Yeeep, it was classes like that that made it really easy for me to justify quitting.
I really believe that “art education” ought to be “Painting 101” taught over and over and over again. Because “the basics” are THAT vast, and every teacher brings something new. As soon as it’s about conceptualizing “ideas”, forget it (for me, anyway).
Buuut - I think that’s what grad school is! I really do! Ask more people, but I think it’s about concepts and justifications and LOTS of talking.
You might find that artists and professors in the area teach non-credit courses - in their own studios, as weekend seminars, through an “outreach” program. Sometimes you’ll feel like a ringer taking classes with Sunday painters, but art teachers LOVE it when someone who knows a few things shows up to make things interesting.
There has GOT to be somebody in Cleveland whose work you admire, who would be glad to tutor you.
I did ask him directly if I could do my stuff in oil, and explained that it’s my intended medium. He said that we use acrylics in this class and that I would be expected to do my in-class assignments in acrylic*. He didn’t really have much reason other than “that’s what we do”.
In fact, after our first assignment, some of the other people in the class, after seeing my painting (which I was allowed to do in oil since I didn’t have the acrylics yet) expressed an interest in trying oils. He asked the class “do you want to try an oil painting?” and when most people said yes, he seemed to acknowledge it and implied that he would consider doing one assignment where everyone used oils. So given that, there can’t really be much valid reason for forbidding it. I mean, if it’s a health issue, he wouldn’t be saying that he would assign one.
*the in-class assignments are what we work on during the 2 hour block of class three times a week. We can also take them home between times and work on them more at home. The assignments are typically several weeks long, including a week for research, etc. It’s not like the assignments are a one-sitting still life that has to be done by the end of one class or something. There is nothing inherent about the assignments that would make them more suited to one type of paint than another.
That’s an interesting idea. I will have to look into it (and of course, see how affordable it is). Unfortunately being new to the area I don’t already know who the local artists are so it may be a little harder to find the right person.
Maybe try the Cleveland Institute of Art’s roster?
Glad I could be helpful – your art threads always stir up emotions for me, I have a lot of unfinished business in that area that I desperately NEED to attend. Much easier to yap at you, though ;). Thank goodness my twins are getting older and a tiny bit self-sufficient.
All right, time to get personal. I’ve flirted with arts since I was around 10, but I also showed promise with math/science. When it came time to choose colleges, I first went for the logical choice, engineering, which in theory is a nice mix between ideas and hard analytical thought. At Georgia Tech, I vaguely enjoyed the engineering bits, and working for the microelectronics research center was fun enough, but I simply could not let go of my desire to create. I snuck into the only artistic class they offered, Photography I, and as it happened the teacher was brilliant. She never taught us anything beyond the basics, but her lectures always featured works I wanted to emulate. They inspired enough to where I wanted to know how to do things, so I made up my own techniques as I went along. If I must, here and here.
I’m now at a different school, with an actual art department, but the principles are the same. None of the teachers here really know what the samhell I’m doing. I only vaguely know. I still consider myself a photographer first and foremost, but in order to really push the boundaries of photography, I’m looking elsewhere. I’m learning color theory, sculpture, all major art movements, applied aesthetics, science, technology, whatever - anything to strengthen my photographic work. Basically, I’m saying go for the sculpture teacher, as she’ll inspire you. Paint in your free time, but really challenge yourself. Contrive random restrictions and really force yourself to believe in them. For instance, take all of her sculpture projects and try to re-imagine them into painting solutions. Paint as experimentally as you can, now, because it will force you into corners that you’ll only get out of by exploring painting techniques further, where a knowledgeable professor is handy, but not as permanent as self discovery.
Also, fuck him if he wants you to use acrylics. Use oil anyway. Judging by that elephant, he knows as much about art as a hummingbird knows of the tax code. And if you want to mix acrylics and oils, make sure you never put acrylic on top of oils.
I think I got spoiled at Kennesaw. Kennesaw isn’t an art school, either. It’s just a state college. It just happens to have a really good art department. I also took a few art classes way back when in the early '90s at a couple of community colleges in Arizona, which were also pretty decent. So I guess my expectations of what a “regular” college might offer in art were artificially high due to lucky previous experiences. That, or my expectations were fair but CSU happens to be sub-par in this area. I don’t know.
For what it’s worth, I’ve seen some really neat stuff coming out of the sculpture department (I’m taking Sculpture I, but the II and III level classes meet at the same time so I see their work as well) and there is also drawing, printmaking, photography, ceramics, etc., which for all I know are great. It could be just that they have a weak painting professor in an otherwise fine art department. In two weeks I’ll be submitting some pieces for the student show, which opens at the end of the month. I think I’ll have a better idea of what the department as a whole is capable of once I see the student show and see what kind of work is being done in other areas.
A lot of stuff was said as I was composing that. One thing I forgot is that you only really need, maybe, 4 pigments in acrylic to get every shade you’ll ever need. Let’s say 5, for Mars Black, if you don’t feel like being an impressionist. Really, that’s only 30 bucks shipped from Dick Blick. Don’t let the cost stop you from trying acrylics, especially since you can use your oil brushes for acrylic as well.
You know, I’ve considered doing exactly that. Just doing oil anyway and letting him yap if he must. I’m just worried that my grade would suffer for it… but then, it might not.
I’ve also considered mixing them as you mentioned (and yes I know that you can’t do acrylic on top of oil) to put the “finishing touches” in oil on top of the acrylic main painting. It’s not like I think he’d be able to tell the difference. Especially if I use some sort of gloss coat over the whole thing at the end. Muahahaha!
I like your work–I’d really like to see larger versions of the first two. Your last one reminds me of a lot of what I did in my photography class. I took tons and tons of pictures of leaves. Single leaves. Pairs of leaves. Piles of leaves. I love leaves. In fact my portfolio had a “leaves as art” theme to it, and they were even part of my artist statement.
Oh I already got the paints and stuff. I already almost finished the second assignment (in acrylic) and yes, I got it from Dick Blick! Heh. I love that place. I wouldn’t use my oil brushes for acrylic, though. I don’t get my oil brushes wet with water ever. I just got some cheap brushes. (Which isn’t to say that my oil brushes aren’t cheap, too, because they are. Oh, one day… one day… come on, lottery!)
Yeah, I know. I messed up my synax on that. There was supposed to be a paragraph break in there. :smack:
I’m not a fan of Grumbacher stuff, you probably got Max. Winsor & Newton’s Artisan line is much better. Nobody makes true artist-quality w-s oils yet, though, but Artisan is severely underpriced for its quality.
Anyway…
OpalCat, I must have missed the part where they only do acrylics, all the time. That’s just silly. I thought it was just the one class. It looks like you’ve got bigger problems than medium. I won’t stand by when people bad-mouth acrylics, but that is not the true problem here.
The teacher’s a tool: poor skill in form, poor skill in technique, poor skill in teaching method, and no actual reason for insiting on one particular medium.
Is he teaching just “painting” or some sort of techniques in acrylics or what?
I can only reiterate that I would be very careful about going over any professor’s head to their department head. It is a sure-fire way to piss your professor off and it is extremely unlikely that the department head will interfere in how a professor teaches a particular class, unless there is some gross unfairness – like he’s letting everyone else do something, but not letting you. It’s not the end of the world if you want to be a rebel and insist on doing your own thing (paint in oils, and fuck him) (metaphoically), but he is responsible for your grade and possibly a grad school recommendation so you should be aware of the can of worms you are opening by going over his head. It’s as if, in a work situation, you had a problem with your supervisor so you complained to his boss. You may have every justification in the world, but it’s still a pretty dangerous thing to do.
Your stuff is still beautiful, BTW. I’m really impressed by your talent.
I’d say he isn’t good. He’s not bad, though. The individual parts of the painting are expressive and the overall theme and colors work together, but the expressions of each individual piece doesn’t add up (for instance, the legs seem to be straining against something completely different than the rest of the elephant.)
I doubt very seriously that I’d ask him to write my recommendation. I have two other painting instructors from my last school, and my sculpture instructor from this one, plus several other instructors from other classes, plus the head of the department from Kennesaw who would all write letters for me, I’m sure. (Most of them have already offered.)
I just wanted to say that I love Doper art threads because so many of you are so talented!
I wish I had that artistic talent; I did a fair bit as a child, even some oil painting, but I never developed it or took any classes since I was about 9. My mom bought me some oil paints for Christmas a couple of years ago, but other than one mediocre attempt at a river and trees, I haven’t used them. I just don’t even know where to begin, and definitely CAN’T afford to take any classes.
I hope you find a way to get some satisfaction out of the education you’re getting, Opal. Googling “cleveland college” shows a dozen or so names, including the one you’re in. Are they all that much more expensive than where you are? Do none of the other ones have respectable art programs? I assume the graduates from CIA must end up teaching at some of the other colleges! Even if “all you want” is to get through this and go to grad school, I think life is too short to be unhappy with the choices we made, and if there’s a way to find a bit more money for a different school (with more than one prof in the department!), I think it’s worth it.
The class is called “Painting III” but as far as I’ve seen he isn’t actually teaching anything. He gets his assignment ideas out of books (we can tell because he just Xeroxes the page out of the book) and then does these pointless critiques when we’re done.
Maybe I missed it, but I’ll ask anyway. How is it that you didn’t know at the time you were signing up for the class, that he used only acrylic paint? Wasn’t that touched on in the class description, or in the supply list? If you knew at the time you signed up, then you should just learn to use the icky paint you don’t like, and pursue perfecting your oil technique on your own time. Just how I see it.
Most of them don’t offer art degrees at all. A few have art history and/or art education, but I’m completely uninterested in getting a degree in either of those areas. The few that do are out of my price range. (for example)
I bet that a lot of graduates from CIA don’t stay in Cleveland.
You don’t get the supply list until the first day of class. The course description reads: “An investigation into more advanced approaches to painting. May be repeated an additional 16 hours.”
