Trent Burleson

Professor
Image
RISD faculty member Trent Burleson
BFA, University of the Arts
MFA, Rhode Island School of Design

Trent Burleson was born in Charlotte, NC in 1952. He was selected to attend the North Carolina Governor's School in the summer 1969. He graduated from the Philadelphia College of Art (now University of the Arts) with a bachelor’s degree in Painting and received a master’s degree in Painting from RISD, where he began teaching various painting and drawing classes.

Burleson served as the chief critic of the school's European Honors Program in Rome in 1984. His paintings have been widely exhibited and are part of many private, corporate, and public collections. A landscape painting by Burleson was used as the cover for the great American writer Raymond Carver’s last book, Where I am Calling From in 1988. The art critic Edward Sozanski wrote of Burleson’s paintings “he’s able, through light and color, to transform the mundane into the exceptional.”

Academic areas of interest

The history, methods, materials, and techniques of Painting.

Courses

Fall 2023 Courses

ILLUS 2012-05 - DRAWING I: VISUALIZING SPACE
Level Undergraduate
Unit Illustration
Subject Illustration
Period Fall 2023
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

ILLUS 2012-05

DRAWING I: VISUALIZING SPACE

Level Undergraduate
Unit Illustration
Subject Illustration
Period Fall 2023
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2023-09-06 to 2023-12-13
Times: W | 11:20 AM - 4:20 PM Instructor(s): Trent Burleson Location(s): Illustration Studies Building, Room 205 Enrolled / Capacity: 15 Status: Open

SECTION DESCRIPTION

The convincing depiction of form in three-dimensional space is one of the great conceptual and philosophic breakthroughs of Western art. In this class, the first half of the sophomore drawing sequence, our main focus will be the study of form in a spatial context. We will use observational and projected systems of perspective in construction of our images. Emphasis will be placed on exploration of conceptual and physical viewpoint, effective composition and convincing light and shadow to shape expression, engage the viewer and create a unified pictorial image. The class will promote acute observation of existing spatial situations, the invention of convincing imagery from imagination, and the successful integration of the two. Exposure to traditional and contemporary drawing masters and practices will provide inspiration for experimentation, personal expression and artistic growth. A series of perspectival studies will build into longer projects integrating observation and invention and concerns for figure and ground. Students will come to grasp the elegance and power of perspective as an approach to drawing, tempered with an awareness of its limitation and alternatives. Several black and white media in addition to charcoal (mixed media, collage, monoprint, caran dache, pastel, etc) and various ways of working (line weight, cross-hatching, additive, subtractive) may be explored.

Open to Sophomore Illustration Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Illustration

ILLUS 2024-05 - PAINTING I: COLOR PERCEPTION AND EXPRESSION
Level Undergraduate
Unit Illustration
Subject Illustration
Period Fall 2023
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

ILLUS 2024-05

PAINTING I: COLOR PERCEPTION AND EXPRESSION

Level Undergraduate
Unit Illustration
Subject Illustration
Period Fall 2023
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2023-09-06 to 2023-12-13
Times: M | 1:10 PM - 6:10 PM Instructor(s): Trent Burleson Location(s): Illustration Studies Building, Room 502 Enrolled / Capacity: 15 Status: Open

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.

Open to Sophomore Illustration Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Illustration

ILLUS 3224-01 - LANDSCAPE PAINTING
Level Undergraduate
Unit Illustration
Subject Illustration
Period Fall 2023
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

ILLUS 3224-01

LANDSCAPE PAINTING

Level Undergraduate
Unit Illustration
Subject Illustration
Period Fall 2023
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2023-09-06 to 2023-12-13
Times: T | 1:10 PM - 6:10 PM Instructor(s): Trent Burleson Location(s): Illustration Studies Building, Room 505 Enrolled / Capacity: 15 Status: Closed

SECTION DESCRIPTION

Throughout history, the natural environment has been a subject of charm and awe for the artist, from the delicately painted frescoes in ancient Roman homes to the 16th century, when the landscape transcended the role of 'background', and gained momentum as a sublime subject in its own right. This is a course on the history of techniques, concepts, possibilities, and purposes in landscape painting. The class will encourage exploration of landscape as sublime subject, as metaphor for human experience or as the battleground for politically charged debate of environmental issues, among other possible approaches. Students will work on location and in studio, learning approaches to plein air painting as well as incorporation of references in the construction of natural environments.

