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Alla Prima Watercolor Still Life (In-Person)
with Keith Leitner
Thursdays, 6 - 9 p.m.
Embrace the beauty and versatility of watercolor through alla prima painting. Discussions and in-depth demonstrations will acquaint beginners and those with limited experience with the basic materials and techniques. Working from still-life subjects, students will be encouraged to engage with the medium to find their own personal means of expression.
Image: Keith Leitner.
Register by: June 23
The Painter's Palate: Food Still Life Painting in Oil and Acrylic (Online)
with Susan Sullivan
Thursdays, 6 – 8 p.m.
Whet your appetite for painting by whipping up small food studies in oil or acrylic! Transform garden bounty, bakery confections, or lunchtime leftovers into masterpieces worthy of hanging in a kitchen or gallery. Alla prima still life painting is an excellent way to hone your color mixing and paint handling skills, and food is the perfect subject 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; conversation is free to include food memories, recipes, and recommendations. Examine food paintings 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: Allison Syvertsen, Ruins, oil on paper mounted on panel, 8 x 8 in.
Register by: June 23
All About Acrylics (In-Person)
with Frederic Kaplan
Fridays, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
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 paint a variety of subject matter, including still life arrangements and the life model. 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. This course includes a $10 models fee.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $705 (including model fee). Select credit option when registering.
Image: Fred Kaplan, Despina, 2019, acrylic panel, 12 X 12 in.
Register by: June 23
Metal Sculpture (In-Person)
with Steve Nocella
Fridays, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
This six-week condensed course teaches the basic skills needed for making metal sculpture. Learn fundamental methods of cutting, bending and welding metal such as sawing, heating, and MIG welding. Students will be encouraged to explore the medium with directness and spontaneity to gain a knowledge and understanding of its complexion. Note: Tuition includes a $60 lab fee.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $755 (including lab fee). Select credit option when registering.
Image: Judith Hoyt, Untitled, n.d., Wood, metal and paint, 9 1/4 x 8 1/2 in. (23.495 x 21.59 cm.). Collection of PAFA, Accession #2011.1.251, Art by Women Collection, Gift of Linda Lee Alter, Copyright © Judith Hoyt, Linda Lee Alter Collection of Art by Women.
Register by: June 23
Figure Painting: The Extended Pose (In-Person)
with David Wilson
Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Paint from a life model in a single pose for the entire course. Extended time with a single subject allows students to work with the instructor to tailor exercises that address their individual interests, including the development of one large image or several smaller studies. The first session will include time for gestural and thumbnail drawings in preparation for the model’s final placement. 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. Students are welcome to draw-only, or use other appropriate media, if they wish. Note: Tuition includes a $35 models fee.
Image: David Wilson, 2015.
Register by: June 23
Outdoors Inside: Flora Studies in Colored Pencil (In-Person)
with Michelle Oosterbaan
Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
When it's hot outside, bring the outdoors in to appreciate the color and intricacy of nature through drawing in color media. Working in colored pencil from gathered flora specimens such as leaves, flowering plants, fruit, and vegetables, explore line, form, value, and texture, as well as color principles and layering/mixing techniques. This course is excellent for students with an interest in natural history illustration or a love of nature, as well as for anyone seeking a straight-forward drawing or color course from still life subjects.
Image: Michelle Oosterbaan.
Register by: June 23
Watercolor Plunge (Online)
with Tony Rosati
Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Join Tony Rosati, PAFA BFA faculty and accomplished watercolorist, in this live Zoom class designed for those with little or no experience in watercolor. Acquire a thorough grounding in basic watercolor materials and techniques, including papers, brushes and pigments, as well as transparent and opaque painting methods. Gain the confidence to continue to work with watercolor beyond the workshop.
Image: Tony Rosati.
Register by: June 23
Alla Prima Landscape Painting (Online)
with Al Gury
Sundays, 3 - 4 p.m.
Al Gury, Professor of Painting and Drawing at PAFA, and noted author of Alla Prima, Color for Painters, and Foundations of Drawing, presents this in-depth approach to the skills, materials, colors, history, and techniques of direct, alla prima landscape painting. Working from photographs, masterworks, or available on-site images, learn concepts that will not only improve your landscape painting but also grow your confidence in your artistic practice. Video demonstrations, images, and written instructions on PAFA’s online learning platform, Canvas, will be supplemented by critiques and weekly Zoom discussions. Oil painting will be the primary focus, but all media as well as all levels of experience are welcome. Class meetings will be held on Zoom, and Canvas will be used for assignments and class content.
Optional: This is a Condensed Course, available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $595. Select credit option when registering.
Image: Al Gury, A Walk in the Hills, 2022, 12 x 9 in.
Register by: June 23