Join veteran plein air artist Joe Sweeney for a unique opportunity to paint inside one of the oldest rowing clubs in Philadelphia: the Bachelors Barge Club on Boathouse Row. Work from picturesque views of the Schuylkill River with the benefit of full access to the historic building with access to the dock, rain-/sun-sheltered porch, and amenities including restrooms. Experienced guidance will cover tactics for working efficiently outdoors, selecting a composition, color mixing, and capturing time of day and atmospheric effects. Instruction and demonstrations will be geared toward acrylic, oil, and pastel painting, but experienced watercolorists are welcome to participate. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Joseph Sweeney
Cost: $195
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Paint on location at Philadelphia's historic Fairmount Park mansions! Built in the 18th century, these houses feature amazing architecture, beautiful gardens, and scenic views. Each week will feature a different instructor including: Lisa BergerLentz, Mark Bockrath, Roger Chavez, & Lou Schellenberg, demonstrating oil, watercolor/gouache and pastel techniques, reference art historical examples, cover the ins-and-outs of working outdoors and encourage personal expression. Includes a tour of each historic house (optional)! Work with the materials of your choice including watercolor, oil, acrylic and drawing media. Restrooms and free parking will be available.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Various
Cost: $250
Sponsor: Cerulean Arts Gallery & Studio
Website, email, 267-514-8647

Having a well-chosen limited palette is not only incredibly useful but also highly practical for plein air painting and all other studio work. That said, many artists find that a limited palette sometimes falls short—there are always a few colors they need that simply can’t be mixed from the ones they have. Through rigorous investigation, Qiang has examined color performance using a systematic process. His findings are backed by scientific evidence that supports clear reasoning and informed decision-making. He will introduce a new seven-color limited palette that he has found to be effective across nearly all genres, both in the studio and outdoors. To test its versatility, Qiang spent about a year painting exclusively with this palette.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Qiang Huang
Cost: $10
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Instead of getting caught up in tiny details, we focus on making big, bold strokes with large, juicy brushes. By loading our brushes with a generous amount of water and pigment, we can let the colors mingle and flow across the paper in exciting and unpredictable ways. It’s a messy, joyful experience that helps students overcome the fear of a blank page and discover the unique magic of watercolor as a medium. This approach encourages a playful mindset and results in vibrant, expressive paintings that are full of life and movement.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Paulette Staley
Cost: $160
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Join veteran plein air artist Joe Sweeney for a unique opportunity to paint inside one of the oldest rowing clubs in Philadelphia: the Bachelors Barge Club on Boathouse Row. Work from picturesque views of the Schuylkill River with the benefit of full access to the historic building with access to the dock, rain-/sun-sheltered porch, and amenities including restrooms. Experienced guidance will cover tactics for working efficiently outdoors, selecting a composition, color mixing, and capturing time of day and atmospheric effects. Instruction and demonstrations will be geared toward acrylic, oil, and pastel painting, but experienced watercolorists are welcome to participate. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: James Toogood
Cost: $540
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

I invite you to join me as we explore the excitement and drama of interior scenes in watercolor. We will maximize the use of light against dark as we paint interior scenes including barns, boathouses and bars! You don’t want to miss out on this adventure!
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Mick McAndrews
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Take the plunge to learn the fundamentals of watercolor through this beginner-friendly class designed for those with little or no painting experience! Acquire a thorough grounding in basic watercolor materials and techniques, including papers, brushes and pigments, as well as transparent and opaque painting methods. Gain the confidence to further your skills and enjoyment in the medium, in future studies or personal expression.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Tony Rosati
Cost: $295
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Exploring abstracts on a larger scale in the medium of your choosing, this 5-day class will push you into new territory where growth lives… only upsized, because bigger risks equal bigger rewards. You will be shown a system for developing your artistic voice, with a focus on design principles and the language of abstraction. The emphasis is on creative process, exploring new ways to develop and build paintings, create inventive compositions, and build authentic intent in your work. The class is as much a challenge for the experienced as it is for the developing artist, but it’s not for the rank beginner. Bring a sense of humor, a fearless creative spirit, and an open mind.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Larry Moore
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Geometry has been a source of interest, beauty and creative inspiration for the artist through the ages. Geometric forms, lines and shapes are all around us and can be seen in everything from architecture to plant life to seashells. Learn non-mathematical strategies inspired by geometry designed to enhance your ongoing body of work or be the starting point for a new one with focus on simplifying subject matter, building a unified composition and creating or enhancing a color palette. Work in the medium of your choice: acrylic, gouache or watercolor while working from your own reference photographs, drawings, books or digital imagery. Designed for both beginners and experienced art makers.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Michael Smith
Cost: $175
Sponsor: Cerulean Arts Gallery and Studio
Website, email, 267-514-8647

