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Urban Landscape Drawing (Outdoor)
with Frederic Kaplan
Fridays, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Capture Philadelphia’s picturesque historic and commercial architecture, using fundamental observational drawing techniques. Learn simple methods for applying the principles of linear and atmospheric perspective to your drawings, giving them dimension and depth. Students at all experience levels are welcome, with instruction designed to appeal both to those who enjoy portraying landscape subjects in the open air and to students seeking to hone their basic drawing skills. This course takes place in easy-to-access Central Philadelphia and University City locations. Restrooms are available near all sites. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to drawing locations.
Image: Student artwork.
Register by: May 17
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Comprehensive Portrait Sculpture (In-Person)
with Morgan Dummitt
Tuesdays, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Instructor: Morgan Dummitt
Six-Week Condensed Course (36 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)
Modeling the portrait in clay is a foundational skill of traditional sculpture. Working from a model, learn to create a portrait from composition to completed sculpture. Instruction for this uniquely comprehensive course will encompass learning to build an armature, modeling the form in clay, and casting in plaster to preserve the finished artwork. Topics of study will include proportion, composition, structure, and simplified sculptural form.
This class consists of six meetings, which will be divided as follows:
Week 1- 4: Full day clay modeling
Weeks 5 - 6: Full day plaster casting
Note: Course tuition includes a $50 model fee.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $745 (including models fee). Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.
Image: Morgan Dummitt.
Register by: May 22
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Masters' Guide to Abstract Painting (Online)
with Susan Sullivan
Tuesdays, 6 – 8:30 p.m. (Zoom with posted Canvas content)
Instructor: Susan Sullivan
Ten-Week Course (30-Hour Equivalent)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)
Abstraction in art can look like a variety of different things, from the painterly glow of a Turner seascape to the flattened patterns of a Matisse interior to Pollock’s nonobjective drip technique. But how does one get from painting realistically what one can see in the real world to translating it into invented color and shape or to abandoning form altogether? Learn from master artists throughout modern art history by trying on their techniques to find your own personal style! Explore different paint application methods, color interactions, and compositional tactics as you take on different subjects, including still life, interiors, landscape, and the figure or self-portrait…using the examples of Helen Frankenthaler, David Hockney, Mickalene Thomas, and other master artists to guide you. Each session will include lecture and artist examples, in-class painting time, and one-on-one feedback from the instructor. Whether you are seeking to drive your current work to a new direction or simply experiment with different ways of generating imagery, this is a great steppingstone to making abstraction – in whatever form it may take – personal, expressive, and satisfying. Open to all media and levels but drawing experience recommended.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $595. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.
Image: Susan Sullivan, Pool Puddle, Oil on canvas, 20 x 20 in.
Register by: May 17
Materials List
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses
Painting over the Line (In-Person)
with Kassem Amoudi
Wednesdays, 1 - 4 p.m.*
Instructor: Kassem Amoudi
Ten-Week Course (30 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)
Note: This previously online class is currently being offered in-person.
Learn to explore new possibilities and paint more intuitively under the guidance of artist/critic/mentor Kassem Amoudi! Work from personal subject matter (objects, images, emotions, or ideas) to find your own visual language, informed by examples from contemporary and modern art. Examine how to use concepts of color, harmony, focal point, space, and mark-making as powerful tools of personal expression. Open painting is heavily supported by critiques and advice from the instructor as he works one-on-one with each student to guide them in their personal style and goals. This course is excellent for students pursuing abstract or nonobjective imagery, seeking knowledgeable feedback and a focused community painting environment. Painting experience recommended.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $595. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.
*Note: No class on June 19 for Juneteenth holiday.
Image: Kassem Amoudi, On the Way Home 7, Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30 in.
Register by: May 24
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Plein Air Painting in Gouache (Outdoor)
with Michelle Oosterbaan
Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Instructor: Michelle Oosterbaan
Five-Week Short Course (20 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Gouache (opaque watercolor paint) is the perfect medium for landscape painting in the open air! Painters of all levels will fall in love with it as a portable, fast-drying, and easy-to-clean-up alternative to oils. Explore gouache’s subtle but vibrant color and versatile application methods as you portray the beauty of Philadelphia’s parks in your own personal style. Learn techniques for choosing a composition, mixing color, and working efficiently outdoors as you complete a series of rapid sketches and at least one sustained painting. Open to all levels. Painting locations featuring shade, restrooms, and other amenities may include Wissahickon Park in Mt. Airy, Washington Square Park near Independence Hall, and Bartram's Garden in Southwest Philadelphia. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations.
Image: Michelle Oosterbann.
Register by: May 24
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Figure as a Point of Departure Workshop (Online)
with Kassem Amoudi
Friday – Sunday, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. (Live Zoom Only)
Instructor: Kassem Amoudi
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only
If you are tired of getting lost in the details and traditional modes of representational painting and want to take a risk by exploring new ways of expressing the human form, this class is for you. Learn to paint and draw the human figure in a looser, more expressionistic contemporary manner. Expert instruction and advice from the instructor will push students to work more intuitively, allowing unplanned marks and passages to become artistic breakthroughs. PowerPoint presentations and examples of contemporary ways of using the figure will be provided to enhance your understanding of the abstract qualities of space, line and color. Sessions will include live painting time in the style of a traditional classroom environment, with critiques and advice from the instructor as he works one-on-one with each student. Open to all levels of figure drawing/painting experience, but students should have experience with using their materials of choice. Note: Due to the emphasis on live instructor feedback and in-class painting, this Zoom class is not recorded.
Image: Kassem Amoudi, Shadow 3 (detail), acrylic on canvas.
Register by: May 31
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Painless Perspective Workshop (In-Person)
with Frederic Kaplan
Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Perspective is at the heart of good drawing. It allows us to transform the 3D world into a believable 2D image, and it need not be difficult to understand. With still life and interiors as subject matter, learn basic principles and simple methods presented in clear language and without the need for special tools or complex geometry. This workshop serves as a good foundation for further study in drawing. A modest amount of previous drawing experience is recommended.
Image: Fred Kaplan.
Register by: June 14
Materials List
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Botanical Drawing and Painting Intensive (In-Person)
with Linda Gist
Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Instructor: Linda Gist
One-Week Intensive (30 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)
Explore flowers and other natural forms, beginning with line and value drawing and progressing to full-color rendering in watercolor and mixed media. Topics will include sighting techniques, line quality, tone and value, creation of depth, composition, texture, and basic color. All levels welcome. Tuition includes a $15 materials fee for floral subjects, provided.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $610 (including materials fee). Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.
Image: Linda Gist.
Register by: June 14
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies