20 Year Old Artist's Dialogue Resurfaces

Photo of Amy E. Fraser from 2000

     Sounds SO dramatic right? In all seriousness it really has been 20 years since I wrote my Masters of Arts and Liberal Studies Thesis: “Dissecting The Western Woman Artist; An Artist's Dialogue”. Much has happened in the two decades that have passed since I graduated from Dartmouth College. Sometimes it feels like that was forever ago and at other times, like it was only yesterday.

     So, you may have noticed if you have been reading my blog posts over the past few months, I’ve been feeling a bit nostalgic. Although I’m not sure nostalgic is exactly the word for it. Maybe its melancholy, mostly I think I’m just suddenly feeling old? Without even realizing it, our lives happen along. We often set aside our original dreams and goals for, well, reality. This usually means that we work toward smaller, more practical accomplishments. We learn the art of compromise and we tend to whittle away our existence to getting through each day, losing track of the big picture. Anyway, life, it happens to the best of us.
     But sometimes we pop our heads up from the harness of the daily grind to re-evaluate. I think that’s what’s been happening to me. I’m re-awakening; that inner feral child has been clawing her way back to the surface. Through reviewing my older works of art I am relearning and remembering a lot about my younger self. The good, the bad and the what the hell was she thinking? So while I’ve been telling myself I’m starting over, perhaps I’m just picking up where I left off? But now I’ll be coming at it from the perspective of a few more years under the belt, with wisdom, grace and maturity. One would hope. Whatever the case, I think it is important to honor our younger selves, to revisit our early dreams and ambitions to see if they still inspire us. With that in mind, I decided to re-release my fairly opinionated and controversial, and definitely dated, TMI tell all “Dissecting The Western Woman Artist; An Artist's Dialogue” on the Amy E. Fraser Art blog today. You are welcome!

     Here’s a fully linked Table of Contents 

Introduction
Part 1. The Autopsy

- External Examination -
Chapter 1. Skin. The Truth and Power behind Female Nudity
Chapter 2. Muscle. Feminine Strength
Chapter 3. Vagina. Creativity and Feminine Multiplicity
Chapter 4. Breasts. Beauty, Power and Desire

- Internal Examination -
Chapter 5. Lungs. Breathing From the Artist’s Soul
Chapter 6. Heart. The Female Artist’s Emotional Center
Chapter 7. Intestines. The Primordial Being
Chapter 8. Stomach. Eating and Self Identity
Chapter 9. Uterus. Sacred Sexuality And Feminine Symbolism
Chapter 10. Menstrual Blood.  A Woman’s Ancient Magic
Chapter 11. Skeleton. The Matrilineal Legacy of Feminine Knowledge

- Final Examination -
Chapter 12. Brain. Gendered Thought, Female Intellect and Feminine Consciousness
Conclusion
Bibliography

     Also, I am currently in the process of editing the black and white, pen and ink, concept drawings created for the Thesis project. I have every intention of releasing them on Aefraser.com in the near future. They are fabulously dark and surreal, I’m sure they will be a big hit with the puppies and kittens crowd! Wish me luck! Happy reading!

 For more Art and Information on Amy E. Fraser go to Aefraser.com