Course Syllabus

Course Information
ARTS 2316.001 PAINTING FOUNDATIONS Fri. 1:00 p.m.-3:45 p.m. Fall 2011

Professor Contact Information

Betsy Belcher bbelcher@utdallas.edu office hours: in classroom, before or after class (or by arrangement)

Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, and/or Other Restrictions

none

Course Description
While introducing the fundamentals of materials and technique, this class will explore painting as a means of expression for each individual. Classroom assignments, demonstrations, slide lectures and critiques will all be used to develop the observational skills and intellectual questioning necessary to create an effective, satisfying work of art. Additionally, the class aims to give the student insight into the use of color in painting and to provide some understanding of the critical and technical vocabulary of painting. The student may also arrive at a fuller understanding of concept, content and creative process. Students will be given a series of assignments exploring a range of traditional and contemporary subject matters for painting. Potential subjects include still-life, self-portraiture, and landscape, as well as some less familiar sources of imagery relating to non-representational and abstract art. The practice of painting is undertaken with a wide variety of motivations, intentions and imagery, all adding up to a unique combination for each artist.

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes

Students will be given a sequence of assignments to develop an understanding of painting, through exposure to both the technical and intellectual demands of the discipline. Working primarily from direct observation, classroom work will stress learning to see, to control materials and to gain insight into the creative process. 1. Cultivate each students ability to observe closely & carefully: to translate seeing into painting. 2. Introduce students to the vocabulary necessary to talk about paintings. 3. Begin to shape students' ability to discuss and analyze the structure and meaning of paintings. 4. Expose students to the variety of techniques and approaches used by painters historically and in contemporary practice. 5. Allow students to investigate their ability to communicate through the creative means of painting and introduce them to the notion of a visual language. 6. Develop the students facility and familiarity with the practical aspects of painting.

Required Textbooks and Materials

It is each students responsibility to purchase the supplies necessary to complete the work for this class. A supply list will be provided on the first day of class. These materials will be discussed at that time. Please bring all necessary supplies to the second class and be prepared to work. Materials will be available at Asel Art Supply as a discounted package. Other materials are available at other art supply stores, hardware stores, and office supply stores. Some supplies will be available at the campus bookstore. The instructor requires that you buy all the necessary supplies and come equipped to work effectively. She cannot provide these for you. The

instructor has worked to keep the material costs reasonable. Lockers are available in the studio area for storing supplies. Students must provide their own locks. Sharing a locker will be necessary.

Assignments & Academic Calendar

8/26 Discussion: materials, studio procedures, class policies, overview of projects. Supply lists given. First assignments explained. What is painting? Approaches to painting. Learning to see. 9/2 Color terminology, color theory and color schemes in painting. Understanding value, tints, shades. Using paint, paint qualities, and defining your palette. Work in class (assignments due at end of class on 9/16: this allows time to dry!). Prepare canvas (underpainting) for first painting. 9/9 NOTE: LAST DAY TO DROP CLASS WITHOUT A W (FRIDAY) 9/9 Brief discussion of composition and structure. Why paint from observation? Setting up to paint. Begin limited-palette still-life painting in class (first painting). 9/16 Submit color assignments for grading. Work in class. Complete first painting before next class. 9/23 Critique of first paintings at start of class (due for grading). Color-scheme/point of view painting: begin work in class. You will need to use your painting knife for this painting. 9/30 Work in class on color/point of view. 10/7 Work in class. Last class day for assignment. (Cropped-image project homework given with presentation and discussion homework due 10/14 for review). 10/14 Color-scheme/point of view still-life: critique at beginning of class (due for grading). Review of homework assignment. Demo of transfer and projection of cropped images. Cropped image painting: begin work in class, if time allows. 10/21 MIDTERM GRADES ONLINE 10/21 Cropped image painting: work in class. 10/28 Cropped image painting continues. Self-portrait assignment given, with slide presentation. Discussion of alternative and traditional supports and preparation of painting supports. 11/1 NOTE: LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW WP OR WF (TUESDAY) 11/4 Review ideas for self-portrait assignment. You may begin work on project when previous painting is complete. Cropped image painting is due FOR CRITIQUE at the beginning of next class. 11/11 Critique of cropped-image painting at start of class. Presentation and instructions given for alla prima paintings. Self-portrait painting: work in class. 11/18 Alla prima paintings done in class (outside, if weather allows). Work in class on self-portrait. 11/25 NO CLASS!! THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY!! 12/2 Self-portrait painting: work in class. This is the final in-class day for painting. ABSOLUTELY NO make-up work or late work will be accepted after today! 12/9 Final exam day! Last two paintings due and discussed in class. Semester review. This syllabus, including the course schedule is open to revision at the instructor's discretion throughout the semester, and changes will be announced during class.

