Painting

ART 201, 202, and 203
1:00-2:50 PM MWF
ROOM AS1532

INSTRUCTOR:
Elroy Christenson Office: IC2408A
Telephone: 528-4535 (office and voice mail)
email: echriste@sccd.ctc.edu
home page: http://facweb.northseattle.edu/echriste/echome.html

COURSE OBJECTIVE:
This will be the a combined class of a least three different levels of painting. The First Quarter (Art 201) will be painting from one of two still-lifes in the studion. The first painting

 Problem solving
     Knowledge and ability to :

 -think philosophically encompassing both rational and emotional
-generate, direct, and organize ideas and thoughts.
-acquire mental processes for facilitating imagination, logic and ideas.
-pose concepts related to need for expression
-define and analyze problems relevant to need.
-ask and answer pertinent questions.
-order priorities.
-research, recall factual, emotional, and experiential data related to concept.
-intuit communication value of a variety of visual, emotional, and intellectual stimulants.
-acknowledge diverse value systems within the client/consumer context.
-make esthetic judgments and decisions based on user adaptability, activity, and function.
-verbalize clearly and succinctly any of the above (or more) when necessary.
-know the difference between a solution and a concept.

    Process

- design philosophy and principles (gestalt, line, space, shape, volume, contrast, repetition) based on the original goal.

    Tools Skills and craftsmanship:

-knowledge of potential and limitation of the media in the chosen area of study whether painting, sculpture, or crafts including but not limited to
- pens, pencils, brushes, canvas, paint, paper, clay, plaster, wax, wood, metal.
-thorough understanding practices of the best methodology for the use of those tools whether they be hand tools, power tools or computers.
-knowledge of safe practises in the use of artists' tools and techniques
-knowledge in and ability to use the tool effectively for the desired result

    Applied Arts and Crafts Knowledge and ability to use:

-various media processes in both two- and three-dimensional expressions of the above.
-understanding of the similarities and the differences between the Fine art and Crafts.
-the above as a area of research and understanding to ensure personal growth.

    History of Art Knowledge and ability to:

-recall and understand historical or current concepts, movements, philosophies, and works by individual and /or groups of artists, designers, architects.
-recall and understand the cultural climates, value systems, and societies that produced any movement, concept, and work.
-fine art as an area of pure research and understanding to ensure continued personal growth.
 

PROCEDURE:
You will work both in class on very specific projects. Class time will be used to solve individual technical problems, provide you with background information necessary to solving the problem. Class critiques of the problems will be required to enable other students to learn from your success and problems. All work will be critiqued by the students and the instructor for the ability to solve the problem, visual excellence, and improvement. Each painting will later be evaluated with a letter grade.

GRADING;
Grading will be based on :
    1. Following the instructions for the problem.
    2. Quality of the Work, ie., consistency or neatness.
    3. How well you progress from the beginning to the end.
    4. Constructive participation in the class critiques.
    5. Regular Attendance is imperative to keep up with new information given each session. (One full point will be deducted for each three sessiaons absent or tardy. Early Departures will be counted as absences.)
    6. A mid-term and final exam (if deemed necessary)
    7. An averaging of all work done during the quarter.

MATERIALS:
The supplies for art classes are provided by the students. They are expensive but essential to the product that we are going to produce. Better quality suppl8es often result in better paintings because some of the frustration comes from having to fight the materials rather than the composition. Only you can decide how far you need to skimp and to what exten you are willing to go without becoming too frustrated. Cheap brushes do fall apart in the paint and poor quality color will not create the correct mixtures.

Brushes
Get good quality brushes, remember this is an extension of your eye and hand.
"Flat" brushes #2, #6, #8, #10 nylon (acrylics or oils) or natural Bristle (oils)
"Round" brushes #2 and #4 nylon (acrylics or oils) or natural Bristle (oils)
"Round" Sable Brushes # 2 or #4 (synthetic sable are OK) Paints

Oils (highly recommended) or Acrylic Paints
Persons who are allergic to solvent fumes would be advised not to take this class since it is impossible to eliminate the odores from teh froom environment. If your hands are sensitive to solvents try MAX by Grumbacher, an alkyd emulsion which is water soluable. Oil paint is recommended for its opacity and slow drying times which makes it more forgiving than fast drying acrylics and other water soluble paints. These paints are not cheap and it simply does not pay to buy cheap grades of any pigment. Recommended brands include Graham ( a Portland company and uses walnut oil instead of linseed oil), Grumbacher, Liquitex, and Winsor-Newton. You may get "Pre-test" rather than the "the Finest". There are a number of other student brands but it is especially import not to buy brands that label their paints by color names "red", "blue" and "yellow" rather than pigment names. Winsor-Newton's Winton brand is quantity versus quality, their Pthalo blue is unusable.

Required pigments.
Try to stay with one brand and you must have at least these eight pigments.

    Titanium White (large tube)
    Ivory Black preferred to Lamp Black
    Hansa Yellow light or Cadmium Yellow Pale
    Cadmium Yellow Medium
    Cadmium Red Light
    Cadmium Yellow Medium
    Ultra-marine Blue
    Alizarin Crimson made from Quinacradone pigment,a substitute for true"Alizarin Crimson" or otherwise use Acra violet or Thio Violet or Acra Crimson (deep)depending on the brand
    Pthalo Blue or Thalo (Some manufacturers are now making a version called pthalo blue w/ green tint, this is what we need. You can also depend on the Grumbacher or Liquitex version, also correctly known as phthalocyanine blue)

Optional Colors
Pthalo Blue, Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber, Yellow ochre

Other Materials
   11" x 14" spiral sketchbook
    canvas - 18" x 24" or laarger (This we will make for our second painting but you could purchase the first one.)
    Palette - 11" x 14" or larger made of glass, porcelain, nylon, or wood without color.
    3/4" roll of masking tape
    Waterless hand cleaner, small tube of "Goop", "Orange Cleaner"
    Barrier hand lotion or rubber gloves, "Liquid Glove" or "Glove Coat" for people who have sensitive skin or those that don't want a permanent color stain under nails.
    Rubber ear plugs or sound mufflers (for use with power equipment) Acrylics Only

    2 lb. coffee can
    Sealable containers (leak proof)
    bottle of Matte Polymer Medium

Oils Only
"Turpenoid" Synthetic oderless turpentine or citric based solvents ( Turpenoid's "natural" does cloud the varnishes and should only be used to clean brushes), do not buy "paint thinner" or regular turpentine there may be other non-petro chemical based solvents but they are still untested. Graham paints are walnut oil paint medium based and seem less toxic. Anyone using Graham paints should also get Graham Walnut Oil Painting Medium.

Traditional Technique (oils only)

    Artist's linseed oil
    Damar varnish
    Medium cups and extra jar

Pepper Risk, one of my more advanced students, with one of her waterlilly paintings.