Continuing Education at PAFA

Wednesdays, 10 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Instructor: Joseph Sweeney
Six-Week Condensed Course (30 Hours) 
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

Learn the essentials of landscape painting in the New Hope/Lambertville countryside, the area made famous by Daniel Garber, Edward Redfield, Fern Coppedge, and other masters of Pennsylvania Impressionism. Locations will include Daniel Garber’s historic farmstead, Cuttalossa Farm! 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 color mixing to achieve a sense of light and air, capturing time of day, compositional fundamentals, and sound drawing and painting practices. Instruction is geared toward oil/acrylic painting and pastel drawing/painting. 

Learning Objectives:  Students will --  

• Learn the basics of working outdoors.  
• Learn how to set up, use and care for a field easel.  
• Learn how to transport wet paintings to and from home without damaging one’s car.  
• Identify the working properties of different surfaces to paint on including linen, canvas, paper, wood, prepared panel, and masonite.  
• Learn how to select paint colors and related materials for successful outdoor painting.  
• Gain skills in drawing and proportion in the composition of a landscape.  
• Become an expert in finding locations suitable for painting, including how to orient oneself to the sun and how to find shelter from wind and rain.  
• Learn to assess the time of day and how much time is left before the sun continues its course across the sky.  
• Make quick field sketches and bring them to full completion, to develop a sense of place.  
• Learn to mix color to portray the season, atmosphere, and temperature. 

*Please reserve a rain date of October 30, should any session be postponed due to inclement weather. 

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

Image: Joseph Sweeney 

Register by: September 6 

Materials List 

Fall 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies