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Land Art and Mindfulness Workshop (Online and Outdoor)

$125

with Colleen O'Donnell

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 13, 2024 at 9 am

Saturday Zoom Intro, 1 – 3 p.m. and Sunday Outdoors/On-Location, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. (See below for rain date.)
Instructor: Colleen O’Donnell
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Register by April 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2024 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program, CA Certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.)

Nature can stimulate creativity and mindfulness, and likewise mindful creativity can amplify one’s appreciation of nature. Improve your ability to be conscious in and with nature by creating a temporary artwork in a natural setting using the materials found there. Making an artwork onsite not only amplifies attention to the beautiful details of one’s surroundings, but also the ephemeral, or impermanent, nature of land work releases the artist from preconceived ideas or pressures of making a lasting "product" so that they can be concerned only with living and creating in the moment. The class will meet first via Zoom to discuss ideas of land art, view examples, and plan for their activity.  Students will then gather and create their works in Montgomery County's peaceful Fort Washington State Park, and afterward photograph it or make a short video to preserve the memory. This workshop is a great way to use art-makingas a way to relax and connect with nature.No prior experience necessary. Students are responsible for their own transportation.

Note: Please reserve rain dates of July 20 – 21. Regular refund policies apply to original dates only; no refunds available for students unable to attend rain dates. See CE policy guide below for withdrawal policies.

Image: Colleen O'Donnell, Oceanscape, driftwood, shells and plastic straw, 6 x 18 x 6 in.

Register by: July 26
Materials List
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Figure Painting: The Extended Pose (In-Person)

$330

with David Wilson

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 13, 2024 at 10 am, runs for 6 weeks

Saturdays, 10 a.m - 1 p.m. 
Instructor: David Wilson 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only 

Register by April 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2024 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program, CA Certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.) 

Paint from a life model in a single pose for the entire course. Extended time with a single subject allows students to work with the instructor to tailor exercises that address their individual interests, including the development of one large image or several smaller studies. The first session will include time for gestural and thumbnail drawings in preparation for the model’s final placement. 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: July 5
Materials List 
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 

Handquilting (In-Person)

$195

with Sheryl Kessler

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 13, 2024 at 10 am, runs for 4 weeks

Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. 
Instructor: Sheryl Kessler 
Four-Week Short Course (12 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only 

Register by April 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2024 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program, CA Certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.) 

The act of hand-stitching is a meditative and relaxing process that produces beautiful and unique results without any machine required. Learn the techniques of slow-stitching by creating your own small (wall-hanging)-sized quilt. All techniques will be taught by hand, but students are welcome to bring personal sewing machines if they wish. The following methods will be taught:   

  • Patchwork  
  • Applique (raw edge and turned edge)  
  • Traditional quilting and tied quilting  
  • Binding   

Benefit by working alongside other participants, to enjoy conversation and company and to learn from, and admire, each other’s work! 

Image: Sheryl Kessler, I KEEP ON FALLIN' IN AND OUT OF LOVE WITH YOU.

Register by: June 24
Materials List  
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 

The Portrait in Pencil Workshop (In-Person)

$205

with RA Friedman

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 20, 2024 at 9 am

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Instructor: RA Friedman
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Register by April 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2024 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program, CA Certificate registration, 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.

Image: RA Friedman. 

Register by: July 12
Materials List 
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Mixed Media Collage Workshop (Online)

$105

with Susan Sullivan

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 27, 2024 at 1 pm

Saturday and Sunday, 1 – 4 p.m. (Zoom with posted Canvas content)
Instructor: Susan Sullivan 
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only 

Register by April 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2024 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program, CA Certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.) 

Collage has the incredible capacity to combine disparate materials, text, and imagery into a single, coherent composition that is textural, colorful, and visually interesting or even surprising.  It also can serve as a great means of personal expression, story-telling, or self-exploration, combining objects from the artist’s life or surroundings. Explore the many ways you can create your own imagery through mixed media collage by examining composition, communication, and assembling techniques. Experiment with found objects, images, photo transfer, paint, ink, and dry media on various surfaces. Examine the collage and mixed media work by master artists such as Pablo Picasso, Hannah Hoch, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Richard Hamilton, Miriam Schapiro and Anselm Kiefer. This course is open to all levels, with no prior experience necessary. 

Image: Susan Sullivan, This is the only way I could think of contacting you, Mix Media, 7.25 x 6.75 in.

Register by: July 19
Materials List 
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses

The Art of Watercolor Workshop (In-Person)

$195

with Keith Leitner

Calendar Next available session starts Aug 3, 2024 at 9 am

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. 
Instructor: Keith Leitner 
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only 

Register by April 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2024 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program, CA Certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.) 

Discover the beauty and versatility of watercolor through colorful and thoughtful still life arrangements. Discussions and in-depth demonstrations will acquaint beginners and those with limited experience with basic watercolor painting materials and techniques. A variety of approaches will be explored, and students will be encouraged to engage with the medium to find their own personal means of expression.  

Image: Keith Leitner. 

Register by: July 26
Materials List  
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Spontaneous Abstraction (In-Person)

$225

with Kassem Amoudi

Calendar Next available session starts Aug 10, 2024 at 9 am

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. 
Instructor: Kassem Amoudi 
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only 

Register by April 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2024 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program, CA Certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.) 

Many artists can feel frustrated in front of a blank canvas, unsure of how to start and what to paint. This workshop offers a step-by-step technique which will enable you to paint with confidence by tapping into your intuitive process and finding inspiration more easily. Experienced instruction and advice from the instructor will push students to take chances and explore unexpected directions and accidental marks as a means of achieving artistic discoveries. Demonstration of different drawing and painting techniques will enhance your knowledge of the process of painting. Students will utilize line, color and space, as well as the possibilities of editing, to create busy/calm areas and focal points in their paintings. Painting experience recommended. 

Image: Kassem Amoudi, Windows and Doors 25, Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30 in.

Register by: August 2
Materials List 
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 





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