The Confident Brushstrokes™ Podcast Episode 6: Portrait Society of America 2026 Conference Recap!

Stephanie and Adam debrief Stephanie's experience at the 2026 Portrait Society of America Art of the Portrait Conference in Atlanta — her 10th year attending and her first year painting in the Face Off. They open with studio updates, including Stephanie's first plein air session of the season and the major basement studio renovation that will give her over 1,000 square feet of dedicated space and upgraded lighting for Broadcasting Brushers. Then they dive into the conference: • The full-circle significance of painting in the Face Off 10 years after walking into that room as an 18-year-old and quietly promising herself she'd earn a spot • Painting alongside two world renowned artists— and why their company felt like a warm hug rather than a source of intimidation • A lighting crisis mid-session: a 2,000K easel light clashing with a 7,000K model light, and how Michelle Dunaway came to the rescue • How Broadcasting Brushers' three-hour live painting sessions unknowingly trained Stephanie for the exact format and pressure of the Face Off • Reconnecting with Rose Franson on Wednesday night and what 10 years of recurring face-to-face time at the same conference builds • The sold-out breakout session with Michelle Dunaway on mentorship — painting Dawn Whitelaw as their model, and the story of how a single dinner conversation at the 2016 conference led to a gifted workshop spot, which led to painting with Richard Schmid and the Putney Painters • How mentorship actually starts: paying for workshops, showing up year after year, and letting friendships develop from there • Michael Shane Neil's words on the duty to pass wisdom forward — and Stephanie's growing role as a mentor herself • The Broadcasting Brushers breakfast meetup and what it meant to put faces to names from the Discord community 🎨 Follow Stephanie on Instagram & YouTube: @StephaniePageThompson 🎨 Join the community on Patreon: patreon.com/StephaniePageThompson