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Continuing Education at PAFA

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Holistic Figure Drawing (In-Person)

$590

with John Horn

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 2, 2024 at 9 am, runs for 6 weeks

Tuesdays, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. 
Instructor: John Horn
Six-Week Condensed Course (36 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

Develop your ability to render the human form through the time-honored combination of anatomical study and life drawing.  Learn the methods and technical skills traditionally associated with beautiful figure drawing, such as measuring, tonal rendering, anatomical structuring, and establishing the effects of light on the figure, using graphite on white paper, charcoal and chalk on toned paper, and reduction techniques. Through the instructor’s in-depth anatomical drawing demonstrations and work from the life model, learn the structural aspects of the human form: basic landmarks, essential volumes, and proportional relationships. Progress to the main muscle groups to identify their surface effects and aesthetic characteristics, and how they influence mass and movement. Learn to incorporate your knowledge of figure anatomy to capture the elegance, dynamism, and subtleties of the human form through drawing from the model in short and extended poses. This course is ideal for anyone interested in strengthening their figure drawing, painting, or sculpture skills, as well as for those interested in future medical illustration.  Note: Tuition includes a $50 models fee. 

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $745 (including models fee). Select credit option with price adjustment when registering. 

Image: John Horn.

Register by: June 24
Materials List 
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 

Impasto Painting (Online)

$250

with Charles Muldowney

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 2, 2024 at 10 am, runs for 6 weeks

Tuesdays, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. (Zoom with posted Canvas content)
Instructor: Charles Muldowney 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Impasto is a technique in which paint is applied in very thick layers, often with visible brush or painting-knife strokes, to impart texture, expression, or even sculptural effects.  Impasto techniques have been an essential part of painting history, from the underlying vigorous brushwork of Renaissance artists to the distinctive mark-making of past and contemporary masters such as Rembrandt, Van Gogh, de Kooning, Soutine, Lucian Freud, and Auerbach. Learn techniques to build a thick, textured surface to find your own unique impasto style in this course. 

Learning Objectives 

  • Students will learn the history of the impasto painting technique. 
  • Students will gain confidence in applying thick spontaneous layers of paint. 
  • Students will loosen up and discover how to create a unique mark making signature. 
  • Students will learn how to paint with a pallet knife and other tools. · Students will discover the difference between direct and indirect painting. 
  • Students will learn the important techniques of glazing, velatura, scumbling and dry brush. 

Image: Charles Muldowney. 

Register by: June 24
Materials List  
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses 

Abstract Drawing/Mixed-Media: 10 Rules for Art Students (In-Person)

$295

with Keith Leitner

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 2, 2024 at 1 pm, runs for 6 weeks

Tuesdays, 1 - 4 p.m. 
Instructor: Keith Leitner 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Artist, philosopher, and influential 20th-century composer John Cage, along with artist and educator Sister Corita Kent, developed a set of 10 Rules for Students and Teachers to encourage artistic production. Learn to apply these valuable guidelines to your own creative processes to find useful and meaningful ways of generating ideas, moving past ruts or stumbling blocks, and maintaining a steady and productive studio practice.  This hands-on drawing/mixed-media class will utilize engaging exercises to challenge you to go beyond your comfort zone and find inspiration in chance, impediments, and simply your coffee cup. Work on paper in your choice of media from imagination or prompts to explore means of building abstract imagery through personal means of mark-making and layering.  Instruction will be supplemented by discussions of the artists who encouraged Cage and those who were influenced by him.  This class is geared toward students with some prior art-making experience but is perfect for those who are launching their artistic career/studies, artists returning to the studio after an absence, and anyone seeking inspiration and stimulation for their art-making practice.  

Image: Keith Leitner.

Register by: June 24
Materials List  
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Watercolor: Depicting the Natural World (Online)

$250

with Roberto Osti

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 3, 2024 at 2 pm, runs for 6 weeks

Wednesdays, 2 – 4:30 p.m. (Zoom with posted Canvas content)
Instructor: Roberto Osti 
Six-Week Short Course (18-Hour Equivalent)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

The natural world is an infinite and fantastic source of inspiration for the artist, and the versatility and luminosity of watercolor make it the perfect technique for recording nature in a fresh and fun way.  In this course, learn fundamental drawing techniques and essential watercolor techniques to create both quick field sketches and detailed, finished artworks. Subject matter will include flowers, plants, and animals. Reference images will be gathered through observational sketches and photography.  An ideal course for those interested in both the fine arts and the Illustration field. 