Grading Policy
Grades will be based on the following criteria 1. Attendance. Arrive on time, set up to work and clean up afterward. 2. Successful, on-time completion of all assigned projects. All late work will be subject to a deduction of one full grade mark (a B will become a C) for every week it is late. This applies to homework as well as paintings done during class time. 3. Participation in critiques, group evaluations and classroom discussions. 4. Creative problem-solving, intellectual growth, willingness to experiment, effort expended in research for self-directed projects, and a clear attempt to achieve goals. These are YOUR paintings. Dont be afraid of them. Have the nerve to ruin them. 5. One extra-credit project will be offered to improve your grade. Remember that your extra credit project can only improve one grade by one mark (you may turn a B into a B+, for example). Extra credit work must be completed in accordance with the written instructions provided by the

instructor. I will not accept extra credit work that does not conform to these instructions. 6. Deductions will be taken for excessive absences and chronic tardiness. Active participation in class and an interest in finding out more about painting (at local museums, galleries and the excellent resources of our library) will be an added benefit to your grade. 7. Each painting or project is graded individually after a class evaluation and discussion. These grades will be averaged and will count for approximately 85% of the final grade. Homework and preparatory work are the basis of other grades, amounting to approximately 15% of the final grade. Attendance, participation in discussions, and making an effort to improve your technique and analytical skills are indispensable and are essential to doing well in the class. Assigned grades will be based on standard measures: A Work shows a superior attempt to develop skills and understand concepts; a strong commitment is evident. Surpasses minimum requirements with innovative and thoughtful solutions to assignments. Willing to spend time necessary to do work of a high standard. Participates in discussions, shows interest in ideas, critical thinking and inquiry. All work is completed on time. B Student shows a good to above-average improvement in skill and very strong effort overall. All work is completed on or before deadlines, and participation in critiques and discussions displays an ongoing interest in ideas and concepts relevant to painting. Work is well considered and attention is paid to craftsmanship. C An average effort is made. Shows some improvement in skills and understanding. Meets assignment guidelines. Lack of effort and care are evident in the quality of finished work and presentation. Projects usually completed by date due. Verbal contribution is small. Little work done outside of class. D Poor attempt at completing course assignments. Little attention shown to developing skills or craft. Small interest in ideas/concepts introduced. Work is sloppy and not completed by due date. Little work done outside of class. Chronic tardiness/absence interfere with class work. F Finished work not presented for critiques and assignment deadlines ignored. Lack of effort, craft or skill, and little attention is paid to thinking through assignments. Chronic absence or tardiness interferes with completion of assignments.

Course & Instructor Policies

Attendance is essential. All students are expected to arrive on time, ready to work. Working for the duration of the class period is necessary in order to complete all the assignments required for the class. Class discussions, lectures and critiques are required activities. Studio work outside of class time is expected and is part of the required course work. Anticipate that you will spend at least as much time working outside of class each week as you spend in class time every week. If you cannot complete your paintings in class, you should plan for times to work in the studio during the week. The studio is open and available during much of the week. Each student is allowed one (1) unexcused absence during the semester. Unexcused absences can have a serious adverse affect your grade. Every absence beyond the first two will result in an automatic reduction of your final grade. Each additional absence will lower your final grade by one mark. For example, if you have three absences, a B will become a C, or if you have four, your B will become a C. Absences in excess of three (3) are not acceptable and will lower your grade significantly. If you have a scheduling problem or other issues, please let me know NOW! More than 5 absences will give you an F. This is not negotiable. Chronic tardiness will also count against your grade. I will note late arrivals and departures. Two (2) late arrivals or departures (10 minutes or more) will count as one absence. Please be aware that tardiness is extremely rude behavior. Be on time. It is the responsibility of each student to contact another student for information regarding missed assignments. If you are uncertain about details or need further explanation, email me, please. If you have a personal or family emergency, illness or other serious difficulty, please let me know. We will work together to find a compromise regarding missed work. I rely upon you to let me

know that there is a problem! All cell phone ringers should be turned off or silenced during class. If you must use the phone, please leave the classroom. PLEASE RESTRAIN YOURSELF FROM TEXTING DURING CLASS TIME. Texting during lectures is strictly prohibited. As noted before, work outside of class is expected. Paintings take a commitment of time.

