This class emphasizes the immediacy, spontaneity and vitality of direct observation. Working from life, students will capture the beauty of simple subjects using expressive brushwork and intuitive color choices. They will be encouraged to paint the spirit of the subject rather focus upon detail. Lectures, demos and critiques will be incorporated into each class. All levels welcome but some experience in oils is required. Each session of this class is four hours (1:00 PM - 5:00 PM).
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Georganna Lenssen
Cost: $240
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

The convincing depiction of form in three-dimensional space is one of the great conceptual breakthroughs in Western art initiated during the Renaissance. This class will begin by drawing items from still life on toned paper. How do you begin a drawing, and when do you stop? We will explore physical viewpoint, composition and the rendering of light and shadow to create mood and feeling. Recreate what you see with power and fresh vision. The goal is to build a drawing vocabulary that communicates your thoughts and feelings. The class will include demonstrations, discussions of masterworks and thoughtful feedback on class work. The drawing participants will discover this to be a valuable resource for more advanced work in drawing and painting.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Ernie Norcia
Cost: $285
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Join our faculty for this still life workshop working in oils, alla prima style; wet on wet. Students will learn to build paintings with luminous color starting with transparent colors and building towards opaques. Students are encouraged to paint what they love, bringing objects from home to build their own still life arrangements. A personal excitement or connection to an item whether it be a color, subject or personal story, helps the artist create a work that is truly their own. Instructor will provide some items as well for students to work with. Students will be working from life, no photos for this class.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Fred Jackson
Cost: $295
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Working from still life set-ups, learn the various techniques of aqueous media used for creating light, structure, texture, transparency and opacity. While the focus of the class is water-based acrylics, students are welcome to work in pastels or oil if they prefer. Instructor demonstrations and group discussion, as well as individual attention, provided during each class session.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Joeseph Sweeney
Cost: $570
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Whether it is portrait, still life, landscape or abstracts, the presence of light against shadow gives the subject form and dimension. Bring your own inspiration to class and with this principle in mind, watch your paintings come to life! Composition and color mixing will be a focus in this class. All mediums and skill levels are welcome!
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Stefanie Lieberman
Cost: $570
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Students create fresh and dynamic paintings using simple everyday objects in thoughtful, well-lit compositions. Through hands-on instruction, demos, and examining the work of master and contemporary painters, students begin with an indirect painting approach and proceed in clear stages. The course covers the key ingredients of great painting, including composition, paint handling, edges, value and color relationships, and modeling form. Students will develop a solid and dependable approach to painting, providing a strong foundation upon which to build. Students are encouraged to bring meaningful objects or subject matter that inspires, excites, or tells a story. This class will benefit students of all levels.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Sharon Henderson
Cost: $475
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

This class will explore the essential relationships of shape, proportion, and value within the condition of light bathing subject matter. The painterly medium of charcoal contributes significantly to understanding the practice of building a painting. Drawing in line and moving to masses, students strive to draw fluidly with concentration on value and proportion, identifying a process that is particularly suited for training painters. The course begins with shorter exercises, as detail-oriented seeing emerges in still life drawing after students learn to prioritize the order of the masses.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Sharon Henderson
Cost: $475
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

This course is designed to create paintings that we will build from a loose, underpainting and refine as we go along. This class is ideal for those painters who want to break out of the habit of focusing in on details and let the paint create a more expressive piece. Attention will be paid to composition, color mixing, paint application and technique. All skill levels welcome in a fun and relaxing atmosphere!
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Stefanie Lieberman
Cost: $570
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Discover the expressive world of pastel with artist Barbara Berry in Still Life and Landscape in Pastel. Known for her emphasis on suggestion rather than precise detail, Barbara guides students on a journey of creative interpretation—inviting both beginners and seasoned artists to explore the rich possibilities of soft pastels. Through dynamic in-class still life setups and personal photographic references, participants will learn to capture atmosphere, emotion, and form with bold color and evocative strokes.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Barbara Berry
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Discover the beauty and realism you can achieve with color pencil! Learn techniques to become acquainted with the potential of both color pencil and watercolor pencils on a variety of papers. Topics to be covered include expressive line quality, laying washes of transparency, color theory, capturing quality of light, and creating believable likeness. All materials and techniques will be explained and demonstrated. Subjects will include fresh-cut flowers and vegetation from the garden, hand-made pottery still lives and your favorite pet or animal photographs. Join us for a fun and informative Friday afternoon! Open to all levels of experience from beginner-beginners to those looking to enhance their drawing with the beauty of color!
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Michelle Oosterbaan
Cost: $215
Sponsor: Cerulean Arts Gallery and Studio
Website, email, 267-514-8647

This class with instruction by Alice Meyer Wallace will focus on classic watercolor techniques - Sargeant, Homer, Rodin, Nolde, and particularly Charles Demuth, from Lancaster, PA. Come enjoy this fun and relaxed class! The class will work predominantly from still life but on occasion, the instructor will lead the class in painting from the model (2 times) and there will be an option of experimenting with watercolor and collage.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Alice Meyer-Wallace
Cost: $435
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

