Pre-College: The Poetry of Painting Course

Have you ever seen an artwork that made you gasp, lose your breath, invoked laughter, or elicited disgust? How can simple artistic materials produce these feelings and emotions? Painting is a skill, but it is also a form of expression, playing with color and image to produce a response from those in its purview.

We will begin our painting investigations on traditional color theory and application of materials. As we explore interactions of color, objects, and shifts in light, we will discuss symbolic subject matter in traditional styles. You will use the sketchbook as a tool for visual journaling while building observational skills. We will uncover the basics of “building” a painting. Layer by layer your paintings become transcriptions of artistic process, design, and the simple human reaction to the formal elements of art.

Our painting conquests will culminate with paintings that explore inspirations and empowerment. The work will present basic human situations with affecting simplicity.