This class covers the fundamental tenets of design in art. You get to decide the level of abstraction you wish to explore. It is more a learn-how-to-think class where you learn a process that you can use to explore new ideas. It’s a crash course on finding authenticity in your work. This class covers the seven principles of creative expression and the language of art. Larry’s intent is to help each artist find a way that works that is unique to them, whether they wish to interpret from life, push their process, or go fully abstract. This is not a class for beginners, participants need to have some experience with drawing, color and painting.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Larry Moore
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Qiang’s approach to still life painting will be demonstrated with particular focus on creating dramatic set ups by observing the light distribution, and using bold and loose strokes to create a powerful and accurate representation on canvas. Using demonstrations and individual assistance, Qiang will explain his process of creating energetic paintings by manipulating values, colors, edges, and brushwork. Personal attention will be given to each student according to his or her current skill level and personal goals in art. The workshop is designed for indoor practice with live settings. Qiang has developed computer tools to help artists to see color more accurately and simplify the painting process. He will share his color study and introduce the tools in this workshop.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Qiang Huang
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Draw what you see competently and with confidence. Drawing is not only the basis for other creative endeavors like painting and sculpting, but also a powerful means of describing the world around you and expressing yourself. Instruction will address fundamental concepts including line, shape, perspective, value, and composition. Draw from still life objects, the life model, and more while learning the proper use of drawing materials, sight-measuring methods to accurately gauge proportions and space, shading techniques to develop three-dimensional form and contrast, and means of developing personal expression. Ideal for beginners and those in need of a refresher. Tuition includes a $15 models fee.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Roger Chavez
Cost: $310
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Become more confident with color control and mixing. During this one-day color class, students will learn how to skillfully mix oil paint through guided mixing exercises and how to better apply these ideas to one's own paintings. Through hands-on exercises, demos, and lectures, color will become easier to use and to understand. This class is geared towards the oil painter. Acrylic can be accommodated if one has a “stay-wet” palette set-up.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Claudia Rilling
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Painting the human form from observation is one of the cornerstones of PAFA's long tradition of rigorous instruction. Working from the nude model in poses of varying lengths, investigate color mixing, proportion, and composition using oil paint as a medium. Focusing on alla prima painting techniques and a limited flesh-tone palette, learn to model the human form through gesture, shape, volume, and temperature – excellent for painted sketches and preparatory studies, foundations for extended work, or an introduction/refresher to figure painting. Intended for all skill levels. Instruction will be geared toward oil, but students may draw-only, or use other appropriate media, if they wish. Note: Tuition includes a $35 models fee.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: David Wilson
Cost: $330
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Whether you are new or returning to oil painting, this comprehensive foundational course is the perfect way to learn its materials and techniques and how to apply them effectively. Instruction will discuss and demonstrate a range of colors, paint brands, and painting mediums and demystify painting conventions such as “fat over lean” and “thick over thin.” Working from still-life subject matter, begin with simple “direct” alla prima sketches, and then advance to “indirect” layering approaches of building upon a tonal underpainting – first with a limited selection of transparent and opaque colors, and later with a more extended palette. Develop methodologies for the process of making a painting, including managing color and value, and constructing an engaging composition. Drawing experience recommended.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan
Cost: $450
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Based on his book Ardrossan: The Last Great Estate on the Philadelphia Main Line (2017), David Nelson Wren offers a unique and fascinating chronicle of the history and art collection of Ardrossan, and life with the Montgomery family during the early 20th century. This iconic estate is intrinsically tied to the Main Line and known for the iconic film, The Philadelphia Story. Wren’s talk will focus on the art - a small but impressive art collection amassed by Col. and Mrs. Robert Leaming Montgomery with focus on 20th Century portraiture like John Lavery, Augustus John, William Orpen, Ignacio Zuloaga and Philip de Laszlo. The history and personalized stories are vividly brought into full focus by family letters and photographs.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: David Nelson Wren
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Capture Philadelphia’s picturesque historic and commercial architecture, using fundamental observational drawing techniques. Learn simple methods for applying the principles of linear and atmospheric perspective to your drawings, giving them dimension and depth. Students at all experience levels are welcome, with instruction designed to appeal both to those who enjoy portraying landscape subjects in the open air and to students seeking to hone their basic drawing skills. This course takes place in easy-to-access Central Philadelphia and University City locations. Restrooms are available near all sites. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to drawing locations.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan
Cost: $295
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Create your own collage from painted paper! Learn how to plan and complete an original work of art from pencil sketch to finished collage. This workshop covers processes for generating ideas, spatial drawing techniques, basic color theory and collage techniques.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Katie Knoeringer
Cost: $75
Sponsor: Cerulean Arts Gallery and Studio
Website, email, 267-514-8647

