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| Pathways 2 • mixed media • 12"x84" © 2005 Margaret Helthaler - thesis project |
In January 2006 I completed my Master of Fine Arts thesis
titled, The Return of Bodily Pleasure:
Our Innate Need for the Physical. In simple terms, the paper discusses
ideas concerning place, perception, memory, and longing to build an argument
that suggests we harbor a physical/biological connection with our natural
environment. In the context of this discussion, I share my struggle to find a
balance between an increasingly technological design career and the sheer
pleasure of manipulating material with my hands and engaging subjects on a
sensory level.
Ironically, upon completing my degree and fully embracing
the veracity of my thesis studies, I accepted a full time graphic design
faculty position with the Art Institute of Pittsburgh - Online Division. I love
my job, but much of my day is spent in a virtual classroom, far removed from
the physical experiences I’d learned to value.
I know I am not alone in feeling increasingly disconnected
from the natural environment. My desire to cross the distance between the world
in my head and the world around me continues to motivate my artwork. One of the
ways I attempt to strike a balance is by starting my day with a long walk in
the picturesque surroundings of my Hudson Valley/Catskill Mountain home in
upstate New York. These walks not only provide the subject matter for my art,
they also replenish me both physically and mentally. Recent studies have
confirmed that:
exercising in natural environments [is] associated with greater feelings of revitalization, increased energy and positive engagement, together with decreases in tension, confusion, anger and depression...
This blog is a visual record of my experience of place within the context of my walks – be
it near my home here in the Catskills or wherever I may be on a particular morning.
To keep things interesting, I include the exact location of
where each image is captured. Follow the location link at the end of
each post to see a marker in Google maps. Some of the images I share may become part of my fine art portfolio, while
others will be just a fleeting glimpse of a moment in time... A moment of
awareness that can only be revisited on these pages... Unless, of course, you feel you "gotta have it," in which case, feel free to contact me. :)
