FA 321: Intermediate Painting/ 423 Advanced Painting
Fall 2011, Mon, Wed, Friday 10:10 – 11:50

Fall 2011, Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:10 – 11:50
Fine Arts Department, Room FA7016
Associate Professor M. Forsyth
Office Hours: by appointment. Office Room #: FA 7015
Office Tel: (509) 335 – 3278
E-mail: mforsyth@wsu.edu
Web: www.wsu.edu/~mforsyth

Course Description (From WSU Catalogue)
321 - May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 9 hours. Prereq F A 320. Problems and ideas in painting; 423 - May be repeated for credit. Prereq F A 321, major in fine arts. Continuation of F A 321. Advanced problems in painting. Six credits only with permission of instructor.

Objective:
To develop a cohesive body of work.
To hold a knowledge of acrylic paints and mediums.
To hold the ability to build and prepare different painting supports in any scale.
To execute fundamental painting techniques.
To succinctly articulate your work and the work of others both orally and in written form.
To gain a basic understanding of contemporary painting theory.

Attendance:
This is a very demanding course. Handouts, critiques, and demonstrations will contribute to your formal studio technique and critical facility. Interaction and collaboration with your peers will be an important aspect of the learning process. Please note that this course requires at least 3 hours of homework per week. The projects take a lot of time and energy and they will be impossible to complete unless you work consistently throughout the semester. Please do not arrive late or depart early from class meetings, there is simply too much material to cover in each class and it proves to disruptive and disrespectful to all of us. Absence from a class is not an excuse for skipping a tutorial, reading assignment, or project. You are responsible for completing work.
Please note:
5 absences results in failure of the course.
15% will be deducted from your final grade if you have missed 3 classes
20% will be deducted from your final grade if you have missed 4 classes
The following also counts as 1 absence:
Arriving more than 10 minutes late to class 3 times.
Leaving early from class without permission.
Not participating in class exercises.
Texting in class.

Grading Policy:
Because this class focuses on studio production, a substantial portion of your grade is based on attendance and participation. In addition, all work must be submitted for critique on the due date. You must show work during class critiques to receive a grade. Work should be ready to hang by critique date. If you fail to hand your assignments in on time, 4% per week will be subtracted from the grade received. Work submitted by the deadline may be revised for re-evaluation. Resubmitted work must include substantial revision and show considerable improvement and alteration. Resubmission of work at this stage is strongly encouraged, time permitting. The revised grade will be an average of both grades received. At least 20% of each project must be completed in class. If work is not done in class, that 20% will be deducted from your grade on that project.

Final Grades will be based on the following factors:
20% Class participation and attendance. Showing up and participating in class discussions and critiques is mandatory.
70% Completion of assignments
10% Final Critique (present all completed assignments and participation)

Students with Disabilities:
I am committed to providing assistance to help you be successful in this course. Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a documented disability. If you have a disability and may need accommodations to fully participate in this class, please visit the Access Center. All accommodations MUST be approved through the Access Center (Washington Building, Room 217). Please stop by or call 509-335-3417 to make an appointment with an Access Advisor.

Academic Dishonesty:
WSU is committed to principles of truth and academic honesty. Academic dishonesty includes cheating, plagiarism, and fabrication in the process of academic work, and can result in suspension or dismissal from the university. In this class, academic dishonesty will result in failure of the course and will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct. See http://www.conduct.wsu.edu/default.asp?PageID=343 for more information.

In Case of Emergency:
WSU students should always be prepared to take steps to maintain their own safety during any emergency situation. The information at the link below can help you be better prepared: http://oem.wsu.edu/emergencies

Optional Texts:
Joe Fig. Inside The Painter’s Studio. (Princeton University Press; New York, 2009)
Terry R. Meyers, Ed. Documents of Contemporary Art. (Whitechapel Gallery; London, 2011)
Barry Schwabsky. Vitamin P. (Phaidon Press; New York, 2002)

Painting Materials:

This semester you may work in any medium you wish with the exception of oil paints and thinners. Please note that the majority of your fee for this class is used for woodshop materials so there will be a limited supply of gesso, mediums and tools available in the painting closet. If you require theses tools outside of class time, you are required to purchase them on your own.

Painting Support Preparations
You are expected to prepare all painting supports for this class. You should have supports ready before class so that you always have preparations ready for new painting. Unless the content of your painting justifies otherwise, you are expected to adhere to sound craftsmanship. It is your responsibility to obtain your own support prep materials and equipment. This includes gesso, gesso brushes, staple guns and staples. Do not rely on what might or might not be available in the studio.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ARE OIL PAINTS ALLOWED IN THE STUDIO UNLESS THEY ARE WATER SOLUBLE. THE USE OF THINNERS AND MINERAL SPIRITS IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED!

Projects:

Projects this semester will reflect upon a mixture of your own ideas, contemporary concepts addressed in the readings, and an exploration of painting approaches that suit your needs such as painting installation, performative aspects of painting, collage, appropriation, and digital approaches to painting. Digital images, video, and sound may be incorporated your paintings however we will not have use of a computer lab.

This semester you will be expected to work in a self-directed way. Each project will be an expansion of a theme that you have begun to develop last year or one you are just begining to think about. Each project is meant to be developed, ambitious, and complex, therefore a one page typewritten outline is required to help you clarify your project and explain your intent. These may be completed as you work on your project. You will also be asked to examine, reflect upon, and perhaps incorporate critical issues covered in the readings, class discussions and in-progress critiques.

