This is the second semester of the sophomore level painting course for majors. Students will begin to build from their rigorous foundational training to start developing their interests and sensibility as artists. The focus will be on oil painting, with introductions to other kinds of paint. Students will also begin to explore what it means to be an artist today. We will begin by working representationally in this class as a way to continue to develop hand-eye coordination, color relationships, sense of light, composition and surface. After about six weeks, students will pursue their independent interests and develop their own subject matter and process. Along with the formal aspects of painting, students will begin to explore the conceptual meaning of their subjects, and how that meaning connects to form and process. Students will also develop their language skills in discussing art during weekly critiques of in-class work and assignments. Slide lectures, brief readings and writing assignments will be important components of the class, and art history will be emphasized.