Studio Areas of Specialization

 

 

Ceramics

The Texas State ceramics program is broadly based, encompassing both pottery and sculpture executed in a full range of construction techniques, ceramic materials and firing methods. Ceramics students employ clay and its processes to explore how objects communicate, visually and tactilely, and to realize their personal potential for creative thinking and expression. Advanced work in ceramics becomes progressively more self-initiated and individualized. Through a continuous critical and intuitive dialog with the work they produce, students gain increased self-knowledge and creative growth.

Career paths taken by graduates of the program have included studio art and pottery production, and teaching at the K–12 and college levels, in community art centers and in private studios. Back to top

Course Descriptions

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  • In this course, students explore clay as a vehicle for creative expression, developing a technical and conceptual foundation in the medium. Topics include an introduction to hand building, surface design, and the kiln-firing process.

  • In this course, students continue exploring formal, critical and technical approaches to the ceramic medium. Topics include wheel throwing, glaze calculation, and developing a studio practice.

  • In this course, students engage with and pursue a personal direction for their work. Emphasis is placed on research, experimentation, advanced processes and conceptual approaches in ceramic art practices, with an additional focus on historical and contemporary forms. (repeatable up to 3 times for credit)

  • In this course, students investigate contemporary issues in the discipline of ceramics. Potential course topics include but are not limited to figurative sculpture, mold making, printing on ceramic, and digital designing for the ceramic artist. (repeatable up to 3 time for credit)

 

 

Drawing

The area of Drawing, located within the Studio Program of the Department of Art and Design, strives to strengthen the fundamental principles integral to all artistic mediums, while encouraging students to explore and refine drawing as a principle medium in itself. Students are exposed to traditional modes of drawing, as well as more contemporary approaches to the medium, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary experimentation and new media integration. Back to top

Course Descriptions

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  • In this course, students explore drawing as a vehicle for creative expression, developing a technical and conceptual foundation in the medium. Topics include perceptual drawing from life, drawing from the human form, and descriptive and expressive drawing explored through a range of subject matters and material approaches.

  • In this course, students continue exploring formal, critical and technical approaches to drawing. Topics include narrative, process, and experimentation within the practice of contemporary drawing.

  • In this course, students engage with and pursue a personal direction for their work. Emphasis is placed on research, experimentation, advanced processes and conceptual approaches in drawing with an additional focus on historical and contemporary forms. (repeatable up to 3 times for credit)

  • In this course, students investigate contemporary issues in the discipline of drawing. Potential course topics include but are not limited to drawing in space and time, collage, and drawing in plein air. (repeatable up to 3 times for credit)

  • In this course, students explore water-based media as a vehicle for creative expression, developing a technical and conceptual foundation in the medium.

  • In this course, students will explore the creation of illustrations and respond to diverse prompts across various media. Emphasis will be placed on research, idea generation and the development of a cohesive style, voice, and portfolio. Various analog and digital techniques will be demonstrated and practiced.

  • This class explores comics, sequential art, and graphic storytelling as contemporary media. Students are introduced to historical and contemporary examples of narrative art, including cinema, comic books and graphic novels. Students explore the theory and practice of sequential art, while creating original comics concerned with historical, personal, and literary subject matter.

  • In this course, students will explore the development and creation of a sequential art short story that will be fully realized as a physically printed book. Emphasis will be placed on outlining story arcs, writing scripts, creating and editing page layouts for a visual narrative, and developing and following production timelines. The creation of a multi-page graphic art story through sketching, inking, and coloring will be demonstrated and practiced, as well as the printing of high resolution artworks and various bookbinding techniques.

  • This course focuses on drawing from various subjects in and around the city of Florence. Through daily hands-on practice, students address not only the fundamentals of monochromatic drawing, but also the increased perception that the act of observational drawing engenders. The subjects of students’ drawings include: a variety of Renaissance artworks, historical architectural spaces, as well as city and landscape views.

 

 

Expanded Media

Expanded Media is an interdisciplinary approach to art making that includes, but is not limited to, video, sound, socially engaged projects, performance, and site-specific projects. Students are not required to concentrate in a specific medium. Instead, they are encouraged to pursue unconventional research paths and explore relationships between concept, material, and context in unexpected ways. Students develop their sensibilities through readings, technical workshops, and critiques while learning to contextualize their work historically, theoretically, and culturally. The goal of the Expanded Media area is to foster independent creative thinkers with diverse skill sets and unique work methodologies. Back to top

Course Descriptions

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  • In this course, students explore video as an interdisciplinary vehicle for creative expression, developing a technical and conceptual foundation in the medium. Topics include the fundamentals of moving image and sound production, screen culture, and video as a vehicle for artistic expression and social inquiry.

