Your browser is not optimized for viewing this website.

More information »

Continuing Education at PAFA



CE Courses by Medium/Discipline

Fast and Unfussed Oil Painting (In-Person)

$310

with Roger Chavez

Calendar Next available session starts Nov 4, 2025 at 9 am, runs for 6 weeks

Tuesdays, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Instructor: Roger Chavez 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours) 

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 28 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies  

Litho Light (In-Person)

$315

with Kandice Fields Portalatin

Calendar Next available session starts Nov 5, 2025 at 12:30 pm, runs for 6 weeks

Wednesdays, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Instructor: Kandice Fields Portalatin
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours) 

Explore lithography through non-toxic, easy-to-learn paper plate and polyester plate processes in this excellent entry-point printmaking class. Students will work with toner-based drawings tolearn the fundamental principles of using grease and water resistance to produce prints.Instruction will cover drawing methods using toner or Sharpie, plate processing, hand-printing, and layering techniques. Students will come away with: 

  • The demystification of lithography through simple, approachable methods 
  • Experience using sustainable alternatives to traditional stone and metal plates
  • Strengthened drawing/mark-making skills in a new medium
  • A small edition of alternative litho prints

Tuition includes a $20 lab fee.

Image: Kandice Fields Portalatin, I pick up my life and take it with me (Quilted) (detail), lithograph, 11 x 14 in.

Register by: October 29 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies  

Handmade Papermaking: Sheetforming (In-Person)

$245

with Clay Tenhula

Calendar Next available session starts Nov 8, 2025 at 9 am

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Instructor: Clay Tenhula
Weekend Workshop 

Learn the traditional methods and materials of hand-papermaking in PAFA’s state-of-the-art Richard C. von Hess Papermaking Studio! This workshop will focus on sheet production. Instruction will familiarize students with the rules and practices of the studio, introduce new students to the basics of handmade papermaking, and challenge those with papermaking experience to try new techniques or fibers. Students will have supervised time to practice techniques in pulling paper with the mould and deckle, pressing using a hydraulic press, and drying with a restrained dried system. Students of all disciplines and levels are encouraged to bring their ideas to this tactile medium. Tuition includes a $50 lab fee which covers all supplies.  See materials list for clothing/studio considerations. 

Note: This is Workshop 1 of 2 independent papermaking classes. Students can enroll in one or both workshops; the first class is not required for enrollment into the second.

Image: Clay Tenhula

Register by: October 31 
Materials List
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies  

Painting Metal and Glass Workshop (In-Person)

$195

with Frederic Kaplan

Calendar Next available session starts Nov 8, 2025 at 9 am

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan 
Weekend Workshop 

Highly reflective and transparent/translucent surfaces, such as metal and glass, can be a challenge for oil painters to represent accurately: distortions, abrupt shifts in value, and color influences by surrounding objects can make it difficult for the artist to discern what they are actually seeing or how to capture these effects. Through straightforward demonstrations, learn logical step-by-step approaches for painting each of these challenging subjects, and follow up with hands-on practice working from glass- and metal-themed still life arrangements. Prior drawing and painting experience strongly recommended. Note: This workshop is designed for oil painters, but acrylic painters are also welcome.

Image: Frederic Kaplan

Register by: October 31 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies  

The Figure in Clay Workshop (In-Person)

$230

with Colleen O'Donnell

Calendar Next available session starts Nov 8, 2025 at 9 am

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Instructor: Colleen O'Donnell 
Weekend Workshop 

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.

Image: Colleen O’Donnell

Register by: October 31 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies  

Water, Water, Everywhere: How to Paint Water in All Media (In-Person)

$225

with James Toogood

Calendar Next session starts Nov 15, 2025 at 9 am

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Instructor: James Toogood 
Weekend Workshop

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. Demonstrations will be conducted in watercolor, but instruction presents valuable information for painters of all media.

Image: James Toogood.

Register by: November 7 
Materials List
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies  

Full Course

Color Matters Workshop (Online)

$175

with Kassem Amoudi

Calendar Next available session starts Nov 22, 2025 at 10 am

Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. (Zoom Only)
Instructor: Kassem Amoudi 
Weekend Workshop 

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 KassemAmoudi in this condensed two-day workshop. 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 to guide students toward their goals. This course is excellent for students seeking to jumpstart their use of color in abstract/nonobjective imagery. Painting experience recommended. 

Image: Kassem Amoudi

Register by: November 14 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies  
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses

Advanced Portrait Drawing Workshop (In-Person)

$205

with RA Friedman

Calendar Next available session starts Dec 6, 2025 at 9 am

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Instructor: RA Friedman
Weekend Workshop 

This intensive workshop is designed for those looking to push their portrait drawing abilities toward the professional level. Demonstrations and in-class exercises will open up how you see, think, and approach the creation of a likeness, avoiding common pitfalls. Explore subtleties of form and the relationships of lines, planes and tones, capturing the character and energy of the subject. Additionally, instruction will cover facial expressions and deep anatomy of the face, neck, and upper body. Drawing will be primarily in graphite pencil and stick. Introductory portrait drawing or equivalent recommended. Note: Tuition includes a $10 models fee.

Image: RA Friedman

Register by: December 1
Materials List
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies  





Forgot password?
Staff Log In