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

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.

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) 

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, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. 
Instructor: John Greig
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours) 
Note: No class on November 26

This class will explore wood as a primary art-making medium, looking at its many types, techniques and uses. Students will develop a well-rounded foundation of wood-working skills including cutting, milling, laminating, joinery and safe use of wood-working tools. Contemporary, traditional and ancient art works made of wood will be presented for historical and contextual understanding. Students will be encouraged to find their own unique voice within the material while building skills. Tuition includes $30 materials fee.

Image: John Greig

Register by: October 22 
Materials List - Coming Soon! 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 

Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Instructor: David Wilson 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours) 
Note: No class on November 29

Paint from a life model in long, multi-class poses 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: October 24 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies  

Mondays, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Instructor: Justine Ditto
Six-WeekShort Course (18 Hours) 

Painting and printmaking go hand-in-hand, not only as adjacent mediums but in combination. This freeing and instructive course presents printmaking techniques as jumping off points to making mixed media work in spirit of experimentation and personal expression. Learn how to make monotypes, drypoints, and screenprints as a foundation for incorporating your choice of graphite, colored pencil, acrylic, watercolor, oil paint, and/or collage. Content includes technical advice from an artist-instructor ideally skilled in a variety of media as well as critiques to expand your creative boundaries. This class is perfect for painters/draftspeopleseeking to expand their processes, printmakers seeking to employ painterly and mixed media techniques, and anyone with love of color and experimentation. Open to all levels – no prior printmaking or painting experience required. Tuition includes a $20 materials fee.

Image: Justine Ditto

Registration still open! 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies  

Mondays, 6 – 9 p.m. 
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan 
Six-Week ShortCourse (18 Hours)  

If you haven’t drawn in a while, this course will help to rebuild your skills in translating the 3D world to the 2D surface of your paper. Hone your ability to interpret and define proportions, shapes, and value structure while working from observation from city views, interiors, and still-life objects. Content will address shading techniques, principles of perspective, and line quality in charcoal or pencil. Students will learn to:

• Reduce complex forms to simpler elements

• Gauge proportions and shapes using sighting techniques and other methods

• Use light and shadow to model form three-dimensionally

• Employ shading techniques

• Practice fundamental perspective principles and methods

Image: Fred Kaplan

Register by: October 27 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies  

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

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 cultivating viablemethods for growth in your painting practice. Discover the beauty and freedom of loosening up your painting! Note: Tuition includes a $15 models fee.

Image: Roger Chavez

Register by: October 28 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies  

Wednesdays, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Instructor: Kandice Fields Portalatin
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours) 

Explore lithography through non-toxic, easy-to-learn paper plate and polyester plate processes in this excellent entry-point printmaking class. Students will work with toner-based drawings tolearn the fundamental principles of using grease and water resistance to produce prints.Instruction will cover drawing methods using toner or Sharpie, plate processing, hand-printing, and layering techniques. Students will come away with: 

• The demystification of lithography through simple, approachable methods 

• Experience using sustainable alternatives to traditional stone and metal plates

• Strengthened drawing/mark-making skills in a new medium

• A small edition of alternative litho prints

Tuition includes a $20 lab fee.

Image: Kandice Fields Portalatin, I pick up my life and take it with me (Quilted) (detail), lithograph, 11 x 14 in.

Register by: October 29 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies  

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Instructor: Clay Tenhula
Weekend Workshop 

Learn the traditional methods and materials of hand-papermaking in PAFA’s state-of-the-art Richard C. von Hess Papermaking Studio! This workshop will focus on sheet production. Instruction will familiarize students with the rules and practices of the studio, introduce new students to the basics of handmade papermaking, and challenge those with papermaking experience to try new techniques or fibers. Students will have supervised time to practice techniques in pulling paper with the mould and deckle, pressing using a hydraulic press, and drying with a restrained dried system. Students of all disciplines and levels are encouraged to bring their ideas to this tactile medium. Tuition includes a $50 lab fee which covers all supplies.  See materials list for clothing/studio considerations. 

Note: This is Workshop 1 of 2 independent papermaking classes. Students can enroll in one or both workshops; the first class is not required for enrollment into the second.

Image: Clay Tenhula

Register by: October 31 
Materials List
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies