Sundays, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.* (Interactive asynchronous Canvas content supported by weekly Zoom meetings)   
Instructor: Al Gury 
Credit: Non-credit or 1.0 undergraduate credit (see below) 

Register by December 18 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSPRING2024 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 Winter/Spring classes and workshops only. Open Academy classes, studio rental, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.) 

An in-depth approach to analyzing and employing principles of composition by Al Gury, Professor of Painting and Drawing at PAFA, and noted author of Alla Prima, Color for Painters, and Foundations of Drawing. 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 in the context of specific subjects or genres:  still life, interiors, portraits, figures, landscapes, and abstraction. Each class will focus on a different subject, exploring examples of compositional strategies specific to that subject in historic and contemporary art, 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 is a Condensed Course, available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $595. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering. 

Image: Al Gury, Still Life with Pears.

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

Thursdays, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 
Instructor: Joseph Sweeney 
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (see description)

Register by December 18 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSPRING2024 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 Winter/Spring classes and workshops only. Open Academy classes, studio rental, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.)

Enjoy open-air painting in beautiful Valley Forge National Historical Park, the encampment site of George Washington’s Continental Army in 1777-1778 and now home to a painter’s delight of lush scenery and historic architecture! Located in Montgomery County, 35 minutes northwest of Center City Philadelphia, the park features great views of the Schuylkill River, Valley Creek, the Valley Forge Farm, Mt. Joy, Mt. Misery, and many valleys, cabins, and colonial houses, with ample parking and access to restrooms. Working from diverse landscape subject matter, students will learn essential plein air approaches, including color mixing to achieve a sense of light and air, capturing time of day, compositional fundamentals, and sound drawing and painting practices. Instruction is geared toward oil/acrylic painting and pastel drawing/painting. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation. 

Learning Objectives: 

Students will --  

• Learn the basics of working outdoors.  
• Learn how to set up, use and care for a field easel.  
• Learn how to transport wet paintings to and from home without damaging one’s car.  
• Identify the working properties of different surfaces to paint on including linen, canvas, paper, wood, prepared panel, and masonite.  
• Learn how to select paint colors and related materials for successful outdoor painting.  
• Gain skills in drawing and proportion in the composition of a landscape.  
• Become an expert in finding locations suitable for painting, including how to orient oneself to the sun and how to find shelter from wind and rain.  
• Learn to assess the time of day and how much time is left before the sun continues its course across the sky.  
• Make quick field sketches and bring them to full completion, to develop a sense of place.  
• Learn to mix color to portray the season, atmosphere, and temperature.

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

Image: Joseph Sweeney, Valley Forge Park. 

Register by: April 5

Materials List 

Winter/Spring 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies