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Studio Art

The Studio Art program at Drake offers areas of concentration in four media outlined below: Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, and Sculpture.

Drawing

Drawing is the primary visual language and the essential means by which we organize and present pictorial ideas. This program provides fundamental skills for students majoring in all areas of the visual arts. As a drawing major, you will develop your formal abilities as the basis for expressive representation and visual communication. Each course is designed to expand your understanding of pictorial structures and the process of conceptualization, utilizing a full range of graphic elements.

You will be introduced to a variety of media and subject matter, and your imagery will be developed through the balance of observation and ideation. As you advance in your study, you will be encouraged and guided toward an independent and self-directed body of work. You may also combine drawing with your work in another studio or design field.

Painting

The painting program will foster creativity in ways that lead to significant artistic expression. From Introductory to Advanced Painting you will develop competency not only with traditional materials and methods, but also with the kind of critical visual thinking necessary to the evolution of an individual aesthetic. A sound understanding of art history and its relationship to the contemporary visual arts will accompany your acquisition of technical skill.

As you master the basics, you will be encouraged to test the traditions of painting through the use of non-traditional materials, methods and your own contemporary ideas. Whether you focus upon the observation of nature, the expressive use of color, and/or the exploration of conceptual art, this program will prepare you for professional artistic practice.

Printmaking

This program develops technical abilities as well as creative methods for the visual articulation of individual concepts and emotions. A full range of relief, intaglio and lithographic techniques are taught on all levels in a spacious, well-equipped and efficiently organized studio.

Students learn the skillful use of numerous essential printmaking tools, materials and processes and acquire an understanding of their characteristics and appropriateness to varying image-making demands. The development of a clarity of vision, purpose and self-direction is supported by discussions and critical analyses in both group and individual contexts. Printmaking as a larger cultural force is addressed through the examination of original prints, fine art and commercial, antique and contemporary.

Sculpture

The sculpture area is located in the Studio Arts Hall and offers students well equipped studios to create small and large scale sculpture. The wood working studio is fully equipped with hand and stationary tools required for carving, fabricating and bending wood. The metal studios are equally equipped with gas and MIG welders, bending and rolling equipment as well as a forge and forging tools. Additional facilities include a foundry for casting bronze and aluminum and an installation room.

The sculpture program will enhance your creative abilities through developing a comprehensive understanding of three dimensional concepts and processes. The sculpture facilities provide students with well-equipped and organized studios for woodworking, welding, forging, casting and installation.

You will gain a strong understanding of traditional materials, methods and theory while honing your ability to critically evaluate your own and peer work. To create sculpture, the material, form and idea must be carefully considered and interwoven. Mixed media approaches, nontraditional materials and contemporary concepts will be introduced and explored as you are encouraged to apply your fundamental skills towards the development of a distinctive artistic vision. This body of work will reflect your own goals as a visual artist and define your personal philosophy. These experiences and opportunities will prepare you for a sustained career as a visual artist.