Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. 
Instructor: Linda Gist 
One-Week Intensive (30 Hours) 

Explore flowers and other natural forms, beginning with line and value drawing and progressing to full-color rendering in watercolor and mixed media.  Topics will include sighting techniques, line quality, tone and value, creation of depth, composition, texture, and basic color. All levels welcome. Tuition includes a $15 materials fee for floral subjects, provided.

Image: Linda Gist

Register by: June 15
Materials List
Please review CE's Summer 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.  
Instructor: Colleen O'Donnell 
Weekend Workshop (12 Hours) 

Learn the techniques and tools of figure sculpture through demonstration and hands-on sculpting from the model. Explore anatomy, proportion, gesture, and design through the versatility of clay. Personal expression will be emphasized though representational and abstract approaches. Open to all levels and perfect for beginners. Tuition includes a $35 models fee.

Image: Colleen O’Donnell

Register by: June 18 - Registration Still Open!
Materials List
Please review CE's Summer 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Tuesdays, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. 
Instructor: Roger Chavez 
Six-Week Condensed Course (30 Hours) 

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 $65 models fee.

Image: Roger Chavez

Register by: June 30
Materials List
Please review CE's Summer 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Tuesdays, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.  
Instructor: Morgan Dummitt 
Six-Week Condensed 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: June 30
Materials List
Please review CE's Summer 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

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

Develop your ability to render the human form through the time-honored combination of anatomical study and life drawing.  Learn the methods and technical skills of traditional figure drawing, such as measuring, capturing gesture, anatomical structuring, and tonal rendering. Through lectures and demonstrations, and work from the life model, learn the structural aspects of the human form: bony landmarks, simplified volumes, and proportional relationships. Progress to the skeletal framework and superficial muscles to identify their surface effects and how they influence mass and movement. Incorporate your knowledge of figure anatomy to capture the fluidity, vitality, and subtleties of the human form while working from the life model in short and extended poses. Note: Tuition includes a $35 models fee.

Image: John Horn

Register by: July 1
Materials List
Please review CE's Summer 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Thursdays, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. 
Instructor: Jill A. Rupinski
Five-Week Condensed Course (30 Hours) 
No class on July 16

*Instructor and information for this course have been updated. 

Explore the art of portrait painting through an in-depth approach. Investigate the structure and basic anatomy of the human head through drawings and painted studies. Progress to finished paintings and address issues of likeness, composition, space and texture. Instruction will focus on alla prima (direct) painting techniques, practical use of materials, and color palettes for effective portrait painting.  Learn to better see and understand color to mix it more successfully – a useful skill for painting any subject matter.  All levels welcome.  Note: Course tuition includes a $65 model fee.

Image: Jill A. Rupinski, The Gardener, 2022, oil on linen, 30 x 24 in.

Register by: July 2 
Materials List  
Please review CE's Summer 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Thursdays, 6 - 9 p.m.  
Instructor: RA Friedman 
Six-Week Short Course 

The portrait can extend beyond the head and shoulders as a depiction of the likeness, mood, or character of the individual subject. Learn to capture the fascinating possibilities of the half-length portrait, examining not only the functional and expressive anatomy of the human head but also the gesture and structure of the torso, arms, and hands. Experiment with creative questions such as handling light and composition. Content includes study from anatomy references, drawing clothed models, and working in a range of media. Instruction will lay the groundwork for creative explorations that lead to professional quality work. Tuition includes a $20 models fee.

Image: RA Friedman

Register by: July 2 
Materials List
Please review CE's Summer 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. 
Instructor: David Wilson 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours) 

Paint from a life model in a multi-week-pose format to develop and refine your figure painting compositions. Extended poses will allow students to adjust and resolve issues of surface, color, and composition. Instruction will cover a variety of topics including glazing, broken color, surface texture, composition and design, the relationship of the figure to the environment, the creation of atmosphere and color harmony, disrupted realism, and open- versus closed-form painting. All levels welcome. Instruction will be geared toward oil, but students are welcome to draw-only, or use other appropriate media, if they wish. Note: Tuition includes a $35 models fee.

Image: David Wilson

Register by: July 2 
Materials List 
Please review CE's Summer 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.