It is an exciting time to be a painter. Painting is a medium with a rich history and wide array of approaches towards the question of what a painting can be and what it can do. The goal of the painting concentration at Winthrop is to develop artists with a strongly developed personal vision who connect what they do in the studio to their life, their communities, and the larger culture.

With this vision in mind, our concentration provides a solid foundation in both traditional and contemporary approaches to painting, with an emphasis on intellectual curiosity and creative thinking—whether it be observationally based studio work or explorations of painting's intersections with new media.

What does the painting course of study at Winthrop University look like?

All freshmen participate in our rigorous Foundations Program, which immerses students into a wide range of media and possibilities for visual thinking. At the sophomore level, painting majors are introduced to materials, concepts, and representational strategies in Painting 1. In Painting 2, students further their exploration of materials and ideas as they grapple with issues and topics in contemporary art. As juniors and seniors, students develop a self-directed studio practice, culminating in a B.F.A. exhibition. Multi-level advanced painting classes center around one-on-one instruction within the communal upper level painting studio. This open studio setting houses semi-private individual spaces as well as common space for collaborative projects, installations, and critiques, and provides the basis for a vibrant community of students working side by side. The openness of the studio reflects a belief in painting as a fluid medium that connects easily with other disciplines in the Fine Arts Department.

The concentration is committed to graduating students with the skills, knowledge, and resources they need to be successful working artists. This starts freshman year with a course that introduces students to a variety of professional perspectives, and continues through senior year with visiting artists, field trips, special events, and exhibitions that give students an understanding of the wide range of options available to them in the professional art world, whether it be graduate studies in art, working as professional studio artists, working in museums, galleries, schools, or arts agencies.