Adjunct Instructor
Phone: 903.566.7250
Email: mbranch@uttyler.edu
Building: ARC 122
Department: Art And Art History
Madison Branch
Degrees
- B.F.A., University of Texas at Tyler
- M.A./M.F.A., University of Texas at Tyler
Biography
Research Statement
My work, which is based on assemblages of various unit and the relationships therein, explores the idea of identity as contingent on an ever-changing inventory of thoughts, beliefs, and experiences. Fabric collages, figural and structural units, and imagined landscapes, become source material for compositions which mimic the immaterial space of the mental plane. The multiple instances of translation that occur during the creation of these images is reminiscent of the interpretative relationships between objects, both human and non-human, reinforcing the idea that every object is altered by its surroundings. This processing of the source materials-which includes photography and digital manipulation before rendering in oils-is vital to the theme that the finished images represent. The works are then reimagined again as drawings and watercolors, which reference the original elements within a freer space.
When viewing these works, an important element to examine is the way in which the
seemingly arbitrary units interact with and affect each other. These relationships,
including the breakdown of boundaries between elements, are as real and important
to the work as the symbols chosen. The final product is a visual representation of
the idea that an individual’s identity is not a discrete object, but a vast mosaic
of experiences. Every occurrence throughout the course of a person’s life-the good,
the bad, the strange, and the mundane- has the potential to redefine the self.
Curriculum Vitae Madison Branch