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
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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
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Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Tuesdays, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. 
Instructor: John Horn 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours) 
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Strengthen and hone your foundational drawing skills through a series of one- and two-day projects. Topics of concern will be design, structure of space, perspective, and light and shade. Subjects will include interior space, single objects and still life arrangements, and the life model. All levels from beginner to advanced are welcome. Tuition includes a $15 models fee.

Register by: July 1
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Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Tuesdays, 1 – 4 p.m. 
Instructor: Marguerita Hagan  
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)  
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Explore a custom sculpture experience in clay with veteran ceramicist, Marguerita Hagan. Learn various hand-building processes with an emphasis on abstraction. Create work that is either wall-hanging or free-standing, and focused on 3D qualities, surface treatments, or both. Whatever you imagine will be supported with experienced individualized attention and specific hand-building and painting techniques to manifest your intention. Gain exposure not only to hand-building directions but also to many surface treatment methods including airbrush, underglaze paints, pencils, masking, resist, glaze, overglaze lusters, and waterslide and rice paper transfer decals. Instruction will be tailored to serve the individual whether for learning basic hand-building methods or realizing a work or series. Come with no experience or translate your existing practice into the transformative language of clay. Note: Tuition includes a $30 lab fee.

Image: Marguerita Hagan, Swept, hand-built ceramic, 6.5 x 8.25 x 6.5 in.

Register by: July 1
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Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Wednesdays, 9 a.m. - 4p.m.
Instructor: Morgan Dummitt
Six-Week Condensed Course (36 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

Modeling the portrait in clay is a foundational skill of traditional sculpture. Working from a model, learn to create a portrait from composition to completed sculpture. Instruction for this uniquely comprehensive course will encompass learning to build an armature, modeling the form in clay, and casting in plaster to preserve the finished artwork. Topics of study will include proportion, composition, structure, and simplified sculptural form. 

This class consists of six meetings, which will be divided as follows: 

Week 1: Armature Construction/Demo/Modeling 

Weeks 2 - 4: Clay Modeling 

Weeks 5 - 6: Plaster Casting 

Student Learning Outcomes

• Gain a basic understanding of the osteology, myology, and morphology of the head

• Analyze and organize the various forms of the head and neck into simplified sculptural forms

• Understand various techniques for creating a “likeness” of the sitter

• Carry out best practices for modeling and maintaining water-based clay sculpture

• Understand and execute basic plaster casting techniques

Note: Course tuition includes a $50 model fee. 

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $745 (including models fee). Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.

Register by: July 2
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Wednesdays, 1 - 3 p.m. (Zoom with Posted Canvas Content)
Instructor: Erlin Geffrard
Six-Week Short Course (18-Hour Equivalent)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Art isn’t just a practice—it’s a habit. This course encourages students to integrate creativity into their daily lives through structured exercises, prompts, and discussions on process over perfection. By studying artistic practices from different historic periods, we will examine how artists across time have incorporated daily rituals into their work. Students will also explore a range of materials and techniques, allowing them to experiment and develop their own creative routines. Whether you’re returning to art after a long break or looking to establish a new creative habit, this course provides the tools and inspiration to make art a fulfilling and sustainable part of everyday life.

Key Topics:

• Overcoming creative blocks and self-doubt

• Examining artistic routines and rituals from different time periods

• Experimenting with a variety of materials and techniques

• The role of repetition and improvisation in art-making

• Developing a personal creative philosophy

Register by: July 2
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Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses

Wednesdays, 1 – 4 p.m. 
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours) 
Credit: Non-Credit Only

The simple pencil is an economical medium readily accessible to students at all levels, including beginners. It can produce drawings that range from poetic delicacy to energetic and bold expressiveness. Working from still life arrangements, interiors, window views, and PAFA’s cast collection, students will explore a variety of approaches for using pencil to shade and model form convincingly and with beauty. Instruction will review basic drawing principles and observational skills such as evaluating shape, gauging proportions, and employing perspective effects like foreshortening. Previous drawing experience is recommended but not required.

Register by: July 2
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Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Thursdays, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Instructor: Roberto Osti
Six-Week Condensed Course (36 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

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 $75 model fee.

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $770 (including models fee). Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.

Image: Roberto Osti, Copy from William Paxton - Class Demonstration, oil on canvas.

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