Interested in learning or improving your watercolor skills? All materials and techniques will be discussed, including the selection of papers, brushes, and pigments, as well as transparent and opaque painting methods. Students will work from still-life subjects and/or their own source material. All levels welcome.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: James Toogood
Cost: $225
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Push your color and simplify forms in this one-day expressive workshop. Working from sunny landscape photography of your own, you will explore ways to use an arbitrary approach to color and create compositions in the style of fauvist painters Henri Matisse and Andre Derain. Plan to paint no larger than 11 x14. A demo and examples of their fauves will be shared to better understand this vibrant style of painting.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Abby Ober
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Learn the basics of painting outdoors as you work on location at beautiful and historic Laurel Hill Cemetery featuring terraced grounds, sculpture, and amazing views of the Schuylkill River. Instruction will address the ins-and-outs of working outdoors, color and composition, art historical examples, and personal expression. You may work in the media of your choice including oil, acrylic, watercolor & pastel. Free parking and restrooms available.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Michelle Oosterbaan
Cost: $175
Sponsor: Cerulean Arts Gallery and Studio
Website, email, 267-514-8647

Explore flowers and other natural forms, beginning with line and value drawing and progressing to full-color rendering in watercolor and mixed media.  Topics will include sighting techniques, line quality, tone and value, creation of depth, composition, texture, and basic color. All levels welcome. Tuition includes a $15 materials fee for floral subjects, provided.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Linda Gist
Cost: $465
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Join veteran plein air artist Joe Sweeney for a unique opportunity to paint inside one of the oldest rowing clubs in Philadelphia: the Bachelors Barge Club on Boathouse Row. Work from picturesque views of the Schuylkill River with the benefit of full access to the historic building with access to the dock, rain-/sun-sheltered porch, and amenities including restrooms. Experienced guidance will cover tactics for working efficiently outdoors, selecting a composition, color mixing, and capturing time of day and atmospheric effects. Instruction and demonstrations will be geared toward acrylic, oil, and pastel painting, but experienced watercolorists are welcome to participate. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: James Toogood
Cost: $540
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Before a painting deserves a large canvas, it must survive the study. In this intensive one-day workshop, professional artist Vlad Duchev guides serious painters through the disciplined process that separates hesitation from mastery: structured, intentional studies. In today’s art culture, artists are often encouraged to “just paint.” But strong paintings are not accidents. They are built. A study is not a warm-up. It is not a quick sketch. It is a focused investigation. When you isolate one problem at a time — value, composition, temperature, edge, brushwork — clarity replaces guesswork. Confidence replaces correction. Authority replaces uncertainty.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Vlad Milan Duchev
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

This workshop explores the evocative world of nocturne painting through the delicate and expressive medium of watercolor. Focusing on landscape scenes at the edge of day—sunset, twilight, and night—students will learn to capture the silvery light and subtle atmospheric effects that define these transitional hours. Learn how to work with restrained hues and layered washes to create a sense of depth and unity, to suggest rather than describe subject matter. Instruction will emphasize tonalist concerns of working with muted color palettes, gentle value shifts, and harmonious compositions. Through individualized guidance, participants will hone their sensitivity to tonal relationships and the expressive potential of nocturne painting.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: James Toogood
Cost: $225
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632