This class with instruction by Alice Meyer Wallace will focus on classic watercolor techniques - Sargeant, Homer, Rodin, Nolde, and particularly Charles Demuth, from Lancaster, PA. Come enjoy this fun and relaxed class! The class will work predominantly from still life but on occasion, the instructor will lead the class in painting from the model (2 times) and there will be an option of experimenting with watercolor and collage.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Alice Meyer-Wallace
Cost: $570
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Execute richly-hued paintings compelling in their realism using the unique arrangements in PAFA’s dedicated still-life studio as subject. Learn the fundamental vocabulary and techniques of representational oil painting: create a tonal underpainting, model form with opaque paint applications, generate depth and luminosity with transparent glazes and velaturas, and suggest texture with semi-drybrush scumbling. Content will address materials, color, effects of light, illusionistic space, and painterly treatments. This course is appropriate for beginners, and is excellent for experienced painters seeking to develop pictures with a more believable sense of realism. Drawing experience strongly recommended.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan
Cost: $450
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Tonal painting is the creation of form and dimension by modulating value of color from light mass to shadow mass. Color harmony is created through an understanding of temperature shift from light to dark. Working from the still life, this oil painting workshop relates the concepts of tone, temperature, and key. The palette will be “keyed” according to position of the painter to the light source. Students will be instructed how to mix oil color, organize their palette mixtures, and maintain color harmony, while painting wet-into-wet. Please make sure to bring a large palette and a high-quality mixing knife. Mornings will include lecture and demonstration, with afternoons devoted to painting. Some experience drawing and painting from observation is recommended.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Christine Lafuente
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Discover the fascinating world of fungi by exploring their unique shapes, tones, and textures in your sketchbook or nature journal. In this workshop, you’ll learn techniques for capturing intricate details using graphite, Micron pen, and watercolor, all in a small, manageable sketchbook. All skill levels are welcome—some drawing experience is helpful but not required. A variety of fungi subjects will be provided, but you’re encouraged to bring your own specimens for a personalized touch. Come experiment with different materials, express your creativity, and build foundational skills for nature journaling.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Margaret Saylor
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

This 10-week course is for beginners who want to explore drawing and oil painting, and for more experienced artists who want to improve their artistic skills. Using still-life compositions, students will learn about form, space, design, value, and color through working observationally. In addition, the instructor will introduce a variety of artists who are representative of the lessons provided and conduct in-process and final critiques for a helpful synopsis of the student’s progress and ideas. The class will be broken up into two weeks of drawing and four weeks of painting, but the student is open to work in any medium if they prefer.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Annie Thompson
Cost: $400
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Successfully producing expressive, painterly paintings from photographs requires a knowledge of both the advantages and potential pitfalls of photographic sources. While providing useful visual information, photos often mislead - distorting subjects and flattening the picture plane. In this workshop students will use photographs as a point of departure, a reference point from which information will selectively and intelligently be drawn. Students will be encouraged to develop a more defined understanding of their connection to their selected subjects. Developing an enhanced visual awareness of compositional design, the importance of shapes, color harmony and paint application is critically important. This workshop will help students learn to “see” as painters. They will be challenged to take chances, be bold, expressive and spontaneous.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Georganna Lenssen
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Watercolor is the perfect medium for capturing the jewel-like tones and gradients of color in autumn’s changing leaves and abundant harvests. Learn to preserve the season’s rich textures and tapestries of color by exploring a variety of paint mixing and application techniques while working from natural forms. This workshop will include demonstrations of wet-into-wet and dry-brush techniques and one-on-one instruction. All experience levels welcome.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Linda Gist
Cost: $195
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

The convincing depiction of form in three-dimensional space is one of the great conceptual breakthroughs in Western art. We will begin by drawing items from still life on toned paper. How do you begin a drawing, and when do you stop? We will explore physical viewpoint, composition and the rendering of light and shadow to create mood and feeling. Recreate what you see with power and fresh vision. The goal is to build a drawing vocabulary that communicates your thoughts and feelings. The class will include demonstrations, discussions of masterworks (traditional and contemporary) and thoughtful feedback on class work. The drawing participants will discover this to be a valuable resource for more advanced work in drawing and painting.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Ernie Norcia
Cost: $285
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Workshop participants will begin by learning to handle watercolor materials: papers, paints, brushes, palettes, and more. From the bold application of washes to fine detail, we’ll explore specifics: how to begin a watercolor and how to conclude a work, wet-in-wet to dry-brush, what to put in and what to leave out. The skillful use of the elements of composition and the simplification of form will provide a means to achieving dynamic results. We’ll also explore ways of creating a sense of light and mood in a watercolor, through the use of structured tone. The class will be looking at the watercolors by J. S. Sargent, Winslow Homer and Andrew Wyeth critically. Class members will be encouraged to work from still-life, and photos to start.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Ernie Norcia
Cost: $240
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Join Jan for this still life workshop working in oils, alla prima style; wet on wet. Students will learn to build paintings with luminous color starting with transparent colors and building towards opaques. Students are encouraged to paint what they love, bringing objects from home to build their own still life arrangements. A personal excitement or connection to an item whether it be a color, subject or personal story, helps the artist create a work that is truly their own. Instructor will provide some items as well for students to work with. Students will be working from life, no photos for this class.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Jan Wier
Cost: $250
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Discover the expressive world of pastel with artist Barbara Berry in Still Life and Landscape in Pastel. Known for her emphasis on suggestion rather than precise detail, Barbara guides students on a journey of creative interpretation—inviting both beginners and seasoned artists to explore the rich possibilities of soft pastels. Through dynamic in-class still life setups and personal photographic references, participants will learn to capture atmosphere, emotion, and form with bold color and evocative strokes.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Barbara Berry
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

