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Oil/Acrylic Painting
in CE Courses by Medium/Discipline
Oil Painting Essentials for Beginners (In-Person)
with Roger Chavez
Thursdays, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Register by 5 p.m. on August 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2022 at checkout. PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE adult Fall classes and workshops only. Pre-College Programs, Open Academy Courses, and Master Classes are ineligible.)
Whether you are just beginning your painting studies or have never picked up a brush, this is the perfect course to build your familiarity and confidence with the techniques and materials of oil painting. Students will work from direct observation using still life and human figure/portrait subjects to explore the fundamentals of painting, including the selection and care of materials, paint application techniques, and color mixing. Instruction will emphasize principles of composition, the use of value to create three-dimensional effects, and color relationships. The study of paintings throughout history will foster a greater understanding and appreciation of this medium.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $675. Select credit option when registering.
Please note: All students enrolling in on-campus courses must submit proof of full COVID-19 vaccination and booster upon registration. Requests for medical or religious exemptions must be approved by PAFA’s head of security. PAFA reserves the right to refuse entry and withdraw enrollment for students who have not provided proof of vaccination and have not been approved for exemption. Withdrawals for noncompliance will result in fees. See CE Policy Guide for complete COVID safety requirements and policies.
Image: Thomas Hovenden, Peonies, 1886, Oil on Canvas, 20 x 24 1/8 in., Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Gift of Mrs. Edward H. Coates (The Edward H. Coates Memorial Collection), 1923.9.2
Register by: September 2
Oil/Acrylic Painting: Abstracting the Real (In-Person)
with Frederic Kaplan
Saturdays, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Register by 5 p.m. on August 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2022 at checkout. PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE adult Fall classes and workshops only. Pre-College Programs, Open Academy Courses, and Master Classes are ineligible.)
Using oil or acrylic paints, exploit a wide range of techniques and artistic languages to transform everyday reality into expressive, symbolic, or personal statements. Base your paintings on unique studio still-life arrangements or use your own photographs as a starting point. Topics discussed and demonstrated include using color as an emotive element, designing compositions to convey mood and movement, and employing energetic mark-making. For less experienced students, materials, color mixing, and basic techniques are also reviewed.
Course Objectives
The student will learn…
- How to select and use basic materials, including the characteristics of various commonly used colors, solvents, and mediums
- To execute a variety of direct and indirect painting methods.
- Approaches to interpreting and modifying observed reality to achieve emotive, symbolic, and compositional goals
- Descriptive, emotive, and symbolic use of color, shape, and mark
- Basic color theory and color mixing
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $575. Select credit option when registering.
Please note: All students enrolling in on-campus courses must submit proof of full COVID-19 vaccination and booster upon registration. Requests for medical or religious exemptions must be approved by PAFA’s head of security. PAFA reserves the right to refuse entry and withdraw enrollment for students who have not provided proof of vaccination and have not been approved for exemption. Withdrawals for noncompliance will result in fees. See CE Policy Guide for complete COVID safety requirements and policies.
Register by: September 2
Portrait Painting and Drawing (Online)
with Al Gury
Sundays, 3 – 4 p.m.
Register by 5 p.m. on August 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2022 at checkout. PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE adult Fall classes and workshops only. Pre-College Programs, Open Academy Courses, and Master Classes are ineligible.)
An in-depth approach to portrait painting from noted author of Color for Painters: A Guide to Traditions and Practice. Investigate the structure of the human head through drawings and painted studies. Progress to finished paintings and address issues of likeness, composition, space and texture. Learn to better see and understand color to mix it more successfully – a useful skill for painting any subject matter. Includes weekly step-by-step painting demonstrations, assignments that target each important issue of painting a portrait, critiques and weekly Zoom meetings. All levels welcome.
Learning Objectives
- Students will learn the traditions and history of portraiture
- Students will learn portrait structure and anatomy
- Students will learn how to achieve a good likeness
- Students will learn alla prima (direct) painting techniques
- Students will learn to use the materials and color palettes for effective portrait painting
- Students will learn to use the materials for effective portrait drawing including pastel
- Students will learn to paint portraits from both life and from photo reference
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $575. Select credit option when registering.
Image: Al Gury.
Register by: September 2
Classical Design for Contemporary Artists (Online)
with Charles Muldowney
Tuesdays, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Register by 5 p.m. on August 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2022 at checkout. PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE adult Fall classes and workshops only. Pre-College Programs, Open Academy Courses, and Master Classes are ineligible.)
Design is the application of the formal elements of aesthetics to an artwork to enhance its strengths. Explore composition, space, value, light, color, line, texture and pattern so that you can employ these powerful elements in your own work. Demonstrations and discussions of artists past and present will exemplify each principle. Learn to apply these concepts through experimentation and targeted projects.
Course Topics:
Composition – This class will discuss the arrangement of forms, rhythms, colors, values, and lines in a work to create an interesting image. Principles like the Golden Ratio and other concepts will be made simple. Students will be able to identify these elements in the work of classical and contemporary artists. The works of Hopper, Bartlett, Vermeer, Millet, Poussin, and others will be discussed.
Space – This class will investigate the creating of a sense of depth in a work using size, position of forms, value, saturation, edge and perspective.
Perspective - atmospheric perspective, linear perspective, intuitive perspective will be discussed and demonstrated. The class will look at the work of Alberti, Masaccio, Durer, Leonardo DaVinci, Giacometti and others.
Value and Light – This class will examine the creating of a range of dark and light in a work. High key and low-key value will be discussed and demonstrated. We will study how to manipulate the value to create a sense of illumination and drama. The class will look at work of Prud’hon, Lorrain, Rigaud, Hassam, Degas, Seurat, Rembrandt, Hopper, Caravaggio, Vermeer, and Whistler.
Color – This class will examine how color works and principles of color in art to create mood, space and harmony. Artists studied: Van Gogh, Matisse, Piper, Diebenkorn, Rothko and others.
Line – This class will explore the use of line in creating planes, volume, mass, and space. Line weight, gesture, accent and passage will also be discussed. The class will look at the work of Van Gogh, Klee, Rembrandt, Kline and others.
Texture and Pattern – this class will look at creating a rich visually interesting surface that provides contrast, variety, and decoration. Artists studied: Escher, Close, Mondrian, Pollock, Klimt, Essaydi and Fish.
Learning Objectives:
- Students will recognize and apply the seven basic elements of classical design.
- Students will become familiar with several important art historical figures, and their influence on design.
- Students will experiment with a variety of techniques and materials to gain an understanding of how mark making influences design.
- Students will develop and discuss concepts and image development in the form of structured critique.
- Students will gain confidence in their ability to create interesting design within their own artwork.
Register by: September 2
Image: Charles Muldowney, The Diagonal in the Golden Section.
The Pennsylvania Landscape Tradition (New Hope, PA - Outdoor)
with Joseph Sweeney
Tuesdays, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Register by 5 p.m. on August 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2022 at checkout. PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE adult Fall classes and workshops only. Pre-College Programs, Open Academy Courses, and Master Classes are ineligible.)
Learn the essentials of landscape painting in the New Hope/Lambertville countryside, the area made famous by Daniel Garber, Edward Redfield, Fern Coppedge, and other masters of Pennsylvania Impressionism. Locations will include Daniel Garber’s historic farmstead, Cuttalossa Farm! 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 color mixing to achieve a sense of light and air, capturing time of day, compositional fundamentals, and sound drawing and painting practices. Instruction is geared toward oil/acrylic painting and pastel drawing/painting.
Learning Objectives:
Students will --
- Learn the basics of working outdoors.
- Learn how to set up, use and care for a field easel.
- Learn how to transport wet paintings to and from home without damaging one’s car.
- Identify the working properties of different surfaces to paint on including linen, canvas, paper, wood, prepared panel, and masonite.
- Learn how to select paint colors and related materials for successful outdoor painting.
- Gain skills in drawing and proportion in the composition of a landscape.
- Become expert in finding locations suitable for painting, including how to orient oneself to the sun and how to find shelter from wind and rain.
- Learn to assess the time of day and how much time is left before the sun continues its course across the sky.
- Make quick field sketches and bring them to full completion, to develop a sense of place.
- Learn to mix color to portray the season, atmosphere, and temperature.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $575. Select credit option when registering.
Image: Joseph Sweeney, Farm on New Road, pastel (cropped).
Register by: September 2
The PAFA Atelier (In-Person)
with Peter Van Dyck
Wednesdays, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Register by 5 p.m. on August 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2022 at checkout. PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE adult Fall classes and workshops only. Pre-College Programs, Open Academy Courses, and Master Classes are ineligible.)
This combination of instructed class and open studio is designed for students interested in advancing their representational drawing and painting. Design and work on your own personal projects utilizing the cast collection, figure/portrait models, and still life or interior spaces, assisted by individual critiques and group instruction on topics of broad concern or interest. This course features intermediate-level instruction for students with prior drawing/painting experience. Note: Tuition includes a $50 model fee.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $1,150 (including model fee). Select credit option when registering.
Please note: All students enrolling in on-campus courses must submit proof of full COVID-19 vaccination and booster upon registration. Requests for medical or religious exemptions must be approved by PAFA’s head of security. PAFA reserves the right to refuse entry and withdraw enrollment for students who have not provided proof of vaccination and have not been approved for exemption. Withdrawals for noncompliance will result in fees. See CE Policy Guide for complete COVID safety requirements and policies.
Image: Peter Van Dyck, Couple Manayunk
Register by: September 2
Painting Over the Line (Online)
with Kassem Amoudi
Wednesdays, 1 – 4 p.m.
Register by 5 p.m. on August 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2022 at checkout. PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE adult Fall classes and workshops only. Pre-College Programs, Open Academy Courses, and Master Classes are ineligible.)
Take your work to the next level under the guidance of artist/critic/mentor Kassem Amoudi in this live Zoom class. Expert instruction and advice will push you to explore new possibilities and work more intuitively, allowing unplanned marks and passages to become artistic breakthroughs. Paint from personal subject matter to find your own visual language, informed by examples from contemporary and modern art. Painting experience recommended. Kassem will begin each class with a slide presentation/lecture focusing on how master artists through history have addressed color, harmony, focal points, space, mark making, paint application, and more, and how to apply these concepts to your own work.
Register by: September 2
Plein Air Painting in Cape May, NJ (Outdoor)
with Joseph Sweeney
Thursday – Sunday, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Register by 5 p.m. on August 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2022 at checkout. PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE adult Fall classes and workshops only. Pre-College Programs, Open Academy Courses, and Master Classes are ineligible.)
Join Joe Sweeney for an outdoor, in-person, plein air painting retreat in beautiful Cape May, New Jersey! Experience small town hospitality while painting Cape May Point, the Cove with sweeping vistas, Cape May Lighthouse, and Sunset Beach. Instruction includes tips on choosing a prime location, reading the weather and light at a particular time of day, and setting up a landscape palette. Instruction is geared towards oil, acrylic and pastel, but experienced watercolorists are welcome. Health-safety measures, including social-distancing and masking where required, will be practiced. Note: Students are responsible for their own travel arrangements.
Image: Joseph Sweeney, Lifeguard, Grant Street, Cape May, NJ, acrylic.
Register by: September 16