Workshop Content: Starting a painting with color, texture, pattern, gestural marks and layers may seem like “chaos”, but it delivers vital energy that is both fun and intuitive. Great design and composition are the elements that bring “order” to the rich start and turn your painting into an attention-getting and expressive finish. Applying strong design and compositional skills are a significant focus.

Beginner or advanced, you are encouraged to discover and explore your unique expression and personal imagery in realism, abstraction or non-objective imagery. On day one we create 12 “starts”. of full of color, different materials and unique explorations. Day two we get into the basics of design and composition. Then the intuitive starts are put together with artists planned designs for final developing of at least 3 of those starts from Day 1. Kathleen generously shares her knowledge and experience through printed materials, a class syllabus, lectures, demonstrations, and one-on-one guidance throughout the class.

Supply List: Welcome to my class. I am always excited to meet new artists and SHARE ART! This is
a high-energy few days. I cover a lot of information, and I am sure you don’t want to miss a
thing so,
PLEASE, bring basic supplies you regularly use and ALL the MUST-HAVE items below. The first day is the
messiest and busiest so, please, wear your old painting clothes, disposable gloves and bring
all your materials, below.
MUST-HAVE
• watercolor paper: 12 quarter-sheets, approx. 11”x15” each, of watercolor paper.
I prefer Arches or Kilimanjaro 140# cold press. Paper from “blocks” is fine.
• paints: watercolor in tube or liquid, (not dry pans), any brand, and acrylic paints if you
normally use them.
• acrylic products: 4ozs. Matte Medium (this is clear) AND 4ozs.white gesso (pourable)
• brushes: a variety including one 2” wide brush
• sketchbook and a few sheets of tracing paper
• a few old watercolor paintings to recycle
• misc.: scissors, and white chalk, clear packaging tape, glue stick
• containers: spray bottle and a large container for water, 6- wide mouth containers
with lids
(like 16 oz. cottage cheese containers)
• paper towels, Kleenex or napkins
• applicators and textures: (be creative here): sponge, stamps, stencils, scrapers
(old credit cards, etc.), bubble wrap…you get the idea
• 11×14” cut mat to make “L’s” or “crop bars” (or bring some you already have)
• small stack of newspapers and one old magazine
OPTIONAL BUT WONDERFUL
• reference materials: of imagery IF you want to include it in your paintings (total non-
objective is great)
• a board (slightly larger than your paper) for supporting and weighting paper
• sketches, thoughts for themes or concepts to explore
• Prismacolor felt markers: one 50% grey, one black (for fast value studies)
DON’T FORGET – your enthusiasm and a sense of adventure.
LEAVE AT HOME – preconceptions, self-doubt and fear.

See 3 parts You Tube video of my teaching on my website in the “workshop” gallery.
www.kathleenconover.com
I’ll see you soon. In the meantime, keep those paint brushes wet.

Biography: Master Artist, Kathleen Conover exhibits her work, juries exhibitions, gives demonstrations and teaches in-depth workshops. She has been juried into more than 200 exhibitions, receiving national and international recognition for the vision, innovative techniques, and fearless expression that give rise to her unique designs. Painting with openness to her subject matter, she is guided by intense observation and deep personal reflection. The result is rich symbolic layers of literal and figurative design.

Painting from an early age, Kathleen was influenced by teachers and artists in the fertile environment of Southern California’s prominent artists, museums and galleries as well as early international travels. She studied undergraduate fine arts at San Diego State University, finished her Bachelor of Art degree at the University of Washington in Seattle and earned her Master of Arts degree from Northern Michigan University. Continued study with American master watercolor artists over the next decade enriched her depth, understanding, skill and personal style of painting.

Kathleen Conover’s current involvement in the growing international watercolor scene includes invitations to exhibit, judge and demonstrate in China, Turkey, France, Belgium, Thailand and Greece. She has been honored as one of the 40 international master watercolorists invited to exhibit at the first watercolor-exclusive museum in Qingdao, China, the “Birthplace of Watercolor”. Global travel continues to influence her award-winning paintings and inspires her work toward her lifetime pursuit “…to be a better artist”.

Instructor Website: www.kathleenconover.com

Class Content: Gelli Plate printing is a versatile and fun way to create unique prints that can either stand on their own, or be used in mixed media collage artwork. Artists of all skill levels are encouraged to come and try their hands at creating their own unique mixed media art, using gelli plate printing as the primary tool. Along the way, we’ll learn the basics of using the gelli plate to create background and texture prints, as well as color-mixing and collage techniques. Then we’ll use the prints (along with other collage material) to assemble the final mixed media pieces.

Supply List: All materials will be provided, including a variety of collage papers. You will have the use of a gelli plate during the workshop (along with all the assessories and paper you need to make prints), acrylic paints, acrylic mediums for adhering collage to the surfaces, substrates for your final pieces (e.g., canvas or board), paint brushes, etc.

You are encouraged to bring along any additional collage material that appeals to you personally. This can be any type of paper (magazine papers, painted papers, tissue papers, text or images from old books, cut-outs, maps, etc., etc.). The more material you have, the more choices you will have when it comes time to assemble your final pieces.

I suggest you also bring along an apron or something to protect your clothing. Acrylic is unforgiving if you get it on your clothes!

We will have a short lunch break, so please bring your lunch along, too.

Biography: Pamela Salyer is a Knoxville-based mixed media artist, working with acrylic, image transfer and collage to create multi-layered pieces inspired by the natural world. She comes from a science background, but was able to focus on art full -time after moving to Knoxville in 2015. She has been a juried member of the Art Market Gallery in downtown Knoxville since 2017, and a member of the Foothills Craft Guild since 2023. Her work has been accepted to a number of juried exhibitions including Arts in the Airport at McGhee-Tyson Airport, the Knoxville Arts & Culture Alliance National Juried Exhibition, and the “Big Tiny Show” at the District Gallery. She teaches mixed media workshops at the Oak Ridge Art Center and for the Art Guild of Tellico Village

Instructor Website: https://www.artmarketgallery.net/shop/pamela-salyer/143