Dylan DeWitt
Dylan DeWitt investigates the unusual, the everyday and the puzzling territories in between. His experiential works aim to provoke heightened perceptual states in viewers, posing questions about perception and attention, how we decide which parts of the world are significant and what counts as an image. Topics of interest include optics, color perception and pattern recognition, as well as philosophies of mind and meaning.
DeWitt holds a BFA in Illustration from RISD and an MFA in Painting and Printmaking from Yale University. His work has appeared in New American Paintings, Floorr Magazine and Art Maze Mag. He has been a resident at the Jentel Foundation, Vermont Studio Center, Hambidge Center and Yale/Norfolk. In addition to teaching at RISD, he has taught drawing and painting at the University of Arkansas School of Art and Hartford Art School. He lives and works in Hartford, CT.
Courses
Fall 2024 Courses
ILLUS 2024-07
PAINTING I: COLOR PERCEPTION AND EXPRESSION
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Students will gain an understanding of basic color characteristics and relationships through observational painting and color mixing exercises. Perceptual phenomena of space and light are directly connected with principles of color organization on the palette, color mixing procedures and adjustment of color interaction in compositions according to properties of hue, value and chromatic intensity. The associative properties of color rooted both in the natural world and in cultural precedent are explored in relation to expressive priorities. Students learn the use of the physical properties of the medium, gaining sensitivity to qualities of volume and depth, the textural character of the artwork and the sense of artistic facture. Painterly precedent from the history of art and contemporary practice will be studied for inspiration and technical insight. The primary medium for the course is oil paint, and students will be introduced to the complex layering and manipulations the medium makes possible. Water-based media such as casein or gouache will play a supporting role as vehicles for color studies and exercises in abstract color theory. The semester ends with an extended project allowing the combination of observed and invented elements and emphasizing compositional color adjustment in connection with the artist's expressive priorities.
Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department.
Major Requirement | BFA Illustration
ILLUS 501G-01
GRADUATE ILLUSTRATION STUDIO I: PERCEPTION AND THE ART OF COMMUNICATION
SECTION DESCRIPTION
The first core studio in the program is centered on an investigation of the mechanics of articulating meaning in an image. Through a variety of projects, students will investigate the efficacy of various strategies in traditional and new media, and engage in perceptual experiments in order to study the intersection of art and visual psychology.
Estimated Cost of Materials: $25.00 - $150.00
Major Requirement | MFA Illustration