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 the week following the convention. Videos will be accessible 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 at a Glance:
Session Descriptions
It’s a Blizzard Book using Crown Binding
Presenter: Barbara Rainey
9:00-10:30 am, Santiam Ballroom 4
Hands-on class, $15 — Limit 10 participants
Supply List
Video link available for purchase
Upcycle those watercolor practices, paintings, and miscellaneous water media ephemera you may have in your studio! Give them a second chance to come alive in a unique book sure to inspire more creativity in your world. No sewing required — only folding!
Instructor Barbara Rainey will provide a kit containing paper, book board, and a viewfinder.
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Holbein Ambassador Water Media
Presenter: Leah Faure
9:00-10:30 am, Santiam Ballroom 5
Hands-on class, $15 — Limit 20 participants
Supply List
Video link available for purchase
This water media workshop features purposely selected colors and mediums from Holbein’s various water-soluble color lines and an assortment of Legion Stonehenge paper surfaces.
Attendees will have the opportunity to use and learn more about the Holbein artist watercolors, water mediums, artist gouache, acrylic gouache, and acrylic color family. Surfaces to be explored include Legions 100% cotton Stonehenge Aqua in varying weights, surfaces and finishes, and Yupo 100% percent polypropylene paper.
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Overseas Adventure Travel Prep Workshop
Presenter: Ruth Armitage
9:00–10:30 am, Santiam Ballroom 6
Lecture and Demo, $15 — No participant limit
Lecture only; no supplies needed
Video link available for purchase
If you are ready to plan your next painting adventure, this fun demonstration is for you. Ruth is experienced in leading workshops in France and Italy as well as many national venues. She will cover best practices for getting the most out of your trip whether you are traveling locally, internationally, independently, or with a group.
Topics will include all things related to packing such as: carry-on vs. checked, capsule wardrobe, painting essentials, and TSA requirements. She will also cover how to get ready for a plein air workshop: studies, Notan and more. You will receive Ruth’s resource and packing list. Bring your funny stories of over-packing, travel and plein air mishaps to share.
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Create Engaging and Useful Portrait Studies
Presenter: Tess Myers
9:00–10:30 am, Pringle 2nd Floor
Hands-on class, $15 — Limit 30 participants
Supply List
Video link available for purchase
Tess will demonstrate how to use three types of study — color, value, and Notan — to break down and simplify a portrait. These studies can be abstract portraits in their own right, or part of the preparatory process of a final work. Each study can help the painter explore aspects of their scene and subject, providing an excellent opportunity to make intentional choices about elements like composition, focus, pigments, and technique.
After the short demonstration, you will have the opportunity to try it out yourself! Tess will provide instructions for completing each study type and sample portrait reference photos, though you are welcome to bring your own reference if you prefer. No previous portrait experience needed.
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The Urban Sketcher
Presenter: Leslie Cheney-Parr
9:30–12:00 pm, Hotel Lobby
Hands-on class, $15 — No participant limit
Supply List
Video recording link not available.
Join Leslie in the lobby of the Grand Hotel by 9:30 am to begin your journey to the river, carousel, city streets, and buildings within walking distance of the hotel. The goal is to prepare several studies for future paintings by drawing small layouts, using notes and adding color, to capture the joy found in new surroundings. If you like, bring your phone or camera as an extra way of recording our locations. Leslie will keep us on target, giving us ample time to get at least two, if not three, ideas for a future masterpiece.
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Introducing Opacity — Gouache Painting
Presenter: Scott Gellatly
11:00–12:30 pm, Santiam Ballroom 4
Hands-on class, $15 — Limit 30 participants
Supply List
Video recording link not available.
Join Scott Gellatly in this lively and adventurous breakout session where he will discuss his evolution from oil to watermedia for his plein air works, and the expanded artistic possibilities that followed. Scott will introduce the features and versatility of using Gouache to broaden the visual language in your artwork. Scott will also share his recently published book of plein air works entitled My Wetland.
Scott is a Portland-based artist and popular workshop instructor. He is represented by Laura Vincent Design & Gallery in Portland. Visit Scott’s website www.scottgellatly.com to see his artwork and learn more about his workshops.
