Beverly McNeil Gallery, Birmingham, AL
April 27-May 27
Katie Liddiard, Juliette Roses in August, oil, 14 x 18.
For the fifth straight year, the National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society presents its Best of America Small Works National Juried Exhibition, where collectors can purchase paintings in small formats—16 by 20 inches or less—from a selection of 175 member artists. The organization chooses a different gallery to host the exhibition each year, and the 2022 show lands at Beverly McNeil Gallery in Birmingham, AL, which hosts an opening reception on Thursday, April 28, from 5 to 8 p.m.
Since 1991, the society has showcased the talents of its international membership through five annual exhibitions. For the small-works show, members are invited to submit five entries each, and a jury made up of signature members usually selects 150 pieces from approximately 1,000 entries. This year, the group decided to increase the number of accepted works to 175 to highlight even more emerging and established painters. Subjects on view include landscape, portrait, figure, and still life, and the styles are predominantly realism and impressionism, with a few abstracts as well. (Images shown here are from the 2021 event.)
- Carmen Drake Gordon, Humility, oil, 11 x 9.
- Jeremy Goodding, Flight and Form, oil, 14 x 11.
“The Best of America event is always an amazing experience, but this year there’s even more reason for collectors to join us,” says NOAPS president Pat Tribastone. “In addition to having more artwork for sale, the quality of the artwork is increasing. Over the last five years, NOAPS has grown its membership by 20 percent annually, attracting the best artists from across the country, Canada, and around the world. Attendees can look forward to higher-quality artwork every time they see one of our shows.”
A plein-air competition on April 27-28 is another opportunity for attendees to purchase fine oil and acrylic works, this time straight off the easels from participating artists who paint the woodlands, city streets, and classic architecture around Birmingham. On Friday, April 29, from 12 to 1 p.m., the plein-air awards ceremony and luncheon at the gallery allows artists and art-lovers to further connect and converse. —Allison Malafronte
contact information
205.328.1761
www.noaps.org
This story appeared in the April/May 2022 issue of Southwest Art magazine.