ART 105-01, Beginning Painting, Fall 2007

Abstract

This class is an opportunity to question what you think painting is and what you think art is. This semester I will be looking for you to continuously seek to change your own misconceptions about art making and image making. Together we will explore the possibilities of paint. You can expect to be immersed in certain fundamentals of material and application including color, texture, scale and composition…however, this is not a technique based class – the objective of this course is to stimulate the development for each student’s creative capacities by pursuing personal research into technique and application as most appropriate to each individual’s content. Accidents can be a catalyst for evolution in a painting, and if addressed, are often the greatest source of strength for beginners. There is no right way to make a good painting and there is no right way to “fulfill the assignment”. You will be encouraged to experiment and have accidents in order to develop a process that is unique and tailored to your own personal content. This class is designed to allow you, the painter, to make what is most important, interesting, crazy, vulgar, spiritual, painful, comical, obnoxious, elegant or hysterical in a technique tailored to that objective. Over the course of the semester you will gain formal tools in regards to color, scale, composition which will begin to help you transcribe these objectives into a visual language. You will learn ways in which to research so that you may add content to the work based on your own personality. You will work as a team during critiques to begin to articulate what you see in your own work and the work around you. This class gives you the chance to question how painting functions, how it interacts with its audience and how it embodies content.