Become fluent in the basic elements of visual experience (light, value, contour, mass, texture, composition, and color) by exploring projects in observational drawing, design, and painting. Projects culminate in two gallery exhibits.

This course allows students to use design thinking processes and apply them to both commercial and fine art. Architecture, furniture design, as well as drawing from the figure, landscape and the imagination are covered. In depth exposure to design issues such as user needs and empathy, prototyping, revision and teamwork are addressed along with fine art concerns such as originality and self-expression. After a variety of teacher- directed projects, students complete a self-directed project. Critiques, artist statements and required museum visits provide further opportunities for reflection. Students are expected to take risks, seek and implement feedback, develop artists’ statements and do accompanying research related to their self-directed work.

This course offers an exploration of "form" and "content" through the painting medium. Students tackle a series of challenges that help them develop technical skills then enjoy total freedom to develop their own iconography. Skills such as color matching, blending, shading, brush control and expression are covered in the fall. Idea generation skills such as thumbnail sketching and brainstorming ideas are covered as students consider what subjects, concepts and ideas interest them and why during the spring semester. Paintings may be representational, figurative, abstract or conceptual. Critiques, museum visits and written artist statements provide opportunities for reflection. Students are expected to master technique, take risks, and develop an artist statement and accompanying research to their self-directed work.

This is an Introduction to digital tools- Adobe Creative Suites with emphasis on graphic design including theory, practice and technology. Includes principles of color, resolution, pixels, vectors, image enhancement, layout, visual organization, visual hierarchy, and typography. This is a project base course which covers the manipulation of graphic form to convey meaning, strategies for idea generation and development of unique concepts, and the designer’s role as visual storyteller.

This course continues to examine the elements of design, spatial relation relationships, typography and imagery as they apply to practical visual solutions for print and Web application. Students are introduced to operating procedures in design studio and printing plant.The focus will be on finding creative visual solutions to communication problems using technical skills, and production of printed material from original copy and digital files. Topics include major printing processes, preparation of typography, photography, illustration, and color separations for commercial output. The relationships between cost, quality, and time constraints for printed materials, as well as recent developments in digital and print process are also covered. Prerequisite: Graphic Design

Printmaking explores a variety of media and techniques including linoleum, wood block, transfer techniques, and screen printing. This class focuses on both process and technique. The class covers all aspects of printmaking from set up and registration to papers, inks, and editioning. Students keep a notebook for drawing and class notes. Course expectations include mastery of printmaking techniques and completion of editions. Weekly homework assignments are used directly as a bank of images to be translated to prints. Students learn how to translate concepts to images and the effect of color on the impact of a print. Course includes visiting artists and fieldtrips.

Advanced Printmaking provides in depth studio experience for students with prior printmaking experience. Students further editioning skills, and complexity of printmaking techniques including multiple plate and color screen printing. Units include linoleum, woodblock, monoprint, and screen printing. Students explore technique, concept development, and refining personal voice. In the second semester, students focus on developing a body of work on a specific self directed theme in screen printing. Prerequisite: Printmaking

Photography is a studio course, offering students an opportunity to explore the history of the medium and its visual elements. Concepts and skills are developed through class assignments, which focus on personal expression and active observation. Students explore the visual language of Photographs and the themes and meanings created when they are organized into sequences, series, and muli-frame pieces. Skills include use of camera, workflow, digital editing, design, matting, and the project-based skills of prototyping, planning, drafts, critique, revision, building portfolios, and writing artist statements. Students exhibit their work in group shows, personal websites, and book projects. The class also includes weekly written homework assignments, and a survey of major artists and genres through research projects and class presentations. Additional class resources include slide shows, documentary films, a field trip, and the use of our neighborhood as an extension of the studio. Course expectations include completion of all assignments and adherence to studio rules.

This is a studio course with a focus on nurturing creativity, expanding visual literacy, and building advanced skills in the Photographic arts. Students study the history of the medium and its elements, the language of poetic imagery, multiple genres and themes, and portfolio building. Advanced students will concentrate on visual elements and communication goals, and fluency of studio tools and techniques. Students are also required to participate in class discussions, critique and reviews, research presentations, and school exhibits. Prerequisite: Photography.

Filmmaking is a studio course, offering students an opportunity to explore the history and major elements of the art form. Concepts and skills are developed through project assignments, which focus on the skills of DSLR camera use, workflow, digital editing, screenwriting and formatting, story structure, character development, acting, production, cinematography, and sound design. Students learn the grammar and conventions of cinema by conceiving and collaborating to create their own short films in a variety of genres, including narrative, experimental, promotional, and stop-motion animation. The class includes weekly writing assignments as homework, and a survey of major directors and cinematic movements through research projects and class presentations. Class films are screened at school art events and in assembly. Course expectations include completion of all assignments and adherence to studio rules.

Students will translate two-dimensional designs into functional threedimensional work in this hands-on, project-based course. Students will explore the manipulation of sculptural form to convey meaning, strategies for idea generation and development of unique concepts, and the designer’s role as visual storyteller. Students will develop and analyze works that use a variety of materials, participate in partner and whole-class critiques, and write analytical papers about art history, development, and techniques. By practicing the working rhythm of planning, production, evaluation, and revision, students will be empowered to transfer essential understandings from the course to future projects. U.C. approval pending.