Elena Peteva

faculty

Elena Peteva she/her

Associate Professor

Art & Design

Contact

508-999-9287

College of Visual & Performing Arts 357A

Education

2007Syracuse UniversityMFA in Painting
2004Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine ArtsCFA in Painting

Teaching

  • Painting BFA
  • Drawing BFA
  • Painting MFA
  • Drawing BFA
  • Painting and Drawing PBC

Programs

Courses

The completion of the written thesis, a verbal explanation of the visual thesis which includes research of sources and a discussion of pertinent aesthetic issues, materials, and processes. Graded A-F.

The major studios involve intensive work and research in the student's area of concentration. Students investigate the aesthetic, conceptual, technical, and structural properties of chosen media through an individualized study program developed under the guidance of their major advisors. Through questioning and experimentation, students are expected to consolidate technique with the development of strong, expressive ideas. Informal critiques and individualized discussions are scheduled.

Continuation of major and elective studios.

Final major studio/continuation elective studio.

Introduction to figure drawing. Exploration of the human figure, its gesture, rhythm, form, and structure. This course introduces essential perceptual, technical and design skills that create the framework of learning to draw from a live model. Students learn various modes of observation, representation and expression.

Preparation of Studio Art and the Expanded Field students for careers in the field. Course topics include presenting on one¿s work and sources; artist statement, résumé, cover letter, and contract; portfolio preparation, artwork presentation and documentation; exhibitions and grants; internships, graduate programs, residencies, and art careers; self-promotion and the professional network. Visiting art professionals and exhibition visits supplement the course. 

Exploration of contemporary drawing concepts, practices and media. Students investigate time, space and meaning and the relationship of concept, content and form through drawing in 2-d, 3-d and time-based media, interdisciplinary work with guest faculty and a collaborative installation project.

Advanced drawing exploration and correlation of previous drawing experiences that manifest in a 2d or 3d approach. Emphasis is placed on conceptual investigation, expression, and interpretation. Students develop their personal vision, creative process, and independent, cross-disciplinary studio practice within the context of art history and contemporary art.

Introduction to the comprehensive visual language of drawing. Assignments and presentations expose students to numerous drawing approaches, including working with line, sighting, positive and negative shapes, value, and composition. Students apply these to form and space development, idea generation, and creative problem-solving. Critiques and presentations develop critical analysis skills and understanding of drawing in the context of art and design.

Biography

Elena Peteva works in painting, drawing and installation. She exhibits in the US and internationally, including: European Museum of Modern Art (Barcelona, Spain), Butler Institute of American Art (Ohio), Arnot Art Museum (New York), Fort Wayne Museum of Art (Indiana), Museum of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (Pennsylvania), and numerous contemporary art galleries. Her work is in public and private art collections, including Princeton University and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including three Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation grants.

“My work is an allegorical representation of our individual, social and global states.
The image functions as a subtle but charged signifier that creates a net of meaning. I seek a distilled representation, an impossible stillness that captures the ephemeral essence of “now”, the memory of the past and the sense of what is to come and creates a deeper reality. What I try to do in my work is define, present and illuminate things which are, perhaps, unrepresentable.”

Light
Light, detail
Cloud
Silence II
Silence II, detail
Mom in Transition III
Breath II
Offering
Offering
Offering
Passage I
Passage III

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