1. The panaromic photograph, titled, "The Outermost House" 36x15
2. Sunset Collection, titled, "Cape Cod Sunset" 19x27
3. "3 Cape Cod Landscapes" 14x11

I created the artwork for my Environmental Studies Thesis titled: An
artistic approach to observing and reflecting on natural areas:
Through the exploration of the Cape Cod Sea Shore.  Below I have
included my introduction from my thesis which gives a little insight
to the creation of the artwork.


        I developed a creative arts thesis for partial fulfillment of a
Bachelor of Science degree in the Rubenstein School of Environment and
Natural Resources.  In the summer of 2008, I spent time in a variety
of ecosystems found in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, such as the deep ocean
shores of Nantucket, and the low tides of Cape Cod Bay.  My goal was
to use 4 different art mediums to create art that fell under the
themes of landscapes, human interactions with nature, up-close natural
features, species diversity, and sunrises & sunsets.  While in the
outdoor environment I spent an extended amount of time writing
reflections, taking nature photographs, and drawing representations of
my surroundings.  These methods of recording my experience reflect the
time spent in environments such as the various marshes, bays, and
ponds.  The outdoors of Cape Cod has influenced me in a spiritual,
emotional, and physical way over the 4 month period.
       The art pieces are in the form of photographs and paintings.  A
few of the art pieces are arranged in the form of a collage of
collected photographs.  An example of this type of piece is the series
of photographs taken in the town of Wellfleet of the sunset over a
period of several days.  Another piece is a series of hands on
environmental artwork creations through the design of using natural
environmental found materials like driftwood and rocks.  All of my
final art pieces are presented in a form that has been photographed
for documentation.
       While creating the art work I kept a journal of written
experiences that took place while I was exploring different areas of
Cape Cod.  These experiences describe emotions, events that occurred
around me while creating the art, and the relationship between myself
and the environment.  The creation of art is a personal experience
that has meaning for a specific period of a given time.  A diversity
of art pieces that have been created show forms of expression that an
artist can create through their interpretation of an environment.
My writing reflections were done in the outdoors in various locations
ranging from a beach to an outdoor patio.  The photography and the
drawings were done entirely in the outdoors.   Most of the photography
was spontaneous in the manner that it was taken in a raw form from
various locations such as the cockpit of a kayak, and the seat of a
bicycle.  Creating artwork in an unplanned manner allowed for a range
of subjects to be photographed and painted due to the nature of not
knowing what specifically would be observed.
          My objective in this project was to create a combined
portfolio of my reflections,photographs, and drawings to represent how
I have interpreted and have been inspired by a variety of natural
areas.  My senior project can be summed up as an artistic approach to
observing and connecting with natural areas through the creation of
art.  When spending a longer period of time on various beaches and
marshes creating artwork, I was able to experience a new understanding
of the environment and a stronger appreciation for the outdoors.