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Stone Carving (In-Person)

$560

with Steve Nocella

Calendar Current session started Sep 16, 2023 at 9 am, runs for 12 weeks

Saturdays, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. 
Instructor: Steve Nocella 
Credit: Non-credit or 1.0 undergraduate credit (see description)

Explore the possibilities of stone carving by using traditional and nontraditional methods. All processes from rough carving to polishing will be covered, and various tools and techniques will be demonstrated. Open to all levels. Note: Tuition includes $20 lab fee. 

Learning Objectives

  • Develop proficiency in basic tool use including manual carving, pneumatic carving, sawing, grinding, and sanding. 
  • Learn the methods of stone carving beginning with "roughing out" a form and finishing with sanding and polishing. 
  • Develop a perceptual ability for spatial relationships of the elements that constitute a sculpture or a three-dimensional image. 
  • Learn to use creative and critical thinking in the process of carving sculpture. 
  • Gain an appreciation for the influence and informing effect that medium and process have on image making. 
  • Acquire an introductory understanding of the history of stone carving as well as the capacity to conceptualize context for the student's own sculpture. 

This course does not meet during Thanksgiving Break, November 23 - 26.

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $715 (including lab fee). Select credit option when registering.

Image: Francesco Toledo, 3 Mayan Girls, 2023, Carrara marble, 18 x 16 x 12 in. Courtesy of the student. 

Register by: September 8 

Materials List 

Fall 2023 CE Policy Guide, including updated Withdrawal/Refund Policies

Figure Painting: Alla Prima and the Limited Palette (In-Person)

$330

with David Wilson

Calendar Current session started Sep 16, 2023 at 10 am, runs for 6 weeks

Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. 
Instructor: David Wilson 
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, in this class, if they wish. Note: Tuition includes a $35 models fee.

Image: David Wilson, 2016.

Register by: September 8 

Materials List

Fall 2023 CE Policy Guide, including updated Withdrawal/Refund Policies

Realistic Drawing Techniques (In-Person)

$450

with Robert Waddington

Calendar Current session started Sep 30, 2023 at 1 pm, runs for 10 weeks

Saturdays, 1 – 4 p.m.  
Instructor: Robert Waddington
Credit: Non-credit or 1.0 undergraduate credit (see below)

This class is designed to provide an intense studio drawing experience with a strong emphasis on improving students’ grasp of a variety of drawing methods used to produce successful realistic drawings. Examine drawing materials’ use, origins, and historical significance. Learn to perceive form, depict accurate tonal values, and develop individual line character while working from PAFA’s historic cast collection of Antique and Renaissance sculpture, as well as from still life objects, students’ own items, and optionally medical-grade human skeletons for students interested in anatomical drawing. Linear (one-, two-, and three-point) perspective, aerial perspective, and the use of color as enhancement will be covered, as well as the purpose and practical use of preliminary and finished drawings as references for paintings.

Fundamental and advanced drawing techniques will be explained and supplemented by instructional handouts, demonstrations, and assignments, with the option for students to be supported in their own independent projects. The goal of this course is for students of all levels to gain confidence in their abilities and to see an immediate improvement in their drawings. 

This course does not meet during Thanksgiving Break, November 23 - 26.

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

Register by: September 22 

Materials List

Fall 2023 CE Policy Guide, including updated Withdrawal/Refund Policies

Painless Perspective Workshop (In-Person)

$195

with Frederic Kaplan

Calendar Next available session starts Oct 7, 2023 at 9 am

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan 
Credit: Non-Credit Only 

Perspective is at the heart of good drawing. It allows us to transform the 3D world into a believable 2D image, and it need not be difficult to understand. With still life and interiors as subject matter, learn basic principles and simple methods presented in clear language and without the need for special tools or complex geometry. This workshop serves as a good foundation for further study in drawing. A modest amount of previous drawing experience is recommended.

Image: Elena Kingsbury, [Untitled], graphite on paper. Courtesy of the student.  

Register by: September 29 

Materials List

Fall 2023 CE Policy Guide, including updated Withdrawal/Refund Policies

Watercolor Workshop (In-Person)

$215

with James Toogood

Calendar Next available session starts Oct 14, 2023 at 9 am

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.  
Instructor: James Toogood 
Credit: Non-Credit Only 

Interested in learning or improving your watercolor skills? All materials and techniques will be discussed, including the selection of papers, brushes, and pigments, as well as transparent and opaque painting methods. Students will work from still-life, and/or their own source material. All levels welcome.

Register by: September 29 

Materials List

Fall 2023 CE Policy Guide, including updated Withdrawal/Refund Policies

Autumn Leaves in Watercolor Workshop (In-Person)

$195

with Linda Gist

Calendar Next available session starts Oct 21, 2023 at 9:30 am

Saturday and Sunday, 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 
Instructor: Linda Gist 
Credit: Non-credit only

Autumn leaves and watercolor paint are made for each other. If you long to capture the vibrance and beauty of jewel-like Fall leaves as they turn trees and the ground under our feet into rich tapestries of color, this is the workshop for you. Spend the weekend exploring color mixing and paint application techniques designed to help you capture a bit of nature in one of its most beautiful seasons. The workshop will include demonstrations of wet-into-wet and dry-brush techniques, as well as one-on-one coaching. All experience levels welcome.

Image: Linda Gist.

Register by: September 22 

Materials List

Fall 2023 CE Policy Guide, including updated Withdrawal/Refund Policies

Drawing the Landscape: Composition and Linear Expression Workshop (In-Person)

$195

with Michelle Oosterbaan

Calendar Next available session starts Oct 28, 2023 at 10 am

Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  
Instructor: Michelle Oosterbaan 
Credit: Non-Credit Only 

Line is the fundamental element in drawing, capable of a wide range of aesthetic possibilities, from describing shape to creating space and atmospheric effects. Capture the landscape though descriptive and expressive drawn line in this indoor studio workshop. Instruction will examine varying quality and character of line, as well as how it serves to define positive and negative space – the active/focal elements and surrounding spaces – as an all-important means of establishing balance, focus, and visual order in any composition. Learn to achieve a variety of subtle and striking effects by using conte crayon, ink and brush, micron pen, and white paint. Students will work from their favorite travel/landscape photos, first to investigate mark-making with ink and brush, and then to hone hand/eye coordination toward image translation. Topics will include combining additive and subtractive techniques, perceiving Gestalt shape, and creating linear texture.

Register by: October 20 

Materials List

Fall 2023 CE Policy Guide, including updated Withdrawal/Refund Policies

Figure Painting: Developing Form and Finish (In-Person)

$330

with David Wilson

Calendar Next available session starts Oct 28, 2023 at 10 am, runs for 6 weeks

Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. 
Instructor: David Wilson 
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Paint from a life model in poses of varying lengths to develop and refine your figure painting compositions. Extended poses will allow students to adjust and resolve issues of surface, color, and composition. Instruction will cover a variety of topics including glazing, broken color, surface texture, composition and design, the relationship of the figure to the environment, the creation of atmosphere and color harmony, disrupted realism, and open- versus closed-form painting. All levels welcome. Students are welcome to draw-only, or use other appropriate media, if they wish. Note: Tuition includes a $35 models fee.

Image: David Wilson.

Register by: October 20 

Materials List  

Fall 2023 CE Policy Guide, including updated Withdrawal/Refund Policies





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