Cave paintings dating back 25,000 years testify to humanity’s profound urge to create images.

In this studio, you learn the formal aspects of painting, from organizing the picture plane to mixing colors. You also explore new ways of thinking about space, form, line, texture, and pattern as well as various approaches to applying paint.

Class projects are primarily structured around observed subjects, such as the still life and the figure, but they also include exercises that pull from the imagination or expand into abstraction.

You learn to ask yourself not only “How do I paint?” but also “What do I paint, and why?”

Visits to San Francisco galleries and museums enhance the studio experience.

Painting is paired with Drawing.

The Pre-College 2025 application opens in late September 2024 and closes mid June 2025.