Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Instructor: David Wilson
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
No class on May 24 (Memorial Day Weekend)

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.

For continued or alternative study, see also Figure Painting: The Extended Pose with the same instructor.  Students enrolling in one class need not enroll in the other, and Alla Prima and the Limited Palette is not required for The Extended Pose.

Register by: May 9 
Materials List 
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Sundays, 3 – 4 p.m. (Interactive asynchronous Canvas content supported by weekly Zoom meetings)
Instructor: Al Gury
Six-Week Condensed Course (30-Hour Equivalent)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)
No class on May 25 (Memorial Day Weekend)

This six-session class is a visually rich, hands-on, and informative presentation of the working methods, color, materials, and techniques of six great eras of painting. Topics for examination will include Spanish and Dutch painters such as Velasquez and Rembrandt, great Impressionist painters like Manet and Pissarro, the painters of Montmartre such as Matisse and Picasso, the early expressionist painters like Kandinsky and Soutine, and the great abstract painters of the 20th century. Each week will include video demonstrations of master painting methods, lessons in visual art history, and a Q&A Zoom review session of materials and methods for all painting approaches. Students will complete weekly projects to create paintings using the approaches and aesthetics of each of the six great eras of painting, which will be critiqued and commented on by the instructor on the online platform Canvas, with a learning goal of enriching each student’s confidence, knowledge, and skills as they acquire tools for their own art-making practice. Open to all media and levels of experience.

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

Register by: May 12
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses

Mondays, 6 – 9 p.m. 
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
No class on May 26 (Memorial Day)

This complete acrylic painting course covers basic to advanced methods. Learn to use quick-drying acrylics expertly in both thin transparent layers and thicker, more opaque applications that produce textural and impasto effects. Materials like fluid mediums, gels, and pastes will be demonstrated, along with both brush and palette knife techniques. Several different color palettes will be introduced as students work from still life subjects. This course is ideal for students looking for a non-toxic, flexible painting medium, as well as anyone seeking to explore acrylics’ excellent potential for representational and abstract work. Drawing experience is recommended. 

Image: Frederic Kaplan

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

Wednesdays, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan
Six-Week Condensed Course (30 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

Whether you are new or returning to oil painting, this comprehensive foundational course is the perfect way to learn its materials and techniques and how to apply them effectively. Instruction will discuss and demonstrate a range of colors, paint brands, and painting mediums and demystify painting conventions such as “fat over lean” and “thick over thin.” Working from still-life subject matter, begin with simple “direct” alla prima sketches, and then advance to “indirect” layering approaches of building upon a tonal underpainting – first with a limited selection of transparent and opaque colors, and later with a more extended palette. Develop methodologies for the process of making a painting, including managing color and value, and constructing an engaging composition. Previous drawing experience recommended.

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

Register by: May 14
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Wednesdays, 1 – 4 p.m. 
Instructor: Kassem Amoudi
Ten-Week Course (30 Hours) 
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

Learn to explore new possibilities and paint more intuitively under the guidance of artist/critic/mentor KassemAmoudi. Work from personal subject matter (objects, images, emotions, or ideas) to find your own visual language, informed by examples from contemporary and modern art. Examine how to use concepts of color, harmony, focal point, space, and mark-making as powerful tools of personal expression. Open painting is heavily supported by critiques and advice from the instructor as he works one-on-one with each student to guide them in their personal style and goals. This course is excellent for students pursuing abstract or nonobjective imagery, seeking knowledgeable feedback and a focused community painting environment. Painting experience recommended. 

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

Image: Kassem Amoudi

Register by: May 21
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Want to paint but don't know where to begin? This two-day structured workshop makes it painless and easy to ease into oil painting. Begin with a black-and-white painting (just like drawing) to become familiar with painting tools and materials. Be introduced to color with a simple earth-palette painting. Move on to a brighter prismaticpalette, and then top off the weekend by completing a painting in a full palette of colors. This course will utilize still life subject matter. Drawing experience recommended.

Register by: June 13
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Mondays, 1 – 4 p.m. 
Instructor: Roger Chavez 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours) 
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Energize and open up your approach to figure painting through rapid, loose oil painting studies from the life model. Learn tactics to avoid the tendency toward tightness and over-attention to detail too early in the process that can lead to work that lacks liveliness in gesture or mark and is difficult to adjust or correct. Through short, small-scale painting exercises from the model in one-day poses, learn new ways of approaching life painting with an emphasis on keeping compositions fluid, capturing the gesture and character of the subject before getting locked into its contours, and both initiating and retaining a sense of freshness in your color and brushstrokes. Instruction will address color mixing, painting materials and methodologies, and the importance of cultivating sustainable methods for growth in your painting practice. Note: Tuition includes a $35 models fee.

Register by: July 3
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Tuesdays, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Instructor: Roger Chavez
Five-Week Short Course (20 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Includes Rain Date: August 5

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 along the Schuylkill River and the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, near Philadelphia International Airport. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations.

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