2D Areas of Study

The painting and drawing area emphasizes the broad range of practices currently available to artists. Contemporary painting, life drawing, figurative painting and specialized courses in narrative drawing and drawing for animators are among the many offerings you’ll find in this area.

You will be exposed to techniques, styles, methods and processes relative to images both representational and abstract. Exercises will aim to convey the illusion of visual experience by describing form, light, value, color, texture and spatial depth. Additionally, each cohort will develop analytical skills and critical awareness, as well as vocabulary related to the discussion of critical issues. In a world that communicates increasingly through pictures, these are essential skills.

Anatomical or life drawing and painting courses function as your transition from an emphasis on technique to one on conceptual skills, with compositional, gestural and interpretive elements. Advanced courses develop your knowledge of composition, scale and spatial perception; they will also help you to gain understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects of color and its application. Advanced courses yield a body of work that reveals personal expression, creates awareness and raises questions about conceptual and perceptual processes.

The printmaking area functions as a laboratory for printmaking and other multiple imaging practices. You will become involved in all aspects of printmaking: markmaking, the gathering and transformation of images, linear, tonal and textural techniques, and issues of color, paper, inking, printing and presentation.

You will participate in individual and class critiques, formal and informal, throughout the semester.