Sundays, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. 
Instructor: Larry Francis 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours) 
Rain Date: May 31

Capture the small-town beauty Manayunk's hilly streets, rowhomes, and storefronts.  Learn to create a convincing sense of space, light and time of day while depicting streetscapes, trees, water and sky.  Color mixing and painting techniques for oils will be demonstrated, but all drawing/painting media are welcome.  Located just 15 minutes outside of Philadelphia, Manayunk offers engaging urban and riverside neighborhood subjects with parking, shade, provisions and facilities available. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations. 

Image: Larry Francis, Hill Town Paintings - View from Fleming, 2024, gouache on blue grey paper, 18 x 24 in.

Register by: April 6 
Materials List
Please review CE's Winter/Spring 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Thursdays, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 
Instructor: Michelle Oosterbaan 
Four-Week Short Course (16 Hours) 
Rain Date: May 21

Water-based paints such as watercolor,  gouache, and fluid acrylics are the perfect mediums for landscape painting in the open air! Work in your choice of these portable, fast-drying, and easy-to-clean-up alternatives to oils as you portray the beauty of spring in Philadelphia’s parks in your own personal style. Learn how to choose a composition and mix color for depth and expressive effects as you complete a series of rapid sketches and at least one sustained painting. Explore techniques for achieving transparency effects with stained gesso, working fat over lean, and rendering with ink over washes.  Open to all levels. Painting locations featuring shade, restrooms, and other amenities may include Northwestern Stables in Wissahickon Park in Mt. Airy, Washington Square Park near Independence Hall, Glen Foerd overlooking the Delaware River, and Bartram's Garden in Southwest Philadelphia. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations. 

Image: Michelle Oosterbaan

Register by: April 16 
Materials List

Please review CE's Winter/Spring 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Tuesdays, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 
Instructor: Joseph Sweeney 
Three-Week Short Course (12 Hours) 

Join veteran plein air artist Joe Sweeney for a unique opportunity to paint inside one of the oldest rowing clubs in Philadelphia: the Bachelors Barge Club on Boathouse Row.  Work from picturesque views of the Schuylkill River with the benefit of full access to the historic building with access to the dock, rain-/sun-sheltered porch, and amenities including restrooms.  Experienced guidance will cover tactics for working efficiently outdoors, selecting a composition, color mixing, and capturing time of day and atmospheric effects.  Instruction and demonstrations will be geared toward acrylic, oil, and pastel painting, but experienced watercolorists are welcome to participate.  Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations.

Learn more about the history of the Bachelors Barge Club at https://www.bachelorsbargeclub.org/history. 

Register by: April 21 
Materials List
Please review CE's Winter/Spring 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Tuesdays, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 
Instructor: Roger Chavez 
Five-Week Short Course (20 Hours) 
Rain Date: June 23

Register by April 27 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2026 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Dual Plus or Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Spring 2026 courses, Summer Studio-Critique/studio rental programs, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

The oil sketch is a traditional way for painters to execute preparatory ideas and quickly capture initial impressions – perfect for plein air painting! Learn useful techniques for rapidly encapsulating color and form while working directly from observation. Locations with shade and restrooms include Bartram’s Garden and other sites along the Schuylkill River. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations.

Image: Roger Chavez

Register by: May 12 
Materials List 
Please review CE's Summer 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Tuesdays, 6 - 9 p.m.  
Instructor: Shushana Rucker 
Ten-Week Course (30 Hours) 
No class on July 7

Register by April 27 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2026 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Dual Plus or Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Spring 2026 courses, Summer Studio-Critique/studio rental programs, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

This extended course explores landscape drawing and painting in the studio using reference photos and sketches. Students will learn how to create effective reference materials through photography, sketching, and observation, and how to translate these references into compelling compositions. Instruction will focus on principles of design, including balance, value structure, and spatial organization, alongside an in-depth exploration of color relationships, atmosphere, and light. Through a series of projects and critiques, students will develop technical skills and a personal approach to interpreting the landscape.

Image: Shushana Rucker

Register by: May 19 
Materials List
Please review CE's Summer 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.  
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan 
Weekend Workshop (One-Day, 7 Hours)
Rain Date: June 6*

Register by April 27 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2026 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Dual Plus or Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Spring 2026 courses, Summer Studio-Critique/studio rental programs, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

Capture the active life of the city and its rich architecture. This is an excellent workshop for anyone who wants to learn to sketch on the bus or train, in cafés and public parks, or while traveling abroad. Topics include perspective, gauging proportions by eye, gesture figure drawing, and methods for simplifying form. All levels welcome.

*Please reserve the rain date in your schedule when registering – no refunds for withdrawals less than one week prior to the original workshop date, including for students unable to attend the postponed date. See policy guide, below. 

Register by: May 22 
Materials List
Please review CE's Summer 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Sundays, 3 - 4 p.m. (Interactive asynchronous Canvas content supported by weekly Zoom meetings) 
Instructor: Al Gury 
Six-Week Condensed Course (30-Hour Equivalent) 

Register by April 27 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2026 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Dual Plus or Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Spring 2026 courses, Summer Studio-Critique/studio rental programs, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

In this visually rich and interactive class, students will be guided through the development of the color and styles of contemporary landscape painting from its beginnings in the 16th century to the modern era, with a focus on historical Dutch landscape painting, the English and French plein air painters, the Impressionist landscape, and early modern forms of personal expression in the genre. Each class will include a visual history of the topic, color palettes, the materials and techniques of each approach, and a video demonstration by the instructor. Working from master copies and photos, as well as observational painting, will be addressed. Weekly project assignments will be critiqued by the instructor. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the development of landscape painting while developing individualized painting approaches and personal style.

Register by: July 6 
Materials List  
Please review CE's Summer 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering. 
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. 
Instructor: James Toogood 
Weekend Workshop (14 Hours)

Register by April 27 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2026 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Dual Plus or Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Spring 2026 courses, Summer Studio-Critique/studio rental programs, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

This workshop explores the evocative world of nocturne painting through the delicate and expressive medium of watercolor. Focusing on landscape scenes at the edge of day—sunset, twilight, and night—students will learn to capture the silvery light and subtle atmospheric effects that define these transitional hours. Learn how to work with restrained hues and layered washes to create a sense of depth and unity, to suggest rather than describe subject matter. Instruction will emphasize tonalist concerns of working with muted color palettes, gentle value shifts, and harmonious compositions. Through individualized guidance, participants will hone their sensitivity to tonal relationships and the expressive potential of nocturne painting.

Image: James Toogood

Register by: July 17 
Materials List 
Please review CE's Summer 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.