This thesis explores my practice of non-representational, mixed media painting as a way to consider the passage of time and the shifting nature of memory. Working in layers of paper, pigment, paint, and other materials, I build and disrupt surfaces that mirror the instability of short-term memory and the gradual erosion experienced during my father’s journey with Alzheimer’s disease. Each painting becomes a palimpsest where gestures accumulate, fade, or reemerge, reflecting how memories surface, distort, or disappear.
Through this layered process, the work intertwines personal narrative with broader questions of how time is felt rather than measured. The paintings act as both material records and emotional markers, using abstraction to convey the tension between holding on and letting go. Ultimately, the thesis argues that mixed media painting—rooted in layers and revision—offers a potent language for representing the complexities of memory, impermanence, and presence.
","abstract_html":"<p>This thesis explores my practice of non-representational, mixed media painting as a way to consider the passage of time and the shifting nature of memory. Working in layers of paper, pigment, paint, and other materials, I build and disrupt surfaces that mirror the instability of short-term memory and the gradual erosion experienced during my father’s journey with Alzheimer’s disease. Each painting becomes a palimpsest where gestures accumulate, fade, or reemerge, reflecting how memories surface, distort, or disappear.</p> <p>Through this layered process, the work intertwines personal narrative with broader questions of how time is felt rather than measured. The paintings act as both material records and emotional markers, using abstraction to convey the tension between holding on and letting go. Ultimately, the thesis argues that mixed media painting—rooted in layers and revision—offers a potent language for representing the complexities of memory, impermanence, and presence.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Gilmore, Gavin G."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Fine Arts","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Art","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Shaun Roberts","Neal Cox","Ron King"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-11-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2025-11-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:49Z","subjects":["non-representational","mixed media","passage of time","layers","memories","Painting"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/616","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Shaun Roberts","Neal Cox","Ron King"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Gilmore, Gavin G."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-11-17T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Art"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"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":["non-representational","mixed media","passage of time","layers","memories","Painting"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/616"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis explores my practice of non-representational, mixed media painting as a way to consider the passage of time and the shifting nature of memory. Working in layers of paper, pigment, paint, and other materials, I build and disrupt surfaces that mirror the instability of short-term memory and the gradual erosion experienced during my father’s journey with Alzheimer’s disease. Each painting becomes a palimpsest where gestures accumulate, fade, or reemerge, reflecting how memories surface, distort, or disappear.
Through this layered process, the work intertwines personal narrative with broader questions of how time is felt rather than measured. The paintings act as both material records and emotional markers, using abstraction to convey the tension between holding on and letting go. Ultimately, the thesis argues that mixed media painting—rooted in layers and revision—offers a potent language for representing the complexities of memory, impermanence, and presence.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["In Flux"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Shaun Roberts","Neal Cox","Ron King"],"dc:creator":["Gilmore, Gavin G."],"dc:date.available":["2025-11-17T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis explores my practice of non-representational, mixed media painting as a way to consider the passage of time and the shifting nature of memory. Working in layers of paper, pigment, paint, and other materials, I build and disrupt surfaces that mirror the instability of short-term memory and the gradual erosion experienced during my father’s journey with Alzheimer’s disease. Each painting becomes a palimpsest where gestures accumulate, fade, or reemerge, reflecting how memories surface, distort, or disappear.
Through this layered process, the work intertwines personal narrative with broader questions of how time is felt rather than measured. The paintings act as both material records and emotional markers, using abstraction to convey the tension between holding on and letting go. Ultimately, the thesis argues that mixed media painting—rooted in layers and revision—offers a potent language for representing the complexities of memory, impermanence, and presence.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/616"],"dc:subject":["non-representational","mixed media","passage of time","layers","memories","Painting"],"dc:title":["In Flux"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Art"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Fine Arts"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:49Z"}