Painting and Drawing
The painting program at Shepherd University will offer you an excellent education, superb faculty, thorough grounding in historical and contemporary art, time to explore and develop your personal style and direction in painting, numerous opportunities to exhibit your work and travel, and an invitation to work with a community of artists in well-equipped studios.
The Art Department is committed to encouraging students to think as well as they visually create. To accomplish this, you will progress through a carefully developed series of courses mixing the development of technical skills, language and theories of the visual arts with the broad based knowledge of your general studies/liberal arts courses essential to artists in the complex contemporary world. Within your first two years in the Department of Art you will enroll in Foundation courses and Painting and Drawing classes, in which you will focus on traditional art skills and experimentation with many styles and media of painting. During your last two years you will focus on the development of your individual style and personal portfolio of work. The senior year culminates with an exhibition in which you organize, create, curate, install and publicize your own exhibition.
Because of our cross-disciplinary approach, a painting student can do mixed media work, installations, sculptural work, drawings, or work with whatever media and format you feel best portrays your concepts and style. You can work in traditional styles and media or contemporary styles that are highly experimental. Whichever you choose, you will participate in constant individual and peer critiques to assist you in evaluating your work and its relationship to past art and the contemporary art world as a whole. Through the Interdisciplinary art courses you will take in your last two years you will focus to develop a significant body of work while reading, writing and participating in discussions about contemporary art and culture.
In preparation for your career as an artist, portfolio and Business of Art courses are part of our curriculum to prepare students to approach galleries, to have exhibitions of their work, to obtain commissions, to submit their work to juried exhibitions, or to apply for graduate school. Elective courses and Internships are always offered to personalize your individual course of study.
Our emphasis on the importance of learning outside the classroom is demonstrated in our numerous travel opportunities. Departmental field trips to museums, galleries and studios are offered many times throughout the year to provide first hand experience. A well-established travel program to New York City is offered two or three times a year. Our travel abroad program allows students to travel with the faculty to study and experience the best museums and cultural centers in the world. A gallery and visiting artist program bring contemporary art and artists directly to you.
Daily, you will be interacting with outstanding faculty, all of which hold the highest degrees in their fields: the PhD or Master of Fine Arts. In addition to their academic training, the faculty are all working professionals in their field and are highly dedicated to teaching.
As a Painting student you will be working towards the Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree which will allow to you compete for professional positions in studio arts or to enter graduate school for the studio based degree of a Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A).
So, are you ready to start a program which will transform you
to be a versatile, resourceful painter/visual artist with an awareness
that will prepare you for the fast changing world of professional art?
If so, then the Shepherd University Painting Program is looking for you.
What careers are available in Painting?
Painters can be self-employed marketing paintings to individuals, businesses
or institutions or painting for public or private commissions. They can
be gallery owners/operators, art administrators, artists–in residence,
set designers for stage or film, muralists, art critics, private tutors,
portrait artists, illustrators of books and print, buyers or consultants
for private or corporate collectors.
Painting graduates have successfully operated their own studios to produce their work or offer classes. Painting graduates may also sell their work at art/craft shows, galleries, and other venues. They may teach painting, work in museums with painting collections or as exhibition curators or installation workers; or earn a teaching certificate and teach in the public schools; or own and work in frame shops.
As with any field, a degree does not in and of itself promise job placement opportunities for the graduate. Rather, the student must love painting and be willing to discover innovative ways to utilize painting skills to further their financial opportunities.
