Show Preview | Oil Painters of America

St. George, UT
Illume Gallery of Fine Art, May 10-June 7

Marilyn Simandle, Vernazza Vacation, oil, 23 x 36.

This story was featured in the May 2019 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art May 2019 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

The Oil Painters of America National Juried Exhibition has always been a source of inspiration and mutual support for representational painters working in oils—not to mention a chance for prestigious national recognition. As Signature Member David Mueller puts it, “We all need a certain amount of affirmation, and OPA provides a great and fun environment for that.” At this year’s show, a new two-track program is aimed at providing collectors with a similar level of enjoyable, informational camaraderie.

The 28th annual show takes place from May 10 through June 7 in St. George, UT, at Illume Gallery of Fine Art and its two sister venues, Authentique Gallery and The Mission Gallery. Some 220 artworks were juried into this year’s show, representing about 10 percent of the entries. “Artists are being judged by their peers, so when you get in, it’s a declaration that the artist’s achievement is recognized by other artists. It’s a very high honor,” says OPA president Kurt Anderson.

: William Schneider, Black Widow, oil, 24 x 18.

: Lori Putnam, Spring Growth, oil, 20 x 24.

: David Mueller, Circle of Dreams, oil, 39 x 39.

As part of this year’s increased educational focus for collectors, Anderson presents a talk titled “Artists at the Cutting Edge: The OPA and the Rebirth of Representational Painting.” It promises to be an engaging overview of artistic styles currently encompassed by the OPA, including classical works, paintings created in the illustration tradition, and plein-air pieces. Among the other presentations is “Art Through the Eyes of the Collector” with Tim Newton, an avid collector and the chairman and CEO of New York City’s historic Salmagundi Club.

Highlighting the opening-night activities on Friday, May 10, an annual recognition ceremony honors award-winners selected by juror Kenn Backhaus as well as the top pieces in the popular Wet Paint Competition, which takes place earlier in the week. The Wet Paint event puts artists at the easel in either plein-air or studio settings, with the resulting paintings on view at Red Cliff Gallery.

: Huihan Liu, Contemplation, oil, 11 x 14.

: Robert A. Johnson, Carnations, oil, 30 x 24.

: Nikolo Balkanski, Village Shades, oil, 18 x 24.

Nashville-based Signature Member Lori Putnam found inspiration for her entry on a trip to Waterton Lakes National Park in southern Alberta, Canada. SPRING GROWTH began with a plein-air study of wild roses, which Putnam used, among other references, for a studio piece. In it, the roses are part of a larger scene with other flowers, trees, a glimpse of mountains, and a lake. Not long after the artist’s visit to the park, massive wildfires swept through the area. For Putnam, it was a reminder of the inevitability of change, as well as the power of art to convey natural beauty and express the importance of places like national parks. “As artists, we capture it, then it may be gone, but we continue to spread the beauty,” she says.

Mueller, who won first place in the Signature division at the Virtuosos of the OPA exhibition in March, is a traditional figurative painter who’s increasingly interested in additional layering of abstract qualities that give his work a subtle contemporary feel. CIRCLE OF DREAMS, his entry in the national show, portrays a young woman in a black dress lying on an orange rug as seen from above. Mueller produced the image on a circular canvas and composed it with strong contrasts and clean, simple lines. “It’s a more modern twist,” he says, “but very rooted in tradition—I’m very juiced about the combination of both.” —Gussie Fauntleroy

contact information
815.356.5987
www.oilpaintersofamerica.com