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Continuing Education at PAFA



CE Courses by Subject

Watercolor in the Park (Outdoor)

$295

with Keith Leitner

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 14, 2024 at 9 am, runs for 6 weeks

Sundays, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. 
Instructor: Keith Leitner 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only 

Register by April 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2024 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program, CA Certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.) 

Capture the colors of summer en plein air through vibrant watercolor! Become comfortable and confident with the practice of working outdoors at picturesque Lemon Hill, Laurel Hill, and other select locations around the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Fairmount Park. Instruction will cover means of accurately and expressively depicting outdoor sites, watercolor painting techniques, color mixing, and the history and capabilities of water media. All levels welcome. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations.    

Learning Objectives:    

  • Learn to observe and depict landscape and cityscape en plein air with attendant materials and set up  
  • Learn color mixing and watercolor application techniques  
  • Study of pigment history and development  
  • Learn about watercolor history via short discussions of painters and their motifs 

Image: Keith Leitner.

Register by: July 8
Materials List  
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 

Alla Prima Portrait Drawing and Painting (Online)

$295

with Al Gury

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 14, 2024 at 3 pm, runs for 6 weeks

Sundays, 3 – 4 p.m. (Interactive asynchronous Canvas content supported by weekly Zoom meetings) 
Instructor: Al Gury
Six-Week Condensed Course (30-hour Equivalent) 
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)
 

Register by April 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2024 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program, certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.) 

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 alla prima portrait painting and drawing. Working from photographs, masterworks, or available models, learn concepts that will not only improve your portrait painting and drawing, but also grow your confidence in your artistic practice. Video demonstrations, images, and written instructions on the online learning platform Canvas will be supplemented by critiques and weekly discussions. Oil painting will be the primary focus, but all media are welcome as well as all levels of experience. Class meetings will be held on Zoom, and Canvas will be used for assignments and class content.   

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $595. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering. 

Image: Al Gury, Beatrice, Oil on panel, 8 x 10 in.

Register by: July 8
Materials List
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses

Composition in Drawing and Painting (Online)

$295

with Al Gury

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 14, 2024 at 4:30 pm, runs for 6 weeks

Sundays, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. (Interactive asynchronous Canvas content supported by weekly Zoom meetings) 
Instructor: Al Gury
Six-Week Condensed Course (30-hour Equivalent)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below) 

Register by April 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2024 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program, certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.) 

An in-depth approach to understanding and using composition by Al Gury, Professor of Painting and Drawing at PAFA, and noted author of Alla Prima, Color for Painters, and Foundations of Drawing. This class presents practical skills and strategies for making strong compositions. Composition, the arrangement of images, shapes, forms, colors, values to form visual balance and strength within the pictorial frame of an artwork, will be explored through projects using still life, interiors, portraits, and landscapes. Each class will contain explanations of the visual compositional strategies in both historic and contemporary art, and extensive tactics for problem-solving and solutions, as well as a weekly assignment and critique of personal work. Class meetings will be held on Zoom, and Canvas will be used for assignments and class content. All media and levels of experience are welcome.  

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $595. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering. 

Image: Al Gury, Still Life with Crazy Quilt, 2022, 20 x 16 in.

Register by: July 8
Materials List 
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses 

The Portrait in Pencil Workshop (In-Person)

$205

with RA Friedman

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 20, 2024 at 9 am

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

Register by April 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2024 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program, CA Certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.)

Using inexpensive materials, this hands-on workshop will introduce the concepts and methods needed to create a strong sense of dimension and likeness in your portrait drawings. Explore the proportions and planes of the head, neck and shoulders. Learn how to create a structural foundation and how to easily manage anatomy by breaking down forms into simple geometric shapes. Instruction will address different strategies for creating a finished tonal portrait as well as tips and tricks that will help you draw like a pro! Note: Tuition includes a $10 models fee.

Image: RA Friedman. 

Register by: July 12
Materials List 
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Mixed Media Collage Workshop (Online)

$105

with Susan Sullivan

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 27, 2024 at 1 pm

Saturday and Sunday, 1 – 4 p.m. (Zoom with posted Canvas content)
Instructor: Susan Sullivan 
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only 

Register by April 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2024 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program, CA Certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.) 

Collage has the incredible capacity to combine disparate materials, text, and imagery into a single, coherent composition that is textural, colorful, and visually interesting or even surprising.  It also can serve as a great means of personal expression, story-telling, or self-exploration, combining objects from the artist’s life or surroundings. Explore the many ways you can create your own imagery through mixed media collage by examining composition, communication, and assembling techniques. Experiment with found objects, images, photo transfer, paint, ink, and dry media on various surfaces. Examine the collage and mixed media work by master artists such as Pablo Picasso, Hannah Hoch, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Richard Hamilton, Miriam Schapiro and Anselm Kiefer. This course is open to all levels, with no prior experience necessary. 

Image: Susan Sullivan, This is the only way I could think of contacting you, Mix Media, 7.25 x 6.75 in.

Register by: July 19
Materials List 
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses

The Art of Watercolor Workshop (In-Person)

$195

with Keith Leitner

Calendar Next available session starts Aug 3, 2024 at 9 am

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. 
Instructor: Keith Leitner 
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only 

Register by April 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2024 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program, CA Certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.) 

Discover the beauty and versatility of watercolor through colorful and thoughtful still life arrangements. Discussions and in-depth demonstrations will acquaint beginners and those with limited experience with basic watercolor painting materials and techniques. A variety of approaches will be explored, and students will be encouraged to engage with the medium to find their own personal means of expression.  

Image: Keith Leitner. 

Register by: July 26
Materials List  
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Spontaneous Abstraction (In-Person)

$225

with Kassem Amoudi

Calendar Next available session starts Aug 10, 2024 at 9 am

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. 
Instructor: Kassem Amoudi 
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only 

Register by April 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2024 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program, CA Certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.) 

Many artists can feel frustrated in front of a blank canvas, unsure of how to start and what to paint. This workshop offers a step-by-step technique which will enable you to paint with confidence by tapping into your intuitive process and finding inspiration more easily. Experienced instruction and advice from the instructor will push students to take chances and explore unexpected directions and accidental marks as a means of achieving artistic discoveries. Demonstration of different drawing and painting techniques will enhance your knowledge of the process of painting. Students will utilize line, color and space, as well as the possibilities of editing, to create busy/calm areas and focal points in their paintings. Painting experience recommended. 

Image: Kassem Amoudi, Windows and Doors 25, Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30 in.

Register by: August 2
Materials List 
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 

Drawing Fundamentals Intensive (In-Person)

$485

with Phyllis Laver

Calendar Next available session starts Aug 12, 2024 at 9 am, runs for 1 week

Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. 
Instructor: Phyllis Laver 
One-Week Intensive (30 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below) 

Register by April 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2024 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program, CA Certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.) 

If you’ve never drawn before, or your skills are a little rusty, then this class is for you. Learn to draw what you see with confidence. Work from still life arrangements, interior spaces, and the human figure to master the drawing elements: shape, contour line, composition, light and shadow, texture and perspective. Instruction will guide students through sight-drawing and measuring techniques, use of materials, shading methods, and ways of defining form and space. This course is excellent as a foundation for future study, including for painting and other disciplines.  Note: Tuition includes a $35 models fee. 

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $630 (including models fee). Select credit option with price adjustment when registering. 

Image: Phyllis Laver.

Register by: August 2
Materials List 
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 





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