All breakout sessions will be on the Saturday of the Convention
All sessions are 1.5 hours unless otherwise noted.
All sessions cost $15 unless otherwise noted. Sign up for and pay for your sessions when you register for the convention.
Supply lists for all breakout sessions are here.
Where “Video link available for purchase” is indicated: Video sessions are $15 per video. Links to the videos purchased will be sent to purchasers about two weeks after the convention. Videos will be accessible online for one month.
Note on rooms for breakout sessions: All room assignments are subject to change. Please visit the Hospitality Table when you arrive for the latest information.
Breakout Sessions Supplies List
Breakout Sessions at a Glance
Click on a session’s title to go to its description.
All sessions take place at Mt Hood Oregon Resort, 2nd floor.
| ZigZag Room | WyEast Room | Humpback Room | Huckleberry Room | |
| 9:00 – 10:30 AM | TetraPak Printmaking with Rebecca Sentgeorge Video link available | Creative Crayons with Tara Choate Video link available | Texture and Dimension with Modeling Paste with Debbie Lindow Video link available | Echo and Iteration with Ruth Armitage |
| 10:45 AM – 12:15 PM | Ways with Water with Catherine Hingson Video link available | Don’t Toss It – Foolproof Ways to Repurpose Old Paintings with Liz Walker Video link available | Exploring the Figure and Ground Relationship with Margaret Stermer-Cox Video link available | Juror Critique #1 with Ron Stocke |
| 12:15 – 1:30 PM | Lunch break: Check out local restaurants or pick up pre-ordered box lunches. Here is a list of restaurants. | |||
| 1:30 – 3:00 PM | Keep It Juicy: Getting the Most Out of Gouache with Ann Moore Video link available | Simplify Your Source Image with Sandra Pearce | Painting Water with Water on Yupo with Judy Nigh Video link available | Juror Critique #2 with Ron Stocke |
Session Descriptions
TetraPak Printmaking with Rebecca Sentgeorge
9:00 – 10:30 am, ZigZag Room
Limit 20 participants, Intermediate Level
Video link available for purchase
Supply list
Feeling adventurous? Ready for a creative detour? Step away from the familiar and join us for a playful romp into the wonderfully quirky world of TetraPak printmaking. We’ll transform humble drink cartons into printing plates through cutting, scratching, carving, inking, and a healthy dose of creative experimentation. Using a humble pasta machine as our printing press, we’ll prove that fine art can come from unexpected places. Whether you’re curious about printmaking or simply looking to shake up your creative routine, this offbeat adventure is sure to leave you inspired – equal parts art, invention, and recycling wizardry, this breakout celebrates curiosity and the joy of seeing everyday objects in a completely new way. Come ready to play, explore, and get a little ink on your fingers.
Creative Crayons with Caran d’Ache with Tara Choate
9:00 – 10:30 am, WyEast Room
Limit 25 participants, Novice Level
Video link available for purchase
Supply list
Water-soluble crayons are more than an accent for watercolor paintings. These versatile tools can be used to accent, build, or enhance works of all water-soluble mediums. Join Tara Choate as she covers techniques for using this fun media.
Texture and Dimensions with Modeling Paste with Debbie Lindow
9:00 – 10:30 am, Humpback Room
Limit 25 participants, Intermediate Level
Video link available for purchase
Supply list
Join Debbie Lindow as she shows the group how to play with modeling paste to add dimension and texture to their paintings. Embrace random usage, stencils to add pattern, and paint use at all stages of the process.
Echo and Iteration with Ruth Armitage
9:00 – 10:30 am, Huckleberry Room
No limit on participants, all levels
Video recording is not available
Supply list
Join Ruth Armitage for a lecture and demonstration of repetition. Repetition can create unity, reveal subtle variation, suggest movement, and bring emphasis and emotion into a painting. Ruth will show examples of repetition in contemporary and historical work and show how she uses this important principle of design to build pattern, enrich a surface, and express emotion in her work.
Ways with Water with Catherine Hingson
10:45 am – 12:15 pm, ZigZag Room
Limit 25 participants, Novice Level
Video link available for purchase
Supply list
The endless changes of water will be explored in this session by Catherine Hingson. Explore using alcohol, ink, brushwork, and color!
Don’t Toss It – Foolproof Ways to Repurpose Old Paintings with Liz Walker
10:45 am – 12:15 pm, WyEast Room
Limit 25 participants, Intermediate Level
Video link available for purchase
Supply List
In this hands-on paint-in session, Liz will demonstrate how to repurpose any type of aqueous painting (acrylic or watercolor) into a well-designed work of art.
Exploring the Figure and Ground Relationship with Margaret Stermer-Cox
10:45 am – 12:15 pm, Humpback Room
Limit 25 participants, Intermediate Level
Video Link Available for Purchase
Supply list
We all love drawing and painting our subjects to warm our creative hearts. But what about that pesky ground, which is the space around our subject or center of interest? What if that space could be used to your advantage, such as using negative space for creating movement and visual interest or to enhance your pictorial story? In this session, we will define figure and ground, then look at how they relate. We will study four different value options between the subject and ground. You see it is all about perception, and this relationship is key to communicating your story, mood and intentions.
Juror Critique #1 with Ron Stocke
10:45 am – 12:15 pm, Huckleberry Room
Limit 20 participants, no limit auditors
Video recording is not available
Ron Stocke, our juror and workshop instructor, will critique 20 images of water media paintings submitted by WSO members. This critique session is an opportunity for input from an experienced instructor and juror. Learn how to improve a painting and what makes a painting stand out. Participants submit an image for critique; auditors have the opportunity to observe the critique.
Keeping It Juicy: Getting the Most out of Gouache with Ann Moore
1:30 – 3:00 pm, ZigZag Room
Limit 25 participants, Novice Level
Video Link Available for Purchase
Supply list
Lately you’ve been hearing the word all over the place. Rhymes with squash. What is gouache? How can you use it? What are the methods you need to know? Ann Moore spills the tea on this versatile medium.
Simplify Your Source Image with Sandra Pearce
1:30 – 3:00 pm, WyEast Room
Limit 25 participants, Intermediate Level
Video recording is not available
Supply list
Do you have a busy photo (or plein air scene) you want to paint? There’s a lot involved in taking a photograph to a functional painting. Award-winning artist Sandra Pearce will offer suggestions and advice for tackling your most complex source material.
Painting Water with Water on Yupo with Judy Nigh
1:30 – 3:00 pm, Humpback Room
Limit 25 participants, Novice Level
Video Link Available for Purchase
Supply list
Judy Nigh will lead students through some exercises to create spontaneous and believable water scenes on Yupo using palette knives, spray bottles, and paint straight from the tube. We will practice creating ocean breakers, rivers, and waterfalls.
Juror Critique #2 with Ron Stocke
1:30 – 3:00 pm, Huckleberry Room
Limit 20 participants, no limit auditors
Video recording is not available
Ron Stocke, our juror and workshop instructor, will critique 20 images of water media paintings submitted by WSO members. This critique session is an opportunity for input from an experienced instructor and juror. Learn how to improve a painting and what makes a painting stand out. Participants submit an image for critique; auditors have the opportunity to observe the critique.