  • In this course, students continue exploring formal, critical and technical approaches to video as an interdisciplinary medium. Topics include sound-image relationships and audio post-production techniques.

  • In this course, students engage with and pursue a personal direction for their work. Emphasis is placed on research, experimentation, advanced processes and conceptual approaches in time-based media with an additional focus on historical and contemporary forms. (repeatable up to 3 times for credit)

  • In this course, students investigate contemporary issues in the discipline of expanded media. Potential course topics include but are not limited to animation, multimedia installation, and performance. (repeatable up to 3 times for credit)

 

 

Metals

The Metals program at Texas State University offers comprehensive technical, critical and conceptual curriculum in the field of metalsmithing.   The program builds on metalsmithing's rich hybrid history based in fine art, studio craft and industrial design and encourages students to explore a wide range of conceptual avenues in the creation of jewelry, functional objects, design prototypes, installation, performance and sculpture.  The undergraduate BFA program is highly individualistic according to students' needs and graduate level courses are also available for students working on masters' degrees in other areas. 

The 4,100 sq. ft. state of the art Metals facility features dedicated studios for fabrication, casting and mold making, machining, etching and patination, enameling, soldering, raising and forming, with an additional 1,000 sq. ft. outdoor forging and welding patio and work area.  Students have access to a substantial collection of tools and equipment for all basic and advanced metalsmithing techniques.   In-studio Macintosh OS computers have comprehensive Adobe Creative Suite software.  Well-known visiting artists in the field are invited to campus each year to augment and diversify the curriculum.  Students are encouraged to participate in these and other professional experiences such as exhibition opportunities and professional conferences according to their interests.  

Texas State University graduates specializing in Metals have a number of career options and are regularly accepted into respected graduate programs or move directly into jewelry and metalsmithing related employment and teaching. Back to top

Course Descriptions

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  • In this course, students explore metals as a vehicle for creative expression, developing a technical and conceptual foundation in the medium. Topics include design and fabrication, and using basic metalsmithing techniques with emphasis on sculptural forms and personal adornment.

  • In this course, students continue exploring formal, critical, and technical approaches to develop personal conceptual direction related to metalsmithing and jewelry. Topics include exploration of materials and methods with an emphasis on industrial technology.

  • In this course, students engage with and pursue a personal, comprehensive body of work. Emphasis is placed on research, experimentation, advanced processes, and conceptual approaches related to the discipline of metalsmithing with an additional focus on historical and contemporary forms. (repeatable up to 3 times for credit)

  • In this course, students investigate contemporary issues in the discipline of metals. Potential course topics include but are not limited to casting, forming and forging, enameling, mechanisms, and stone setting processes. (repeatable up to 3 times for credit)

  • This course, students practice lost wax casting, direct method casting, and mold making techniques across a variety of disciplines and 3D mediums. Students use cast forms as a language to explore concepts of verisimilitude in art, the use of multiples, and the relationship between constructed forms and found objects. This class is a blend of contemporary ideas, cutting edge technologies and historic, time-honored hand-working traditions.

  • This course introduces the intermediate and advanced skills of lost wax casting, direct method casting, and mold making techniques as students develop a mature and marketable body of work. Cast forms will be utilized as a language to explore concepts of verisimilitude in art, the use of multiples, and the relationship between constructed forms and found objects. This class is a blend of contemporary ideas, cutting edge technologies and historic, time-honored hand-working. There is an emphasis on a continued and deeper exploration of casting concepts and processes as student incorporating advanced casting outcomes into the development of their own work.

  • This class provides the fundamental skills for integrating digital fabrication technologies with other art and design processes. Students are introduced to digital design and fabrication using 3D modeling software, 3D printers, and computer controlled machines. A variety of materials are taught through conceptual, technical, and creative problem solving.

 

 

Painting

The goal of the painting program is to provide a solid foundation in the creative, technical and historical aspects of painting. The program encourages individual growth and development through a broad range of studio and academic experiences and through exposure to the diverse philosophical points of view of our faculty.

The program offers beginning, intermediate and advanced courses, which meet six hours a week. The studios are also available to the students in the evenings and at times that no regular classes are scheduled.

Being located between two major metropolitan areas the students have access to numerous museums and galleries in Austin and San Antonio. In addition the department has an active gallery program that exhibits work of noted area, national and international artist. The department also sponsors a visiting artist program which beings in artist from around the country. This allows students one on one contact with working artist, critics and historians.

