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Continuing Education at PAFA

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Plein Air Landscape at Haverford College Arboretum (Outdoor)

$375

with Joseph Sweeney

Calendar Next available session starts Sep 11, 2025 at 10 am, runs for 6 weeks

Thursdays, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Instructor: Joseph Sweeney 
Six-Week Short Course (24 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Combine your love of artmaking and nature through the practice of open air painting at the Haverford College Arboretum. Featuring meadows, gardens, and wooded areas, including the college’s impressive historic tree collection in autumnal colors, this scenic location is the perfect, peaceful place to learn the essentials of landscape painting. Veteran plein air artist Joe Sweeney will guide newcomers and artists of all levels through both the artistic concerns and practical matters of open air painting. Topics include the basics of working outdoors as well as the aesthetic how-tosof color mixing to achieve a sense of light and air, capturing time of day, composition fundamentals, and sound drawing and painting practices. Instruction is geared toward oil/acrylic painting and pastel drawing/painting. Restrooms and parking available. Note:  Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations.

*Please reserve a rain date of October 23, should any session be postponed due to inclement weather.

Image: Joe Sweeney

Register by: September 4 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 

Introduction to Foundry and Mold Making (In-Person)

$750

with Pavel Efremoff

Calendar Next available session starts Sep 11, 2025 at 12:30 pm, runs for 12 weeks

Thursdays, 12:30 – 4 p.m.
Instructor: Pavel Efremoff 
Twelve-Week Condensed Course (42 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.5 Undergraduate Credits (See Below)
Note: No class on November 27

Foundry metal casting is the process of creating metal objects by pouring molten metal into a mold and letting it cool to solidify. This course will cover all aspects of the foundry process with an emphasis on mold making as an essential element of a sculptor’s toolkit for both bronze casting and creating objects in multiples. Demonstrations and hands-on instruction will be given in wax modeling and casting, ceramic shell techniques, bronze pouring, metal chasing, TIG welding and patination. Course content will include step-by-step guidance in mold making production as students apply this process to their own projects. This class presents integral skills for any sculptor and is an excellent follow-up for students who have taken a clay-modeling class and wish to preserve their work. Beginner-friendly and open to all levels. Note: Tuition includes a $75 lab fee.

 

Optional: This course is available for 1.5 undergraduate credits for $1,070 (including lab fee). Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.

Image: Pavel Efremoff

Register by: September 4 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Life Drawing: Medium-/Long-Pose (In-Person)

$615

with John Horn

Calendar Next available session starts Sep 11, 2025 at 12:30 pm, runs for 12 weeks

Thursdays, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Instructor: John Horn 
Twelve-Week Course (36 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

This course will be dedicated to full- and multi-session poses focusing on the structural and aesthetic characteristics of drawing from the model. Classes will begin with brief lectures covering spatial organization, volume, proportional relationships, and anatomy. The rest of each session will focus on drawingthe life model in a variety of standing, seated, and reclining poses, with attention to measuring techniques and rendering the figure through light and shade. Examples of drawings from the Old Masters,and discussions about their approaches, will supplement instruction.Students of all levels are welcome; those with less experience can make several studies during a long pose while experienced students can develop a single drawing. Note: Tuition includes a $75 models 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: John Horn

Register by: September 4 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

In-Depth Watercolor Section 1 (In-Person)

$675

with James Toogood

Calendar Next session starts Sep 12, 2025 at 9 am, runs for 10 weeks

Fridays, 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Instructor: James Toogood 
Ten-Week Condensed Course (45-Hour Equivalent)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.5 Undergraduate Credits (See Below)

Enrich your knowledge of painting with an in-depth look at watercolor. Thoroughly investigate a wide range of watercolor materials and techniques from your choice of landscape, still life, portrait, and figure subjects. The course is designed to equip each participant with the knowledge and skills necessary to make accomplished, personally rewarding watercolor paintings. Open to watercolorists of all levels and to acrylic/oil painters looking to broaden their skills.

Learning Objectives

  • Students will learn about color theory as applied to watercolor.
  • Students will receive a comprehensive explanation of watercolor materials and tools, with particular focus will be paid to the properties of paint and pigments as they interact with the paintbrushes and paper.
  • Through both discussions and demonstrations, first time participants and beginners will learn a variety of techniques that are fundamental to watercolor, presented in a systematic step by step method. Participants can expect to have regular individual instruction, given at their current skill level.
  • Focus also will be paid on acquiring the skills needed to achieve a richness of color and a feeling of light.
  • Participants will work from direct observations from the still life and model, or from their own source material. Those not taking the class for credit will have the option to work on landscape, still life, portrait and figure or abstraction, as they wish.
  • Participants will be exposed to a variety of watercolor styles and encouraged to discover one’s own personal aesthetic.

Optional: This course is available for 1.5 undergraduate credits for $995. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.

Image: James Toogood

Register by: September 5 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Full Course

Figure Painting (In-Person)

$615

with Roberto Osti

Calendar Next available session starts Sep 15, 2025 at 12:30 pm, runs for 12 weeks

Mondays, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Instructor: Roberto Osti
Twelve-Week Course (36 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)
Note: No class on October 13

Figure paintingis a foundational part of fine arts training and one of the disciplines for which PAFA is most renowned. Practice direct painting technique from the nude model in varied poses toexplore color mixing and color theory, glazing, blending, and both limited and extended palette approaches.Instruction will address gesture, proportion, anatomical landmarks, volume, and color chroma, value, and temperature. Students will examine masterworks to appreciate different styles and work toward developing their personal expression.Instruction is geared toward oil, but students may draw-only if they wish. Open to all levels.Note: Course tuition includes a $75 model fee.

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

Image: Roberto Osti

Register by: September 4 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

In-Depth Watercolor Section 2 (In-Person)

$675

with James Toogood

Calendar Next session starts Sep 17, 2025 at 9 am, runs for 10 weeks

Wednesdays, 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Instructor: James Toogood 
Ten-Week Condensed Course (45-Hour Equivalent)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.5 Undergraduate Credits (See Below)

Enrich your knowledge of painting with an in-depth look at watercolor. Thoroughly investigate a wide range of watercolor materials and techniques from your choice of landscape, still life, portrait, and figure subjects. The course is designed to equip each participant with the knowledge and skills necessary to make accomplished, personally rewarding watercolor paintings. Open to watercolorists of all levels and to acrylic/oil painters looking to broaden their skills.

Learning Objectives

  • Students will learn about color theory as applied to watercolor.
  • Students will receive a comprehensive explanation of watercolor materials and tools, with particular focus will be paid to the properties of paint and pigments as they interact with the paintbrushes and paper.
  • Through both discussions and demonstrations, first time participants and beginners will learn a variety of techniques that are fundamental to watercolor, presented in a systematic step by step method. Participants can expect to have regular individual instruction, given at their current skill level.
  • Focus also will be paid on acquiring the skills needed to achieve a richness of color and a feeling of light.
  • Participants will work from direct observations from the still life and model, or from their own source material. Those not taking the class for credit will have the option to work on landscape, still life, portrait and figure or abstraction, as they wish.
  • Participants will be exposed to a variety of watercolor styles and encouraged to discover one’s own personal aesthetic.

Optional: This course is available for 1.5 undergraduate credits for $995. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.

Image: James Toogood

Register by: September 10 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Full Course

The Torso in Clay Workshop (In-Person)

$330

with Morgan Dummitt

Calendar Next available session starts Sep 19, 2025 at 9 am

Friday - Sunday, 9 a.m. – 4p.m.
Instructor: Morgan Dummitt 
Three-Day Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Sculptors from Ancient Greece to Michelangelo have recognized the centrality of the torso for creating dynamic figure sculptures. This condensed class will focus intensely on the anatomy, structure, and proportions of the torso. Students will complete a half life-sized torso in clay. Perfect for beginners or for experienced students wishing to bring renewed vitality to their figurative work in any media. Work will be done in terracotta and fired after class.  Tuition includes a $35 models fee.

Learning Outcomes

Students in this class will:

  • Gain a thorough understanding of the interaction of the ribcage and pelvis as theyinform the torso
  • Understand simplified form conceptions of the major masses of the body
  • Learn the basic structure, anatomy and proportions of the torso
  • Learn best practices for building and firing sculpture in clay

Image: Morgan Dummitt, Torso Fragments.

Register by: September 12 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Gouache Painting for Fine Art and Design (Online)

$425

with Kate Samworth

Calendar Next available session starts Sep 24, 2025 at 1 pm, runs for 10 weeks

Wednesdays, 1 – 4 p.m. (Zoom) with Supplemental Canvas Content 
Instructor: Kate Samworth
Ten-Week Course (30-Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

Explore color, painting methods, and composition in gouache – vibrant and easy-to-use opaque watercolor paint.  Instruction will address fundamentals including materials, paint application techniques,and control of flow.  Particular emphasis will be placed on understanding and mixing color, examining harmony, relativity, value, temperature, and chroma through guided exercises using limited palettes.  Subjects will range from pattern designs to copying masterworks. Instruction will include slide presentations, painting demonstrations, and feedback on student artwork.

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

Image: Kate Samworth

Register by: September 17

Materials List
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies  
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses





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