Open to Junior or Senior Illustration Students.

Elective

Spring 2024 Courses

ILLUS 2016-03 - DRAWING II: THE ARTICULATE FIGURE
Level Undergraduate
Unit Illustration
Subject Illustration
Period Spring 2024
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

ILLUS 2016-03

DRAWING II: THE ARTICULATE FIGURE

Level Undergraduate
Unit Illustration
Subject Illustration
Period Spring 2024
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2024-02-15 to 2024-05-24
Times: T | 1:10 PM - 6:10 PM Instructor(s): Trent Burleson Location(s): Illustration Studies Building, Room 205 Enrolled / Capacity: 15 Status: Open

SECTION DESCRIPTION

The ability to articulate ideas visually is the most important skill an illustrator has. Building on knowledge of observed and invented form in space gained in fall semester, this class will explore the human figure as physical form and as a vector for narrative and expression. Anatomical study, volumetric form, foreshortening, gesture, as well as balance and counterbalance will help ground and energize the figures physically. Narrative content and sequential reading will be explored in reference to the interaction of figures in a spatial context, and in relation to an imagined viewer. Additionally the student will be asked to consider complex integration of observed, researched and imagined imagery in the creation of more advanced independent personal work. Drawing will be approached as an investigative tool, one that supports all aspects of studio practice, from more, developed works to quick research studies for paintings or other media. Narrative, expressive and conceptual issues will become increasingly consequential as students become more versed in defining , building and shaping their imagery. Various media and methods of working, including a role for limited color, will be introduced.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Preference is given to Sophomore Illustration Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Illustration

ILLUS 2028-06 - PAINTING II: OBSERVATION AND IMAGINATION
Level Undergraduate
Unit Illustration
Subject Illustration
Period Spring 2024
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

ILLUS 2028-06

PAINTING II: OBSERVATION AND IMAGINATION

Level Undergraduate
Unit Illustration
Subject Illustration
Period Spring 2024
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2024-02-15 to 2024-05-24
Times: M | 1:10 PM - 6:10 PM Instructor(s): Trent Burleson Location(s): Illustration Studies Building, Room 505 Enrolled / Capacity: 15 Status: Open

SECTION DESCRIPTION

This course will continue the study of color organization and use of the oil medium begun in the fall semester, with increased emphasis on compositional structure and adjustment. Assignments will feature imaginative or hybrid compositions, combining observed and invented components. Using principles of color, directional light and spatial structure to solidify atmospheric unity, we will explore the implication and construction of narrative. Work in class will solidify the student's ability to evoke volume, space and light. We will examine the breadth of creative choice in representational color use to illuminate the expressive qualities of various options. Students will study the role for color in directing the viewer's navigation of a composite subject, or imbuing a simple image with depth and complexity. Color design is introduced as an abstract structure that underlies figurative imagery, providing an important expressive subtext. Quick compositional studies in casein or gouache of a work in progress will be used to focus atmospheric and spatial effect. The historical development of color use in painting and cultural associations of style will be explored in slide lectures and experimentation. A capstone assignment will tie the principles of color and composition to a large narrative painting combining diverse imagery from reference and imagination, and emphasizing clarity and subtlety of structure in service of personally determined content.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Preference is given to Sophomore Illustration Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Illustration

Image
RISD faculty member Trent Burleson
BFA, University of the Arts
MFA, Rhode Island School of Design