Workshops and Classes
2025 Ohio Watercolor Society Workshop
Dynamic Light in Watercolor
Paul Jackson
Tuesday, July 29 — Friday, August 1, 2025
Paul’s workshop will help you reach the next level of artistic confidence and ability. Paul will lead you step-by-step with demonstrations of the painting process, illustrating the principles of design, color, value, composition and the mechanics of watercolor. Emphasis will be on what makes a good painting, planning the entire picture area, the importance of thinking through the composition, good division of shapes, value planning, what to communicate about the subject, and how to correct mistakes.
If watercolor painting is your passion, then this highly energized workshop is for you! Paul has a stress-free, positive approach toward the act of painting that will inspire you to loosen up and have fun. Expect an intense, concentrated and lively workshop where you will elevate your understanding of watercolor art. Come prepared to be entertained, make new artist friends and find logical and creative answers to your watercolor problems. Informal lectures, discussions, demonstrations and critiques will help you refine your personal painting style. Beginners are always welcome!
Paul Jackson Bio
Paul spent his adventurous childhood in Starkville Mississippi. He discovered his passion for watercolor at Mississippi State University in 1985. He received a Master of Fine Arts degree in Missouri in 1992, and has since been relentless in pursuit of his creative dreams, receiving top honors in national and international competitions, contributing his art to a vast library of magazines and books and sharing his creative influence in all corners of the earth.
Paul was honored by the American Watercolor Society with signature membership at the age of 30, and more recently with the Dolphin Fellowship, the highest honor in watercolor painting. Paul is also a Signature member of the National Watercolor Society and an Honor Member of the Missouri Watercolor Society.
Paul was the Grand Prize winner in the Paint Your Way to Paris competition and has been featured as one of the Master Painters of the World in International Artists Magazine. Much of Paul's portfolio of watercolors hangs in private collections, but some examples are on display in museums and public buildings: the Missouri State Capitol, Governor's Mansion and Supreme Court all prominently feature Jackson watercolors.
In 2008, Jackson was the featured speaker at the International Watercolor Masters Invitational in Lushan, China. Paul was also the only American artist invited to the International Art Meet in Kolkata, India in 2011. Jackson frequently serves as a judge for national and international art competitions.
A prolific artist and ambitious world traveler, Paul Jackson is one of today's most versatile and visible contemporary watercolorists. Whether his subject is landscape, cityscape, portrait, architecture, still life or abstract, Paul captivates his audience with genuine emotion, intensity and finesse that energize each of his creations.

The 2025 OWS workshop will take place in July at the Springfield Museum of Art in Springfield, Ohio. The total cost for members is $350 ($375 for non-members) for the four-day workshop. Registration will begin in January 2025.
Watermedia Workshops and Classes taught by OWS Members
Among the many talented artists of the OWS are outstanding and dedicated teachers who want to pass on the love and knowledge of their art. Several types of instruction are available and include classes, workshops and virtual instruction. Moreover, the instructors' techniques and approaches span a substantial range, so you stand a good chance to find one that suits you.
Mouse-over or touch any workshop card below for a summary and link to the artist's website.
Kevin has always had a passion for the arts. His painting style has been strongly influenced by highly detailed, realistic painters. He greatly appreciates the skill and discipline it takes to produce that level of work. To him, being an artist is not as much about a career choice, as it is a lifestyle.
Kathie George is a talented artist, workshop instructor and the author of five instructional art books. She is experimental when it comes to her use of media, but works primarily in watermedia. She is best known for developing and teaching the watercolor batik on rice paper technique.
Yuki Hall is an award winning watercolor artist known for her loose style and impressionistic approached to working with the medium. She emphasizes simplicity, effective use of tonal value patterns, fluidity and execution of confident brush strokes.
Christopher Leeper is a nationally known artist from Canfield, Ohio. He frequently participates in national juried and invitational plein air events. He teaches in a fun and relaxed style. Each day there will be demonstrations and lots of one-on-one instruction.
Nancy is an award-winning watercolorist, graphic designer and watercolor painting instructor. Her decades of experience in graphic design are rooted in a BFA in advertising and fashion illustration from the University of Kansas. She enjoys teaching watercolor and drawing classes at her studio, Nanogallery in Berea, Ohio and also via virtual classes.
Vivian Ripley is an accomplished artist of quite varied subject matter, and inherent in all her works is the beauty of color and how it is affected by light and shade. She works in pastel, watercolor, acrylic, and colored pencil (sometimes combining media), always striving to achieve beauty in each medium through her emotional use of color and tone.
Do you teach workshops or classes? If you'd like to have a post here , let us know by filling out the form below. View the cards above to see the needed information (painting image, artist description, website address).
Ohio Art organizations that host workshops of interest to the OWS
The Cliffside Artists Collaborative (CAC) is dedicated to promoting and preserving works of art created by Ohio artists. It was started by Sara Kass, who was a signature member of the OWS. Committed to art education and to the encouragement of young artists planning a career in art, Sara administers art workshops for these students and their art teachers in yearly workshops.
Contact: cliffsideartist@gmail.com or 330.225.5364
With 80 years of admirable service to the Toledo Metropolitan and Northwest Ohio area, the Toledo Artists' Club has clearly been fulfilling its mission to stimulate creativity by offering art exhibitions, workshops, and art classes for adults and children thereby enhancing the fine arts for its members and the community.
The Toledo Artists' Club—Toledo, Ohio
The Central Ohio Watercolor Society was founded in 1964 and is the preeminent transparent watercolor society in the region. Founding members include notable central Ohio painters Richard Bauer, Don Dodrill, Mary Lou Jackson, Byron Kohn, Leland McClelland, Richard Phipps and Edward Tracy. Watercolor artists must apply and are juried into the society. Most of the members are award winning artists with regional and national reputations.
The Western Ohio Watercolor Society was founded in 1974 for the purpose of furthering interest in, and adding stature to, the use of watercolor as a fine art medium, as well as to encourage public interest in the medium. Watercolor is defined as water-based media, executed on paper.
Artist Information for Workshops page
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