Open studio access: 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. daily, 15 weeks, September 9 - December 20. (No access during Thanksgiving Break, November 28 - December 1.) 

Critiques:  Four individual critiques, by sign-up, with selected critic.  Dates TBA (one per month, September – December). See available days/times attached to each critic.  Bonus group critique and/or group events with the adjacent/instructed Taking the Leap studio program subject to scheduling availability.   

Critics (students select ONE):  

• Jill A. Rupinski (Thursdays, critique slots starting at 1 p.m.) 
• Bruce Samuelson (Tuesdays, critique slots starting at 1 p.m.) 

Credit: Non-credit  

Maintain your studio practice and push your work to new levels amidst a thriving arts environment of classes and working degree students on PAFA’s campus – with the benefit of the expert advice of PAFA’s leading critics! Students participating in this program will pursue their own independent work under the focused guidance of one critic, PAFA appointed faculty Jill A. Rupinski or Bruce Samuelson (selected during registration), for one-on-one critique and discussion four times per semester (once monthly). Possible additional group critique or other opporunities may be available, pending scheduling.

Tuition for this fifteen-week/full-semester program will confer an individual studio space in PAFA’s Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building for self-guided studio time with monthly critiques from the selected faculty-critic. Studios for this program are approximately 9 x 16 feet (144 sq. ft.), white-walled, with an easel and stool provided (students are responsible for additional furniture or equipment needs). Students have two studio options (select preference during registration):  

• Studios within a group space are located side-by-side within a private, key-secured corridor for an engaging community atmosphere. Each space is curtained (no individually locked doors), opening out to the corridor’s large east-facing windows for the benefit of abundant natural light. 
  
  
• Interior studios spaces (not located along PAFA’s windowed exterior walls) offer increased privacy with individual lockable doors, without natural light. FULL -- This option no longer available.
  

This studio-rental program is designed for experienced visual artists and alumni who can work independently and will benefit from constructive feedback on their artwork. For students needing more guidance in their individual studio practice or anyone preferring a format of weekly interaction, artistic prompts, and increased community support, PAFA’s alternative CE studio rental program, Taking the Leap to Start and Advance Your Studio Practice (with Instruction), is a great option with benefits designed to launch your studio practice!  

Note: Registration requires an additional $200 studio deposit that is refundable upon satisfactory return of the studio to its original condition at the end of the program. Students must agree to and sign PAFA’s studio agreement form. Membership and early registration discounts cannot be applied to course tuition, but students are eligible to receive 10% off additional Fall CE courses to supplement their studio pursuits. 

Image: Bruce Samuelson, Untitled (Facing Figure), pastel and charcoal on rag board, 24 x 19 in.

Registration Deadline: Rolling, on a space-available basis. Late registration (after program start date) available. 

Materials List (PAFA-Approved Materials)  

Fall CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 

Open studio access: 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. daily, 15 weeks, September 9 - December 20, with weekly instruction on Thursdays. (No access during Thanksgiving Break, November 28 - December 1.)

Weekly Meetings/Studio-Visits:  Thursdays, September 12 - December 12, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. (No class on November 28 or December 19.)

Instructor/Lead Critic: Roger Chavez

Credit: Non-credit or 1.0 undergraduate credits (see description)

Taking the leap to start or cultivate an art-making practice in a private studio space can be both exciting and daunting. Learn how to create work and stay motivated on your own terms in this new and unique combination studio-rental and classroom course! Tuition for this fifteen-week/full-semester program will confer an individual studio space in PAFA’s Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building, as well as weekly meetings for critique and instruction on a variety of artist’s concerns led by artist-instructor/critic Roger Chavez. Studios for this program are approximately 9 x 16 feet (144 sq. ft.), white-walled, with easel and stool provided (students are responsible for additional furniture or equipment needs). Students have two studio options (select preference during registration): 

• Studios within a group space are located side-by-side within a private, key-secured corridor for an engaging community atmosphere. Each space is curtained (no individually locked doors), opening out to the corridor’s large east-facing windows for the benefit of abundant natural light.
  
  
• Interior studios spaces (not located along PAFA’s windowed exterior walls) offer increased privacy with individual lockable doors, without natural light. FULL -- This option no longer available.

Weekly meetings will feature both one-on-one in-studio critiques/discussions as well as group instruction on art topics designed to motivate and assist you in your work, including drawing sessions from models, assignment prompts, materials and techniques demonstrations, museum visits, and critiques from guest critics. This class is perfect for artists of varying levels of experience wanting to jumpstart or advance their personal practice, for students considering application to a studio-centered certificate or degree program, or for anyone lacking a home studio and seeking a space to pursue their work -- with the motivation and encouragement that come from being part of an artistic community! Participants will benefit from some prior art-making experience and the ability to work independently.

Note: Registration requires an additional $200 studio deposit that is refundable upon satisfactory return of the studio to its original condition at the end of the program. Students must agree to and sign PAFA’s studio agreement form. Membership and early registration discounts cannot be applied to course tuition, but students are eligible to receive 10% off additional Fall CE courses to supplement their studio pursuits.

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $2,450. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.

Image: Instructor Roger Chavez in studio.

See Also:  Experienced studio artists intersted in a studio program with feedback but without the benefit of weekly guidance may be interested in CE Studio Rental: Advanced Studio with Critique, which offers self-guided studio time with monthly critiques with one of PAFA's esteemed faculty critics for periodic feedback and expert advice.

Registration Deadline: Rolling, on a space-available basis. Late registration (after first weekly meeting) available.

Materials List (PAFA-Approved Materials) 

Fall CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Tuesdays, 1 - 4 p.m. (Live Zoom Only) 
Instructor: Kassem Amoudi 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

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. Zoom sessions feature open painting time, supported by critiques and advice from the instructor as he works one-on-one with each student to guide them toward their goals. This course is excellent for students seeking to promote their use of color in abstract/nonobjective imagery and anyone seeking knowledgeable feedback within a focused community painting environment.  Painting experience recommended. 

Image: Kassem Amoudi.

Register by: October 25 
Materials List
Fall 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses

Thursdays, 6 – 9 p.m.
Instructor: Phyllis Laver
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

For students seeking to expand their beginning drawing skills or those new to working from the figure, this class will focus on applying drawing’s basic elements to the human form.  Starting from Antique and Classical sculpture from PAFA’s cast collection and progressing to work from the life model in short and long poses, work in charcoal and graphite to explore figure-based concepts of gesture, proportions, anatomy, and expression. Instruction will cover sight-drawing and measuring techniques, use of materials, gauging value, and ways of defining form and space. This course is excellent as a foundation for future study in any discipline or for more advanced figure-based work.  Note: This part 2 course includes the use of nude models. Tuition includes a $35 models fee.  

This class is part 2 of an optional 2-part course!  See also Drawing Fundamentals: Line and Form for more foundational instruction. Students are welcome to enroll in either or both parts; Line and Form is not required as a prerequisite to Cast and Figure but is recommended for students with little or no drawing experience.  

*No classes during Thanksgiving Break, November 28 – December 1. 

Image: Doug Brown, Roberta, 2022, charcoal on paper, 20 x 26.5 in.

Register by: October 25 

Materials List

Fall 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Fridays 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. (Zoom with posted Canvas content) 
Instructor: Colleen O'Donnell
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

NEW! Please note updated length, dates, and tuition price for this course!

Explore alternative ways of conceptualizing and creating mixed-media art. 2D and 3D techniques have been an essential part of modern art history, as evinced in the poetic artworks of Joseph Cornell, politically charged assemblages of Betye Saar, revealing works of Eileen Agaar, and whimsy of Robert Rauschenberg. Push your art-making process to a new level by combining 2D and 3D art into a contemporary expression of your own. Intrinsically engage awareness while drawing on design elements to reflect a point of view and a moment in time. Perfect for working from home: pull your art from found objects, day-to-day articles, momentos, and collected papers, cloth, and photos easily at hand for a more personal experience! Each week discover your unique expression while bringing new work into existence. 

Image: Mixed Media Explorations student work by Diana Myers.

Register by: October 25

Materials List 

Fall 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 

Information for PAFA CE Online Courses

Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 1p.m.*
Instructor: David Wilson
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Paint from a life model in poses of varying lengths to develop and refine your figure painting compositions. Extended poses will allow students to adjust and resolve issues of surface, color, and composition. Instruction will cover a variety of topics including glazing, broken color, surface texture, composition and design, the relationship of the figure to the environment, the creation of atmosphere and color harmony, disrupted realism, and open- versus closed-form painting. All levels welcome. Instruction will be geared toward oil, but students are welcome to draw-only, or use other appropriate media, if they wish. Note: Tuition includes a $35 models fee. 

*No classes during Thanksgiving Break, November 28 – December 1. 

Register by: October 25  
Materials List  
Fall 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Mondays, 12:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Instructor: Anthony Ciambella 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Mixed media art and collage offer a myriad of possibilities to combine papers, photographs, and 3D elements to make a statement, convey something personal, or create something textural, colorful, and beautiful.  Develop rich and complex imagery finding inspiration from memory, literature, films, and other sources, while working in a wide variety of traditional and non-traditional materials. Sessions will discuss the characteristics of adhesives, paper and fabric cut-outs, wood, and plastics. Students will receive one-on-one instruction and participate in open discussions about their ideas and work. Topics include construction, storage and presentation strategies. Open to all levels.  

Register by: October 28 
Materials List  
Fall 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Tuesdays, 6 – 8 p.m. (Zoom with posted Canvas Content)
Instructor: Susan Sullivan
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Whet your appetite for painting by whipping up food studies in oil or acrylic! Alla prima still life painting is an excellent way to hone your color mixing and paint handling skills, and food subjects – whether bakery confections or lunchtime leftovers – are perfect for learning to capture form, light, color, and texture rapidly and expressively. Discussion and demonstration will cover tactics for setting up your composition, mixing color, and exploring paint application techniques for oil and acrylic. Examine food depictions from historical and contemporary artists for inspiration and admiration. Combine palette and palate to create compositional concoctions that are personal, whimsical, or visually delectable. Instruction is geared toward oil or acrylic painting, but students may work in their drawing/painting media of choice. All levels are welcome. 

Image: Susan Sullivan.

Register by: November 1 

Materials List  

Fall 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 

Information for PAFA CE Online Courses