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Continuing Education at PAFA

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CE Summer Session 2: July 7 - August 17 (Select Courses May Start Earlier)

in All CE Summer 2025 In-Person and Online Courses

Wood Studio (In-Person)

$325

with John Greig

Calendar Next available session starts Jun 25, 2025 at 5:30 pm, runs for 6 weeks

Wednesdays, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. 
Instructor: John Greig 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours) 
Credit: Non-Credit Only

This class will explore wood as a primary art-making medium, looking at its many types, techniques and uses. Students will develop a well-rounded foundation of wood-working skills including cutting, milling, laminating, joinery and safe use of wood-working tools. Contemporary, traditional and ancient art works made of wood will be presented for historical and contextual understanding. Students will be encouraged to find their own unique voice within the material while building skills. Tuition includes $30 materials fee.

Register by: June 18
Materials List - Coming Soon!
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Fast and Unfussed Figure Painting (In-Person)

$330

with Roger Chavez

Calendar Next available session starts Jun 30, 2025 at 1 pm, runs for 6 weeks

Mondays, 1 – 4 p.m. 
Instructor: Roger Chavez 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours) 
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Energize and open up your approach to figure painting through rapid, loose oil painting studies from the life model. Learn tactics to avoid the tendency toward tightness and over-attention to detail too early in the process that can lead to work that lacks liveliness in gesture or mark and is difficult to adjust or correct. Through short, small-scale painting exercises from the model in one-day poses, learn new ways of approaching life painting with an emphasis on keeping compositions fluid, capturing the gesture and character of the subject before getting locked into its contours, and both initiating and retaining a sense of freshness in your color and brushstrokes. Instruction will address color mixing, painting materials and methodologies, and the importance of cultivating sustainable methods for growth in your painting practice. Note: Tuition includes a $35 models fee.

Register by: July 3
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

The Landscape Oil Sketch (Outdoor)

$325

with Roger Chavez

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 1, 2025 at 10 am, runs for 5 weeks

Tuesdays, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Instructor: Roger Chavez
Five-Week Short Course (20 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Includes Rain Date: August 5

The oil sketch is a traditional way for painters to execute preparatory ideas and quickly capture initial impressions – perfect for plein air painting! Learn useful techniques for rapidly encapsulating color and form while working directly from observation. Locations with shade and restrooms include Bartram’s Garden along the Schuylkill River and the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, near Philadelphia International Airport. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations.

Register by: June 24
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Observational Drawing Practices (In-Person)

$310

with John Horn

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 8, 2025 at 9 am, runs for 6 weeks

Tuesdays, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. 
Instructor: John Horn 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours) 
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Strengthen and hone your foundational drawing skills through a series of one- and two-day projects. Topics of concern will be design, structure of space, perspective, and light and shade. Subjects will include interior space, single objects and still life arrangements, and the life model. All levels from beginner to advanced are welcome. Tuition includes a $15 models fee.

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

Watercolor: Depicting the Natural World (Online)

$265

with Roberto Osti

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 8, 2025 at 2 pm, runs for 6 weeks

Tuesdays, 2 - 4:30 p.m. (Zoom with Posted Canvas Content)
Instructor: Roberto Osti
Six-Week Short Course (18-Hour Equivalent)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

The natural world is an infinite and fantastic source of inspiration for the artist, and the versatility and luminosity of watercolor make it the perfect technique for recording nature in a fresh and fun way.  In this course, learn fundamental drawing techniques and essential watercolor techniques to create both quick field sketches and detailed, finished artworks. Subject matter will include flowers, plants, and animals. Reference images will be gathered through observational sketches and photography.  An ideal course for those interested in both the fine arts and the Illustration field.

Register by: July 1
Materials List 
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide,
including withdrawal/refund policies
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses

Letterpress Printmaking (In-Person)

$325

with Rosae Reeder

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 8, 2025 at 6 pm, runs for 6 weeks

Tuesdays, 6 – 9 p.m. 
Instructor: Rosae Reeder 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours) 
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Letterpress, also known as moveable type, is the process of printing with moveable components of either wood or lead type. Today, letterpress printing has become fashionable, used to print wedding invitations, business cards, and anything with that traditional vintage look. In this six-week course, students will learn the process of setting both wood and lead type and printing on a Vandercook letterpress. Instruction will also explore letterpress as a wonderful tool for printing images in edition through the creation of pressure prints. Printing of relief blocks, registration, layout, paper size, and color will also be discussed. This class is open to beginners and advanced artists.Tuition includes a $30 lab fee.

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

Watercolor: The Color-Focused Still Life (In-Person)

$295

with Keith Leitner

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 8, 2025 at 6 pm, runs for 6 weeks

Tuesdays, 6 – 9 p.m. 
Instructor: Keith Leitner 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours) 
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Explore both the versatility of watercolor and the exciting possibilities of color through still life painting. Learn to capture form with the freshness and fluidity of all prima techniques. Promote color in your work through instruction on color properties, mixing, and basic theory, as well as how to use hues in combination to create impactful compositions. Discussions and in-depth demonstrations will enforce all content so that students gain the facility and freedom to use color and painting techniques as means of personal expression. This course is excellent for beginners or anyone who loves color and loose, painterly techniques in watercolor.

See work from instructor Keith Leitner's solo exhibition at Cerulean Arts Gallery, Philadelphia, April 9 - May 4, 2025!

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

Comprehensive Portrait Sculpture (In-Person)

$615

with Morgan Dummitt

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

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





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