NCEA Level 3 Painting

This course will extend your art-making skills and the way in which you see and respond to the world.  Students are encouraged to honour and express their own personal interests or culture as they develop their work.  You will investigate and explore fields of knowledge, perspectives and experiences of others as relevant to your theme. 

This course is ideal for senior students currently studying art who are interested in further developing their creativity, painting and thinking skills .  This course focuses on drawing, painting, and related areas of contemporary art practice.  Students who have not yet studied art at senior level may have developed skills via other means which could provide an adequate foundation for entry into this course.  Please see the HOD Art to discuss and inquire about entry.

Level 3 Painting is a course that specialises in painting, drawing and related technologies.  Students will explore and extend their skills in a variety of media, including water colour, mixed media, gouache, open acrylics, oil paints, spray paints, paint pens, dyes, high flow acrylics.  Digital painting, installation, moving image and other approaches to contemporary art making, aligned with established practice can also be ways in which you work.  

There are many exciting ideas, processes, materials and techniques that open up to be explored at this level of specialisation.  Students who already have strong skills in a particular painting media will have the opportunity to extend those skills into other media if they want to.  Level 3 Painting will support all students to take risks, extend current skills as well as learn new skills, sharing knowledge together.  

This is an active class, engaging with materials and processes, exploring ideas, materials and making finished works.   There is no set theme of study in Year 13 Painting.  Each student will personally select an idea to explore and outwork in sequences of drawing and paintings.  You will refine techniques and ideas over the course of the year.  You will learn how to research your idea, deepen and expand your thinking and personal expression as you are guided through each phase of learning.  Students will extend themselves as artists by developing a strong art journal practice. Your learning and achievement is advanced by by learning about visual ideas and artists' work from the past and present, and also by engaging in teacher and peer critique.  Students will learn to support others in the class to develop and extend their ideas.  

Level 3 Painting enables ākonga (students) to evolve their individual approach to art-making in a way that supports and empowers personal creative expression.  You will make drawing and painting sequences that generate, analyse, clarify and regenerate ideas. You will study artists' works in order to extend ideas and produce new work using conventions appropriate to painting.  The course structure is designed to promote independent work habits and develop knowledge and skills appropriate to your own personal painting style, theme and interests.  

Visual Art equips ākonga with transferable skills that can be used in a wide range of tertiary courses and careers, whilst studying a subject that inspires and excites. This course will develop skills such as: communication, critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, the ability to research and analyse, adaptability, dexterity, patience, attention to detail, independence, innovation, risk-taking, reflection, and self-management. 

The course is divided into two interrelated areas:

• Studio Practice:  Developing a variety of painting processes related to a range of artist models; extending drawing and painting techniques and compositions via independent practical investigation.  Students will document the development of their art-making in processes in a visual art journal.
• Conceptual Development of Ideas:  Developing research, planning, establishing and expanding a theme, defining a personal proposal outworked in sequences of ideas and a sequential body of work.  
• Your art journal research, planning, media studies and sequences of finished works comprise the evidence needed for the two internal achievement standards.  A fully complete folio board comprised of three A1 sized panels comprises the evidence needed for the external submission.  The folio must show the continual extension and clarification of your theme ideas, and refinement of your painting skills and approaches. The folio will be sent to Wellington for external assessment in November.  
  
  

Completion and achievement in this course requires ongoing participation.  It is an excellent preparation for tertiary level study in any field, as the depth of thinking that is possible (and in fact required for Excellence grades), and the self-management it develops are high level.  Participation in this course will reward you with the joy, satisfaction, fulfillment and sense of pride that comes from making art work that is personally meaningful to you.  

Students who intend to apply for tertiary level study in creative fields, such as Fine Arts, Design, Architecture, Fashion, Theatre or Media fields will have a strong portfolio of work and evidence to support their applications.  You will have learned how to work and think at a level that prepares you well for tertiary study.  Students will have the option of entering Scholarship Painting.

Students will have the opportunity to participate in art-making outside the classroom by exhibiting work and entering competitions.  You may be able to work with established New Zealand artists in workshops, i-n or out- of class.  The Franklin Arts Festival and Auckland Zine festival are examples of this.  Outside opportunities can be aligned with or separate from course work.  Ākonga will visit art galleries or museums and use this experience to enrich ideas for their own artworks.  

We can't wait to welcome you into this course and support your learning journey!