Contemporary Painting: Discourse and Practice

This painting course addresses the relationship of form and content in the expanded field of contemporary painting. A series of open-ended painting assignments will provide parameters within which students can navigate their personal interests, focus criteria, and deepen their technical practices. Projects will include observational and media-based image sourcing, composite spaces, abstraction, collaboration, stylistic homages, and fictional portraiture. Students may work in oil or acrylic and will be required to maintain a sketchbook/image archive throughout the course. In addition to studio production, students will investigate the historical and contemporary relevance of their work through readings, slideshows, and presentations. Critical and communication skills related to painting will be developed through critique and group discussions. Open to students who have had painting courses at a college or an advanced high-school level.