Painting & Drawing with Mr. Gay
This year-long course offers 9th and 10th-grade students a supportive space to explore how artistic work communicates feeling, meaning, and personal insight. As students navigate the physical and emotional changes of these years, artistic practice helps them build confidence and form a clear relationship with both the world around them and their own mental abilities.
The curriculum balances technical skill-building with deep personal expression, encouraging students to observe how color and form can represent their unique ideas and experiences. Throughout the year, we will engage in discussions about our own work and study professional artists to understand diverse creative approaches.
Semester 1: Observation, Color, and Meaning
We begin by honing precision in observation, moving from black-and-white drawings of still life and everyday objects into the vibrant world of color.
Technical Foundation: Students will master pencil work, line weights, and shading before exploring color layering and the transparency of veil painting.
The Language of Color: We will experiment with warm and cool tones to see how color alone can express complex emotions like joy, fear, or calm.
Symbolism: Students will study how symbols communicate identity and beliefs, using these insights to create artwork with deep personal connections.
Semester 2: Landscape, Media, and Oil Painting
The second semester expands into landscape painting and introduces a variety of professional media.
Advanced Media: Students will work with the gradations of tubed watercolors, the rich depth of pastels, and the versatility of acrylics.
Introduction to Oils: A major focus will be mastering oil painting, including material preparation, layering, and building depth.
Historical Context: We will explore art history from 1800–1950, adapting the techniques of major artists into our own contemporary work.
Independent Projects: The year concludes with paper-cut collages and a large-scale independent oil painting project where students are encouraged to truly "make the painting their own"