Many graduates of the painting program have gone on to study at some of the most prestigious graduate schools in the country including the School for the Visual Arts in New York, The Boston Museum School, Rhode Island School of Design, Claremont Graduate School in California, San Francisco Art Institute, Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia and the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, among others. Back to top

Course Descriptions

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  • In this course, students explore paint as a vehicle for creative expression, developing a technical and conceptual foundation in the medium. Topics include color, composition, and paint application.

  • In this course, students continue exploring formal, critical and technical approaches to painting. Topics include advanced exercises in color theory, personal imagery building, and the history and context of painting.

  • In this course, students engage with and pursue a personal direction for their work. Emphasis is placed on research, experimentation, advanced processes and conceptual approaches in painting with an additional focus on historical and contemporary forms. (repeatable up to 3 times for credit)

  • In this course, students investigate contemporary issues in the discipline of painting. Potential course topics include but are not limited to color theory, abstraction, and writing about painting. (repeatable up to 3 times for credit)

 

 

Printmaking

Printmaking, situated in the Studio Program of Art and Design, encompasses a range of methods for printing and making images, including screen printing, relief, intaglio, lithography, digital printing, monotypes, and other techniques. Intro to Printmaking covers both relief printing and screen printing. Screenprinting, an intro level class, covers exclusively screen printing. Printmaking II teaches intaglio and lithography in alternate semesters (generally intaglio in the fall, and lithography in the spring). Students can also pursue screen printing in Printmaking II. The upper division levels of printmaking increasingly focus the student on creating a personal and professional body of work. In the upper division courses, a strong emphasis is placed on not only making the work, but also documenting it, writing about it, entering it into national competitions, and exhibiting it. Back to top

Course Descriptions

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  • In this course, students explore screen and relief printing as vehicles for creative expression, developing a technical and conceptual foundation in the medium. Topics include color, layer registration, and the formal elements of image making.

  • In this course, students explore intaglio and lithographic printing as vehicles for creative expression, developing a technical and conceptual foundation in the medium. Topics include etching, stone and plate lithography, and the formal elements of image making.

  • In this course, students engage with and pursue a personal direction for their work. Emphasis is placed on research, experimentation, advanced processes and conceptual approaches in any of the print mediums which the student has already been introduced to (screen, relief, intaglio, lithography) with an additional focus on historical and contemporary forms. (repeatable up to 3 times for credit)

  • In this course, students investigate contemporary issues in the discipline of print. Potential course topics include but are not limited to conceptual aspects of print, new technologies including laser engraving, book-binding techniques, and experimental forms. (repeatable up to 3 times for credit)

  • This course introduces the operation of a Risograph Duplicator. Students learn how to create multi-color prints and small publications. The course approaches image creation and editing through a number of digital and analogue techniques. Technical understanding of the machine and traditional and experimental approaches to print is covered in this course.

 

 

Sculpture

The field of sculpture continues to undergo dramatic changes in conceptual approaches, materials and techniques. The sculpture area at Texas State provides the student with an environment that is conducive to the exploration of ideas through contemporary and traditional approaches to making art. These include light, sound, performance and site specific, as well as the much-cherished use of the foundry, woodshop, welding and modeling facilities. The development of the student’s personal aesthetic is always coupled with their expansion into the ever-diversifying approaches to making sculpture.  Our facility provides ample room for the student to experiment with large-scale works and to become technically proficient in a variety of media. The internship program places qualified students in the studios of professional artists that employ a variety of media including bronze casting and large-scale carving of Styrofoam. In addition, all of our 3D areas at Texas State provide outstanding opportunities for the student to bridge their interests in sculpture with fibers, metals and ceramics. Back to top

Course Descriptions

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  • In this course, students explore sculptural materials and processes as vehicles for creative expression, developing a technical and conceptual foundation in the medium. Topics include reductive and additive processes, welding, wood-working, and introduction to other materials including plaster and paper mache to develop ideas.

  • In this course, students continue exploring formal, critical and technical approaches to sculptural materials and processes. Topics include refining and expanding sculptural techniques with wood, metal, and casting with a focus on strategies for installation and display.

  • In this course, students engage with and pursue a personal direction for their work. Emphasis is placed on research, experimentation, advanced processes and conceptual approaches in the field of sculpture with an additional focus on historical and contemporary forms. (repeatable up to 3 times for credit)

  • In this course, students investigate contemporary issues in the discipline of sculpture. Potential course topics include but are not limited to advanced casting, installation and working with found objects and readymades. (repeatable up to 3 times for credit)

  • This course emphasizes aesthetic direction in sculpture through the study of numerous materials that are fiber based with a focus on contemporary practices in papermaking, surface design, and material manipulation.