Tuesdays, 1:00 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Instructor: Jill A. Rupinski  
Fifteen-Week Open Academy Course (45 Hours)  
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.5 Undergraduate Credits (See Below) 

PAFA’s Open Academy provides the opportunity for Continuing Education (CE) and non-matriculated students to experience PAFA’s renowned certificate-level instruction on a course-by-course basis.  Earned credits are eligible for transfer to the one-year Foundation and Studio Residency Certificate Programs, for students considering an immersive fine arts education with additional benefits. (Up to 7.5 credits are eligible for transfer as equivalent courses or electives.)

Using imagination, observation, and personal ideas students will push the boundaries of oil and acrylic painting materials and subject matter. Works will be developed through guided application using a variety of materials working from the figure, objects, and other source material. Instruction will utilize PAFA’s collection, the PMA and field trips to galleries to illustrate techniques and how materials are used in different applications. Students will gain in-depth technical information and hands-on practice including learning to stretch canvas and prepare different painting surfaces and grounds. Individualized instruction and group critiques will be given throughout the session.

Optional: This course is available for 1.5 undergraduate credits for $1,800. Select credit option with price adjustment during registration.

Image: Jill A. Rupinski

Register by: August 25 
Materials List 
Open Academy Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Wednesdays, 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. (includes option to add afternoons, 1 - 4 p.m., for full-day attendance-- see description) 
Instructor: Douglas Martenson  
Fifteen-Week Open Academy Course (45 - 90 Hours)  
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.5/3.0 Undergraduate Credits (See Below) 

PAFA’s Open Academy provides the opportunity for Continuing Education (CE) and non-matriculated students to experience PAFA’s renowned certificate-level instruction on a course-by-course basis.  Earned credits are eligible for transfer to the one-year Foundation and Studio Residency Certificate Programs, for students considering an immersive fine arts education with additional benefits. (Up to 7.5 credits are eligible for transfer as equivalent courses or electives.)

Students will learn to plan and execute complex paintings using the life model as a subject. Included will be historical and contemporary perspectives on life painting, presentations of materials used in life painting, strategies for creating spatial concepts, and concepts of visual language skills and critical thinking. Poses will vary in length depending on the section and instructor, and strong emphasis is based on skill development and the development of a personal point of view using the life model. Individual and group critiques will be conducted.

Optional: This course is available for half-day for 1.5 undergraduate credits for $1,800. For the option of full-day (morning, 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. and afternoon, 1 - 4 p.m.), this course is available for $2,900 non-credit or $3,600 for 3.0 undergraduate credits. Select length and credit choice with tuition adjustment during checkout.

Image: Douglas Martenson

Registration open through September 9
Materials List
Open Academy Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Thursdays, 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. (includes option to add afternoons, 1 - 4 p.m., for full-day attendance-- see description) 
Instructor: Douglas Martenson  
Fifteen-Week Open Academy Course (45 - 90 Hours)  
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.5/3.0 Undergraduate Credits (See Below)   
Note: No class on November 27 (Thanksgiving Day)

PAFA’s Open Academy provides the opportunity for Continuing Education (CE) and non-matriculated students to experience PAFA’s renowned certificate-level instruction on a course-by-course basis.  Earned credits are eligible for transfer to the one-year Foundation and Studio Residency Certificate Programs, for students considering an immersive fine arts education with additional benefits. (Up to 7.5 credits are eligible for transfer as equivalent courses or electives.)

This course will address landscape enplein air as well as indoors. Varied outdoor locations such as Fairmount Park, the Philadelphia waterfront, and the city itself will be the subject of painting projects. Observation of nature and capturing the visual qualities of nature in landscape will be a focus, while at the same time exploring the visual qualities of landscape and its personal and poetic possibilities. Included will be discussions of historic and contemporary landscape painting, reference material, studio landscape painting, methods and materials and the formation of visual language and critical thinking skills. Individual and group critiques will be a regular part of the class. Limited van transportation available for full-day only (please call prior to registration if requiring this option).

Optional: This course is available for half-day for 1.5 undergraduate credits for $1,800. For the option of full-day (morning, 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. and afternoon, 1 - 4 p.m.), this course is available for $2,900 non-credit or $3,600 for 3.0 undergraduate credits. Select length and credit choice with tuition adjustment during checkout.

