Painting consists of an ongoing dialogue between the present and the past. This dialogue is filled with conflicting visions, concepts and philosophies involving the personal and the political, the individual and the social. It provides the context within which the art object we call a painting was and continues to be crafted and viewed. Lamar University's painting curriculum includes many opportunities for the development of skill and personal vision. Students are exposed to a variety of approaches to painting including diverse media, historical and contemporary techniques, color theory, the chemistry and physics of paint and painting supports, the presentation of paintings and, most importantly, faculty guidance in the student's process of self-discovery. Supported by a rigorous drawing curriculum, students work with individually assigned problems in painting toward the achievement of mastery.