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Experiments in Painting and Printing
Presenter: Margaret Terrall
11:00–12:30 pm, Santiam Ballroom 5
Hands-on class, $15 — Limit 30 participants
Supply List
Video link available for purchase
Margaret Terrall will give examples of all the ways one can make marks in art: using scrapers, spatulas, foam rollers, combs, chopsticks, etc. She will also show how to make your own stencils with a glue gun, or with Grafix Dura-Lar and an X-acto knife, make your own stamps with foam sheets and cardboard and then print with these alone or by using them on a Gelli plate. Learn how to get ideas from Google Images or your own photos and edit on an iPhone, how to make laser images from your photos and print from a Gelli plate. She will also show the possibilities of printing with Gelli plates and organic materials. She will demonstrate how these materials and prints made from them can be used as groundwork for future paintings, or can stand alone as pieces of art.
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Juror Critique #1
Presenter: Iain Stewart
11:00–12:30 pm, Ballroom Room 6
Critique, $15 – Limit 20 participants
No limit auditors
Video recording link not available.
Iain Stewart, our juror and workshop instructor, will critique twenty images of water media paintings submitted by WSO members. This critique session is an opportunity for input from an experienced instructor and juror. Learn to improve a painting and what makes a painting stand out. Participants submit an image for critique with this option. The auditor option grants attendance to simply observe the critique.
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Integrated Lettering and Watercolor Illustrations
Presenter: Nicole Poole
11:00–12:30 pm, Pringle 2nd floor
Hands-on class, $15 — Limit 30
Supply List
Video link available for purchase
Don’t miss this fun and creative breakout with Portland-based artist Nicole Poole, who specializes in illustration, calligraphy, and botanical painting. In this breakout session, Nicole will show how to use a modern Japanese Fudenosuke brush pen to illustrate and letter playful watercolor illustrations. She will share her thoughts about inspiration and techniques as she guides us in choosing prompts for our project that combine life observations to tell a visual story personal to each participant. Examples will be provided.
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The Art of Woven Paintings & How to Create Your Own
Presenter: Angela Wrahtz
1:30–3:30 pm, Santiam Ballroom 4
Hands-on class, $15 — Limit 14 participants
Supply List
Video link available for purchase
Play with new ideas in this “out of the box” breakout session in which you learn how to give new life to old and/or unfinished paintings or build a new narrative for an existing painting by weaving elements of other paintings and papers into them.
Make something extraordinary! This session begins with an overview of methods used by other artists who use weaving in their work. There will be visuals and hands-on samples to inspire you. In the samples, we will examine various alternative techniques including tight and loose weaves, full and partial weaves, and regular, irregular, and novel weaves. After this, there will be a step-by-step demonstration on the basics of planning, cutting, weaving, and securing. Following this, you will have several choices for a project of your own based on the materials you bring.
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Design Dynamic Paintings
Presenter: Ed Labadie
1:30–4:00 pm, Santiam Ballroom
Hands-on class, $15 — Limit 24 participants
Supply List
Video recording link not available.
Ed will demystify theories of design and composition and show you how to apply these essential time-honored principles to dramatically improve your work. Most great paintings are a collection of visual elements, wisely selected and placed, where shapes, contrasts, colors, and motions are infinitely more important than inconsequential details. Bring just a few items — see supply list — for a fun hands-on group exercise.
Ed is a highly regarded art instructor, sharing meaningful lessons and workshops with passion and commitment. Review his works at www.edlabadie.com.
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Juror Critique #2
Presenter: Iain Stewart
1:30–3:00 pm, Ballroom Room 6
Critique, $15 – Limit 20 participants
No limit auditors
Video recording link not available.
Iain Stewart, our juror and workshop instructor, will critique twenty images of water media paintings submitted by WSO members. This critique session is an opportunity for input from an experienced instructor and juror. Learn to improve a painting and what makes a painting stand out. Participants submit an image for critique with this option. The auditor option grants attendance to simply observe the critique.
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Rediscovering Your Creativity
Presenter: Elizabeth Zimmerman
1:30–3:30 pm, Pringle 2nd Floor
Hands-on class, $15 — Limit 30 participants
Supply List
Video Recording link not available.
Join Elizabeth Zimmerman as she describes and demonstrates ways for you to rediscover your creativity with your sketchbook. This breakout session is perfect for beginners and practiced artists looking for a fresh perspective and getting excited again about art!
We will be playing with mixed media and working with line drawing, blocking in colors, along with learning how Elizabeth used her sketchbook to create the 2023 Fall Exhibition People’s Choice Award painting Ranch Hand. Who knows how far your sketchbook can bring you? This session is just a hint of what is to come in her workshop at Menucha in May 2025!