The Real and the Seen: Comprehending Perception Through Realist Painting
Instructed by Daniel O'Connor
Wednesdays, 6-9 pm
April 23 - June 11, 2025
Registration Deadline: April 20, 2025
[ REGISTER HERE ]
“The universe is not only stranger than we think, it is stranger than we can think”
— Sir Arthur Eddington
Description
Do you ever wonder if your perception of the world is unique?
What has shaped your perception of the world? And what has the power to alter that understanding?
Do you consider your perception to be relatively constant, or does it remain in flux? What is the pace of your perceptual evolution?
Whether they’re considered consciously or subconsciously, questions like these shape the practice of the realist painter and allow their works to meaningfully engage their audiences.
In this course we’ll explore the strange, wonderful process of investigating our own perception while also learning how to create a worthy facsimile of it with paint. Throughout the course, we’ll work through a series of exercises that will sharpen our conceptual understanding of perceptual experience while refining the technical demands of paint manipulation and handling. The class will culminate in a work of observed painting that truthfully represents the subject, both in the realist tradition and as unique projection of the painter’s vision.
If the universe truly is stranger than we can imagine, how do we even begin to translate it into paint? Let's investigate together!
In this class, students will…
• Develop perceptual awareness through exercises that challenge and refine observation skills
• Refine technical painting skills by practicing techniques that support the necessary depiction of observed reality
• Analyze and interpret visual information to better understand how light, form, and space interact in paintings
• Synthesize their personal vision with realist traditions by creating a final painting that balances communicative representation with individual perception
• Engage in critical reflection and discussion to better share insights about perception, realism, and artistic choices in both personal work and peer critique
Tuition: $350 (8 week course)
Class Size:
Minimum: 4
Materials List: (download and print PDF list here)
Level of Study: This class is suggested for individuals with some painting experience (ideally oils, acrylics, or gouache, as this class will work directly and opaquely most of the time). Basic knowledge of observational drawing/sight measuring is expected.
LOCATION: Unless otherwise specified, all courses are hosted at Manifest's new facility at 'M1' in Clifton at 3464 Central Parkway (see map and directions below). Manifest's new facility provides multiple studio classrooms, private lesson space, a darkroom, a film processing room, and a multi-purpose lecture and class meeting space as well as on-site parking, grounds, and exterior spaces in which to relax, discuss, and make art. The studios are outfitted with professional equipment, furniture, and study aids.
Map to Manifest's M1 Studios | Studio Calendar | Darkroom Calendar
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Daniel O'Connor
Daniel O'Connor
Lennart Anderson
About the instructor:
Dan O’Connor is a painter and sculptor originally from Kentucky, currently based in the Camp Washington neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. He holds a BFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Cincinnati and an MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where he collaborated closely with Scott Noel to sharpen his ability to observe—both paintings and the potential that the physical world holds for them.
For over a decade, Dan has taught painting and drawing at higher education institutions, including the University of Miami in Florida, Shawnee State University in Ohio, the University of Cincinnati, DAAP, and the Art Academy of Cincinnati.
In that time, he has also expanded his field of study to include digital media, both to support his traditional work and as finished work. He is intrigued by the boundlessness of digital space and the peculiarities of individualized perception.
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