Student Conduct & Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations for the orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of each student and each student organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and regulations which govern student conduct and activities. General information on student conduct and discipline is contained in the UT Dallas printed publication, A to Z Guide, which is available to all registered students each academic year. The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of recognized and established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and Regulations, Series 50000, Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, and in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities of the universitys Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391) and online at http://www.utdallas.edu/judicialaffairs/UTDJudicialAffairs-HOPV.html. A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship. He or she is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents Rules, university regulations, and administrative rules. Students are subject to discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place on or off campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such conduct. [Added July 2010] Students are expected to be attentive during class and to participate actively in group activities. Students are expected to listen respectfully to faculty and to other students who are speaking. Racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, ageism, and other forms of bigotry are inappropriate to express in class. Classes may discuss issues that require sensitivity and maturity. Disruptive students will be asked to leave and may be subject to disciplinary action.

Academic Integrity
The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty. Because the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the student for that degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work. Scholastic Dishonesty: Any student who commits an act of scholastic dishonesty is subject to discipline. Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, submitting for credit any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, or any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts. Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other source, is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the universitys policy on plagiarism (see general catalog for details). This course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the web for possible plagiarism and is over 90% effective.

Email Use
The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication between faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises some issues concerning security and the identity of each individual in an email exchange. The university encourages all official student email correspondence be sent only to a students U.T. Dallas email address and that faculty and staff consider email from students official only if it originates from a UTD student account. This allows the university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the identity of all individual corresponding and the security of the transmitted information. UTD furnishes each student with a free email account that is to be used in all communication with

university personnel. The Department of Information Resources at U.T. Dallas provides a method for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to other accounts.

Class Attendance
Regular and punctual class attendance is expected. Students who fail to attend class regularly are inviting scholastic difficulty. Absences may lower a students grade where class attendance and class participation are deemed essential by the instructor. In some courses, instructors may have special attendance requirements; these should be made known to students during the first week of classes.

Withdrawal from Class

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal from any college-level courses. These dates and times are published in that semester's course inventory and in the academic calendar. Administration procedures must be followed. It is the student's responsibility to handle withdrawal requirements from any class. In other words, a professor or other instructor cannot drop or withdraw any student. You must do the proper paperwork to ensure that you will not receive a final grade of "F" in a course if you choose not to attend the class once you are enrolled.

Student Grievance Procedures

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities, of the universitys Handbook of Operating Procedures. In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other fulfillments of academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious effort to resolve the matter with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or committee with whom the grievance originates (hereafter called the respondent). Individual faculty members retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and evaluations. If the matter cannot be resolved at that level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to the respondent with a copy of the respondents School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written response provided by the respondent, the student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the grievance is not resolved by the School Deans decision, the student may make a written appeal to the Dean of Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and convene an Academic Appeals Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the academic appeals process will be distributed to all involved parties. Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations.

Incomplete Grade Policy

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed at the semesters end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade must be resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the required work to complete the course and to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified deadline, the incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F.

Office of Student AccessAbility (OSA)

UT Dallas is committed to providing equal educational opportunities for students with documented disabilities to all University courses and programs. Any student with a documented physical, psychological, or learning disability, which affects his/her academic performance, is eligible for services. If you need classroom accommodations, please make an appointment with the Office of Student AccessAbility at: SSB 3.200 (3rd Floor in SSB), 972-883-2098. Office hours are Monday Thursday, 8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Friday 8:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Evening appointments are available by request. http://www.utdallas.edu/studentaccess/ OSA provides registered students with an accommodation letter to present to faculty members. The letter verifies that the student is qualified to receive certain accommodations. The accommodation letter should be presented to instructors of each course at the beginning of the semester. The approved accommodations should be discussed at that time. It is the students responsibility to notify his/her professor of their needs.

The University of Texas at Dallas is proud to be an educational institution that welcomes and supports a diverse student body.

Religious Holy Days

The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required activities for the travel to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship are exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated. The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible regarding the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so excused, will be allowed to take the exam or complete the assignment within a reasonable time after the absence: a period equal to the length of the absence, up to a maximum of one week. A student who notifies the instructor and completes any missed exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A student who fails to complete the exam or assignment within the prescribed period may receive a failing grade for that exam or assignment. If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of observing a religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about whether the student has been given a reasonable time to complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the student or the instructor may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the institution, or his or her designee. The chief executive officer or designee must take into account the legislative intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief executive officer or designee.

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor. UT Dallas Syllabus Policies and Procedures:
please refer to the online document at:

http://go.utdallas.edu/syllabus-policies