Oil Painters of America National Exhibition
Oil Painters of America is one of today’s leading art organizations in North America representing over 3,600 artist members living in the United States and Canada. Being accepted into the OPA National Exhibition is extremely difficult, and artists selected to exhibit will vie for approximately $100,000 in awards including a top prize of $25,000.
To enter, artists are asked to submit entries for consideration. A jurying committee comprised of 5 artists — 2 Master Signature members and 3 Signature members — are charged with selecting the show based on a ranking system. This year there were over 2,400 entries for the National Exhibition, of which only 215 were accepted.
The OPA is dedicated to preserving and promoting excellence in representational art. Its primary focus is to draw attention to the lasting value of fine drawing, color, composition and the appreciation of light.
The mission of OPA is to advance the cause of traditional, representational fine art by providing a forum in which artists can display their art in regional and national competitions. In addition, the organization is committed to providing educational opportunities to its members through its newsletter, critique program, scholarships, workshops, seminars, and demonstrations by today’s masters.
Grad School Artwork
Since the summer of 2018, two-thirds of my year has been spent intensely focusing on academia. And this will be the case for the next couple years, because I am attending Liberty University to pursue my Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art!
The M.F.A. is a 60 credit-hour, terminal degree program that culminates in formulating and defending a thesis. So far the experience has been incredibly rewarding—and incredibly intense. As a Graduate Student Assistant, I not only take a full course load, but also teach undergraduate art classes: sometimes the sheer volume of due dates, lectures, and grading seems absolutely crushing.
Because the grad courses offered each semester do not always dovetail with my own particular style and genres, the sort of artwork I've been producing is quite varied—not much of it will probably ever appear in public. But the learning and contemplation that has resulted from studying outside my particular "box" has been extremely rewarding!
We're Virginians Now!
In July of 2018, my Wife and I relocated to Lynchburg, Virginia! The move came after a long period of prayer and seeking God's will for what He wanted us to do next as a married couple. We felt God's call for me to return to academia and pursue a graduate degree, and the doors were opened for attending Liberty University (more on that above).
A bit about Lynchburg, via Wikipedia:
Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 75,568. The 2017 census estimates an increase to 81,000.Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or the "Hill City". In the 1860s, Lynchburg was the only major city in Virginia that was not recaptured by the Union before the end of the American Civil War.
Lynchburg lies at the center of a wider metropolitan area close to the geographic center of Virginia. It is the fifth-largest MSA [Metropolitan Statistical Area] in Virginia, with a population of 260,320. It is the site of several institutions of higher education, including the University of Lynchburg, Randolph College, and Liberty University. Nearby cities include Roanoke, Charlottesville, and Danville.