2023 Seminar Presenters

No pre-registration - Just show up and enjoy learning from some of the best!

Come back and check here for updated seminar times

Brett Stark - Avid Collector and Decoy Expert - Saturday

Brett will talk about Old Decoys of the Pacific Northwest

A one-hour or so session on decoy collecting and decoys in this region. Brett will be around during the show and would be happy to look at your decoys and offer his opinion.

Mike Miller, another collector and decoy expert will join Brett as part of the presentation

Jerry Poindexter - Novice & Youth Carvers Only - Sunday

For artist Jerry Poindexter, who has been carving birds for more than 28 years. He has been a contributor to the Waterfowl Carving Magazine for 20 years. Jerry has done workshops and seminars throughout the Pacific Northwest and is a regular participant at the Ward World Carving Championships. He has demonstrated excellence in highly textured songbirds, shorebirds, game birds, and birds of prey. Be ready to listen, watch, and learn in Jerry’s two-hour seminar.

This seminar will focus on helping Novice and youth carvers.

1. Where to get project ideas? 2. How to prep your carvings. 3. How to carve to paint. 4. Problems solving during painting. 5. Brands of paint. 6. Why do we mix colors? 7. How to alter patterns. 8. Some demonstrations

Kurt Benson - Master Carver - Sunday

Kurt is an accomplished decoy carver, instructor, and bird taxidermist. Kurt will share his techniques in carving. He leads the Washington Brant Foundation an all-volunteer, 501 (c) (3), non-profit organization founded in 2001 to raise awareness of the unique Brant goose and its habitat. The mission is to promote the conservation and responsible management of Brant and other marine species in the Pacific Flyway through sponsorship of scientific research, education, and habitat enhancement programs. Kurt Benson teaches numerous classes on how to hand carve and paint your own life-sized decoys. His step-by-step instructions on how to carve a body and wood head have been taught to many people, including many youths. Once the carving is complete, Kurt textures and paints for a finished product. Do not miss a chance to learn from Kurt!

Jim Bergeron - Native American Art - Sunday

A large percentage of the students at the high school I attended were Native Americans. There were stories of former Indian villages, mounds, and finds of artifacts along the shores of the rivers and lakes near where I grew up. As I listened to the stories and read histories I became fascinated with the technology used by primitive people to live off the land. I soon learned to make stone tools.

When I returned from Alaska I began teaching woodcarving at Clatsop Community College. While working at OSU I taught basic woodcarving, Northwest Coast style; bentwood box making; Adze and crooked knife making; and design.