This ONLINE course is designed specifically for experienced or upper level students who wish to focus on ideation and conceptual development within their figurative work. Students will consider the idea of the subject when working with the figure. Historical and contemporary themes on the use of the figure will be presented. Students will reflect on why they use the figure, what the figure means to them and how they are most interested in using it as a means of expression and communication.
This course is not exclusively for painters: students working in all media are welcome. Although this course is conceptually driven, consideration will also be given to strategic choices in process, media handling and formalism & design within students’ work in order to best achieve the desired outcome. Each session will include a lecture/discussion,image examples, plus a review of progress and feedback.
Choice of content and scope of work created will be self-directed to encourage idea development. Options for approaching a multi-figure situation, both conceptually and practically, and the role relationships of the figures will be addressed. Students will develop their own sources or set-ups to work directly from. Set-ups will encourage both single and multi-figure compositions. Part of the class experience will be sharing set-up ideas, source images and ways of approach that will foster a collaborative spirit, collective learning, sharing of ideas, images, opinions and inspiration.
Note: Students are expected to have a solid foundation of figure painting skills. It is recommended that students have taken coursework in basic painting, life drawing and/or life painting, image development or equivalent.
Spring 2021: 8 weeks: Base Tuition: $325
TSA will deliver this course using ZOOM. Prior to the course session, you will receive an invitation for the session(s) via email. You'll need a laptop, desktop or tablet, internet connection with good bandwidth and headset (either wired or wireless). We recommend that you set up a free ZOOM account and be familiar with ZOOM prior to the class beginning. Here is a link to help you get started: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/categories/200101697
Notes: Gillian Iles' practice consists of painting, sculpture and video/projection. She has exhibited in New York, San Francisco, Brooklyn, Chicago, Miami, Montreal and Toronto in public institutions, university galleries, artist-run centres and commercial galleries. Her work has been highlighted in Canadian Art, Mix Magazine, Toronto Life Magazine, as well as the National Post and The Globe and Mail. She is featured in the book Carte Blanche Volume 2: Painting. Gillian was a founding member of two artist-run galleries in Toronto - Propeller and Loop, and is currently a member of the Red Head Gallery in Toronto. Her environmental scale installations include combinations of paintings, sculptures, constructions video and projection, creating installations incorporating both real and illusionary space, transforming exhibition spaces into a composite of alternate realities. The composite imagery presents an array of contradictions as a sensory collage of fleeting instants that shape greater social identity & individual perception. Gillian teaches at the Ontario College of Art and Design, Sheridan College and the Toronto School of Art in Canada.