Carla O'Connor – Juror and Workshop Instructor
By Liz Walker and Julie Gibson

Carla O’Connor has graciously agreed to come from her home in Gig Harbor, WA to be our Juror and Workshop Leader for the Portland Convention. Her dynamic figure paintings are well-known to our members, and many of us are hoping to take her 3-day Workshop after the Convention.

Carla O'Connor received her BFA in painting from Kent State University, Kent, Ohio. She has done additional formal study at the University of the Americas, Mexico City; University of Dayton, Ohio; and the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. O'Connor is a Signature Member of the American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society and Northwest Watercolor Society and is an AWS Dolphin Fellow. She has won numerous awards in juried national exhibitions.

A bold and innovative painter, Carla has also been the Juror for numerous national and regional groups including the American Watercolor Society, the National Watercolor Society, the Northwest Watercolor Society, Watercolor Art Society - Houston, the Arizona Watercolor Association, the Watercolor Societies of Florida and San Diego, and Western Federation of Watercolor Societies.

Carla’s 3-day workshop, to be held April 16-18 at OSA in Portland, stresses bold composition and strong design using the human figure for inspiration. Each day’s lesson will focus on different aspects of design: shape, light, linkage, texture, space, etc. You will explore abstraction, emphasize “the process” and concentrate on composing the entire page. Sessions include clothed models as your subject for finding as many different ways as possible of “seeing.” Each participant’s preferences, originality, and creativity are most important. Carla will be using transparent watercolor and gouache and include frequent mini-demonstrations. For more information about Carla, visit her website: www.carlaoconnor.com.

Carla O'Connor Workshop Information
Dates:April 16-18 from 9am to 4pm.
Location: Oregon Society of Artists (OSA), 2185 SW Park Place, Portland
Cost: $285 for Active Members; $315 for Subscribing Members (space permitting). The Workshop Facilitator encourages attendees to brown bag their own lunch or enjoy nearby eateries on their noon break.

Registration is limited and participants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. All entries must be postmarked by Jan. 2, 2012. Subscribers may only attend on a space-available basis. If more than 20 entries are received, entries will be “put into a hat” and names will be randomly chosen. Those not accepted will have their checks returned, but will be put on a waiting list and will be notified if there are any cancellations.