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All CE Fall 2026 Regular Courses and Workshops
Small Worlds: Small Format Oil Painting
with Shushana Rucker
Mondays, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Instructor: Shushana Rucker
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.
This six-week course focuses on the specific skills needed to successfully create small and miniature oil paintings. Students will learn how to adjust composition, simplify forms, and control detail so that images read clearly at a smaller size. Students will learn painting strategies which will make working at a smaller scale more approachable. Working from observation and/or reference, students will also explore how value, edges, and color relationships function differently in a compact format. Through demonstrations, exercises, and critique, participants will build confidence in making clear, deliberate decisions that suit the demands of painting small.
Register by: October 26
Materials List
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.
Fast and Unfussed Oil Painting
with Roger Chavez
Tuesdays, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Instructor: Roger Chavez
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.
Cultivate fluid mark-making and bold approaches to subject matter through rapid and loose painting studies. Tight and precise painting, especially in the early stages of an artwork, can sometimes lead to work that appears stiff and over-labored, or to locked-in compositions that are difficult to change or correct. Working from the still life, cityscapes, and the life model, utilize short, small painting exercises to learn new ways of starting paintings, keeping compositions open to adjustment, and both initiating and retaining a sense of freshness in your forms and brushstrokes. Instruction will address color mixing, painting materials and methodologies, and the importance of cultivating viablemethods for growth in your painting practice. Discover the beauty and freedom of loosening up your painting! Note: Tuition includes a $15 models fee.
Image: Roger Chavez
Register by: October 27
Materials List
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.
Creative Ceramics: Functional Forms
with Matthew Courtney
Tuesdays, 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Instructor: Matthew Courtney
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.
Combine practicality and creativity through the art of sculpting and throwing functional ceramics. Create bowls, platters, vessels, and more that you can both use and admire every day. Through hands-on instruction and practice, learn essential hand-building techniques such as pinching, slab-building, coil-building, and surface treatments, as well as the basics of how to throw on a pottery wheel. Instruction will cover principles of form, texture, balance, and proportion, in addition to the fundamentals of the firing process. Develop your sculpting skills in a supportive and inspiring environment, and come away with handmade artworks that are both usable and personally expressive. Open to both beginners and experienced artists. Tuition includes a $30 lab fee.
Image: Student work, courtesy of Matthew Courtney.
Register by: October 27
Materials List
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.
The Figure in Clay Workshop
with Colleen O'Donnell
Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Instructor: Colleen O'Donnell
Weekend Workshop
Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.
Learn the techniques and tools of figure sculpture through demonstration and hands-on sculpting from the model. Explore anatomy, proportion, gesture, and design through the versatility of clay. Personal expression will be emphasized though representational and abstract approaches. Open to all levels and perfect for beginners. Tuition includes a $35 models fee.
Register by: October 30
Materials List
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.
Water, Water, Everywhere: Painting Water in Watercolor Workshop
with James Toogood
Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Instructor: James Toogood
Weekend Workshop
Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.
Water: It’s all around us -- streams, rivers, lakes, oceans, atmospheric effects, and more. It's a key ingredient in watercolor painting, regardless of the subject matter. But how does the artist create the illusion of water in a painting, regardless of the medium? This two-day workshop will present key tactics an artist can employ when painting bodies of water. Examine the nature of reflections, water movement, how water appears under various weather and lighting conditions, and more. Instruction includes demonstrations of how to incorporate various water effects in your own work and a review of the ways master artists historically have portrayed water in their paintings over the years. Open to all levels.
Register by: November 6
Materials List
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.
Color Matters Workshop (ONLINE)
with Kassem Amoudi
Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM ,
Instructor: Kassem Amoudi
Weekend Online Workshop (Zoom Only)
Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.
Elevate the role of color and learn how to incorporate it both strategically and intuitively into your paintings under the guidance of artist/critic/mentor Kassem Amoudi. Examine concepts of temperature, value, saturation, and harmony/contrast through color relationships. Explore color’s role in creating focal points, suggesting space, influencing mark, and promoting personal expression. Work from personal subject matter (objects, images, emotions, or ideas) to develop your personal style, informed by examples from contemporary and modern art. Painting experience recommended.
Register by: November 13
Materials List
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.
Palette Knife Painting Workshop
with Shushana Rucker
Saturday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Instructor: Shushana Rucker
Weekend Workshop
Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.
The painting knife is an important accompaniment to the brush for creating textural effects, expressive marks, and broad planes of color. Learn how to use this tool to achieve bold lines, crisp edges, and even fine details while working from still life or reference imagery. Explore color, texture, and painterly application as you expand your range of painting techniques for your own representational or abstract work.
Register by: November 30
Materials List
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.