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 place to learn the essentials of landscape painting. Veteran plein air artist Joe Sweeney will guide 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-tos of 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.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Joseph Sweeney
Cost: $375
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

This workshop explores both plein air painting and the process of abstraction. In the mornings we will work in the traditional plein air approach -painting directly outdoors and developing our tonal relationships in response to the landscape, in search of a convincing sense of space and light. We will also explore a variety of ways of handling and applying paint, different kinds of mark-making, and see how these different kinds of marks relate to space, light, and form in different ways. In the afternoons we will work indoors using our morning paintings as source material for an ongoing and improvisational discovery of abstract painting. As the painting develops, we’ll experiment with making a mess! And exploring how to find order amidst the chaos.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Jordan Wolfson
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

In this intermediate-level landscape course, students will begin with a foundation in strong composition and shape, learning how to distill the complexity of expansive scenes into simple and expressive forms. The focus will be on shape and color, gradually eliminating non-essential details to reveal the essence of the landscape. Please bring your favorite landscape references to class- ones that have an apparent variety of shapes and values. Students will begin on small surfaces to complete small studies in week 1 and 2, progressing to larger formats in weeks three on. Please note that beginning oil painting skills will not be covered in this class. Medium: Oil, pastel, or acrylic (class is taught in oil).
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Claudia Rilling
Cost: $570
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Working from your own reference material, we will spend each week focusing on a particular aspect of landscape painting. Individual techniques will be held each session in a supportive atmosphere. Syllabus will be provided. Please bring painting materials to the first class. All mediums welcomed.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Bonnie Mettler
Cost: $570
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Discover the joy of acrylic painting in a relaxed, supportive and inspiring environment. This class will equip you with essential techniques, including color mixing, composition, and brushwork, to bring dynamic landscapes to life. Using photo references as inspiration, we'll guide you through step-by-step painting processes, helping you develop your own artistic style. Whether you're a beginner or looking to take your skills to the next level, this class will provide you with the tools and confidence to create captivating works of art.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Nicole Lee
Cost: $235
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

This class will focus on color theory using a limited palette of colors to create two or more dramatic landscapes from your own images. Discover the best ways to apply gouache working from the larger shapes down to the details. We will be working smaller than 8 x 10. The instructor will provide demonstrations, instruction on color mixing and application. Discover more about gouache as a great medium for studies for larger pieces and for working "en plein air".
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Abby Ober
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Water-based paints such as acrylic, watercolor, and gouache are the perfect mediums for landscape painting in the open air! Painters of all levels enjoy the ease of these portable, fast-drying, and easy-to-clean-up alternatives to oils. Explore the vibrant color and versatile application and layering methods in your choice of these media as you portray the beauty of autumn in Philadelphia’s parks in your own personal style. Learn techniques for choosing a composition, mixing color, and working efficiently outdoors as you complete a series of rapid sketches and at least one sustained painting. Open to all levels. Painting locations featuring shade, restrooms, and other amenities may include Wissahickon Park, Washington Square Park, Glen Foerd overlooking the Delaware River, and Bartram's Garden.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Michelle Oosterbaan
Cost: $315
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Kickstart your autumn painting experience with this two-day Plein Air workshop! This workshop will provide students the fundamentals for painting vibrant landscapes on location. We will focus on selecting and simplifying compositional elements and design, since a sound underlying structure is key to a successful painting. Following the demo, students will have plenty of time to work on their own paintings, with lots of individual attention.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Valerie Craig
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

In this class, we will explore how the landscape can be interpreted to convey mood and atmosphere through the use of color, line, edge, and composition. We will look at landscape work from other artists and discuss the various options in assessing the landscape while choosing what to include. We will execute preliminary drawing and color studies, and at least one final work.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Nicole Michaud
Cost: $240
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Join us for photography classes outside at local sites. Outdoor classes alternate with indoor meetings for sharing and getting feedback and suggestions. The first class will be outdoors where we will explore the environs, talk about strategies and options for focus, depth of field and exposure. Discussions will also include composition, point of view and perspective to get the best possible result in camera. The second class will meet at Wayne Art Center to share and discuss images, both successes and areas to improve. Bring your own DSLR or mirrorless camera. Compact cameras are acceptable. Tripods are optional.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Laura Ducceschi
Cost: $190
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

