Open studio access: 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. daily, 15 weeks, September 9 - December 20. (No access during Thanksgiving Break, November 28 - December 1.) 

Critiques:  Four individual critiques, by sign-up, with selected critic.  Dates TBA (one per month, September – December). See available days/times attached to each critic.  Bonus group critique and/or group events with the adjacent/instructed Taking the Leap studio program subject to scheduling availability.   

Critics (students select ONE):  

• Jill A. Rupinski (Thursdays, critique slots starting at 1 p.m.) 
• Bruce Samuelson (Tuesdays, critique slots starting at 1 p.m.) 

Credit: Non-credit  

Maintain your studio practice and push your work to new levels amidst a thriving arts environment of classes and working degree students on PAFA’s campus – with the benefit of the expert advice of PAFA’s leading critics! Students participating in this program will pursue their own independent work under the focused guidance of one critic, PAFA appointed faculty Jill A. Rupinski or Bruce Samuelson (selected during registration), for one-on-one critique and discussion four times per semester (once monthly). Possible additional group critique or other opporunities may be available, pending scheduling.

Tuition for this fifteen-week/full-semester program will confer an individual studio space in PAFA’s Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building for self-guided studio time with monthly critiques from the selected faculty-critic. Studios for this program are approximately 9 x 16 feet (144 sq. ft.), white-walled, with an easel and stool provided (students are responsible for additional furniture or equipment needs). Students have two studio options (select preference during registration):  

• Studios within a group space are located side-by-side within a private, key-secured corridor for an engaging community atmosphere. Each space is curtained (no individually locked doors), opening out to the corridor’s large east-facing windows for the benefit of abundant natural light. 
  
  
• Interior studios spaces (not located along PAFA’s windowed exterior walls) offer increased privacy with individual lockable doors, without natural light. FULL -- This option no longer available.
  

This studio-rental program is designed for experienced visual artists and alumni who can work independently and will benefit from constructive feedback on their artwork. For students needing more guidance in their individual studio practice or anyone preferring a format of weekly interaction, artistic prompts, and increased community support, PAFA’s alternative CE studio rental program, Taking the Leap to Start and Advance Your Studio Practice (with Instruction), is a great option with benefits designed to launch your studio practice!  

Note: 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. Membership and early registration discounts cannot be applied to course tuition, but students are eligible to receive 10% off additional Fall CE courses to supplement their studio pursuits. 

Image: Bruce Samuelson, Untitled (Facing Figure), pastel and charcoal on rag board, 24 x 19 in.

Registration Deadline: Rolling, on a space-available basis. Late registration (after program start date) available. 

Materials List (PAFA-Approved Materials)  

Fall CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 

Open studio access: 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. daily, 15 weeks, September 9 - December 20, with weekly instruction on Thursdays. (No access during Thanksgiving Break, November 28 - December 1.)

Weekly Meetings/Studio-Visits:  Thursdays, September 12 - December 12, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. (No class on November 28 or December 19.)

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 new and unique combination studio-rental and classroom course! Tuition for this fifteen-week/full-semester program will confer an individual studio space in PAFA’s Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building, as well as weekly meetings for critique and instruction on a variety of artist’s concerns led by artist-instructor/critic Roger Chavez. 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). Students have two studio options (select preference during registration): 

• Studios within a group space are located side-by-side within a private, key-secured corridor for an engaging community atmosphere. Each space is curtained (no individually locked doors), opening out to the corridor’s large east-facing windows for the benefit of abundant natural light.
  
  
• Interior studios spaces (not located along PAFA’s windowed exterior walls) offer increased privacy with individual lockable doors, without natural light. FULL -- This option no longer available.

Weekly meetings will feature both one-on-one in-studio critiques/discussions as well as group instruction on art topics designed to motivate and assist you in your work, including drawing sessions from models, assignment prompts, materials and techniques demonstrations, museum visits, and critiques from guest critics. This class is perfect for artists of varying levels of experience 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 some prior art-making experience and the ability to work independently.

Note: 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. Membership and early registration discounts cannot be applied to course tuition, but students are eligible to receive 10% off additional Fall CE courses to supplement their studio pursuits.

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $2,450. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.

Image: Instructor Roger Chavez in studio.

See Also:  Experienced studio artists intersted in a studio program with feedback but without the benefit of weekly guidance may be interested in CE Studio Rental: Advanced Studio with Critique, which offers self-guided studio time with monthly critiques with one of PAFA's esteemed faculty critics for periodic feedback and expert advice.

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

Materials List (PAFA-Approved Materials) 

Fall CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Thursdays, 6 – 9 p.m.
Instructor: Phyllis Laver
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

For students seeking to expand their beginning drawing skills or those new to working from the figure, this class will focus on applying drawing’s basic elements to the human form.  Starting from Antique and Classical sculpture from PAFA’s cast collection and progressing to work from the life model in short and long poses, work in charcoal and graphite to explore figure-based concepts of gesture, proportions, anatomy, and expression. Instruction will cover sight-drawing and measuring techniques, use of materials, gauging value, and ways of defining form and space. This course is excellent as a foundation for future study in any discipline or for more advanced figure-based work.  Note: This part 2 course includes the use of nude models. Tuition includes a $35 models fee.  

This class is part 2 of an optional 2-part course!  See also Drawing Fundamentals: Line and Form for more foundational instruction. Students are welcome to enroll in either or both parts; Line and Form is not required as a prerequisite to Cast and Figure but is recommended for students with little or no drawing experience.  

*No classes during Thanksgiving Break, November 28 – December 1. 

Image: Doug Brown, Roberta, 2022, charcoal on paper, 20 x 26.5 in.

Register by: October 25 

Materials List

Fall 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

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

Paint from a life model in poses of varying lengths 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. 

*No classes during Thanksgiving Break, November 28 – December 1. 

Register by: October 25  
Materials List  
Fall 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Mondays, 12:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Instructor: Anthony Ciambella 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

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 wide 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 28 
Materials List  
Fall 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Wednesdays, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Instructor: Roger Chavez
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Cultivate fluid mark-making and bold approaches to subject matter through rapid and loose painting studies.  Tight and precise painting, especially in the early stages of an artwork, can sometimes lead to work that appears stiff and over-labored, or to locked-in compositions that are difficult to change or correct. Working from the still life, cityscapes, and the life model, utilize short, small painting exercises to learn new ways of starting paintings, keeping compositions open to adjustment, and both initiating and retaining a sense of freshness in your forms and brushstrokes. Instruction will address color mixing, painting materials and methodologies, and the importance of setting a viable learning environment for your painting practice.  Discover the beauty and freedom of loosening up your painting! Note: Tuition includes a $15 models fee.

Register by: November 1
Materials List
Fall 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Wednesdays, 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Instructor: James Toogood 
Three-Week Course
Credit: Non-Credit Only 

Enrich your knowledge of painting with an in-depth look at watercolor! This newly-added bonus/extension class both offers students who completed the ten-week In-Depth Watercolor course the option of continuing their studies with James Toogood and provides new students the opportunity to try out this engaging, all-levels watercolor class in a short three-week format. Group and one-on-one instruction is designed to equip each participant with the knowledge and skills necessary to make accomplished, personally rewarding watercolor paintings. Note: This course does not include use of models. Students need not have completed the full-length In-Depth Watercolor class to participate in this extension.

Register by: November 22
Materials List
Fall 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies