Snow Day and Assignment #4: Air

I missed you all these last several weeks!  In order make up as least some of our lost time together we will push Final Critique back a week to May 9. Next week when we finally see each other again we will critique the "rock" project, and I will verbally introduce the Air project below.  But just in case you are interested in starting the think about it, here it is:

AIR
Due April 18

Okay, I realize that "air" is a very vague word.  Maybe "atmosphere" would be a better one.  But I like the reference to the traditional elements--Earth, wind, fire, water.  Okay, it's not "wind," that using that seems too affected . . .
Anyway, "air" refers to all all things meteorological.  Clouds, fog, hurricanes, tornadoes, even heat shimmer.  These events typically happen in a landscape (but not always), so including elements of the landscape are just fine, as long as the emphasis of the painting is on the atmosphere. Other than that, interpret "air" in any way you feel you can defend.
Good luck!

Student Show Prospectus!

Hi All, I missed you this week!
Here is a link to where you can download the student show prospectus.  The due date is the week after spring break--the storm was unfortunately timed! 

https://mcccgallery.wordpress.com/

Assignment #3: Rocks

Due March 21

As always, this projects is meant to be a point of departure to a vast number of directions your paintings could take, so I’ll make it as simple as possible:

Igneous. Metamorphic. Sedimentary.

As you’ll remember from 9^th grade Earth Science, these are the three types of rocks found in the earth’s crust.  Your painting must include them and be about them.  Have fun! 

Assignment #2: Plants

Assignment #2: Plants

Much like the first painting of the semester where you made a painting about a variety of animals, you are now to make a painting about plants.  Like animals, every plant in existence is unique and complex.  Like the animal painting, this painting embraces the pattern and textures in nature that synthetic materials tend to edit out.

You are to design a composition that includes a variety of plant types: at least one deciduous plant, at least one succulent plant, and at least one flower. You may have other elements to the composition, but the painting must be primarily about the plants.  Embrace the surface and texture that will probably come of making a plant painting. 

Like the animal painting, research any possible meaning that your particular plants or combinations of plants might have.  Good luck!

Assignment #1: Animals

Painting II Assignment #1: Animals

Due: Feb 7

You are to construct a representational painting that involves animals.  Your painting must include at least three animals with at least one mammal and at least one bird. Also, at least one animal must be cold-blooded.

Exactly how you combine these animals is up to you, but I strongly encourage you to do some research about any symbolic meanings that might be present in the animals you chose.  How can you utilize these symbolic meanings? 

Pay close attention to the scale of your paintings.  What is the ideal size for the subject that you’ve chosen?  Have the courage to paint your composition at that scale!

Good luck!

Art Movement Presentations Guidelines

Painting II

MOVEMENT PRESENTATION CRITERIA
Kyle Stevenson, professor

Instructions:
You are to sign up for an artistic movement (sign-up sheet is going around) on a specified date to give a 5-10 minute presentation to the rest of class.  You will need to collect images and know your movement well enough to discuss the work associated with it in a conversational manner.  I will not collect a written report.  In order to get an A*, you may not have written notes--it must be completely oral!  Your grade will depend on the quality of your research and image collecting and how well you deliver the material you found.

Questions to address when Researching your Artist Presentation:

1. What is the Artistic or Cultural Background of the movement? What countries, territories, or region did it originate? What cultural events were taking place to affect it(1-2 minutes)
                                   

2. Collect 10 to 15 visual examples of their work for us to look at while you are presenting. (3-5 minutes)

A. Use digital images from the internet or that you have scanned (a folder of jpegs, a PowerPoint or GoogleSlides presentation).  

B. If you are using jpegst, name and number the images in the order you want to present them and save them on a flash drive or arrange to email them to me. 

C. Ideally get your images to me the class before you present.

D. Your images should be large enough to cover most of a 600x800 pixel screen with a minimum 72 dpi.  Artcyclopedia.com and google images are great websites for image collecting.

You must know the names and approximate dates of all the works you choose, and be able to elaborate on 1 or 2 of the movement’s most important art works by discussing the important elements contained in each.  Explain why these works were important to art history.
           
3. What main elements are important to looking at and understanding the artwork or process of the movement(1-2 minutes)?

4. Do you like the work of the movement? Why or Why not (1-2 minutes)?

The Rules

*In order to get an A, you may NOT . . .

·          . . . Read from any notes or consult a cheat sheet.

·         . . . Have any PowerPoint slides (or jpegs) of text.  You may have some text on image slides, but the majority of the slide must be the image.

·          . . . Take more than 10 minutes.  I will have a timer and warn you when you are getting close, but you must finish before 10 minutes, not merely stop.

·          . . . Have poor quality images (see above image specs) or inaccurate information.

·         . . . Deviate from the directions in any way.

Breaking any of the above rules will result in a full letter grade deduction per rule broken.

Syllabus and Materials

ART230 –Evening Painting II

Mercer County Community College

Kyle M. Stevenson, professor

Office: ET 124, email: stevensk@mccc.edu, or kylestevenson@yahoo.com

Office hours: TBA

Blog: http://www.professorkylestevensonpaintingtwo.blogspot.com/

________________________________________________________________________

This class works primarily on the following logic: if all the great masters up to and including those of the modern and contemporary era were grounded in the craft of perceptual/observational painting, and if the human figure is the most perceptually complex subject in the universe, then we can conclude that if one masters the perceptual painting of the figure, then one can master any visual subject.  And, if one can control paint well enough to paint perceptually, one can control the paint to do anything.

Course goals and objectives:

The student will continue to formulate his/her conceptual direction in painting.  The student will develop a greater understanding of painting as it relates to art history and criticism, and build the skills needed to contribute to the same art history.

Evaluation

During each class we will have a nude model posing.  Regardless of the direction of your work outside of class, I will expect everyone to work realistically from the figure during class time, at least during the first half of the semester.  Throughout the term I will paint with you and show you different approaches and techniques to painting that will, as you build painting experience, demystify the craft of realistic painting.   At the end of the semester you will be required to show a folio of a number of in-class figure paintings, plus several out-of-class paintings at our Final Critique.  This allows the several bad painting days that we can all expect over the course of the semester.

Throughout the term you will be required to make five works outside of class.  These works will be designed to introduce you to a variety of approaches to art-making so that you may begin to formulate your own artistic direction.  They will be given as assignments with some leeway, but narrow enough to be graded using a common rubric (the first criterion on the rubric will ask: did this painter follow directions?).  I will make a post detailing each project at least two weeks before it is due.  Some of the projects are more involved than others, and I will therefore post as early as three weeks before their respective due dates, so you will have plenty of time to finish.

Late Projects

My policy for late projects is as follows:  you are allowed to hand in one project after it is due without penalty.  After that, any more late projects will simply not be accepted.  However, the time window to hand in those that is not infinite.  You have two class periods from the date and time it is due to hand it in; after that it will not be accepted.

50% of your final grade will be the average of the five outside of class project grades.  30% of your final grade will come from your folio of in-class paintings from the model (remember that I will be there to help you through each one).  10% of your final grade will come from your improvement throughout the course, your attitude to painting and class participation, and the remaining 10% will come from your art movement presentation.  If you take this class seriously and exhibit genuine effort, you will do just fine.

Attendance

You MUST come to class.  This class will meet 15 times throughout the term.  In order to get the most out of this course, you need to be in class for all of them.  Class is your time to work in an environment where you have access to me and your classmates.  Take advantage of this as it will greatly inform the time spent painting outside of class.  If you don’t, it will certainly be reflected in the quality of your work.

Because I’m a realist, I understand that there might be a time where you might not be able to attend class, whether from sickness or car trouble or family emergency.  Therefore you’ll get one freebie absence before your final grade is adversely affected.  If you have 2 or more absences, your final grade will drop an entire letter grade after all other calculations have been determined, and an additional third of a letter grade for every absence beyond the third one.  Arriving to class more than 20 minutes late or leaving more than 20 minutes early will count for half an absence each time, as will taking more than a 20 minute (total) break in the middle of class.

Required Materials

This course is nominally taught as an oil painting class, as I know oils best.  However, many if not most of the principles that I teach can be transposed to other painting media as well.  So, though I can help you best with oils, you may use other painting media that you can apply the same principles to. Beyond that, the only specific materials you will need are:

-White and gray toned paper and backing to be used in the first class period

-black, white and red/brown (sanguine) conte crayon

- a number of appropriately primed supports on which to paint in class (this could be a canvas paper pad [also called canvasette], sized paper of similar dimensions, panels, stretched canvases, etc.)  At least three of these must be pre-toned medium green gray, and at least three of them must be pre-toned medium reddish brown (“pre-toned” means dry!) Size is completely up to you, However, the last couple of poses in class will be over a period of days and I’ll encourage you to paint much larger than you might be used to!  You are also responsible for any support materials for said supports.

-a delectable dish to pass at Final Critique

At the beginning of each class ALWAYS have at least one support ready on which to paint.

 As you are already experienced painters, it is up to you decide exactly what materials you will need for your paintings.  I will certainly have suggestions and input regarding tools and technique.  Painting is potentially very expensive.  That being said, to make the best work you must be willing to invest in quality tools and materials, though “quality” does not necessarily mean “expensive.”  We’ll certainly talk about this in class.  The outside of class paintings will have one common requirement: they will have to be on a non-commercially produced support.  Here are also a few indispensable oil colors: titanium or flake white, ivory black, yellow ochre, and cadmium orange (plus a cobalt blue and a cadmium red).  All other colors are welcome, but you should have at least those listed.   

You must have a serious attitude toward drawing and painting throughout the course.

Finally, as we all come to this class with different experience, ability, and confidence, it is essential that you treat me, each other, this course and studio with respect.  Failing to do so will result in your dismissal from class.