Because I am more concerned with encouraging you to address your own relationship to your studio practice and investigate the materials and processes of making as opposed to focusing solely on the creation of finished works, we will hold in-progress critiques this semester. There are a total of 7 scheduled in-progress critiques. You must participate in at least 2 of them. During these critiques I expect you to address the historical, theoretical, material, and process-oriented issues pertaining to your work. You may present works in progress, project proposals/plans and anything relevant to your current explorations or recently completed works that you are willing to change or adjust in some way. This is a time to explore and push the boundaries of your thinking and practice. You may wish to think of this occasion to have the group help solve painting problems rather than show us something you have already worked out. We will have final critiques during the last 2 weeks of classes where you are expected to present all completed work.

The following assignments may be completed in any order:

Project 1: Many (Worth 20% of Final Grade)
For this project you will create a series of many paintings that explore a single idea.

Project 2: Size (Worth 20% of Final Grade)
For this project you will create a large painting.

Project 3: Time (Worth 20% of Final Grade)
For this project you will create a painting that takes a great deal of time.

Reading Responses (Worth 10% of Final Grade)

Schedule:

Week 1:
Monday August 22 - Guidelines for class, materials, goals and expectations for the class.
Wednesday August 24 - Bring 2 paintings to discuss with group. Define goals for the semester.
Friday August 26 - Bring 2 paintings to discuss with group. Define goals for the semester.

Questions to get your reading responses started:
What are the key ideas addressed in the readings?
Are there aspects of the readings you didn’t understand? If so, what points would you like clarified?
Do you agree with the author’s point of view? Why or why not?
Can you think of any ideas the author didn’t touch on that seem relevant to the discussion?
Do you feel like any of the arguments or ideas pertain to your own studio practice? If so how do they apply?
Do the readings relate to each other in any way? If so what points are addressed in both? How are they different?

Here is a great video with Polly Apfelbaum.

Week 2:
Monday August 29 - Discuss reading. 1 paragraph reading response due. Work Day.
Wednesday August 31 - Work Day. I will meet with Intermediate students.
Friday September 2 – Work Day. I will meet with Advanced students.

Readings for next week: “The End of Painting” from Documents of Contemporary Art: Painting, and “Mary Heilmann” from Inside the Painter’s Studio.

Here is an awesome video on color space.

And a controversial work funded by the Australia Council for the Arts.

Week 3:
Monday September 5 – LABOR DAY
Wednesday September 7 - I will meet with Intermediate students.
Friday September 9 - CRIT 1

Readings for next week: “Signs Taken for Wonders” from Documents of Contemporary Art: Painting, and “Ross Blechner” from Inside the Painter’s Studio.

Week 4:
Monday September 12 - Discuss reading. 1 paragraph reading response due. Work Day.
Wednesday September 14 - Using different grounds Workshop. Afterward I will meet with Advanced students.
Friday September 16 - CRIT 2

Week 5:
Monday September 19 - Discuss reading. 1 paragraph reading response due. Work Day.
Wednesday September 21 - Advanced Stretcher Building Workshop. Afterward I will meet with Intermediate students.
Friday September 23 - CRIT 3

Week 6:
Monday September 26 - Discuss reading. 1 paragraph reading response due. Work Day.
Wednesday September 28 - Paper Streching Workshop. Afterward I will meet with Advanced students.
Friday September 30 - CRIT 4q

Week 7:
Monday October 3 - Discuss reading. 1 paragraph reading response due. Work Day.
Wednesday October 5 - Work Day. I will meet with Intermediate students.
Friday October 7 – I am gone/sub

Week 8:
Monday October 10 - I am gone/sub
Wednesday October 12 - I am gone/sub
Friday October 14 – BFA Certification No Classes

Week 9:
Monday October 17 - Discuss reading. 1 paragraph reading response due. Work Day.
Wednesday October 19 - Work Day. I will meet with Advanced students.
Friday October 21 – CRIT 5

Week 10:
Monday October 24 - Discuss reading. 1 paragraph reading response due. Work Day.
Wednesday October 26 - Collage techniques Workshop. Afterward I will meet with Intermediate students.
Friday October 28 – I am gone/sub

Week 11:
Monday October 31 - Discuss reading. 1 paragraph reading response due. Work Day.
Wednesday November 2 - Printmaking techniques for painters Workshop. I will meet with Advanced students.
Friday November 4 - CRIT 6

Week 12:
Monday November 7 - Discuss reading. 1 paragraph reading response due. Work Day.
Wednesday November 9 - Work Day. I will meet with Intermediate students.
Friday November 11 - VETERAN’S DAY

Week 13:
Monday November 14 - Discuss reading. 1 paragraph reading response due. Work Day.
Wednesday December 16 - Advanced Stretcher Building Workshop. I will meet with Advanced students.
Friday December 18 - CRIT 7

THANKSGIVING BREAK – November 21 - 25

Week 14:
Monday November 28 - Final Crits
Wednesday November 30 - Final Crits
Friday December 2 - Final Crits

Week 15:
Monday December 5 - Final Crits
Wednesday December 7 - Final Crits
Friday December 9 - Final Crits