China's wildlife and the deep connection I felt with it fuelled "What the Dragons Know," a self-published children's book that I wrote and illustrated. My objective was to create a fun and interesting book for children that gave abroad introduction to Chinese wildlife, art and animal mythology. The Chinese landscape has a captivating and unique beauty, which competes daily with the devastating effects of pollution. This project was the manifestation of the passion and sorrow I felt for that landscape. I drew on these feelings, as well as personal past experiences and research into Chinese art, to portray the magnificence of that world and hopefully inspire others. My approach to this challenge consisted of researching Chinese art theories, styles, and techniques, and choosing aspects from all eras that I felt would most engage young readers. I then interpreted and transformed what I'd learned, filling it with my personal style and character. Dong Qichang, a Ming scholar-official, artist and art theorist, emphasized transformation of older models. He, among others, believed that artists should refer to the masters for guidance: using old models as inspiration, imbuing them with one's own style, and creating their own works. His ideas and those of other literati painters drove my approach to this project. This was not so much an effort to make the pictures "look Chinese" per se, but instead my own interaction with and response to Chinese art and art history. My approach to the writing process began with researching Chinese animal symbolism, which I planned to incorporate into my writing. I then outlined an interesting plot and began writing the story, which in turn influenced the illustrations. Like artists of Emperor Huizong's court who painted pictures based on lines of poetry, I also based my compositions around what was happening in the narrative \u2014 using each picture to capture a moment in the story. The illustrations, although primarily intended to be aesthetically appealing, were an experiment with how I reacted to and interacted with the long and intriguing history of Chinese painting. Essentially, I intended to complete a book that was both enjoyable to read and appealing to look at; that would portray the splendor of the Chinese landscape and reflect my feelings for it. The final book will be self-published using CreateSpace.com, and copies will be available for purchase during the Celebrating Honors Symposium or through Amazon.com.

Abstract/Artist Statement Bachelor of Fine Arts Honors Thesis Exhibition Andrea Sherrill Evans I imagine my paintings as an representations of an alternate world inspired both by personal experiences and imagination. In this created world, I am free to draw on truth and fiction, to pair aspects of reality with circumstances, and to reveal tiny pieces of a narrative revolving around human relationships and the relationships one has with objects and with one's environment. The figures depicted began as self-portraits, and the subjects represented are all my own; but the figures have become distinct individuals, unique from both each other and myself, and they exist in a made-up world. These two women, the blonde and the brunette, wander through the patterned rooms of this world. My paintings are documentations of the interactions and mysterious relationship that exists between these women, the shoes, and the patterned walls. The majority of objects are painted with a flat, opaque application of acrylic paint, but as each step in the development of my paintings is uniquely important sometimes the original sketch marks are visible, and I also use oil glazes to create distinct luminosity.

The "First Sin and Its Punishment" refers to a sub-heading from the Old Testament in which the consequences of the sin committed by Adam and Eve are discussed. The idea of sin intrigues me and this thesis is a collaboration of my ideas concerning justice and injustice, science and nature, individual potential and the human spirit. I believe that, sometimes, acts of sin can be beautiful when they represent the rejection of normative standards and do not actively harm others. Sins only assume meaning in the context of existing social norms, and, as can be seen throughout history, these norms are constantly evolving. I also focus on the juxtaposition of beauty and evil in my work, and reference Christianity and other mythologies. I hope that my work offers an exploration of human desires and the subconscious to those who seek it.