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

Image: James Toogood

Register by: September 5 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

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

Image: James Toogood

Register by: September 10 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Saturdays, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Instructor: Steve Nocella 
Ten-Week Course (30 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)
Note: No class on November 29

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.

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $660 (including lab fee). Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.

Image: CE Student Molly Patterson.

Register by: September 12 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Open Studio Access (12-Week Rental): Mondays - Fridays, 7 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Saturdays, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Sundays, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. (No access during Thanksgiving Break, Thursday - Sunday, November 27 - 30.)

Class Meetings/Trips/Critiques:  Thursdays, September 25 - December 11, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. or variable for critiques/trips. (No class on November 27.)

Instructor/Lead Critic: Roger Chavez

Credit: Non-credit or 1.0 undergraduate credits (see description)

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 twelve-week program will confer an individual private studio space in PAFA’s Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building, as well as weekly meetings for critiques, exploratory trips to museums/galleries, archives visits, drawing sessions, and other professional practices-focused information 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.

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.

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $1,975. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.

Image: Instructor Roger Chavez in studio.

Registration Deadline: Rolling, on a space-available basis. Space is limited. Late registration (after first weekly meeting) available.

Materials List (PAFA-Approved Materials) 

Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies.  *Please note: A minimum 10% fee ($180) 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, 1 – 4 p.m. (Zoom) with Supplemental Canvas Content 
Instructor: Kate Samworth
Ten-Week Course (30-Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

Explore color, painting methods, and composition in gouache – vibrant and easy-to-use opaque watercolor paint.  Instruction will address fundamentals including materials, paint application techniques,and control of flow.  Particular emphasis will be placed on understanding and mixing color, examining harmony, relativity, value, temperature, and chroma through guided exercises using limited palettes.  Subjects will range from pattern designs to copying masterworks. Instruction will include slide presentations, painting demonstrations, and feedback on student artwork.

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

Image: Kate Samworth

Registration open through October 7 (Zoom sessions will be recorded for missed classes)

Materials List
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies  
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses

Wednesdays, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. 
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan 
Ten-Week Course (30-Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below) 

Execute richly-hued paintings compelling in their realism using the unique arrangements in PAFA’s dedicated still-life studio as subject. Learn the fundamental vocabulary and techniques of representational oil painting: create a tonal underpainting, model form with opaque paint applications, generate depth and luminosity with transparent glazes and velaturas, and suggest texture with semi-drybrush scumbling. Content will address materials, color, effects of light, illusionistic space, and painterly treatments. This course is appropriate forbeginners, and is excellent for experienced painters seeking to develop pictures with a more believable sense of realism. Drawing experience strongly recommended. 

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

Image: Fred Kaplan

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

Wednesdays, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Instructor: Kassem Amoudi 
Ten-Week Course (30 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

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.

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

Image: Kassem Amoudi

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

Tuesdays, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Instructor: Phyllis Laver 
Ten-Week Course (30 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

Develop your ability to render the portrait through the time-honored methods of drawing from both the cast and life. Learn techniques of observational drawing such as measuring, recognizing proportions and anatomical landmarks, and establishing the effects of light and shadowwhile working in a variety of dry drawing media. Part of the portrait study will be devoted to working from selections from PAFA’s historic cast collection of Antique and Renaissance sculpture to master sighting techniques and tonal gradations. The rest of the class will focus on drawing from the model, both clothed and unclothed, to capture the subtleties and vitality of the head and figure, for both traditional and extended portrait representations.Throughout the semester, the work of varied artists will be introduced and discussed.  Note: This portrait course includes the use of nude models. Course tuition includes a $50 model fee.

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $645, including lab fee. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.

Image: Phyllis Laver

Register by: September 30 
Materials List
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies