2DPA303Thursdays 6:30-10 p.m. Kennedy 307
Catherine Kehoe
catherinekehoe8@gmail.com
Office Hours by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION :
This course provides straightforward ways to develop painters’ powers of observation by reducing the visible to its simplest terms. The fundamentals (shape, value, angle and color) will be central throughout the semester. Color mixing using a specific palette (no earth colors) will be taught. The first five or six weeks will focus on still-life setups; the remaining weeks will be spent painting the model. One painting per week outside of class is required. Oil paint is the suggested medium. 3 credits.
SCHEDULE:
This syllabus provides an outline of topics to be covered in this course, more or less in this order. We may spend more time on some topics and less on others, so consider this a rough guide.
Week 1 January 19 — Introduction / image presentation
Homework: Set up a colorful still life. Make a painting using only shapes of black and white, no grays. Look at each value you want to represent in the still life and decide if it can be represented by white or by black, based on its relative value. If adjacent objects can be seen as black, or white, eliminate the distinction between objects. Just make a black or a white shape that stands for both areas. No grays!
Week 2 January 26 — Still life. Grisaille. Palette: raw umber, ultramarine blue, white
Homework: take three brightly colored objects. Arrange them on a surface. Be inventive with composition. Make it interesting for yourself. Paint them in grisaille, using 8 tones, ranging from black to white. Use only separate shapes, no blending. Imagine you are doing a cut-paper collage.
Week 3 February 2 — Still life. Grisaille. Palette: raw umber, ultramarine blue, white
Homework: Set up a low-contrast (close value) still life, using colorful objects. It can be all dark, all light or all medium value. Paint the setup in grisaille, using 8 tones. Use only separate shapes, no blending.
Week 4 February 9 — Still life. Full palette
Homework: Make a high contrast painting of three similar objects (three shoes, three fruits, three anything. Light it strongly. Make the setup surprising and inventive, through composition, cropping, space, color, juxtaposition. Use the full palette. Use only separate shapes, no blending.
Week 5 February 16 — Still life. Full palette. 40 strokes.
Homework: Set up a still life. Do a 40-stroke painting with a full palette. Count the strokes. Be deliberate. Choose the most prominent color in the motif, spend time mixing that color/value as accurately as you can, put it on the canvas, then move on to the adjacent color and its relationship to the color you first put down, mix that color as accurately as you can, before making the brushstroke.
Week 6 February 23 — Still life. Full palette. In class, 40-stroke painting.
Homework: Limited palette with napkin assignment. Click here for details.
Week 7 March 1 — Still life. Primary palette. In class, use only palette knife to apply paint.
Homework: Do a self-portrait, just your head and shoulders, using only the knife to apply paint. Use primary palette. (red, yellow, blue, or two reds, two yellows, two blues)
Week 8 March 8 — No class. Spring Break.
Week 9 March 15 — Model. Use limited primary palette. Use ONLY three primary colors plus white — a red, a yellow and a blue. If you want, you can use two of each primary. For example: Reds — cadmium scarlet and alizarin crimson; Blues — ultramarine blue and cobalt blue; Yellows — Indian yellow and cadmium yellow. No blacks, no browns. No earth colors.
Homework: Do a self-portrait, just your head and shoulders, using only the knife to apply paint. Use limited primary palette described above.
Week 10 March 22 — Model. Use limited primary palette. See above.
Homework: Make a painting of space deeper than arm’s reach. Consider making a painting of an entire room, as is, without arranging things. Try to find how things fit together, how the light affects the color and value relationships. Full palette.
Week 11 March 29 — Model. Full palette.
Homework: take one of your paintings (done in class or at home) and make a painting from it, simplifying even more. Use only separate shapes, no blending.
Week 12 April 5 — Model. Full palette.
Homework: In the manner of... Make a painting in the style of an artist you admire. Your own subject, but employing a way of seeing and translating found in another artist's work.
Week 13 April 12 — Model.
Homework: Set up a still life of objects that are colors you don't like. Hate yellow? put some yellow objects in your still life. Hate traditional still life subjects? Make a painting that uses them, but paint them in a way that excites you.
Week 14 April 19 — Model.
Homework: Choose an assignment from this list that you have not already done.
Week 15 April 26 — Model.
Homework: Choose an assignment from this list that you have not already done.
Week 16 May 3 — Final class.
CLASSROOM POLICIES:
• NEVER POUR SOLVENTS DOWN THE DRAIN. Use white plastic containers for disposal of used solvent/medium. Use red cans for disposal of rags and paper palettes.
Week 1 January 19 — Introduction / image presentation
Homework: Set up a colorful still life. Make a painting using only shapes of black and white, no grays. Look at each value you want to represent in the still life and decide if it can be represented by white or by black, based on its relative value. If adjacent objects can be seen as black, or white, eliminate the distinction between objects. Just make a black or a white shape that stands for both areas. No grays!
Week 2 January 26 — Still life. Grisaille. Palette: raw umber, ultramarine blue, white
Homework: take three brightly colored objects. Arrange them on a surface. Be inventive with composition. Make it interesting for yourself. Paint them in grisaille, using 8 tones, ranging from black to white. Use only separate shapes, no blending. Imagine you are doing a cut-paper collage.
Week 3 February 2 — Still life. Grisaille. Palette: raw umber, ultramarine blue, white
Homework: Set up a low-contrast (close value) still life, using colorful objects. It can be all dark, all light or all medium value. Paint the setup in grisaille, using 8 tones. Use only separate shapes, no blending.
Week 4 February 9 — Still life. Full palette
Homework: Make a high contrast painting of three similar objects (three shoes, three fruits, three anything. Light it strongly. Make the setup surprising and inventive, through composition, cropping, space, color, juxtaposition. Use the full palette. Use only separate shapes, no blending.
Week 5 February 16 — Still life. Full palette. 40 strokes.
Homework: Set up a still life. Do a 40-stroke painting with a full palette. Count the strokes. Be deliberate. Choose the most prominent color in the motif, spend time mixing that color/value as accurately as you can, put it on the canvas, then move on to the adjacent color and its relationship to the color you first put down, mix that color as accurately as you can, before making the brushstroke.
Week 6 February 23 — Still life. Full palette. In class, 40-stroke painting.
Homework: Limited palette with napkin assignment. Click here for details.
Week 7 March 1 — Still life. Primary palette. In class, use only palette knife to apply paint.
Homework: Do a self-portrait, just your head and shoulders, using only the knife to apply paint. Use primary palette. (red, yellow, blue, or two reds, two yellows, two blues)
Week 8 March 8 — No class. Spring Break.
Week 9 March 15 — Model. Use limited primary palette. Use ONLY three primary colors plus white — a red, a yellow and a blue. If you want, you can use two of each primary. For example: Reds — cadmium scarlet and alizarin crimson; Blues — ultramarine blue and cobalt blue; Yellows — Indian yellow and cadmium yellow. No blacks, no browns. No earth colors.
Homework: Do a self-portrait, just your head and shoulders, using only the knife to apply paint. Use limited primary palette described above.
Week 10 March 22 — Model. Use limited primary palette. See above.
Homework: Make a painting of space deeper than arm’s reach. Consider making a painting of an entire room, as is, without arranging things. Try to find how things fit together, how the light affects the color and value relationships. Full palette.
Week 11 March 29 — Model. Full palette.
Homework: take one of your paintings (done in class or at home) and make a painting from it, simplifying even more. Use only separate shapes, no blending.
Week 12 April 5 — Model. Full palette.
Homework: In the manner of... Make a painting in the style of an artist you admire. Your own subject, but employing a way of seeing and translating found in another artist's work.
Week 13 April 12 — Model.
Homework: Set up a still life of objects that are colors you don't like. Hate yellow? put some yellow objects in your still life. Hate traditional still life subjects? Make a painting that uses them, but paint them in a way that excites you.
Week 14 April 19 — Model.
Homework: Choose an assignment from this list that you have not already done.
Week 15 April 26 — Model.
Homework: Choose an assignment from this list that you have not already done.
Week 16 May 3 — Final class.
CLASSROOM POLICIES:
• Turn off cell phone ringers.
• Talking on the phone is not allowed in class.
• Talking on the phone is not allowed in class.
• Texting is not allowed in class.
• No headphones, ear buds, etc.
• The classroom must be left cleaner than we find it each week. Remove all trash before you leave the room. Do not leave any supplies or paintings in the classroom.
ADA STATEMENT:
• No headphones, ear buds, etc.
• The classroom must be left cleaner than we find it each week. Remove all trash before you leave the room. Do not leave any supplies or paintings in the classroom.
GRADING:
• Pass/Fail. Attendance, homework, class work and participation are factors in evaluation.
ADA STATEMENT:
MassArt is committed to ensuring the full participation of all students in its programs. If you have a documented disability and, as a result, need a reasonable accommodation to participate in class, complete course requirements, or benefit from MassArt’s programs or services, then you should register with Mercedes Evans, Director of Diversity and Civil Rights Compliance (Tower 815; telephone extension 7060, mercedes.evans@massart.edu).
• NEVER POUR SOLVENTS DOWN THE DRAIN. Use white plastic containers for disposal of used solvent/medium. Use red cans for disposal of rags and paper palettes.
