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Continuing Education at PAFA

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Watercolor, Gouache & Tempera

in Courses by Medium/Discipline

Botanical Alla Prima Painting Workshop (In-Person)

$205

with Linda Gist

Calendar Next available session starts Mar 21, 2026 at 9:30 am

Saturday and Sunday, 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Instructor: Linda Gist 
Weekend Workshop 

Embody the spirit of spring with fresh and immediate painting! Learn to capture the essence of a living, botanical subject quickly and spontaneously in pencil and watercolor. This alla prima method can be used for preparatory studies for sustained paintings, compiling a field sketchbook, or as an end in itself. All levels welcome. Tuition includes a $10 materials fee to cover floral subjects.

Image: Linda Gist.

Register by: March 13 
Materials List - Coming Soon
 
Please review CE's Winter/Spring 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

City Landscape Drawing and Painting (Outdoor)

$295

with Larry Francis

Calendar Next available session starts Apr 12, 2026 at 9 am, runs for 6 weeks

Sundays, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. 
Instructor: Larry Francis 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours) 
Rain Date: May 31

Capture the small-town beauty Manayunk's hilly streets, rowhomes, and storefronts.  Learn to create a convincing sense of space, light and time of day while depicting streetscapes, trees, water and sky.  Color mixing and painting techniques for oils will be demonstrated, but all drawing/painting media are welcome.  Located just 15 minutes outside of Philadelphia, Manayunk offers engaging urban and riverside neighborhood subjects with parking, shade, provisions and facilities available. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations. 

Image: Larry Francis, Hill Town Paintings - View from Fleming, 2024, gouache on blue grey paper, 18 x 24 in.

Register by: April 6 
Materials List - Coming Soon
 
Please review CE's Winter/Spring 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Plein Air in Water-Media: Themes and Variations with a Limited Palette (Outdoor)

$260

with Michelle Oosterbaan

Calendar Next available session starts Apr 23, 2026 at 10 am, runs for 4 weeks

Thursdays, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 
Instructor: Michelle Oosterbaan 
Four-Week Short Course (16 Hours) 
Rain Date: May 21

Water-based paints such as watercolor,  gouache, and fluid acrylics are the perfect mediums for landscape painting in the open air! Work in your choice of these portable, fast-drying, and easy-to-clean-up alternatives to oils as you portray the beauty of spring in Philadelphia’s parks in your own personal style. Learn how to choose a composition and mix color for depth and expressive effects as you complete a series of rapid sketches and at least one sustained painting. Explore techniques for achieving transparency effects with stained gesso, working fat over lean, and rendering with ink over washes.  Open to all levels. Painting locations featuring shade, restrooms, and other amenities may include Northwestern Stables in Wissahickon Park in Mt. Airy, Washington Square Park near Independence Hall, Glen Foerd overlooking the Delaware River, and Bartram's Garden in Southwest Philadelphia. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations. 

Image: Michelle Oosterbaan

Register by: April 16 
Materials List - Coming Soon 
Please review CE's Winter/Spring 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.





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