Learn to explore new possibilities and paint more intuitively under the guidance of artist/critic/mentor KassemAmoudi. Work from personal subject matter (objects, images, emotions, or ideas) to find your own visual language, informed by examples from contemporary and modern art. Examine how to use concepts of color, harmony, focal point, space, and mark-making as powerful tools of personal expression. Open painting is heavily supported by critiques and advice from the instructor as he works one-on-one with each student to guide them in their personal style and goals. This course is excellent for students pursuing abstract or nonobjective imagery, seeking knowledgeable feedback and a focused community painting environment. Painting experience recommended.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Kassem Amoudi
Cost: $450
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Pennsylvania has a rich history of plein air painting cemented by Pennsylvania Impressionists Edward Redfield, Daniel Garber, and Fern Coppedge. These artists, many of whom studied and taught at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, found inspiration along the banks of the Delaware River, the fields and valleys of Bucks County, and environs of New Hope. Their work translated French Impressionism to an American point of view. Join us for a close look at the lives and works of these important artists and celebrate their legacy as seen in The Wayne Art Center's 17th Plein Air Festival.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: William Perthes
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

Take your work to the next level under the mentoring guidance of artist/critic Kassem Amoudi. In this live focused open studio environment, all levels of students will discover how to enhance their own visual language and interests exploring new ways of painting. Expert instruction and advice from the instructor will push students to explore new possibilities and work more intuitively, allowing unplanned marks and passages to become artistic breakthroughs. Examples from contemporary and modern art will be examined to promote a broader understanding of the abstract qualities of space, line and color. Advance beyond confined lines and hard edges to a more liberated way of painting. It does not matter What you paint. It is the How you paint it.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Kassem Amoudi
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

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

This 8-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: $320
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: $380
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Painting is about expression. Free your creative juices no matter how little or how much experience you have because there are always endless possibilities to discover. Whether you paint abstract, figure, or still life, you can add expression to your art by using colors you were afraid to use, making silly marks, and doing things with the innocence of a child. No wrongs or rights, just having fun and letting go. If you want to learn how to express your inner thoughts and sharpen your skills at the same time, this is a great class for you. We will talk about composition, acrylic techniques, space, and rhythm while having a really good time doing it.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Sandi Neiman Lovitz
Cost: $380
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: $320
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Students explore all aspects of working with oils, with a strong emphasis on composition, color mixing and various painting techniques. Individual instruction provided in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. Ideal for beginners as well as more experienced artists.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Stefanie Lieberman
Cost: $380
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Learn the fundamentals of painting with gouache, an opaque watercolor paint! Gouache is portable, fast-drying, and an easy-to-clean-up alternative to oils – great for travel or limited working time and space. Ideal for painters of all levels from beginning to experienced. Learn to develop paint application techniques for fluidity and control, with opaque and wash applications; gain the ability to mix color and to predict its effects; recognize and promote gouache’s characteristics and learn how to problem-solve with the material; learn to incorporate principles of line, value, color and space for a greater command of the medium. Work from still life to learn how to representationally depict a variety of subject matter and to recognize abstract concepts.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Allison Syvertsen
Cost: $95
Sponsor: Cerulean Arts Gallery and Studio
Website, email, 267-514-8647

Strengthen and hone your foundational drawing skills through a series of one- and two-day projects. Topics of concern will be design, structure of space, perspective, and light and shade. Subjects will include interior space, single objects and still life arrangements, and the life model. All levels from beginner to advanced are welcome. Tuition includes a $15 models fee.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: John Horn
Cost: $310
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Paint from a life model in a multi-week-pose format to develop and refine your figure painting compositions. Extended poses will allow students to adjust and resolve issues of surface, color, and composition. Instruction will cover a variety of topics including glazing, broken color, surface texture, composition and design, the relationship of the figure to the environment, the creation of atmosphere and color harmony, disrupted realism, and open- versus closed-form painting. All levels welcome. Instruction will be geared toward oil, but students are welcome to draw-only, or use other appropriate media, if they wish. For preparatory or alternative study, see also Figure Painting: Alla Prima and the Limited Palette. Note: It is not a required prerequisite for The Extended Pose.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: David Wilson
Cost: $330
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Color temperature is the perceived warmth and coolness of a color. It’s a vital tool for any artist for creating contrast and focus, establishing relationships between light and shadow, suggesting space or distance, and generating mood and meaning. This two-day course will investigate color temperature through a series of still-life exercises that will encourage experimentation, enforce understanding of color’s relative nature, and help you promote temperature effects in your work. Examples from historic and contemporary artists will be discussed. Instruction will be conducted chiefly in watercolor, but painters of all media are welcome!
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Keith Leitner
Cost: $195
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632