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This course introduces students to the medium of drawing as an essential means of visual communication. Various methods and materials are used for both in-class studies as well as larger and more-comprehensive projects. Challenging and complex drawings are produced with a sharp focus on both formal and conceptual issues. Technical aspects of drawing are balanced with imaginative and experimental approaches throughout the semester. Presentations and class discussions supplement assignments to aid in expansion of the understanding of project goals. This counts toward the introductory course requirement for the major. No prerequisite. Offered every semester.

This course engages students in a rigorous and thorough exploration of a two-dimensional representation of the human figure in drawing. Aesthetic and anatomical study of the human figure extends throughout the semester. Assignments include investigation of the use of figures in formal compositions, political and social narrative constructs, and psychologically complex environments. The semester culminates with a seven-foot-tall full-figure self-portrait in graphite. Students utilize a variety of drawing methods and materials, including graphite, charcoal, ink, spray paint and collage. Students give presentations on contemporary figurative artists during the semester. "The Naked Nude" is the accompanying text for this class. This counts toward the intermediate course requirement for the major. Prerequisite: ARTS 102. Offered once a year.

This course is an introduction to the fundamental principles of painting. The course begins with an investigation into painting materials and how they influence ideas. Students explore color, composition and surface development on board, panel and canvas, while focusing on a wide range of basic approaches to oil painting. We utilize traditional and nontraditional contemporary methods to address the historically established genres of still life, landscape and portraiture. Visual literacy and conceptual growth are essential. Teacher presentations, group critiques, student reports and readings along with individual instruction help the student to develop original concepts. This counts toward the intermediate course requirement for the major. Prerequisite: ARTS 102 or 106. Offered once a year.

This course provides an overview of some of the most direct and fundamental forms of mechanical reproduction. A balance between technical mastery and imaginative visual exploration is the goal throughout. The processes employed during the semester combine aspects of drawing and painting, as well as a sculptural physicality, giving students the opportunity to explore and experiment with various combinations of visual processes. Students are challenged to synthesize and internalize diverse aesthetic approaches, while working to formulate a personal vision. All students give presentations on modern and contemporary artists. Techniques include monotype, woodcut, linoleum print, dry-point and intaglio. This counts toward the intermediate course requirement for the major. Prerequisite: ARTS 102, 103, 106 or 107. Offered once a year.

This course is designed to enable students to further develop their personal artistic vision based on the foundation of their earlier studio courses and ARTS 480. Well into their senior projects at the start of the semester, students continue to refine their concepts and skills into a cohesive body of work for exhibition at the end of the semester. Critiques, discussions and presentations continue to amplify the studio experience. Professional presentation, writing artistic statements and resumes, and visual documentation skills are part of the course. The Senior Capstone, an exhibition required of studio art majors, includes artwork made during this course. This course is required for studio art majors. Prerequisite: ARTS 480. Senior art majors only. Offered every spring.

The studio art faculty does not recommend individual study because we feel it is important for students to work in the context of other student artists. We understand, however, that on rare occasions an individual study may be appropriate. Individual study must be approved by the department according to the following guidelines: it should be undertaken only when a student has exhausted all the options for that medium in the regular curriculum. The subject for an individual study must be in a discipline in which the faculty member has expertise. When possible, the individual study student should participate in some aspects of a course working in a similar medium in the faculty member's field in order to gain feedback from other students. The student is responsible for writing a contract and maintaining a schedule. Because students must enroll for individual studies by the end of the seventh class day of each semester, they should begin discussion of the proposed individual study by the semester before, so that there is time to devise the proposal and seek departmental approval before the registrar’s deadline. An individual study does not count toward the requirements for the major; it is considered an extra course.