James Fitzsimmons
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About the Artist:
James Fitzsimmons received a BFA from the Maryland Institute, College of Art, and an MFA from the City University of New York, Brooklyn College. His awards include a Governor’s Scholarship to the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, the Charles G. Shaw Painting Award from Brooklyn College, and he is a two-time winner of the Maryland Federation of Art’s Tilghman Award. James’s work has been shown in galleries throughout the Northeast, and was most recently featured as part of the Mitchell Gallery’s show A Lineage of American Perceptual Painters. He currently teaches at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland.
Category:
Type of Programs Offered
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Drawing I
Description:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 443-286-1757Course Description and Objectives
This is a course introducing the basic concepts, materials, and methods of drawing. There will be a concentration on issues such as vocabulary, line, tone, edge, negative and positive shapes, form, light, composition, and perspective. The course emphasizes drawing from observation. Students completing this course will have a good working knowledge of the following:
• Terminology, tools, media and basic techniques
• Frame and Compose from nature to paper
• Understanding of positive and negative shapes
• Understanding of two and three-dimensional concepts
• Using line and tone to describe form, gesture, and spaceDrawing 1 Tentative Schedule
Week 1
• Introduction, syllabus and course overview
• Discussion of various materials and use
• Mark making
• How to hold a drawing tool
• You and your relationship to what you see
Week 2
• Begin line and structural drawing
• Geometric shapes
• Blocking out shapes
• What is eye level ?
• Getting passed preconceived notions .Week 3
• Structural drawing (see-through)
• Ellipses
• More about eye level / your plce in space
• Begin perspective explanation
Week 4
• Picture plane explained
• One and two point perspective explained and its historical significance in Western art
• Perspective drawing; how it works / how to use it in your drawingWeek 5
• How to draw a room that is believable
• One point perspective drawing
• Two point perspective drawing
Week 6
• Still life drawing in charcoal and graphite.
• Various ways to makle tonalityWeek 7
• Still life drawing in charcoal
• Edge; what it is and how to make it.
• Mid-term portfolio review
Week 8
• Still life drawing using toned paper and erasers
• Still life composition (triangularity)
• Composing with geometry (golden section)
Drawing with composition in mind
Week 9
• What is meant by “felt”
• More about “Edge”.How does it work.
• Tonal still life drawing / tonal scale and how it works
• Line and tone come together to make the “ideal”Week 10
• Egg drawing with pencil on white paper
• The issue of subtlety
• Why “things” are mostly togetherWeek 11
Appropriate Grade Levels:
• Fruit drawings
• Discuss figure drawing / proportion / jesture / history
Week 12
• Portrait / proportions / issues of likeness
• Figure drawing (tentative)
• More on proportion; gesture, mass and weight
Week 13
• Figure drawing / Anatomy and its importance
Week 14
• Figure drawing
• Placing the figure in space
Week 15
• Portfolio review
• Final project
high school, undergraduate and adultCurriculum Connections
The Renaissance and the rebirth of Classical education.
Art and Science and the new connection during the Renaissance.
Art as a guide in social and moral constructs in societies.This program is offered as:
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Painting from Life part one
Description:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 443-286-1757Course Description and Objectives
This is a course introducing the basic concepts, materials and methods of painting. There will be a concentration on issues such as tonality, color, negative and positive shapes, form, light, composition, and vocabulary. The course emphasizes painting from observation. Students completing this course will have a good working knowledge of the following:
• Terminology, tools, various media and basic techniques
• Frame and compose from nature to canvas
• Understanding how paint is made and applied
• Using color to describe form and space
• Understanding the history of Painting and its current state.
• Understanding how to prepare various surfaces for painting.
• Understanding how to handle a paint brush
• Understanding the different types of painting
• The importance of working from life in the beginning
Painting 1 ScheduleWeek 1
• Introduction, syllabus and course overview
• Discussion of materials and use
• Safety and the use of materials
• Gesso paper demo
Week 2
• intro to Grisaille method
• Blocking out shapes
• Gray scales
• Brushes and how to use them
• Palettes and how to set one up
• How to use and make a painting medium
Week 3
• Neutrals what they are
• Three color painting scale
• How to stretch Canvas
• Drapery study in white
Week 4
• Limited 5 color palette still life
• Color with value the key to understanding “Colorful”
Week 5
• Still life Painting
• Portrait paintings and its history
• Discuss figure painting and proportions
• Color in fleshWeek 6
• Portrait and the human head
• More on color in flesh and its emotional influence.Week 7
Figure painting its history and why it is still importantWeek 8
Appropriate Grade Levels:
• Figure painting
• Portfolio review
• Final project
high school, undergraduate and adultCurriculum Connections
History of painting and its relationship to Socio- political issues the day
How science made " Modern Painting" possible
Cultural differences in painting around the world.
Math and Science and its influence in Art.This program is offered as:
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Drawing I
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Artist's featured work:
Artist's videos:
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Name or Art Agency:
James Fitzsimmons
Email:
[email protected]
Phone:
(443) 286-1757
State / County:
MD, Baltimore city and Anne Arundel County
Spanish 
English