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Continuing Education at PAFA



Color

in Courses by Subject

In-Depth Watercolor, Section 1

$675

with James Toogood

Calendar Next session starts Sep 11, 2026 at 9 am, runs for 10 weeks

Fridays, 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM  
Instructor: James Toogood  
Ten-Week Condensed Course (45 Hours)
  
No class on November 27 (Thanksgiving Break)

Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

Enrich your knowledge of painting with an in-depth look at watercolor. Thoroughly investigate a wide range of watercolor materials and techniques while working from your choice of landscape, still life, abstraction, or personal source material. 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.

Register by: September 4  
Materials List  
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Full Course

The American Watercolor Tradition

$295

with Richard Estell

Calendar Next available session starts Sep 14, 2026 at 12:30 pm, runs for 6 weeks

Mondays, 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM  
Instructor: Richard Estell  
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
  
No class on October 12 (Indigenous People’s Day)

Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

Explore the painting techniques of the masters who pioneered the 19th and 20th century American watercolor movement, including Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Edward Hopper, and Charles Demuth. Characterized by bright color and bold handling that includes accents of opaque watercolor and loose washes, work in this tradition captures subject matter with dazzling light-filled effects. Practice these classic methods and learn to incorporate them into your own artwork to achieve a greater freedom of expression as well as adaptability and control in the way that you paint. Demonstrations and art historical discussions will be combined with short and more extensive still life and self-portrait exercises. This course is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels.

Register by: September 8  
Materials List
   
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

In-Depth Watercolor, Section 2

$675

with James Toogood

Calendar Next session starts Sep 16, 2026 at 9 am, runs for 10 weeks

Wednesdays, 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM  
Instructor: James Toogood  
Ten-Week Condensed Course (45 Hours)

Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

Enrich your knowledge of painting with an in-depth look at watercolor. Thoroughly investigate a wide range of watercolor materials and techniques while working from your choice of landscape, still life, abstraction, or personal source material. 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 with experience will receive individual instruction for their current skill level.
  • Students will acquire the skills needed to achieve a richness of color and a feeling of light.
  • Participants will be exposed to a variety of watercolor styles and encouraged to discover their own personal aesthetic.

Register by: September 9  
Materials List
   
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Full Course

Intuitive Abstraction

$450

with Kassem Amoudi

Calendar Next available session starts Sep 16, 2026 at 12:30 pm, runs for 10 weeks

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

Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

No matter what your preferred subject matter or painting style, this class is designed to help you push your work beyond your preconceived notions of what it should be. One-on-one instruction will develop your unique artistic voice while exploring composition, color, space, rhythm, and technique. Work from personal subject matter (objects or reference materials) to learn how to begin a painting with confidence, trust your instincts, embrace spontaneity, and transform observed forms into a personal form of expression. This mentored studio environment encourages experimentation and intuitive decision-making while helping you both build skills and generate new ideas. Whether you recently started or renewed your painting practice, or are an experienced painter seeking to move beyond your comfort zone, you'll discover new ways to express yourself and find joy in the creative process.

Register by: September 9  
Materials List   
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Still Life Painting: Mastering Color and Composition

$450

with Jill A. Rupinski

Calendar Next available session starts Sep 17, 2026 at 9 am, runs for 10 weeks

Thursdays, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM  
Instructor: Jill A. Rupinski  
Ten-Week Course (30 Hours)
 
No class on November 26 (Thanksgiving Break)

Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

Still life subject matter presents endless possibilities for exploring concepts of color and composition to expand your essential painting skills. Working from eclectic arrangements in PAFA’s dedicated still life room, learn to compose with color to describe form, create visual focus and movement, suggest space, and evoke emotion. Students will become acquainted with color theory and other elements of composition as tools for resolving spatial issues in their paintings. Topics include palette arrangements, color mixing, composing a picture plane through sketching and underpainting, and building a painting surface through direct and indirect painting techniques.

Register by: September 10  
Materials List 
  
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Watercolor Workshop

$225

with James Toogood

Calendar Next available session starts Oct 3, 2026 at 9 am

Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM  
Instructor: James Toogood  
Weekend Workshop 

Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

Interested in learning or improving your watercolor skills? All materials and techniques will be discussed, including the selection of papers, brushes, and pigments, as well as transparent and opaque painting methods. Students will work from still-life subjects and/or their own source material. All levels welcome.

Register by: September 25  
Materials List   

Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Introduction to Gouache Painting

$395

with Shushana Rucker

Calendar Next available session starts Oct 6, 2026 at 6 pm, runs for 8 weeks

Tuesdays, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM  
Instructor: Shushana Rucker  
Eight-Week Short Course (24 Hours)

Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

Learn the fundamentals of painting with gouache, the opaque watercolor paint. Painters of all levels will fall in love with it as a portable, fast-drying, and easy-to-clean-up alternative to oils – great for travel or limited working time and space. Explore color and painting techniques through still life subjects and personal photo references. Students will gain familiarity gouache’s unique characteristics to work on a variety of surfaces, master paint fluidity and control, accurately mix color and predict its effects, and promote its layering capabilities and surface qualities. Open to all levels; prior drawing experience is helpful for any painting course.

Register by: September 29  
Materials List
  
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Mixed Media Collage Workshop

$195

with Anthony Ciambella

Calendar Next available session starts Oct 31, 2026 at 9 am

Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM  
Instructor: Anthony Ciambella  
Weekend Workshop

Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

Mixed media art and collage offer a myriad of possibilities to combine papers, photographs, and 3D elements to make a statement, convey something personal, or create something textural, colorful, and beautiful. Develop rich and complex imagery finding inspiration from memory, literature, films, and other sources, while working in a variety of traditional and non-traditional materials. Sessions will discuss the characteristics of adhesives, paper and fabric cut-outs, wood, and plastics. Students will receive one-on-one instruction and participate in open discussions about their ideas and work. Topics include construction, storage and presentation strategies. Open to all levels.

Register by: October 23  
Materials List   

Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering. 





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