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CE Six-Week Condensed Courses
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Oil/Acrylic Painting: Mastering the Great Techniques (Online)
with Al Gury
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)
No class on May 25 (Memorial Day Weekend)
This six-session class is a visually rich, hands-on, and informative presentation of the working methods, color, materials, and techniques of six great eras of painting. Topics for examination will include Spanish and Dutch painters such as Velasquez and Rembrandt, great Impressionist painters like Manet and Pissarro, the painters of Montmartre such as Matisse and Picasso, the early expressionist painters like Kandinsky and Soutine, and the great abstract painters of the 20th century. Each week will include video demonstrations of master painting methods, lessons in visual art history, and a Q&A Zoom review session of materials and methods for all painting approaches. Students will complete weekly projects to create paintings using the approaches and aesthetics of each of the six great eras of painting, which will be critiqued and commented on by the instructor on the online platform Canvas, with a learning goal of enriching each student’s confidence, knowledge, and skills as they acquire tools for their own art-making practice. Open to all media and levels of experience.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $595. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.
Registration still open!
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses
Life Drawing and Anatomy (Online)
with Al Gury
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)
No class on May 25 (Memorial Day Weekend)
Improve your skills and understanding of drawing the human figure and portrait! This fascinating and informative class will address the materials for drawing; the structure of the human body; how to understand the shapes, volumes, and anatomy of the figure; descriptions of the bone and muscular structures; and traditional figure drawing materials and techniques. Topics of study will include the visual history of drawing people, master techniques, and styles and expression in drawing the figure. Instruction will address techniques for gesture drawing, achieving realistic proportions, defining form through line and shading, drawing the portrait, and tackling hands and feet. Each class will include Q&A, problem solving, presentations of drawing approaches to anatomy, and video demonstrations by the instructor. Students will be assigned weekly projects which the instructor will critique and comment on via the online learning platform Canvas. Excellent for both beginners and experienced artists.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $595. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.
Registration still open!
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses
Terracotta Figure Sculpture (In-Person)
with Morgan Dummitt
Wednesdays, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Instructor: Morgan Dummitt
Six-Week Condensed Course (30 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)
Modeling the figure in clay is the foundational skill of traditional sculpture. Working from a model, learn to sculpt in clay from initial gesture to surface finishing techniques. Topics of study will include proportion, composition, structure, and simplified sculptural form. Students will complete two sculptures in the course of the class. All work will be fired after class. Beginners welcome. Note: Tuition includes a $65 models fee.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Gain a basic understanding of the osteology, myology, and anatomy of the figure
- Analyze and organize the various elements of the body into simplified sculptural forms
- Carry out best practices for modeling and maintaining water-based clay sculpture
- Understand best practices for creating ceramic sculpture
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $660, including models fee. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.
Register by: May 20
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
In-Depth Watercolor, Session 1 (In-Person)
with James Toogood
Fridays, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Instructor: James Toogood
Five-Week Condensed Course*
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credits (See Below)*
*This course was originally scheduled to start on May 16 as a six-week/1.5 credit course. The dates/format have been adjusted to five-weeks/1.0 credit starting May 23. Online registration is temporarily unavailable for this class -- call 215-972-7632 to register.
Enrich your knowledge of painting with an in-depth look at watercolor. Thoroughly investigate a wide range of watercolor materials and techniques from your choice of landscape, still life, portrait, and figure subjects. The course is designed to equip each participant with the knowledge and skills necessary to make accomplished, personally rewarding watercolor paintings. Open to watercolorists of all levels and to acrylic/oil painters looking to broaden their skills.
Learning Objectives
- Students will learn about color theory as applied to watercolor.
- Students will receive a comprehensive explanation of watercolor materials and tools, with particular focus will be paid to the properties of paint and pigments as they interact with the paintbrushes and paper.
- Through both discussions and demonstrations, first time participants and beginners will learn a variety of techniques that are fundamental to watercolor, presented in a systematic step by step method. Participants can expect to have regular individual instruction, given at their current skill level.
- Focus also will be paid on acquiring the skills needed to achieve a richness of color and a feeling of light.
- Participants will work from direct observations from the still life and model, or from their own source material. Those not taking the class for credit will have the option to work on landscape, still life, portrait and figure or abstraction, as they wish.
- Participants will be exposed to a variety of watercolor styles and encouraged to discover one’s own personal aesthetic.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $695. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.
Register by: May 16
Materials List (pending revised schedule)
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Comprehensive Portrait Sculpture (In-Person)
with Morgan Dummitt
Wednesdays, 9 a.m. - 4p.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: Armature Construction/Demo/Modeling
Weeks 2 - 4: Clay Modeling
Weeks 5 - 6: Plaster Casting
Student Learning Outcomes
- Gain a basic understanding of the osteology, myology, and morphology of the head
- Analyze and organize the various forms of the head and neck into simplified sculptural forms
- Understand various techniques for creating a “likeness” of the sitter
- Carry out best practices for modeling and maintaining water-based clay sculpture
- Understand and execute basic plaster casting techniques
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.
Register by: July 2
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
The Portrait in Oil (In-Person)
with Roberto Osti
Thursdays, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Instructor: Roberto Osti
Six-Week Condensed Course (36 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)
Paint portraits from a variety of models using the direct painting method. Examine the proportions and volumes of the head, as well as the placement, structure, and characteristics of the facial features, through preliminary drawings and demonstrations. Develop color using a limited palette to understand how to use chroma, temperature, value, tint, and tone. Instruction will address materials, composition, paint handling, and color mixing, blending, and theory. Homework assignments working from photos, Masterworks, or oneself/others will encourage students to learn to make personal aesthetic and technical choices and to practice concepts addressed in class. Open to all levels, this course is excellent for beginners as well as experienced students who want to review fundamental techniques or who simply enjoy painting portraits from life. Note: Course tuition includes a $75 model fee.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $770 (including models fee). Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.
Register by: July 3
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
In-Depth Watercolor, Session 2 (In-Person)
with James Toogood
Fridays, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Instructor: James Toogood
Six-Week Condensed Course (42 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.5 Undergraduate Credits (See Below)
Enrich your knowledge of painting with an in-depth look at watercolor. Thoroughly investigate a wide range of watercolor materials and techniques from your choice of landscape, still life, portrait, and figure subjects. The course is designed to equip each participant with the knowledge and skills necessary to make accomplished, personally rewarding watercolor paintings. Open to watercolorists of all levels and to acrylic/oil painters looking to broaden their skills.
Learning Objectives
- Students will learn about color theory as applied to watercolor.
- Students will receive a comprehensive explanation of watercolor materials and tools, with particular focus will be paid to the properties of paint and pigments as they interact with the paintbrushes and paper.
- Through both discussions and demonstrations, first time participants and beginners will learn a variety of techniques that are fundamental to watercolor, presented in a systematic step by step method. Participants can expect to have regular individual instruction, given at their current skill level.
- Focus also will be paid on acquiring the skills needed to achieve a richness of color and a feeling of light.
- Participants will work from direct observations from the still life and model, or from their own source material. Those not taking the class for credit will have the option to work on landscape, still life, portrait and figure or abstraction, as they wish.
- Participants will be exposed to a variety of watercolor styles and encouraged to discover one’s own personal aesthetic.
Optional: This course is available for 1.5 undergraduate credits for $995. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.
Register by: July 3
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Alla Prima Landscape Painting (Online)
with Al Gury
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)
Al Gury, noted author of Alla Prima: A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Direct Painting and Color for Painters: A Guide to Traditions and Practice amongst other works, presents this in-depth approach to the skills, materials, colors, history, and techniques of direct landscape painting. Working from photographs, master works, or available on-site images, learn concepts that will not only improve your landscape painting but also grow your in confidence in your artistic practice. Video demonstrations, images, and written instructions on Canvas will be supplemented by critiques and weekly Zoom discussions. Oil painting will be the primary focus, but all media are welcome.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $595. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.
Register by: July 7
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses