Wednesdays, 8:30 AM – 11:30 PM (includes option to add afternoons, 1 – 4 PM, for full-day attendance—see description) 
Instructor: Doug Martenson
Fifteen-Week Open Academy Course (45–90 Hours) 
Credit: Non-Credit or 3.0 Undergraduate Credits (See Below)

PAFA's Open Academy courses offer CE and non-matriculated students the opportunity to experience PAFA's comprehensive certificate-level instruction on a course-by-course basis. Credits earned are eligible for transfer into PAFA's Fine Arts Certificate program. Note: Early Bird and Membership Discounts do not apply. For additional course options, please see Continuing Education's regular course offerings.

Students will learn the structure of the portrait, the history of master and contemporary portraiture, and the methods and materials oil painting. Issues of form, spatial concepts, color, and visual and critical thinking will be addressed, as students will be encouraged to develop a personal point of view in their painting practice. Individual and group critiques will be conducted. Course Modality: In-person.

Optional: For the full-day option (morning, 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM, and afternoon, 1 – 4 PM), this course is available for $2,900 non-credit or $3,600 for 3.0 undergraduate credits*. (Credit available for full-day only.) Select the course length and credit option with the tuition adjustment during checkout.

* See the policy guide below for information about transferring credits. 

Register by: August 19 
Materials will be addressed via PAFA's Canvas online platform (if applicable) or on the first day of class.
Please review CE's Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Notes: Open Academy courses are not eligible for PAFA membership or promotional discounts.

A minimum 10% fee applies to withdrawals, including same-day withdrawals. Students are advised to confirm their schedules before registering.

Tuesdays, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM  
Instructor: Phyllis Laver  
Ten-Week Course (30 Hours)

Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

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, selections from PAFA’s casts and statuary, 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 also excellent as a foundation for future study, including for painting and other disciplines. Note: Tuition includes a $25 models fee.

Register by: September 15  
Materials List   
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Fridays, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM  
Instructor: Roger Chavez  
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)

Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

Abstract or expressive painting often uses observable subject matter as a starting point or source of inspiration for color, form, and composition. Working from colorful still life arrangements, learn to move beyond identifiable objects and defined contours to explore more expressive or personal means of interpretation. Instruction will address redeploying or adapting observable shapes and colors toward abstract effect, manipulating visual elements to strengthen compositional balance and movement or to reconstruct pictorial space, and employing expressive mark-making for focus or emotional intent. Color mixing and basic oil painting techniques will also be reviewed.

Image: Roger Chavez

Register by: September 18  
Materials List   
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM  
Instructor: RA Friedman  
Weekend Workshop 

Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

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.

Register by: September 18  
Materials List   
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Mondays, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM  
Instructor: Roberto Osti  
Ten-Week Course (30 Hours)  
No class on October 12 (Indigenous People’s Day)

Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

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 $65 model fee.

Register by: September 21  
Materials List   
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM  
Instructor: Theodore Xaras  
Weekend Workshop (14 Hours)

Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

This comprehensive workshop covers all aspects of painting a traditional portrait. Topics include achieving a likeness, modeling light and shade, mixing flesh tones and applying paint through various techniques. All participants will produce at least one finished portrait. Includes demonstrations and portrait history. Valuable information for all levels. Note: Tuition includes a $25 model fee.

Learning Objectives

• Students will learn to analyze and construct a portrait using clearly defined steps.
• Students will be able to achieve a likeness through the careful observation of shapes and their color/value equivalent, which together, form the “topography” of the face.
• Students will learn how to mix and adjust colors to produce accurate flesh tones.
• Students will be able to produce one completed portrait, either a head and shoulders or the entire torso and hands.
• Students will be able to paint a recognizable portrait from life.
• Students will gain an appreciation for the art of portraiture from their own work as well as becoming acquainted with historical and contemporary examples as a basis for further study.

Register by: October 9  
Materials List   
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Wednesdays, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM  
Instructor: Rae Helms  
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)  
No class on November 25

Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

This six-week class introduces students to stone lithography, the traditional printmaking method of creating fine art prints from drawings made on limestone blocks. Students will learn the basics of this fascinating process, including graining the limestone to prepare it for drawing, creating an image in oil-based lithographic crayons and ink, etching the stone by means of a chemical process, inking the stone, and operating PAFA’s litho press to print an edition of prints. Students will benefit not only from expert class instruction, but also from access to PAFA’s beautiful, light-filled printmaking facilities (including its selection of limestone blocks) and plenty of monitored lab hours for outside work for the entire length of the course! Note: Tuition includes a $20 lab fee.

Check out this informative illustrated explanation courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art!

Register by: October 21  
Materials List   
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Fridays, 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM  
Instructor: Roberto Osti  
Six-Week Online Short Course (Zoom + Asynchronous Content; 18-Hour Equivalent)  
No class on November 27 (Thanksgiving Break)

Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

Copying from masterworks is a time-honored form of artistic instruction and an excellent means of studying the art of portraiture in particular. Hone your oil painting skills using both alla prima (direct painting) techniques and indirect methods of building form and color through layers. Master painting references from artists such as Paxton, DeCosta, and Manet will be carefully selected to cover foundational paint-handling techniques, composition, color theory, and mixing flesh tones using a limited palette, as well as painterly methods for depicting the structure of the head, facial features, and hair. This class offers a fascinating way to internalize the techniques and aesthetic decisions of successful artists and incorporate them into your own artistic expression.

Register by: October 23  
Materials List   
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.