Schedule

September 10, 2024 – June 12, 2025.

Fall Term: September 10 – December 5 (13 weeks)
Winter Break: December 6 – January 6
Winter Term: January 7 – March 20 (11 Weeks)
Spring Break: March 21 – April 7
Spring Term: April 8 – June 12 (10 weeks)
MCA Student Exhibition: Saturday, June 14, 2025

Students meet online twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30am-12:30pm PST.

All sessions are recorded and can be viewed at each student’s convenience. In addition to the in-class/video sessions, students are expected to be working independently for an additional 12 hours per week (usually Tues & Thurs afternoons, plus another studio day of student’s choice), totaling around 18 hours per week. 

Curriculum

Week-by-Week

Morning Sessions (9:30am-12:30pm PST): Slide Lectures, Introduction of Concepts, Demonstrations, Critiques. All sessions will be recorded.

Afternoon Sessions (1:30-3:30pm PST): Independent Studio Time for Continuation of Class Exercises. Students are expected to be working in their studios at this time and may opt to host “Open Studio” Zoom sessions with their peers.

Independent Studio Day: This program is for self-motivated learners who can dedicate themselves to creating a sustainable art practice. Students will be most successful if they can reserve at least one full, additional day of studio work. A regular, committed practice is best for integrating the lessons. 

Term-by-Term

FALL: Value & Temperature / Form & Design. During the Fall term, students will focus on building the illusion of form through observed value and temperature relationships on the life-model and still-life objects. Students will engage with pictorial design by studying the compositions of historical painters, such as Caravaggio, as well as the pictorial innovations of Cubism. Form and Compositional Design will be explored and integrated through a series of exercises and independent projects. 

WINTER: Complement Sets | Color-Blocking. Winter Term will focus on the method of COLOR BLOCKING. Students will gain a deep understanding of complement sets and limited palettes through a rigorous series of exercises. Students will create a dictionary of color charts and develop a practical and personal relationship to color. Students will engage with contrasts in Value, Temperature, and Intensity to help organize and articulate their compositions.

SPRING: Chromatic Palettes | Process & Narrative. Spring term will focus heavily on the development of advanced compositions and color organization. Students will create a series of paintings that explore personal, narrative concepts. Both observation and invention will be used to create images that are layered, complex, formal, and poetic. Contemporary painting methods and compositional strategies will be introduced through lectures, demos and painting exercises.

Year-by-Year

1ST YEAR: Introduction to the formal language of color. This is a color boot-camp for all levels. Students will complete a series of guided exercises that focus on a clear understanding of color as Value, Temperature, and Intensity. Students will create a lexicon of color charts alongside their coursework. Students will receive weekly feedback from Instructors and an individual portfolio review with the Director.

2ND YEAR: Returning to the fundamentals of color with confidence and clarity, these students will follow in-class exercises as a springboard for the development of their Independent Projects. These students will receive individually-guided mentorship from the Director and the Instructors throughout the year. Graduating students can apply to present their work at the annual All Atelier Day review in late May.

3RD YEAR: Optional: Advanced Project Mentoring