Graduates should demonstrate:

  • The ability to work independently and define success for themselves.
  • A consistent, personal direction and style.
  • An understanding of basic principles of design and color, concepts, media and formats, and the ability to apply them to a specific aesthetic intent. This includes functional knowledge of the traditions, conventions, and evolutions of the discipline as related to issues of representation, illusion, and meaning. The development of solutions to aesthetic and design problems should continue throughout the degree program.
  • The ability to synthesize the use of drawing, two-dimensional design, and color, beginning with basic studies and continuing throughout the degree program toward the development of advanced capabilities.
  • Knowledge and skills in the use of basic tools, techniques, and processes sufficient to work from concept to finished product, including knowledge of paints and surfaces.
  • The ability to explore the expressive possibilities of various media, and the diverse conceptual modes available to the painter. This may deal with direct painting from nature or with alternative approaches to the making of traditional or innovative two- and, at times, three-dimensional images.