This tree painting workshop dives into tree structure and how to capture a tree's personality in painting. We will focus on building the tree's gesture, capturing its shape and movement, and understanding how its foliage integrates into the larger form. Our goal is to learn how to generalize the tree's structure and capture its essence without getting bogged down in minute details. The class will include lots of one-on-one instruction and a lecture exploring how both historical and contemporary painters approach tree construction. Instead of aiming for finished paintings, we'll do several small studies to solidify our understanding of trees and how we can communicate their individual character. Some painting experience would be helpful. Students are free to work in oil or acrylic.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Claire Haik
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

This 2-day weekend workshop will cover all you need to know about traveling with your art supplies and how to make unforgettable memories. We will cover the essentials of equipment, composing a scene, beginning drawing, color sketches, and quickly generating a travel portfolio. The beauty of this course is, and I can testify, that you will stand out from the hordes of tourists and be treated especially well. Bring your favorite photos as well.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Stewart White
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

In this fast paced and fun workshop, we will develop an understanding of how our paintings can and should tell stories. Paintings must make good use of visual language to draw our viewers in and make them part of the painting process. Join me as we learn how to make the magic happen!
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Stewart White
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

I will lead you through the process of capturing the overall essence of a particular place and will cover techniques to render the changing light and everyday development in the plein air setting. We will focus on a few key factors including drawing with color shapes, breaking down the motif into a minimum number of color values, the importance of edge quality, and the use of editing. I will conduct a quick painting demo highlighting the feel of the location and to help students with an idea of execution. The objective will be to lay in the whole underpainting, then we will break it down and reconstruct it through the layering process. We will conclude the painting workshop with a group critique.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Charles Newman
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Discover the joy of acrylic painting in a relaxed, supportive and inspiring environment. This class will equip you with essential techniques, including color mixing, composition, and brushwork, to bring dynamic landscapes to life. Using photo references as inspiration, we'll guide you through step-by-step painting processes, helping you develop your own artistic style. Whether you're a beginner or looking to take your skills to the next level, this class will provide you with the tools and confidence to create captivating works of art.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Nicole Lee
Cost: $235
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

This workshop will concentrate on painting one of the most beautiful and challenging aspects of a tree: its trunk and branches. Trunks are rarely perfectly round; instead, their surfaces present a combination of flat planes and rounded forms that interlock together. The pattern of its branches, roots and rippling bark tell each tree’s life story. Our goal in this class is to simplify the tree's structure and capture its essence as effectively as possible. We will describe tree trunks using intentional brush marks and explore how small adjustments in color and value will bend branches into the foreground and background. The class will include lots of one-on-one instruction and a lecture exploring how both historical and contemporary painters approach tree construction.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Claire Haik
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

This class will explore the process of working in the studio from photographs - looking at both historic and contemporary examples, as well as class demonstrations and individual instruction. We will sort through the inherent strengths and weaknesses of using the photograph as the basis for a painting. Jon will also discuss ways to manipulate your photos with the iPhone and how to choose the best photos from which to work.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Jon Redmond
Cost: $240
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Water: It’s all around us -- streams, rivers, lakes, oceans, atmospheric effects, and more. It's a key ingredient in watercolor painting, regardless of the subject matter. But how does the artist create the illusion of water in a painting, regardless of the medium? This two-day workshop will present key tactics an artist can employ when painting bodies of water. Examine the nature of reflections, water movement, how water appears under various weather and lighting conditions, and more. Instruction includes demonstrations and a review of the ways master artists historically have portrayed water in their paintings over the years. Open to all levels. Demonstrations will be conducted in watercolor, but instruction presents valuable information for painters of all media.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: James Toogood
Cost: $225
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Distance contributes to the beauty of a scene and this workshop will focus on this goal by guiding you in expressing an atmospheric perspective from an image of your own. Mountain views, farmland or water views are some ideas to look for. Learn to make certain decisions, establishing deep space to create the most impact on your viewer. Inspiration from master and contemporary painters will be shared and discussed and Abby will provide individual attention throughout the day. Oil or Acrylic experience required.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Abby Ober
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553