with my family almost every major holiday. I got down and dirty with raising a 250-pound market hog for the local fair, taking my chair into the pen so I could get the hog to move.

People believed I would never be able to hold a pencil much less draw or write. I’m now proving them all wrong because I’m graduating with an Art Studio degree, specializing in drawing. I came in as a freshman wanting to pursue graphic arts. My focus quickly changed after taking a drawing class with Professor Olivant. My favorite medium is pencil, however I also use charcoal, conté and some ink in my pieces. Some of my inspiration comes from artists like Picasso and Euan Uglow. I have learned a lot and look forward in continuing my art and improving my skills.

In closing, my future in art looks very promising. I am very excited about my accomplishments thus far and applying these accomplishments in the real world. I was fortunate enough to have graduated with a business degree.

I will have tremendous opportunity to not only have options, but to have options I thoroughly enjoy.

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Untitled, acrylic on canvas panel. 2016 33

E mily D un ge r

Emily Dunger creates media artworks, paintings, drawings and sculptures. With a subtle minimalistic approach, she touches various overlapping themes and strategies. Several reoccurring subject matter can be recognized, such as the relation with popular culture and media, working with repetition and the investigation of the process of expectations.

Her practice provides a useful set of figurative tools for maneuvering with a pseudo-minimalist approach in the world of media art: these meticulously planned works resound and resonate with images culled from the fantastical realm of imagination. Her work often refers to pop and mass culture. Using written and drawn symbols, a world where light-heartedness rules and where rules are undermined as created.

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Kyoto, guache on paper, 2013 35

Ar tu ro Me lan dez

My work explores the relationship between abstract painting and graphic design.

With influences as diverse as Robert Rauschenberg and Christopher Lee, new combinations are generated from both explicit and implicit meanings.

Ever since I was a teenager I have been fascinated by both abstract and illustrations. What starts out as vision soon becomes my actual work.

As intermittent derivatives become reconfigured through frantic and repetitive practice, the viewer is left with a testament to new possibilities of my work.

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Childs Play, acrylic painting, 2015 37

R ocio Nun o

I revel in versatility, detail, culture, and femininity in my artwork. There is no specific style to my art. I combine things that inspire me, moments in my life, what I believe in, and plain nothingness at times to instigate my art. The art is not intentional, nor demanding; it is created to be visually pleasing. The images and figures from my art work are derived from wherever necessary and evolve many times as I embrace ideas from real life, pictures and other times from the unconscious. Many of my art pieces have been projects or assignments, however they are all a part of who I am.

I enjoy trying out new devices, different methods, and mediums to create my art because I feel I thrive when I adapt to my environment. I am always mentally prepared to practice with a range of materials and mediums because of the uniqueness in responses of each interests me and I see beauty and importance in a variety of materials.

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Untitled, epoxy, glass, wood, lightsource, 2015 39

E lizab eth Padilla

As an artist, I feel the impulse to find new ways of connecting with the world and holding on to those connections as long as possible. I am particularly intrigued by film and photography, both of which capture the world in different ways. In film, one can conjure up stories or document stories that already exist. In photography, it is all about capturing one single moment but at the same time, that moment tells its own story or leads to a series of stories. What I have explored is how I can make a connection with those stories and add my own.

I have grown and lived through my life discovering that as humans we seek relationships. We seek to make connections with other humans. Through my work, I am connecting on a personal level and, in turn, I want my audiences to also seek a connection to each piece but through their own personal experiences. In the end, we all become connected through one object or color or figure. I am constantly being influenced by other filmmakers specifically those that document life. I have always been quite enamored by documentary films because of the emotions it creates in me. In a documentary, you are not merely viewing fictional events but you are experiencing something that is real.

Recently I have come across a project titled Life on Hold that has greatly inspired me. The project is a series of interactive media that tells the story of various Syrian refugees. The project artist was Tammam Azzam.There is one specific refugee that caught my attention and that is seven-year-old Maya Louay El Sheikh Issa. I decided to capture a few stills from her video and attempt to express the connection I had made with her story. This young little girl reminded me so much of my youngest sister who is also seven. The similarities were not only physical but also based on personalities. It was in the way she laughed, in the way that she spoke and they way that she carried herself.

Since Maya’s story was already captured through film and photography, I decided to recreate the stills through digital paint.

The colors used are based on the mood and color of the stills. I regularly use quick thin or thick lines which are seen in my work. The background of each piece is more abstract than the central figures because it expresses my emotions with each line and each mark. I do not necessarily want my audience to make the same connection to Maya as I did, but I do want my audience to make a true connection. For me, I was able to relate so much more to Maya because of her similarity to my sister, I began to see Maya as my sister. Through this connection, I am not only connecting with Maya, but with the concept of what it means to be misplaced, out-of-place, or lost.

I enjoy working both digitally and non-digitally therefore in the future I would like to create more pieces about Maya that involve other mediums. I would also like to research other people in situations different or similar and explore the connections I make with them.

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Stop The War, Digital Media, 2015 41

M elissa Ramir e z

I enjoy working on a range of subjects through different materials and methods. My imagery comes from the world around me and experiences in my life. With Survive, my grandpa Macias was the inspiration. Watching his journey to live a healthier life after open heart surgery has also driven me to live a healthier lifestyle. I try to produce works of art that are pleasing to look at and provoke feelings of joy.

In my work the viewer’s is getting a glimpse of my thoughts about life and free spirit. I find it humorous when my work elicits embarrassing or private thoughts. I learn from the viewer’s interpretation of my work and enjoy the interaction with fellow students and faculty. Through my journey I am intrigued by human thoughts and how my imagery evokes ideas about the world I live in.

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Survive, reduction relief, 2015 43

Ar kell Ro ger s

The art of design is so simple that it is incredibly complex. I love working as a digital artist because I am exposed to the myriad of art tools at just one simple mouse click away. I often try not to limit myself to one medium but when I am behind a computer, camera, or drawing tablet I feel at home, and sometimes I am literally at home. As a child I have always dreamed of being the man who made the special effects in Hollywood movies, the person who made the video games we loved to play as children, or that guy who made the banner we see over the freeway everyday on our way to work, and through my practices in graphic design, 3D sculpting, digital media, and game design my dreams are constantly becoming a reality. The work I produce are a reflection of dreams, things that we don’t see in the real world but we can imagine in our minds. I strive to bring these dreams to life visually.

If someone were to take a look at one of my pieces and say how did he create that, what program did he use to make it, how is that possible, it seems complicated, I could never do something like that, I feel that I have done my job as an digital artist.

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Moby Dick book cover, digital image, 2016 45

ACKNOWLE D GE M E NT S

California State University, Stanislaus

Dr. Joseph F. Sheley, President

Dr. James T. Strong, Provost/Vice President of Academic Affairs

Dr. James A. Tuedio, Dean, College of the Ar ts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Depar tment of Ar t

Dr. Roxanne Robbin, Chair, Professor

Dean De Cocker, Professor

Jessica Gomula, Associate Professor

David Olivant, Professor

Gordon Senior, Professor

Richard Savini, Professor

Daniel Edwards, Assistant Professor

Dr. Staci Scheiwiller, Assistant Professor

Meg Broderick, Administrative Suppor t Assistant II

Andrew Cain, Instructional Technician I

Jon Kithcar t, Equipment Technician II

University Ar t Gallery Ar t Space on Main

Dean De Cocker, Director

Nikki Boudreau, Gallery Assistant

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AB/ AFB GNITAUDA RG S R O I NE S NOITI B I H X E 6102