The 2024 FWS Convention & Trade Show will be held at the St. Petersburg Bayfront Hilton in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg, FL. Our Pre-Convention offerings include a choice of four in-person workshops.  Look for 4-day workshops with our judges Stephen Quiller or Kim Johnson Nechtman on September 16th - September 19th, or one of two 2-day workshops September 18th - September 19th with FWS award-winning artists.  As is our tradition, we will open the 2024 Convention with Stephen Quiller's demonstration at 7pm on Thursday, September 19th. Stephen is our 2024 Annual Exhibition Judge & Juror. Stephen Quiller's Exhibition Review will be held Friday morning at 9. Then take your pick of more than 20 demonstrations all-day Friday and Saturday, September 20th - September 21st, 2024. 

The Trade Show is a perfect opportunity to stock up on art supplies at great prices.  Support our vendors with your purchases and ensure the continuing of the annual Trade Show with your patronage. 

Attend the Convention in person.

Not attending the Convention.

Buy tickets to the Gala only.

Register by September 9th

Register by September 30th

Register by September 9th

O U R   S P O N S O R S  

Click the link to the left for the full list of our 2024 Convention & Trade Show Sponsors. A big THANK YOU to all who support FWS and our artists.

M O R E   I N F O R M A T I O N

The Convention begins with a welcome from our FWS President, Roberta Romeo, highlighting Convention events and updates. Stephen Quiller, FWS 53rd Annual Exhibition Judge & Juror, will present a demonstration on how he achieves his intense colors in his paintings. Click Button to left for more info.

More than 20 artists are scheduled in three concurrent sessions held Friday and Saturday to demonstrate specific styles, methods, or approaches they use in achieving successful paintings. Click the button to the left to find out more about each artist and their planned demos.

Skip the drive and ride the private bus roundtrip to and from Creative Pinellas for the Annual Exhibition Reception.  Only 100 seats available.  You will be given an option to buy a ticket with you register for the Convention. Or click the button to buy a ticket.

Don't miss the Opening Reception for the FWS 53rd Annual Exhibition at the Creative Pinellas in Largo, Florida. Come meet some of your favorite artists and mingle with the crowd as we enjoy some time together on Friday evening. The Reception is free of charge and open to anyone wishing to attend. It's going to be a great show this year! Click the button for more info.

Kim Johnson Nechtman will provide individual critiques with artists.  Each artist provides Kim digital copies of up to ten different pieces of their art. The fee is $50.

This is for FWS members only. You must be logged in to register. Click button at left.

Stephen Quiller, the 53rd Annual Exhibition Judge & Juror, will review each of his selections for this year's show. An image of each painting will be projected on a large screen as Stephen explains the reasons why he selected it and give some insights into how he arrived at his decisions.
Click Button to left for more info.

Tickets are required, $10 each, to attend the Exhibition Review. Only those who have registered and paid to attend the Convention will be admitted. Tickets will not be on sale at the door. Feel free to purchase extra tickets for your guests to join you in this much-anticipated annual event. Click Button to left.

This year's Trade Show promises to be better than ever! We have some fabulous vendors for you to meet, get your questions answered, and bring home some much-needed art supplies and tools. No tickets needed to come to the Trade Show!

Many of you may remember our past convention raffle baskets and the opportunities they provided to win exciting gifts.  This year, instead of a bargain bazaar, we’ll be returning to the raffle basket concept.  Join us in the main concourse outside the Bayboro Room for our “Annual Convention Raffle Baskets.”   The baskets have been donated by individuals, art associations and other organizations.

Every year, FWS invites five artists to challenge one another in the Paint-A-Round event Saturday morning. Watch  your favorite artists collaborate in a live painting round-robin. The resulting artworks will be matted and raffled to support the work of FWS. Click button to the left for more info.

Join us for our Gala Awards Dinner as we celebrate our award-winning Florida artists and new Signature & Distinguished Members. Click Button to left for more info.

We highly value our volunteers. They are paid six figures:
S-M-I-L-E-S. There are many opportunities for you to volunteer for making the 2024 Convention, The Best Yet! Click button on left to sign up, or contact Suzanne Natzke at her email, firedust34@gmail.com to sign up and get more information.