Graduate Liberal Studies

Wesleyan University
Middletown, CT 06459
860-685-2900

Office Hours:
Mon-Fri, 8:30 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.

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ARTS 623
Beyond Style: From Abstraction to Realism, a Painting Intensive

Keith Sklar           

Phone: 203/214-7873
E-mail: ksklar@wesleyan.edu

If you have questions, please feel free to call or e-mail. I look forward to having the opportunity to work with you in class. See you in a few weeks.
First Class Meeting
For the first day of class, bring all course materials (see list below) along with one photo or small-scale example of your current artwork. In addition, be prepared to briefly discuss your interest and background in art, especially painting. What inspires you? Particular artists or artworks, current or historic. What about other media, like film, literature, TV, or theater? What are you passionate about? Science, religion, politics, family, sports, travel, hiking, food, music, etc. Is there a particular idea or them you wish to explore through painting? Please spend a few moments thinking about this before the first day of class. If possible, jot down a few notes.

It is essential that you have your supplies the first day of the course. Be ready to work. Oils are the strongly recommended painting media for the course, but acrylics will be accepted.
Materials List
Mandatory Oil Paint Colors:
Alizarin Crimson
Cadmium Red - light
Cadmium Yellow - light
Cadmium Orange
Cobalt Violet
Ultramarine Blue
Titanium White (large tube)
Viridan

Optional Colors:
Hansa Yellow
Pthalo Blue
Pthalo Green
Quinacridone Magenta
Zinc White

Medium and Additives:
(Due to the compact nature of this course, I am suggesting rapid-drying mediums)
Galkyd (preferred) or Liquin - (Pint)
Dorland's Wax Medium
Turpentine (Quart, Artist Grade)
Mineral Spirits (Paint Thinner Grade) or Gamsol (Preferred) - (Gallon)
DO NOT BUY TURPENOID!
(1) Empty gallon can with re-usable cap (for recycling paint thinner)

Palette:
Sheet of glass, minimum 14" x 18", glued with epoxy on 16" x 20" plywood board (for safe transporting of glass palette). Double thick plate glass is best. Make sure you have at least a 1" border of plywood on all sides of glass. 3/8" thick Masonite is also OK instead of plywood.

Canvasses:
16" x 20" canvas (two)
18" x 24" canvas (one)
Additional sizes of canvasses (or other supports) determined by each student

Brushes:
#2 flat, #3 flat (synthetic sable), #6 flat (hog hair bristle)
#0 round, #2 round (synthetic sable)
#3 filbert (hog hair), #5 bright (synthetic sable)

Optional: #5 bright (hog hair), fan blender

Palette Knives:
Straight flat 3 1/2" minimum and Painting Knive 2 1/2" minimum

Assorted Cloth Rags (4 minimum)
(2) Plastic Containers with Lids (like salsa containers)
(1) Empty Quart Can (like a juice can) for cleaning brushes
Hand Cleaner
(1) Can Old Masters Brush Cleaner
(1) Box Plastic Wrap
(1) Single-edge Razor Blade Scraper (for cleaning glass palette)

*FOR ACRYLIC PAINTERS:
Use the above materials list as a guide for pigments, brushes, and supplies, making appropriate substitutions and additions:
Masonite, not glass, is the best palette surface for acrylics
Plastic, not metal, small bucket for rinsing and holding brushes while painting
Extra cloth rags
Additional small plastic containers (for mixed or thinned colors)
(1) bottle each of gloss and matte medium
(1) empty plastic spray bottle (for water)

*AVOID OVERPRICED ART STORES:
Some suggestions for keeping painting costs down:
You can get  many of your materials on-line. Jerry's Artarama is good. Also Pearl Paints and N.Y. Central. In general, avoid Windsor Newton paint. Over rated/over priced. Gamblin and Utrecht Oils are better and cheaper. For acrylics, Golden, Novacolor, and Utrecht are good. Use old T-shirts for rags, cut up into quarters.