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Continuing Education at PAFA

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In-Person Classes

in CE Course Type

Land Art and Mindfulness Workshop (Online and Outdoor)

$125

with Colleen O'Donnell

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 13, 2024 at 9 am

Saturday Zoom Intro, 1 – 3 p.m. and Sunday Outdoors/On-Location, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. (See below for rain date.)
Instructor: Colleen O’Donnell
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Nature can stimulate creativity and mindfulness, and likewise mindful creativity can amplify one’s appreciation of nature. Improve your ability to be conscious in and with nature by creating a temporary artwork in a natural setting using the materials found there. Making an artwork onsite not only amplifies attention to the beautiful details of one’s surroundings, but also the ephemeral, or impermanent, nature of land work releases the artist from preconceived ideas or pressures of making a lasting "product" so that they can be concerned only with living and creating in the moment. The class will meet first via Zoom to discuss ideas of land art, view examples, and plan for their activity.  Students will then gather and create their works in Montgomery County's peaceful Fort Washington State Park, and afterward photograph it or make a short video to preserve the memory. This workshop is a great way to use art-makingas a way to relax and connect with nature.No prior experience necessary. Students are responsible for their own transportation.

Note: Please reserve rain dates of July 20 – 21. Regular refund policies apply to original dates only; no refunds available for students unable to attend rain dates. See CE policy guide below for withdrawal policies.

Image: Colleen O'Donnell, Oceanscape, driftwood, shells and plastic straw, 6 x 18 x 6 in.

Register by: July 26
Materials List
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Figure Painting: The Extended Pose (In-Person)

$330

with David Wilson

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 13, 2024 at 10 am, runs for 6 weeks

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

Paint from a life model in a single pose for the entire course. Extended time with a single subject allows students to work with the instructor to tailor exercises that address their individual interests, including the development of one large image or several smaller studies. The first session will include time for gestural and thumbnail drawings in preparation for the model’s final placement. 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. 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 5
Materials List 
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 

Handquilting (In-Person)

$195

with Sheryl Kessler

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 13, 2024 at 10 am, runs for 4 weeks

Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. 
Instructor: Sheryl Kessler 
Four-Week Short Course (12 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

The act of hand-stitching is a meditative and relaxing process that produces beautiful and unique results without any machine required. Learn the techniques of slow-stitching by creating your own small (wall-hanging)-sized quilt. All techniques will be taught by hand, but students are welcome to bring personal sewing machines if they wish. The following methods will be taught:   

  • Patchwork  
  • Applique (raw edge and turned edge)  
  • Traditional quilting and tied quilting  
  • Binding   

Benefit by working alongside other participants, to enjoy conversation and company and to learn from, and admire, each other’s work! 

Image: Sheryl Kessler, I KEEP ON FALLIN' IN AND OUT OF LOVE WITH YOU.

Register by: June 24
Materials List  
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 

Watercolor in the Park (Outdoor)

$295

with Keith Leitner

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 14, 2024 at 9 am, runs for 6 weeks

Sundays, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. 
Instructor: Keith Leitner 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only 

Capture the colors of summer en plein air through vibrant watercolor! Become comfortable and confident with the practice of working outdoors at picturesque Lemon Hill, Laurel Hill, and other select locations around the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Fairmount Park. Instruction will cover means of accurately and expressively depicting outdoor sites, watercolor painting techniques, color mixing, and the history and capabilities of water media. All levels welcome. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations.    

Learning Objectives:    

  • Learn to observe and depict landscape and cityscape en plein air with attendant materials and set up  
  • Learn color mixing and watercolor application techniques  
  • Study of pigment history and development  
  • Learn about watercolor history via short discussions of painters and their motifs 

Image: Keith Leitner.

Register by: July 8
Materials List  
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 

The Portrait in Pencil Workshop (In-Person)

$205

with RA Friedman

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 20, 2024 at 9 am

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Instructor: RA Friedman
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Using inexpensive materials, this hands-on workshop will introduce the concepts and methods needed to create a strong sense of dimension and likeness in your portrait drawings. Explore the proportions and planes of the head, neck and shoulders. Learn how to create a structural foundation and how to easily manage anatomy by breaking down forms into simple geometric shapes. Instruction will address different strategies for creating a finished tonal portrait as well as tips and tricks that will help you draw like a pro! Note: Tuition includes a $10 models fee.

Image: RA Friedman. 

Register by: July 12
Materials List 
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

The Art of Watercolor Workshop (In-Person)

$195

with Keith Leitner

Calendar Next available session starts Aug 3, 2024 at 9 am

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. 
Instructor: Keith Leitner 
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Discover the beauty and versatility of watercolor through colorful and thoughtful still life arrangements. Discussions and in-depth demonstrations will acquaint beginners and those with limited experience with basic watercolor painting materials and techniques. A variety of approaches will be explored, and students will be encouraged to engage with the medium to find their own personal means of expression.  

Image: Keith Leitner. 

Register by: July 26
Materials List  
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Spontaneous Abstraction (In-Person)

$225

with Kassem Amoudi

Calendar Next available session starts Aug 10, 2024 at 9 am

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. 
Instructor: Kassem Amoudi 
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only 

Many artists can feel frustrated in front of a blank canvas, unsure of how to start and what to paint. This workshop offers a step-by-step technique which will enable you to paint with confidence by tapping into your intuitive process and finding inspiration more easily. Experienced instruction and advice from the instructor will push students to take chances and explore unexpected directions and accidental marks as a means of achieving artistic discoveries. Demonstration of different drawing and painting techniques will enhance your knowledge of the process of painting. Students will utilize line, color and space, as well as the possibilities of editing, to create busy/calm areas and focal points in their paintings. Painting experience recommended. 

Image: Kassem Amoudi, Windows and Doors 25, Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30 in.

Register by: August 2
Materials List 
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 

Drawing Fundamentals Intensive (In-Person)

$485

with Phyllis Laver

Calendar Next available session starts Aug 12, 2024 at 9 am, runs for 1 week

Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. 
Instructor: Phyllis Laver 
One-Week Intensive (30 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

If you’ve never drawn before, or your skills are a little rusty, then this class is for you. Learn to draw what you see with confidence. Work from still life arrangements, interior spaces, and the human figure to master the drawing elements: shape, contour line, composition, light and shadow, texture and perspective. Instruction will guide students through sight-drawing and measuring techniques, use of materials, shading methods, and ways of defining form and space. This course is excellent as a foundation for future study, including for painting and other disciplines.  Note: Tuition includes a $35 models fee. 

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $630 (including models fee). Select credit option with price adjustment when registering. 

Image: Phyllis Laver.

Register by: August 2
Materials List 
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 





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