January Meeting Participants
Gina Dominque Hersey and Dr Robyn Ferrell
Meeting date and time
22 Jan 2024, 5PM EST
Meeting format/location
Online via zoom video conference
Meeting discussion notes (researcher)
Mon 22 Jan 5PM EST meeting with Robyn Ferrell and Gina Dominique
For one hour Robyn and I discussed the current state of my thesis. She had very insightful feedback. Our discussions included:
1. Robyn expressed concerned that my more detailed thesis layout could potentially distract from the painting research itself, but felt overall that the painting still reads as the main research. She emphasized to maintain this focus throughout all writing. She specifically cautioned that I not over-write or over-emphasize Chapter 3- Research Design & Methods, which I developed since our last meeting.
2. Related... we discussed at some length, formatting and analyzing the Artist Interviews… NVivo is not really Mac compatible, so I won't use it. ATLAS, which I had a 5-day trial for, made no sense to me, so I've eliminated it too. This week I purchased a 2-year student license for MAXQDA, but worry that the time it will take to learn, and to do the coding of just 4-5 of the 10 Artist Interviews I conducted fall 2022, will dominate my coming months.
If necessary, I will hire a MAXQDA tutor to walk me through how to use it to analyze/code my Artist Interviews, and for whatever else I may need it. Robyn suggested rather than conducting formal digital coding and technical analysis of the interviews that instead I include discussions and quotes from the few stand-out-for-me interviews in Chapter 3- Research Design & Methods.
3. Related...I mentioned to Robyn that I viewed one of lead supervisor Adam Carr’s interviews of an artist he had curated into an exhibition in the past, via YouTube or Vimeo, and that it caused me to revisit the idea of posting my 10 Artist Interviews, plus the video of my Artist Talk to YouTube, and provide links within my thesis… in the body of exegesis and/or in the associated appendices. We think this could work with #2 above.
4. Robyn suggested that I have successfully presented autotheory as the justification for my research, as the framework for my research contribution, that this direction is very good, and in her view, I could successfully use the Artist Interviews to support my autotheoretical approach. She analogized their role, since the Interviews have lived in my mind these two years, is like a Greek chorus. :) (I’m very happy and relieved to hear her insights and feedback on these specific points.)
5. Re: my working title- Robyn prefers either “ChromaTheory” or “Skin Deep” to the current “Autoabstract Painting.” She asked what Autoabstract means.
I said I think of it as a synthesis of "autotheory" and "abstract painting." I like it since the history of abstract painting typically implies artists going outside of an autobiographical reference… especially outside of an explicit reference to ‘self.’ I also like the reference to "automatic writing" of 20th C. Abstract Expressionism, and "autotheory." I like too that I made up the words. :)
Supervisor discussion notes
Agreed action points (to be completed after the meeting)
We agreed that I will:
1. Email Robyn:
√a) the LJMU thesis writing/formatting guidelines
√b) the successful LJMU PhD thesis titled “Painting with Light” that I downloaded and referenced for formatting mine
√c) the date of our next meeting. (Feb 29 @5PM EST…on my calendar now)
2. Ask Adam:
a) If he approves of how my newest version thesis is currently formatted?
b) If he agrees with the approach to provide links to YouTube posts of all of my videos (10 Artist Interviews, and 1 Artist Talk), or if he recommends my "coding" via MAXQDA software application, and input those color coded or (digitally) analyzed results...not clear on what they may look like...have you worked with this or any QDA software programs?
c) Where he suggests I locate the 3 or 4 Artist Interviews discussions, either
1. Chapter 3- Methods, or
2. Chapter 4-Results & Discussion as threads within the analysis of my own paintings...or different parts within both chapters?
d) When do I begin the submission planning process, and what do I do to start it (something on eDoc, and/or... ?)
Rough outline of my eDoc listed thesis submission dates:
Submission Planning- 15 February 2024 through 15 February 2025 (ideally Spring 2024)
Notification of Intention to Submit- 15 March 2024- 15 March 2025 (ideally Summer 2025)
Thesis Submission- 15 July 2024- 15 June 2025 (ideally during 2024)
Viva Voce- No eDoc listed date (ideally by January 2025)
Project End- 15 July 2024- 15 October 2025 (ideally graduate April 2025)
