Visual
Thinking: The Artist Sketchbook
Instructor: Janis
Goodman
 
How does one make art from a rich, unique experience?
How does one reach out to a place already alive
with a history and an aesthetic and find an original
voice? As visual artists and art students our
goal is  not
to make souvenirs but to find portals that allow
us to explore, embellish and create work which
is authentic and direct.
With the Amalfi Coast as our
backdrop we will use the architecture, colors,
culture, ruins, sounds and natural surroundings
of the region as a starting point. As a finale
we will have a visual journal/ an album brimming
with ideas, finished works, works in progress,
collaged works, abstract or naturalistic, complete
and/or open-ended.
Artists have kept sketchbooks,
visual journals and albums for centuries. We
will use this age-old tradition of working in
a sketch book to find a way to understand our
relationship to our immediate surroundings. This
book can be an art work unto itself or become
a source for future paintings, prints, assemblages,
novels or short stories.
Sudents
will be encouraged to have a variety of mediums
available. Suggested materials: box of water
colors, pen and ink, pencils, charcoal, colored
markers, glue sticks, x-acto knives and scissors.
Most importantly students will need to bring
a sketchbook(s), album, or blank journal for
working.
Click
here to see examples of Janice Goodman's work.
Click here to see
examples of Visual Arts faculty work.
After
Image: Painting and Photography
Instructor: Lisa Blas
Utilizing the collection of ephemeral
material and visual data, we will investigate the collision
of the historical and modern-day landscape.
The camera will be a central component to this course. During
regular field trips, we will document our environment--paying
close attention to the color and spatial relationships as
they exist in local markets, graffiti, alleyways, shadows,
neon signage, billboards and other spaces that suggest modern
and daily life. In addition, rubbing transfers of both the
surface and textures of historical sites will be taken, using
vellum paper and pencil. Building upon this information of
present/past, we will construct works based on the post-modern
landscape. This could take the form of a series of photographs
or paintings, depending on each artist’s medium/material
specificity. Discussion on contemporary art practice, composition,
local and artificial color, paint applications/techniques,
the photographic image and point of view will be part of our
daily sessions. Group critique and interaction in the studio
will provide a rich source of feedback, fostering new modes
of thinking and methodologies.
With Italy as a stand-in for Western civilization, what could
be a more fascinating backdrop to examine the interstitial
spaces----otherwise neglected, yet rich in possibility.
Click here to see examples of
Visual Arts faculty work.
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