I see the need for order and meaning as being a fundamental aspect of the human condition. Unfortunately, the universe that humanity inhabits is one that often seems meaningless and chaotic. The tension between the often feeble orders humanity builds and the chaos of the surrounding universe is of central importance to the body of work that makes up the thesis exhibition. This tension informs every aspect of the work, from its making to its viewing, and is manifested in the formal and conceptual contrasts present in the thesis work. Tension is created formally through the juxtaposition of organic and geometric forms as well as the juxtaposition of orderly elements, like mathematical drawings, and chaotic elements, like splatters of paint. Conceptual tension is created through the comparison of opposites. For example insects are placed with images of stars as a means of comparing the minuscule to the immense, three-dimensional objects are incorporated into paintings contrasting the flatness of the image with the form of the object, some materials used in the work are highly manipulated while others are left as they were found.
The artworks in the thesis exhibition are also about provoking thought and emotions; pushing the viewer into a journey within their own imagination. My goal, when executing this body of work, was to produce art in which the viewer is led into an internal dialogue with him or herself. This dialogue is accomplished through the evocative juxtaposition of everyday objects. When one encounters the thesis works, one is confronted by associations, memories, and emotions brought about through these juxtapositions. I believe this is the path to an inner dialogue, to self-exploration, and ultimately to self-discovery. It is my hope that the thesis work evokes an examination of self and surroundings similar to the one that inspired its creation.
","abstract_html":"<p>I see the need for order and meaning as being a fundamental aspect of the human condition. Unfortunately, the universe that humanity inhabits is one that often seems meaningless and chaotic. The tension between the often feeble orders humanity builds and the chaos of the surrounding universe is of central importance to the body of work that makes up the thesis exhibition. This tension informs every aspect of the work, from its making to its viewing, and is manifested in the formal and conceptual contrasts present in the thesis work. Tension is created formally through the juxtaposition of organic and geometric forms as well as the juxtaposition of orderly elements, like mathematical drawings, and chaotic elements, like splatters of paint. Conceptual tension is created through the comparison of opposites. For example insects are placed with images of stars as a means of comparing the minuscule to the immense, three-dimensional objects are incorporated into paintings contrasting the flatness of the image with the form of the object, some materials used in the work are highly manipulated while others are left as they were found.</p> <p>The artworks in the thesis exhibition are also about provoking thought and emotions; pushing the viewer into a journey within their own imagination. My goal, when executing this body of work, was to produce art in which the viewer is led into an internal dialogue with him or herself. This dialogue is accomplished through the evocative juxtaposition of everyday objects. When one encounters the thesis works, one is confronted by associations, memories, and emotions brought about through these juxtapositions. I believe this is the path to an inner dialogue, to self-exploration, and ultimately to self-discovery. It is my hope that the thesis work evokes an examination of self and surroundings similar to the one that inspired its creation.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Nelson, Nicholas R."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Fine Arts","degree_level":"Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)","degree_discipline":"Department of Fine Arts","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Greg Carter","Patricia Carter"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2004,"date_issued":"2004-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2004-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:28:40Z","subjects":["ETD","Need for order","Chaos","Human condition","Juxtaposition","Organic form","Geometric forms","Art and Design","Art Practice","Fine Arts"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd_legacy/1078","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Greg Carter","Patricia Carter"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Nelson, Nicholas R."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2015-08-20T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Department of Fine Arts"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Fine Arts"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["ETD","Need for order","Chaos","Human condition","Juxtaposition","Organic form","Geometric forms","Art and Design","Art Practice","Fine Arts"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd_legacy/1078"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["I see the need for order and meaning as being a fundamental aspect of the human condition. Unfortunately, the universe that humanity inhabits is one that often seems meaningless and chaotic. The tension between the often feeble orders humanity builds and the chaos of the surrounding universe is of central importance to the body of work that makes up the thesis exhibition. This tension informs every aspect of the work, from its making to its viewing, and is manifested in the formal and conceptual contrasts present in the thesis work. Tension is created formally through the juxtaposition of organic and geometric forms as well as the juxtaposition of orderly elements, like mathematical drawings, and chaotic elements, like splatters of paint. Conceptual tension is created through the comparison of opposites. For example insects are placed with images of stars as a means of comparing the minuscule to the immense, three-dimensional objects are incorporated into paintings contrasting the flatness of the image with the form of the object, some materials used in the work are highly manipulated while others are left as they were found.
The artworks in the thesis exhibition are also about provoking thought and emotions; pushing the viewer into a journey within their own imagination. My goal, when executing this body of work, was to produce art in which the viewer is led into an internal dialogue with him or herself. This dialogue is accomplished through the evocative juxtaposition of everyday objects. When one encounters the thesis works, one is confronted by associations, memories, and emotions brought about through these juxtapositions. I believe this is the path to an inner dialogue, to self-exploration, and ultimately to self-discovery. It is my hope that the thesis work evokes an examination of self and surroundings similar to the one that inspired its creation.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Between Order and Chaos"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Greg Carter","Patricia Carter"],"dc:creator":["Nelson, Nicholas R."],"dc:date.available":["2015-08-20T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["I see the need for order and meaning as being a fundamental aspect of the human condition. Unfortunately, the universe that humanity inhabits is one that often seems meaningless and chaotic. The tension between the often feeble orders humanity builds and the chaos of the surrounding universe is of central importance to the body of work that makes up the thesis exhibition. This tension informs every aspect of the work, from its making to its viewing, and is manifested in the formal and conceptual contrasts present in the thesis work. Tension is created formally through the juxtaposition of organic and geometric forms as well as the juxtaposition of orderly elements, like mathematical drawings, and chaotic elements, like splatters of paint. Conceptual tension is created through the comparison of opposites. For example insects are placed with images of stars as a means of comparing the minuscule to the immense, three-dimensional objects are incorporated into paintings contrasting the flatness of the image with the form of the object, some materials used in the work are highly manipulated while others are left as they were found.
The artworks in the thesis exhibition are also about provoking thought and emotions; pushing the viewer into a journey within their own imagination. My goal, when executing this body of work, was to produce art in which the viewer is led into an internal dialogue with him or herself. This dialogue is accomplished through the evocative juxtaposition of everyday objects. When one encounters the thesis works, one is confronted by associations, memories, and emotions brought about through these juxtapositions. I believe this is the path to an inner dialogue, to self-exploration, and ultimately to self-discovery. It is my hope that the thesis work evokes an examination of self and surroundings similar to the one that inspired its creation.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd_legacy/1078"],"dc:subject":["ETD","Need for order","Chaos","Human condition","Juxtaposition","Organic form","Geometric forms","Art and Design","Art Practice","Fine Arts"],"dc:title":["Between Order and Chaos"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Department of Fine Arts"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Fine Arts"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:28:40Z"}