Image: Douglas Martenson

Register by: August 27 
Materials List
Open Academy Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Thursdays, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Instructor: Roberto Osti
Twelve-Week Course (36 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)
Note: No class on October 2 and November 27

Paint portraits from a variety of models using the direct painting method. Examine the proportions and volumes of the head, as well as the placement, structure, and characteristics of the facial features, through preliminary drawings and demonstrations. Develop color using a limited palette to understand how to use chroma, temperature, value, tint, and tone.Instruction will address materials, composition, paint handling, and color mixing, blending, and theory. Homework assignments working from photos, Masterworks, or oneself/others will encourage students to learn to make personal aesthetic and technical choices and to practice concepts addressed in class. Open to all levels, this course is excellent for beginners as well as experienced students who want to review fundamental techniques or who simply enjoy painting portraits from life. Note: Course tuition includes a $75 model fee.

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $770, including lab fee. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.

Register by: September 4 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Thursdays, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Instructor: Joseph Sweeney 
Six-Week Short Course (24 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Combine your love of artmaking and nature through the practice of open air painting at the Haverford College Arboretum. Featuring meadows, gardens, and wooded areas, including the college’s impressive historic tree collection in autumnal colors, this scenic location is the perfect, peaceful place to learn the essentials of landscape painting. Veteran plein air artist Joe Sweeney will guide newcomers and artists of all levels through both the artistic concerns and practical matters of open air painting. Topics include the basics of working outdoors as well as the aesthetic how-tosof color mixing to achieve a sense of light and air, capturing time of day, composition fundamentals, and sound drawing and painting practices. Instruction is geared toward oil/acrylic painting and pastel drawing/painting. Restrooms and parking available. Note:  Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations.

*Please reserve a rain date of October 23, should any session be postponed due to inclement weather.

Image: Joe Sweeney

Register by: September 4 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 

Mondays, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Instructor: Roberto Osti
Twelve-Week Course (36 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)
Note: No class on October 13

Figure paintingis a foundational part of fine arts training and one of the disciplines for which PAFA is most renowned. Practice direct painting technique from the nude model in varied poses toexplore color mixing and color theory, glazing, blending, and both limited and extended palette approaches.Instruction will address gesture, proportion, anatomical landmarks, volume, and color chroma, value, and temperature. Students will examine masterworks to appreciate different styles and work toward developing their personal expression.Instruction is geared toward oil, but students may draw-only if they wish. Open to all levels.Note: Course tuition includes a $75 model fee.

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $770, including lab fee. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.

Image: Roberto Osti

Register by: September 4 
Materials List 
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)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Painting the human form from observation is one of the cornerstones of PAFA's long tradition of rigorous instruction. Working from the nude model in poses of varying lengths, investigate color mixing, proportion, and composition using oil paint as a medium. Focusing on alla prima painting techniques and a limited flesh-tone palette, learn to model the human form through gesture, shape, volume, and temperature – excellent for painted sketches and preparatory studies, foundations for extended work, or an introduction/refresher to figure painting. Intended for all skill levels, this course also offers the valuable opportunity for more advanced students to continue to hone their skills to deepen their understanding of the language of painting.  Instruction will be geared toward oil, but students may draw-only, or use other appropriate media, if they wish. Note: Tuition includes a $35 models fee.

Image: David Wilson

Register by: September 12 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Wednesdays, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. 
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan 
Ten-Week Course (30-Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below) 

Execute richly-hued paintings compelling in their realism using the unique arrangements in PAFA’s dedicated still-life studio as subject. Learn the fundamental vocabulary and techniques of representational oil painting: create a tonal underpainting, model form with opaque paint applications, generate depth and luminosity with transparent glazes and velaturas, and suggest texture with semi-drybrush scumbling. Content will address materials, color, effects of light, illusionistic space, and painterly treatments. This course is appropriate forbeginners, and is excellent for experienced painters seeking to develop pictures with a more believable sense of realism. Drawing experience strongly recommended. 

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $595. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering. 

Image: Fred Kaplan

Register by: September 24 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies