The act of transmuting surplus and spent material into artistic expression not only has environmental impact, but is also an excellent exercise of one's creative abilities as well. This course will have two areas of focus: We will consider the potential of materials and their creative application, and we will explore working methods that emphasize improvisation. Students will create projects with a minimum of planning: no rough sketches or preliminary layouts. The development of spontaneity, problem solving and resourcefulness is the goal. Projects will be executed and completed in class-one assignment per session with a final artwork that will extend over three weeks. Typical assignments include: working from the live model, a portrait of oneself as an opposite, employing a few random phrases that will serve as the basis for an illustration, working from a grab bag of supplied materials. A wide range of techniques will be explored, using materials that include (but are not limited to) all kinds of paper, 3D objects, matte medium, an assortment of glues, drawings, photographs, and other things that occur to us along the way.