This workshop will focus on the problem of combining the genres of still-life and interior painting into a single picture. We will start by addressing the problem of finding a subject and the practical and formal problems of setting up a still life. We will discuss how to organize and simplify complex information, how to have a unified sense of light throughout the picture and how to perceive color and tone relationships. We will also cover aspects of drawing that will help in the creation of a convincing sense of space. Students are welcome to bring their own objects or work with objects on hand at the center. You can use oil paint, acrylic paint, gouache or pastel.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Peter Van Dyck
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Wondering what Water Mixable Oil paints are all about? During this one-day intensive workshop, Beth shares her unique technique with students. In the morning Beth will do a demo and show how she uses photography and simple apps on her phone to simplify forms enhance value and emphasize composition. She will also discuss how to pick objects that make an exciting still life set up. Beth will have paint for her students to try as well as one of her prepared painting panels, brushes and other supplies. This workshop is for all level of painters - from beginners to returnees. If you have taken a workshop from Beth before, consider taking this one as we work from an actual still life setup (fruit).
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Beth Bathe
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

This class will focus on personalized instruction and critique; encouraging creative experimentation and furthering one’s personal painting goals.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Jon Redmond
Cost: $285
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Through demos, lectures and personal instruction you will paint from life using your own personal still life set ups. Common problems such as composition, subject matter, lighting, color mixing and material choices will be covered.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Jon Redmond
Cost: $285
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Experience the beauty of autumn’s natural forms through the refined technique of drybrush watercolor, a method cherished by botanical artists for its precision and subtlety. In this class, you’ll explore the elegant structures of dried seed pods, leaves, and other seasonal specimens, learning to capture their intricate details with disciplined brushwork. We’ll start with foundational exercises to help you master the drybrush technique, ensuring you feel comfortable and confident as you progress. Then, you’ll select a subject of your choice—whether a curling leaf, a sculptural seed pod, or another natural treasure—to create a detailed botanical study. Join us for an immersive painting experience that will deepen your observation skills, expand your watercolor abilities, and celebrate the quiet beauty of nature.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Margaret Saylor
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

This workshop will focus on understanding color temperature, its ability to bring vitality to the painted surface as well as its use as a powerful tool in identifying and controlling color in your work. Students can work from still life or photo references and in any medium, however, oil painting will be the primary focus. Daily demos will be followed by individual instruction and general discussion.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Jon Redmond
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

This oil painting workshop looks at how to find rhythm and tension in a single-object still life, and also how to structure and organize a very complex still life. What are the principles and practical methods of creating a meaningful composition out of random objects? How does one discover complexity in a single object? A strong observational painting is about the shapes, forces, energies and responses arising from how we see, in both a physical and emotional way. This is not a question of technique or ‘style’ – it’s about seeing, making choices and understanding what is important to lead the eye around the rectangle in a way that is both seen and felt. Previous painting experience needed.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Maggie Siner
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

This workshop will focus on working though the complexities of oil painting while studying the light, form and space of a small scaled still life. Each student will set up their own subject and work at their own pace.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Jon Redmond
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Join floral designer Jennifer Reed and artist Jan Wier for a workshop blending winter floral design with expressive floral painting. Jennifer will guide students in creating a seasonal floral arrangement perfect for the holidays—think fragrant evergreens, rich winter florals, textural berries, and natural elements that evoke the warmth and beauty of winter. You'll leave the morning session with your own lush, winter-inspired centerpiece. After lunch, we'll turn our attention to painting. Using your own floral creation as inspiration, Jan will begin with a demo and then offer personalized instruction as you bring your arrangement to life on canvas. This session focuses on capturing the color, movement, and mood of winter florals in a loose, expressive painting style—perfect for all experience levels.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Jennifer Reed & Jan Wier
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Get to the heart of your authentic work and your personal style by: - Making a lot of work (Quantity over Quality - This quiets the internal critic and gives our unique ideas a chance to breathe). - Having a deadline (The best antidote to procrastination and “waiting for inspiration”). - Focusing on process over product. I'll do a demo of a painting for the first half of each day, with the students painting the second half of the day. Attendees may use oils or acrylics. Students should bring their own photos or still life objects to work from.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Patrick Lee
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553