Open Studio Access (15-Week Rental): Mondays - Fridays, 7 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Saturdays, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Sundays, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Class Meetings/Trips/Critiques:  Select Wednesdays, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. or variable for critiques/trips.  See dates below.

Instructor/Lead Critic: Roger Chavez

Taking the leap to start or cultivate an art-making practice in a private studio space can be both exciting and daunting. Learn how to create work and stay motivated on your own terms in this unique combination studio-rental and instruction/critique course! Tuition for this fifteen-week program will confer an individual private studio space in PAFA’s Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building, as well as bi-monthly meetings (approximately every two weeks) for critiques, exploratory trips to museums/galleries, archives visits, and drawing sessions led by artist-instructor/critic Roger Chavez, accompanied by visiting critics for select weeks.

Studios for this program are approximately 9 x 16 feet (144 sq. ft.), white-walled, with easel and stool provided (students are responsible for additional furniture or equipment needs). Studios are individual, interior-building spaces (not located along PAFA’s windowed exterior walls) on classroom floors, with private, lockable doors.

This program is perfect for artists wanting to jumpstart or advance their personal practice, for students considering application to a studio-centered certificate or degree program, or for anyone lacking a home studio and seeking a space to pursue their work -- with the motivation and encouragement that come from being part of an artistic community! Participants will benefit from prior art-making experience and the ability to work independently.

Meeting Dates on Wednesdays, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. (may be subject to change for scheduling adjustments):

• January 28 - Intro/Orientation (attendance required)
• February 11 - TBA
• February 25 - Critique (Roger Chavez)
• March 11 - TBA
• March 25 - Critique (Visiting Critic 1, TBA)
• April 15 - TBA
• April 29 - Final Group Critique (Roger Chavez & Visiting Critic 2, TBA)

Notes:

• Registration requires an additional $200 studio deposit that is refundable upon satisfactory return of the studio to its original condition at the end of the program. Students must agree to and sign PAFA’s studio agreement form.
  
  
• No scholarships or membership/promotional discounts are available for this program. Membership discounts apply to regular CE courses only; special programs are not eligible for tuition deductions. 
  
  
• Students may work in their media of choice within PAFA's safety/clean-air guidelines (see materials list).  Access to print and sculpture shop facilities is not included in tuition:  Students must be enrolled in in-person CE printmaking or sculpture classes, or registered/approved for a PAFA Shop Membership, for access to the pertinent shop facilities and abide by shop rules and access hours.

Image: Instructor Roger Chavez in studio.

Registration Deadline: Rolling, on a space-available basis. Space is limited. Late registration available.

Materials List (PAFA-Approved Materials - Coming Soon) 

CE Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies.  *Please note: A minimum 10% fee applies to cancellations any time after registration, including same day, to cover third-party processing charges.  Please check your schedule before registering.

By enrolling in the CE Taking the Leap Studio Rental Program, you agree to abide by PAFA's Procedures and Policies.

Wednesdays, 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 
Instructor: James Toogood 
Ten-Week Condensed Course (45 Hours) 

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.

Image: James Toogood

Register by: January 14 
Materials List - Coming Soon 
Please review CE's Winter/Spring 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Fridays, 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 
Instructor: James Toogood   
Ten-Week Condensed Course (45 Hours) 

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.

Image: James Toogood

Register by: January 16 
Materials List - Coming Soon 
Please review CE's Winter/Spring 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Saturdays, 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. 
Instructor: Steve Nocella 
Ten-Week Course (30 Hours) 
Note: No class during Spring Break, March 2 - 8.

This ten-week course teaches the basic skills needed for making metal sculpture. Learn fundamental methods of cutting, bending and welding metal such as sawing, heating, and MIG welding. Students will be encouraged to explore the medium with directness and spontaneity to gain a knowledge and understanding of its complexion. Open to all levels. Note: Tuition includes a $65 lab fee.

Image: Steve Nocella, Bust with Helmet and Facemask No. 6, 2023, Mixed Media.

Register by: January 16 
Materials List - Coming Soon 
Please review CE's Winter/Spring 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Wednesdays, 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. 
Instructor: Kassem Amoudi 
Ten-Week Course (30 Hours) 

Learn to explore new possibilities and paint more intuitively under the guidance of artist/critic/mentor KassemAmoudi. 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. Instruction is geared toward open painting time supported by critiques and advice from the instructor as he works one-on-one with students 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.

Image: Kassem Amoudi

Register by: January 28 
Materials List - Coming Soon 
Please review CE's Winter/Spring 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Wednesdays, 6 - 9 p.m. 
Instructor: Morgan Dummitt 
Ten-Week Course (30 Hours) 

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

Image: Morgan Dummitt, Brittany, terracotta.

Register by: January 28 
Materials List - Coming Soon 
Please review CE's Winter/Spring 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Fridays, 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan 
Ten Week Course (18 Hours) 

Using oil or acrylic paints, exploit a wide range of techniques and artistic languages to transform everyday reality into expressive, symbolic, or personal statements. Base your paintings on unique studio still-life arrangements or use your own photographs as a starting point, and progress to working from a life model during the final weeks of the course. Topics discussed and demonstrated include using color as an emotive element, designing compositions to convey mood and movement, and employing energetic mark-making. For less experienced students, materials, color mixing, and basic techniques are also reviewed.

Course Objectives

Students will learn…

• Selection and use basic materials, including the characteristics of various commonly used colors, solvents, and mediums 
• Execution of a variety of direct and indirect painting methods. 
• Approaches to interpreting and modifying observed reality to achieve emotive, symbolic, and compositional goals 
• Descriptive, emotive, and symbolic use of color, shape, and mark 
• Basic color theory and color mixing  

Image: Frederic Kaplan

Register by: January 30 
Materials List - Coming Soon 
Please review CE's Winter/Spring 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Thursdays, 1 - 4 p.m. 
Instructor: Rebecca Gilbert 
Ten-Week Course (30 Hours) 

Printing from a drawing carved into wood is the oldest and most straightforward form of printmaking. Expand the expressive possibilities of the medium by infusing color into the process! Learn reduction and multiple block relief printmaking techniques to produce vibrant, layered color prints. Instruction will cover all steps from start to finished print: material selection and use, image planning, tool handling for a variety of mark-making tactics, reduction and multiple block processes, color mixing, printing by hand and on an etching press, registration techniques, cleaning, and editioning. All levels welcome. Tuition includes a $30 lab fee.

Image: Rebecca Gilbert, Momento Mori/Skulls, Reduction and Multiple Block Woodcut.

Register by: February 5 
Materials List - Coming Soon 
Please review CE's Winter/Spring 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.