This course aims at introducing students to a variety of materials and methods for observational painting. It provides opportunities for substantial skill development through studio practice of different genres including figure, landscape, and still life. The course also consolidates other technical expertise including the understanding of the material quality of paint, the consideration of different painting supports, health and safety issues as well as efficient studio practice. Both traditional and contemporary ideas and practices of the medium will be examined through a balance of technical training and experimental process.

The course provides training in the coordination of hand and eye and ties them together with critical thinking skills with emphasis placed on studying basic visual elements, including colour, shape, tone, texture, and pictorial space.

The exercises in the course will give students opportunity to investigate the fundamental formal languages of painting through different exercises, thus enable them to understand the connection between form and content. Studio practice will be supported by lectures that provide important background knowledge in the field of historical and contemporary painting techniques and materials. Students will develop visual vocabularies to respond critically to their own works and to strengthen their visual perception skills. Lectures will assist the students to gain familiarity with the technical and conceptual issues central to the practice of observational painting, while assignments and class discussions help students solidify their understanding of the creative process with an emphasis on aesthetic sensibility and personal language.