Professor Hill earned his BFA in drawing from the Atlanta College of Art and his MFA in painting and printmaking from the Rhode Island School of Design. He teaches drawing, painting and printmaking. His work appropriates imagery and techniques from pop culture and modernist works of art. In using well-known childhood imagery such as super heroes, toys and ray guns he creates paintings that revolve around issues of masculinity and male rites of passage.
Artist's statement: "In my studio and inside my classroom, art making is examined both as language and as craft. The visual language addresses the use of cultural signifiers, symbols and metaphors in the content and structure of the image. My students are not only taught to make images but also to read images in order to develop their visual literacy. They are taught to examine the social, cultural and historical contexts within their work. This understanding enables the expression of meaningful communication, both personal and shared. It…
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Professor Hill earned his BFA in drawing from the Atlanta College of Art and his MFA in painting and printmaking from the Rhode Island School of Design. He teaches drawing, painting and printmaking. His work appropriates imagery and techniques from pop culture and modernist works of art. In using well-known childhood imagery such as super heroes, toys and ray guns he creates paintings that revolve around issues of masculinity and male rites of passage.
Artist's statement: "In my studio and inside my classroom, art making is examined both as language and as craft. The visual language addresses the use of cultural signifiers, symbols and metaphors in the content and structure of the image. My students are not only taught to make images but also to read images in order to develop their visual literacy. They are taught to examine the social, cultural and historical contexts within their work. This understanding enables the expression of meaningful communication, both personal and shared. It is my goal to foster an understanding of the world through the study of art in order to engage with the world in a meaningful way."
Areas of Expertise
Painting, drawing, printmaking.
Education
2001 — Master of Fine Arts from Rhode Island School of Design
2001 — Collegiate Teaching Certificat from Brown University
1997 — Bachelor of Fine Arts from Atlanta College of Art
Courses Recently Taught
ARTS 102
Drawing I
ARTS 102
This course introduces students to the medium of drawing as an essential means of visual communication. A variety of methods and materials are used for both in-class studies as well as for larger and more comprehensive projects. Challenging and complex drawings will be produced with a sharp focus on both formal and conceptual issues. Technical aspects of drawing will be balanced with imaginative and experimental approaches throughout the semester. Presentations and class discussions will supplement assignments to aid in expansion of the understanding of project goals. This counts toward the introductory requirement for the major and minor. No prerequisite. Offered every semester.
ARTS 240
Writing Pictures and Drawing Words: The Art of Making Cartoons, Comics, Zines and Graphic Novels
ARTS 240
After a century of development, cartoons, comic books, graphic novels, and self-published zines are finding their potency and maturity as serious art forms. These cartoon-based mediums form collaboration between image and text, which blends the shape and arc of classic literature with the conventions of visual storytelling. This course will provide students with a solid foundation of ideas and methods for drawing and writing cartoons, comics, zines, and graphic novels with an emphasis on effective characterization, plot progression and narrative structure. Students will learn how to adapt writing to a comic through storyboarding create a detailed script for dialogue, setting and action and explore the interactive development of text and image. Required and recommended readings will supplement the creative assignments. Class meetings will consist of technical drawing demonstrations, writing and drawing exercises, and discussions for weekly assignments and longer projects. This counts towards the intermediate requirement for the major and minor. Prerequisite: ARTS 102. Offered every other year.
ARTS 250
Fundamentals of Painting
ARTS 250
This course is an introduction to the fundamental principles of painting. The course will begin with an investigation into painting materials and how they influence ideas. Students will explore color, composition and surface development on board, panel and canvas, while focusing on a wide range of basic approaches to oil painting. We will utilize traditional and nontraditional contemporary methods to address the historically established genres of still life, landscape and portraiture. Visual literacy and conceptual growth are essential. Teacher presentations, group critiques, student reports and readings along with individual instruction will help the student to develop original concepts.This counts toward the intermediate requirement for the major and minor. Prerequisite: ARTS 102 or 106. Offered once a year.
ARTS 345
Printmaking
ARTS 345
This class provides an overview of some of the most direct and fundamental forms of mechanical reproduction. A balance between technical mastery and imaginative visual exploration is the goal throughout this course. The processes employed during the semester combine aspects of drawing and painting, as well as a sculptural physicality, giving students the opportunity to explore and experiment with various combinations of visual processes. Students will be challenged to synthesize and internalize diverse aesthetic approaches, while working to formulate a personal vision. All students will give presentations on modern and contemporary artists. Techniques include monotype, woodcut, linoleum print, dry point and intaglio. This counts toward the intermediate requirement for the major and minor. Prerequisite: ARTS 102, 103, 106 or 107. Offered once a year.
ARTS 351
Contemporary Painting Practices
ARTS 351
This class is an intensive studio course that explores painting as a means of investigating and developing personally meaningful imagery. As an introduction, we will examine the parallel ideas of art for art's sake and art for the people, as well as the evolution of American painting from the early 20th century to the present. Throughout the semester, we will continue to study the work of contemporary painters. Students will be expected to master a wide range of visual vocabularies and approach painting from a variety of aesthetic points of view. Through structured problem-solving assignments, students will be encouraged to find ways of addressing common experiences as well as developing independent work. These assignments are designed to assist in expanding perceptions and imagination and translating them into painted images. Group and one-on-one critiques will help develop critical thinking and the ability to articulate ideas about art. This counts toward the intermediate requirement for the major and minor. Prerequisite: ARTS 102, 106, 250 or 345. Offered once a year.
ARTS 480
Advanced Studio
ARTS 480
Required for majors in studio arts, this first semester of a two-semester sequence of courses is designed to enable students to develop their personal artistic vision based on the foundation of introductory and intermediate studio art courses. Students will be expected to develop a self-generated body of creative work based on a concentrated investigation of materials, methods and ideas. They will develop oral and written presentation and research skills as they work toward a professional exhibition in the second semester. Critiques, discussions, presentations and readings will provide context and feedback for this process. Students will learn to develop the elements necessary for professional exhibition of a cohesive body of work, including developing ideas, writing an artist's statement and resume, and perfecting presentation skills. Studio art majors are expected to take this class and ARTS 481 with two different faculty members. Prerequisite: senior art major or permission of instructor. Offered every fall.
ARTS 493
Individual Study
ARTS 493
The studio art faculty does not recommend individual study because we feel it is important for students to work in the context of other student artists. We understand, however, that on rare occasions an individual study may be appropriate. Individual study must be approved by the department according to the following guidelines: Individual study should be undertaken only when a student has exhausted all the options for that medium in the regular curriculum. The subject for an individual study must be in a discipline in which the faculty member has expertise. When possible, the individual study student should participate in some aspects of a course working in a similar medium in the faculty member's field in order to gain feedback from other students. The student is responsible for writing a contract and maintaining a schedule. Because students must enroll for individual studies by the end of the seventh class day of each semester, they should begin discussion of the proposed individual study preferably the semester before, so that there is time to devise the proposal and seek departmental approval before the registrar’s deadline. An individual study does not count toward the requirements for the major; it is considered an extra course.