Junior and senior painting majors meet together in combined sections to undertake advanced problems in painting and drawing that emphasize theme development and advanced techniques and processes, as well as experimentation with the form and content of painting. Critiques, slide lectures, and visiting artist presentations are all important elements of the program. The faculty of the Fine Arts 2D department consider drawing to be a key link in the development of each painting student's work. The specialized Drawing for Painting Majors course, required for all levels of painting majors each fall term, seeks to establish the important links between the instinct to draw and the conceptual processes that form the basis of painting. The 2D faculty consider painting and printmaking to be allied and interrelated disciplines and encourage students to investigate creative possibilities that cross boundaries and mix media.
Students work in etching, lithography, silkscreen, and non-toxic photographic processes.
Courses in artists' books and monoprint allow printmaking students to explore alternative techniques and methods of presentation.