Julie Gearan
Julie Gearan creates haunting paintings of figures in motion and contemplation, often echoing heroic, historic masterworks. She has studied, worked and lived in New York, Philadelphia, Italy, Chicago and Providence, and she currently teaches part-time at RISD and at Roger Williams University. Her portrait of former RI Governor Lincoln Chafee was recently unveiled at the RI Capital Building in Providence, where it will remain on permanent display. Gearan also shows her paintings at Cade Tompkins Projects in Providence and at the Harmon Gallery in Wellfleet, MA.
Gearan was profiled in the 2014 NetWorks documentary film series, which spotlights Rhode Island artists.
Courses
Spring 2025 Courses
ILLUS 2028-04
PAINTING II: OBSERVATION AND IMAGINATION
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course will continue the study of color organization and use of the oil medium begun in the fall semester, with increased emphasis on compositional structure and adjustment. Assignments will feature imaginative or hybrid compositions, combining observed and invented components. Using principles of color, directional light and spatial structure to solidify atmospheric unity, we will explore the implication and construction of narrative. Work in class will solidify the student's ability to evoke volume, space and light. We will examine the breadth of creative choice in representational color use to illuminate the expressive qualities of various options. Students will study the role for color in directing the viewer's navigation of a composite subject, or imbuing a simple image with depth and complexity. Color design is introduced as an abstract structure that underlies figurative imagery, providing an important expressive subtext. Quick compositional studies in casein or gouache of a work in progress will be used to focus atmospheric and spatial effect. The historical development of color use in painting and cultural associations of style will be explored in slide lectures and experimentation. A capstone assignment will tie the principles of color and composition to a large narrative painting combining diverse imagery from reference and imagination, and emphasizing clarity and subtlety of structure in service of personally determined content.
Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department.
Major Requirement | BFA Illustration
ILLUS 2028-08
PAINTING II: OBSERVATION AND IMAGINATION
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course will continue the study of color organization and use of the oil medium begun in the fall semester, with increased emphasis on compositional structure and adjustment. Assignments will feature imaginative or hybrid compositions, combining observed and invented components. Using principles of color, directional light and spatial structure to solidify atmospheric unity, we will explore the implication and construction of narrative. Work in class will solidify the student's ability to evoke volume, space and light. We will examine the breadth of creative choice in representational color use to illuminate the expressive qualities of various options. Students will study the role for color in directing the viewer's navigation of a composite subject, or imbuing a simple image with depth and complexity. Color design is introduced as an abstract structure that underlies figurative imagery, providing an important expressive subtext. Quick compositional studies in casein or gouache of a work in progress will be used to focus atmospheric and spatial effect. The historical development of color use in painting and cultural associations of style will be explored in slide lectures and experimentation. A capstone assignment will tie the principles of color and composition to a large narrative painting combining diverse imagery from reference and imagination, and emphasizing clarity and subtlety of structure in service of personally determined content.
Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department.
Major Requirement | BFA Illustration