Painting/Drawing Curriculum
| General Studies Courses | 48 Hours | |
| Humanities (ENGL, COMM, MUSC, ART) |
20 | |
| Social Sciences (ECON, HIST, PSCI, SOCI) |
15 | |
| Life or Physical Sciences (BIOL, CHEM, GSCI, PHYS) |
8 | |
| Mathematics | 3 | |
| Physical Education | 2 | |
| FINE ARTS CORE | 39 Hours | |
| ART 140 | Visual Thinking I | 3 |
| ART 170 | Visual Thinking II | 3 |
| Art History Core | ||
| ART 104 | Intro to Visual Art (Gen. Studies Credit) | 3 |
| ART 203 | Survey of Western Art | 3 |
| ART 204 | Contemporary Art | 3 |
| ART 304 | Special Topics in Art History | 3 |
| Professional Practices Core | ||
| ART 208 | Professional Practices I | 3 |
| ART 390 | Professional Practices II | 3 |
| ART 490 | Capstone | 3 |
| Group I | 9 Hours | |
| Must select 3 classes to total 9 hours | ||
| ART 250 | Sculpture I | 3 |
| ART 260 | Printmaking I | 3 |
| GRDS 173 | Graphic Design I (non-majors) | 3 |
| PHOT 281 | Black and White Photography I | 3 |
| ART 305 | Illustration I | 3 |
| Group II | 6 Hours | |
| Must select 2 classes to total 6 hours | ||
| ART 350 | Sculpture II | 3 |
| ART 361 | Printmaking II | 3 |
| ART 400 | Special Topics in Studio | 3 |
| PHOT 282 | Black and White Photography II | 3 |
| ART 405 | Illustration II | 3 |
| Painting Concentration | 42 Hours | |
| 45 hrs of 300 level or above needed | ||
| ART 115 | Drawing I |
3 |
| ART 215 | Drawing II | 3 |
| ART 230 | Painting I | 3 |
| ART 330 | Painting II | 3 |
| ART 403 | Criticism | 3 |
| PHOT 385 | Computer Digital Imagery | 3 |
| ART 276 | Computer Applications | 3 |
| ART 410 | Advanced Drawing | 3 |
| ART 434 | Advanced Painting Studio | 6 |
| ART 475 | Interdisciplinary Studio | 6 |
| Select 6 hours from the following (to be discussed with advisor): | ||
| ART 391 | Internship |
3 |
| ART 434 | Advanced Painting Studio | 3 |
| ART 410 | Advanced Drawing | 3 |
| ART 475 | Interdisciplinary Studio | 3 |
| ART 375 | Research Studio (Summer Only) | 3 |
| Total Semester Hours Minimum | 129 | |
Suggested Sequence of Courses to graduate in 4 years with a BFA
| 1st Semester (Freshman Year) | 15-17 Hours | |
| ART 140 | Visual Thinking I | 3 |
| ART 104 | Intro. Visual Art | 3 |
| ART 115 | Drawing I | 3 |
| ART 230 | Painting I | 3 |
| ENGL 101 | Written English | 3 |
| GSPE 210 | Fitness for Life or MUSC 111 | 2 |
| 2nd Semester | 15-17 Hours | |
| ART 170 | Visual Thinking II | 3 |
| ART 215 | Drawing II | 3 |
| ART 330 | Painting II | 3 |
| *Select from Group I | 3 | |
| ENGL 102 | Written English | 3 |
| MUSC 111 | Intro to Music | 2 |
| 3rd Semester (Sophomore year) | 16-18 Hours | |
| ART 203 | Survey West. Art | 3 |
| ART 434 | Adv. Painting Studio | 3 |
| ART 410 | Advanced Drawing | 3 |
| *Select from Group I or *Select from Group II | 3-6 | |
| *Select from General Studies | 3-6 | |
| 4th Semester | 16-18 Hours | |
| ART 204 | Contemporary Art | 3 |
| ART 475 | Interdisciplinary Studio | 3 |
| PHOT | Comp. Digital | 3 |
| *Select from Group I and/or *Select from Group II | 3-6 | |
| ART 208 | Prof. Practices | 3 |
| *Select from General Studies | 3-6 | |
| 5th Semester (Junior Year) | 15-18 Hours | |
| ART 434 | Advanced Painting Studio | 3 |
| *Select from Group II if needed | 3 | |
| *Select from General Studies | 3-9 | |
| *Select from ART 304, 400, 410, 375 | 3 | |
| 6th Semester | 15-18 Hours | |
| ART 403 | Criticism |
3 |
| ART 400 | Interdisciplinary Studio | 3 |
| ART 400 | Prof. Practices II | 3 |
| *Select from Gen. Studies | 3-9 | |
| *Select from ART 304, 400, 410 | 3 | |
| 7th Semester (Senior Year) | 15-18 Hours | |
| ART 434 | Advanced Painting Studio |
3-6 |
| *Select from General Studies | 3-9 | |
| *Select from ART 304, 400, 410, 375 | 3 | |
| 8th Semester | 15-18 Hours | |
| ART 475 | Interdisciplinary Studio |
3 |
| ART 490 | Capstone | 3 |
| *Select from Gen. Studies | 3-9 | |
| *Select from ART 304, 400, 410 | 3 | |
| * Indicates choice should be made after consultation
with advisor. - A student should maintain 16 hours a semester to graduate in four years. - A BFA student must complete 129 hours/45 upper division hours to graduate. |
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