Studio-based research is rich with possibilities for contributing to the body of knowledge concerning creative processes, primarily because it has at its core the "making" disciplines. Nonetheless, for those who teach graduate research courses, this relative new mode of research can be challenging. In this article, the author discusses the connections that link theory and practice in studio-based research, describes the characteristics of studio-based research, and presents a research design for studio-based research. The research design posits the connections between praxis and the exegesis in studio-based research as coreferential and attempts to trans-illuminate that relationship. In the research design presented, the author examines three methods that she argues are particularly suited for studio-based research: (1) Aesthetico-Action Research; (2) Hermeneutic Phenomenology; and (3) Thematic Analysis. The author concludes that inquiry in art is fully realized when the synergy of word and art, theory and practice, and praxis and exegesis comes together in helical processes of making, reflecting, and writing.