Reynolds, SusanMy paintings evolve from a series of re-configurations. They develop through a system of painting and repainting, shaping and reshaping and coding and decoding. This system reflects not only my intention to develop meaningful, compelling work. My painting process reflects my determination to find purpose in life in general. The spirit of the work is childlike. It is intentionally simple in its approach to abstraction. Children's toys and science textbook imagery are appropriated and playfully transformed into formal elements. A construct of layers and fragments, the work functions like a puzzle. It is my existence that I seek to understand, to piece together, and it is by painting and shaping the canvas that I make my findings visible. Throughout this thesis, I intend to explain how my painting process mirrors the spiritual introspection I engage in both inside and outside the creative act. In order to shed light on how I make this connection, I describe the methods, the influences and the references that form and inform my paintings.en-USThesisFine ArtsReligion, Biblical StudiesArt Historyshaped paintingcontemporary christian artdevotional artcreation Creator and creativitytoys and artart and God