The Drawing/Painting major allows for the development of a very personal approach to image.
DRAWING & PAINTING
The Drawing/Painting
Major at NMU
Introductory courses in the area strive to develop an understanding of the concepts and techniques needed to create a more highly plastique or “representational” image. These concerns continue into the second semester where the student begins to develop a greater awareness of visual structures and to practice those concepts as they relate to the model and other visual references.
Students in their third semester work towards the development of an identity with materials, and attempt to establish the beginnings of a more personal approach to image construction. Assignments are given in the second and third semesters, but succeeding classes utilize individual contracts, which set the students direction and output. This allows for the development of a very personal approach to image as seen in their work displayed during their senior exhibit in the DeVos Art Museum.
The Painting Student Pursues a Development of an Identity with Materials
Click to Learn MoreDrawing/Painting Studio
The Drawing/Painting studio consists of one large multi-purpose room which can be used for both the beginning drawing classes and upper level Drawing/Painting students. Advanced students have individual supply carts which are stored in the room along with vertically separated storage space available for large works. An advanced artificial lighting grid is ceiling mounted in the studio. Both the Drawing/Painting and Printmaking studios have good ventilation and in the adjacent Printmaking Studio an area is also designated for the use of airbrushes with a large overhead hood vent. A separate work area contains a table saw, miter saw and general worktables for frame construction or canvas preparation.
The Painting Studio is a Large Multipurpose Room with Individual Student Supply Carts
Click to Learn MoreDrawing/Painting Faculty
click to open/close
Tim Cleary
Associate Professor
BFA Miami University, Oxford Ohio
MFA Pratt Institute, Brooklyn New York
Tim Cleary grew up standing over a compass rose on the edge of Lake Michigan. Indeed, some say he is there, still. He painted as a child, and has found various ways to maintain the habit; including but not limited to undergraduate degrees in painting and photography at Miami University, and a MFA from Pratt Institute. He has received a range of grants, awards and residencies as an artist and educator. Tim comes to Northern after finishing a Visiting Artist and Professor Residency at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He will be taking over the Drawing & Painting position in the School of Art & Design.
Tim plots the course of his artistic direction(s) with references to art history, perception, photography, phenomenology, abstraction, Gerhard Richter, meteorology, memory, Monet, Manet, minimalism, Mark Rothko, Modest Mouse, circadian rhythms, his grandfather, birds, Andrew Bird, cardinal directions, wind, atmosphere, the obliquity of the elliptic, e.e. cummings, Bertolt Brecht, Dana Saulnier, Willem DeKooning, his students, his teachers and travel… to name a few of the nameable. The aesthetics of an upcoming body of work will explore new forms through and investigation of structures and places associated with the mining of iron ore in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
WEBSITE
timclearyart.com
Drawing/Painting Courses
click to open/closeAD 120 Drawing/Painting: Foundations
Offered Fall, Winter
4 credit hours
Introductory drawing/painting couse focusing on methods and knowledge needed to create various types of spatial illusions and translate observed information on to a two-dimensional surface.
AD 220 Intermediate Drawing/Painting
Offered Winter
4 credit hours
Prerequisites: AD 120
Development of techniques and skills related to all aspects of spatial illusions. Emphasis is placed on the importance of drawing as a basis for visual growth. Techniques for developing personal style and content are introduced
AD 320A Advanced Drawing/Painting: History + Influence
Offered Fall Even Numbered Years
4 credit hours
Prerequisite: AD 220 or instructor permission.
Students will produce several bodies of work that demonstrate understanding of the psychological, historical, and social context of their studio practice within the history of painting and drawing. Students may produce work in any combination of drawing and painting media.
AD 320B Drawing/Painting: Research Strategies
Offered Fall Odd Numbered Years
4 credit hours
Prerequisite: AD 220 or instructor permission.
Students will produce several bodies of work that demonstrate understanding of a range of research strategies related to personal, cultural, and historical themes. Studio work and terminology will be informed by readings, discussions, critiques, and presentations. Choice of media will largely be determined by the student.
AD 420A Drawing/Painting: Seminar I
Offered Winter Even Numbered Years
4 credit hours
Prerequisite: AD 303 or concurrent enrollment, AD 320A or AD320B or instructor permission.
Students will plan, research, and execute self-driven projects. The content of these projects will follow consistent and coherent themes determined by the student. Content will be supported by readings, discussions, critiques, and supported exposure to professional opportunities in the field.
AD 420B Drawing/Painting: Seminar II
Offered Winter Odd Numbered Years
4 credit hours
Prerequisite: AD 303 or concurrent enrollment, AD 320A or AD320B or instructor permission.
Students will plan, research, and execute self-driven projects. The content of these projects will follow consistent and coherent themes determined by the student, which may also be related to their Senior Capstone Project. Course content will be supported by readings discussion and supported opportunities for professional development in the field.
Drawing/Painting FAQ
click to open/closeWhat is the difference between a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drawing/Painting and a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science?
The BFA is considered the professional studio degree, as it has more credits in the Drawing/Painting concentration and more specific requirements in studio, such as Sculpture, Drawing, Metal and Woodworking. The BFA also has more art history requirements and does not allow a minor. The BA and BS degrees provide students with the option to pursue a minor such as a major in Drawing/Painting and a minor in Music (20 credit hours). The BA also has a language requirement.
Does the school require a portfolio review before you are accepted into our programs?
If you are accepted into the university you are able to pursue a degree within the school. However, you can present a portfolio to the professor in your studio area who will use your work to gauge whether you should receive advanced placement credit (replaces course and credit hours) or a waiver (replaces course but not the credit hours) or at what studio level you should begin. This portfolio can be reviewed during a campus visit or with a faculty member during an office hour during the semester. Although there is no required portfolio review to enter the program, Art and Design majors must participate and complete a faculty review of their portfolios (Individual Art Review AD 303) which is scheduled the twelfth week of each semester.
What will we need for supplies or equipment?
Students at the introductory level pay a share, which provides many items used by the students, such as canvas and gesso. After the 200 level class, all students are responsible for purchasing their own supplies. The university provides equipment items such as a chop saw, airbrushes, hand tools, etc.
What are the prospects for employment with a degree in Drawing/Painting?
Many students go on to graduate studies and seek assistantships to defray costs. Others usually seek day jobs in art related situations (sign-shop) and pursue their own work in their free time or seek gallery representation. Their long-term goal is to sell their work in a gallery and live off sales of paintings. Many also pursue jobs as illustrators, teachers, portrait and mural painters.
Will we be able to paint in our first semester?
YES! Students will take an introductory course in painting their first semester.
How large are the classes?
Introductory classes at the one and two hundred level are from 20-25 students. Upper level may range from 8-15 students.
Do we need experience in painting to take the class?
NO, beginning classes assume the student has no prior experience.
What type of materials are used?
Students work primarily with acrylics, oils, and have a choice if working exclusively with one media.
Are there scholarships for incoming freshman?
The school offers the High School Freshman Scholarship (four $1000 awards) that is available each year with applications due in April.
See the web for details
Scholarship Information
More Questions?
Please write Professor Taimur Cleary tcleary@nmu.edu
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