Image: Roberto Osti.

Register by: June 24
Materials List 
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses 

Foundry: An Introduction (In-Person)

$605

with Morgan Dummitt

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 11, 2024 at 9 am, runs for 6 weeks

Thursdays, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. 
Instructor: Morgan Dummitt 
Six-Week Condensed Course (36 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

This course will cover all aspects of the foundry process. Demonstrations and hands-on instruction will be given in wax modeling and casting, ceramic shell techniques, bronze pouring, metal chasing, TIG welding and patination. All levels welcome.  Note: Tuition includes a $65 lab fee.  

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $760 (including lab fee). Select credit option with price adjustment when registering. 

Image: Morgan Dummitt, Hygieia (detail), 2023, Bronze, 27 x 11 x 8 in.

Register by: July 5
Materials List  
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 

The Portrait in Oil (In-Person)

$590

with Al Gury

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 11, 2024 at 9 am, runs for 6 weeks

Thursdays, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. 
Instructor: Al Gury 
Six-Week Condensed Course (36 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

Paint portraits from a variety of models using the direct painting method. Examine the proportions and volumes of the head, as well as the placement, structure, and characteristics of the facial features, through preliminary drawings and demonstrations. Develop color using a limited palette to understand how to use chroma, temperature, value, tint, and tone. Instruction will address materials, composition, paint handling, and color mixing, blending, and theory. Homework assignments working from photos, Masterworks, or oneself/others will encourage students to learn to make personal aesthetic and technical choices and to practice concepts addressed in class. Open to all levels, this course is excellent for beginners as well as experienced students who want to review fundamental techniques or who simply enjoy painting portraits from life. Note: Course tuition includes a $50 model fee. 

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $745 (including models fee). Select credit option with price adjustment when registering. 

Image: Al Gury

Register by: July 3
Materials List
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 

All About Acrylics (In-Person)

$295

with Frederic Kaplan

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 12, 2024 at 9 am, runs for 6 weeks

Fridays, 9 a.m - 12 p.m. 
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

This complete acrylic painting course covers basics to advanced methods. Learn to use quick-drying acrylics expertly in thin, transparent layers as well as thicker, more opaque applications that produce textural and impasto effects. Materials like fluid mediums, gels, and pastes will be demonstrated, along with both brush and palette knife techniques. Several different color palettes will be introduced as students work from still life subjects. This course is ideal for students looking for a non-toxic, flexible painting medium, as well as anyone seeking to explore acrylics’ excellent potential for representational and abstract work. Drawing experience is recommended.   

Image: Fred Kaplan. 

Register by: July 5
Materials List  
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 

In-Depth Watercolor, Session 2 (In-Person)

$675

with James Toogood

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 12, 2024 at 9 am, runs for 6 weeks

Fridays, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. 
Instructor: James Toogood 
Six-Week Condensed Course (42 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.5 Undergraduate Credits (See Below)

Enrich your knowledge of painting with an in-depth look at watercolor. Thoroughly investigate a wide range of watercolor materials and techniques from your choice of landscape, still life, portrait, and figure subjects. Open to watercolorists of all levels and to acrylic/oil painters looking to broaden their skills.  

Learning Objectives  

  • Students will learn about color theory as applied to watercolor.  
  • Students will receive a comprehensive explanation of watercolor materials and tools, with particular focus will be paid to the properties of paint and pigments as they interact with the paintbrushes and paper.  
  • Through both discussions and demonstrations, first time participants and beginners will learn a variety of techniques that are fundamental to watercolor, presented in a systematic step by step method. Participants can expect to have regular individual instruction, given at their current skill level.  
  • Focus also will be paid on acquiring the skills needed to achieve a richness of color and a feeling of light.  
  • Participants will work from direct observations from the still life and model, as well as from one’s own source materials.  
  • Those not taking the class for credit will have the option to work on landscape, still life, portrait and figure or abstraction, as they wish.  
  • Participants will be exposed to a variety of watercolor styles and encouraged to discover one’s own personal aesthetic.  
  • The course is ultimately designed to equip participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to make accomplished, personally rewarding watercolor paintings.   

Optional: This Condensed Course is available for 1.5 undergraduate credits for $995. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering. 

Image: James Toogood, Venice

Register by: July 5
Materials List
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies





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