Learning to observe and paint a model is not enough. To be an artist is to create. The thesis year demands just that. A body of works suitable for gallery representation or commission acquisition marks the success of the thesis year.
Thesis Program
Subject and Aesthetic
As a developing artist, students in the thesis year are tasked with creating a cohesive set of paintings that reflect a unique subject matter, as well as the characteristic traits that will start the path of defining who they are as an artist. The works can be observational, like these, must share visual continuity. Between 12 and 20 works are required to complete a satisfactory body of work to graduate from the Thesis Program.
World Building
Students will learn to implement and work from studies, references, built sets, and imagination to construct believable scenes of realism that do not actually exist - they must create a new world. Merely replicating a model on a stage does not demonstrate transition from student to artist. Instead, the student must use the skills gained to create new works through design, editing, and in some instances, creating of new world. Students will also learn fundamentals of manipulating their references, digital and otherwise, to aid in accomplishing this task. The degree of world building versus direct observational painting can vary from student to student, but by the end of the thesis year students must demonstrate the ability to paint more than just the replication of their subject.
Cultivating Creativity
In the thesis year, students are afforded the chance to explore their creativity, studying successful integration of techniques across different styles of painting. They will learn the threads of commonality that run through them, allowing for implementation of certain aesthetics when appropriate. This can include varied use of paint application, abstraction, intensity of color, and more. Regardless of the restriction to traditional realism or implementation of other stylistic elements, students must complete a cohesive set of works to graduate their thesis year.
Working in the Studio
No longer working alongside other students from the model, students in the Thesis Program work on their own projects. The instructor meets with them throughout the day to offer the needed lectures, guidance, or demonstrations to push toward the cultivation of their body of works.
Golden Hour by Timothy Rees