A wide shot of a ceramics studio, featuring students working with pottery wheels and other tools.

Amanda Joy Calobrisi

Lecturer

Bio

Education: MFA, 2008, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Post-Bac, 2005, School of the Museum of Fine Arts of Boston, BA, 2002, University of Massachusetts, Boston. Exhibitions: Western Exhibitions, Chicago, IL: The Loo, Chicago, IL; Serious Topics, Inglewood, CA; Roots and Culture, Chicago, IL; Field Projects, New York, NY; Night Light Studios, Chicago,IL; MiM Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, Co Prosperity Sphere, Chicago, Il, Whitdel Arts, Detroit, MI; Fundación del Centro Cultural del México Contemporáneo, Mexico City, Mexico; Onishi Civic Center Hall, Fujioka, Japan; Naomi Fine Arts, Chicago, IL; Unspeakable Projects, San Francisco, CA; and S & S project, Chicago.  Her work has been published in New American Paintings and Cheap and Plastique Magazine.

Personal Statement

Amanda Joy Calobrisi tells strange and sensuous tales of womanhood. The figures that inhabit her canvases ponder the theatrics of sex—and death—in worlds less dangerous and more revealing than our own. Rendered affectionately rather than objectively, the women fold, bend, lean, and stretch in painted spaces that hover between boudoir and landscape. Individualism and agency mold their realm where self-love and self-admiration are no longer private revolutions. ­­­

 

Courses

Title Department Catalog Term

Description

Working from the nude model, students learn how to draw the human form from direct observation. Class exercises include fast movement and long duration poses as well as content from other visual sources including photographs and the imagination. The essential elements of life drawing, including anatomy, proportion, volume, composition, gesture, and the accurate and expressive use of line and tone are addressed to provide a focus for increasing skill. Students work with black and white dry media, such as graphite, charcoal, and conte crayon to realistically render subjects from direct observation. In addition, students explore experimental approaches such as blind contour drawing and drawing from memory. Focus is placed on both traditional drawing modes as well as individual creativity so each student can investigate their own ideas. Trips to the Art Institute of Chicago, presentations on historic and contemporary artists, and critiques supplement the studio experience. This course is recommended for both beginners and those wanting to improve and develop their current skills and ideas.

Class Number

1169

Credits

1

Description

This course begins with an intensive study of the human form and anatomy. Working from direct observation of the nude model, students build oil painting skills with an emphasis on both traditional and non-traditional painting processes that may include water-based paint, collage, and mixed media. Students explore trends in contemporary figurative art and examine how and why artists continue to use the human form as a subject and vehicle for personal expression. With guidance from the instructor and feedback from peers, students investigate personal ideas and concepts while developing a series of portfolio-quality paintings. Field trips to the Art Institute of Chicago, artist presentations, and discussions focusing on the work of significant historic and contemporary artists such as Lucien Freud, Peter Doig, Francis Bacon, David Hockney, Cecily Brown, John Currin, Lisa Yuskavage, and others supplement the studio experience. *NOTE* Previous painting experience required. Students are encouraged to bring their own digital camera, tablet, and/or laptop for homework/research and after-studio hours projects.

Class Number

1050

Credits

2

Description

This course is for students that have a background in drawing, but little to no painting experience. Drawings serve as the foundation for acquiring new painting skills and students are encouraged to develop their own ideas and goals with instructor guidance. Skills such as line, volume, space, materiality, form and function, and palette are explored through both drawing and painting. A variety of traditional and contemporary materials are used, and may include graphite, charcoal, pastels, water-based paints, mixed media, and/or collage. Visits to the Art Institute of Chicago and discussions of practicing artists will supplement the studio experience and encourage development of concepts in student artworks. By the end of the course, students have an expanded knowledge of materials and acquire the ability to transition from drawing to painting. This course is recommended for both beginners and those wanting to improve and develop their current abilities. Note: Figure Drawing, Figure Painting, Painting, and Drawing courses may use nude models hired by the School. Other classes may use them to a lesser degree.

Class Number

1175

Credits

1

Description

Working from the nude model, students learn how to draw the human form from direct observation. The essential elements of life drawing, including anatomy, proportion, volume, composition, gesture, and the accurate and expressive use of line and tone are addressed to provide a focus for increasing skill. With a shared emphasis on traditional and non-traditional drawing techniques, students experiment with a variety of wet and dry materials, which may include charcoal, conte crayon, pastels, ink, and water-based paints. The course is also designed to provide a forum for students to explore new conceptual directions related to contemporary figuration while developing a more mature artistic practice through individual attention from the instructor, feedback from peers, trips to the Art Institute of Chicago, critiques, and artist presentations. *NOTE* Previous drawing experience required. Students are encouraged to bring their own digital camera, tablet, and/or laptop for homework/research and after-studio hours projects.

Class Number

1030

Credits

2

Description

This course emphasizes the development of observational drawing skills and hand-eye coordination. The learning sequence progresses from simple forms and skill levels toward more complex compositions. Basic drawing elements such as line, proportion, perspective, composition, texture, and the study of light and shade are investigated through various perceptual and conceptual approaches. Open to beginning students as well as those who want to refresh their skills before moving on to more advanced studio courses.

Class Number

2566

Credits

1

Description

Students will focus on the proportional relationships of the human head and face to achieve naturalistic resemblance in their drawings. Instruction in the use of line, shape, light, and shadow will be explored to achieve believable volumetric form. Black and white as well as color materials will be investigated. A model will be present during each class session and a variety of drawing approaches will be demonstrated. Discussion and presentations on contemporary portraiture and group and individual reviews of work are also included.

Class Number

2402

Credits

1

Description

This course introduces the materials, methods, and tools of oil painting while students develop observational skills. Demonstrations on stretching canvas, laying out a palette, working with various paint application techniques, and color mixing provide students with the fundamentals of the medium and a strong foundation for future work.

Class Number

2567

Credits

1

Description

Painting Practice is an introductory painting course offering. The curriculum addresses basic skills as related to a painting studio practice. Topics and curricular goals include material, facility and technique, space and color, as well as concept. This course is a prerequisite for all Multi-level Painting, Figure Painting and Advanced Painting Studio classes.

Class Number

1922

Credits

3

Description

Students draw from the model as a means of understanding form, shape, and line using a variety of media. The course emphasizes shorter poses as training in immediate response to gesture and form. This course serves as a requirement and preparation for topic-based Figure Drawing B classes.

Class Number

1844

Credits

3

Description

This studio drawing course explores how narrative operates in the history and traditions of figure painting. The class incorporates a range of methods; visits to the museum and galleries; introduce written material into drawn images; and analyze forms of narrative, including short film, graphic novels, abstraction, and sculpture. Sessions will focus on how mood, color, light and the passing of time influence how we read and produce a narrative image.

Class Number

1930

Credits

3