Oil Painters Of America Blog

“Sometimes it takes an expert to point out the obvious.”    --Scott Allen Rick and Ken meet the Master in the Handell Studio On a recent fall afternoon, noted painter Ken Spencer, my wife Lynn and I were privileged to ... Read More...

This work is a derivative of "1970 Plymouth Fury Gran Coupe" by Alden Jewell licensed under CC BY 2.0 Remember paisley?  I do.  My brother had a 1971 Plymouth Fury Gran Coupe with a paisley vinyl top.  It was a boat ... Read More...

What is it like to win a big award at a national art show? How would you spend the prize money? What impact would an award have on your career? These questions go through my mind with each competition I enter when I finally get my piece ... Read More...

Every winter I have to remind myself that artists don’t need to be on a perfect sunny sea shore to paint a beautiful landscape painting full of light and emotion. In fact, I would argue that some of the most beautiful landscape paintings ... Read More...

This past September, my mother, dog and I decided to take a road trip to Utah to visit the National Parks. After 3 days of driving, we arrived in Moab on Monday night.  Our first stop, Arches National Park. Natural sandstone arches and ... Read More...

"Primrose Path" by Karen Burnette Garner What motivates us to do the things we do?  For some, it is a pursuit of money, for survival to excess.  Some seek recognition, to make their presence stand out from the crowd of humanity.  For ... Read More...

How are you feeling today? Tired? Inspired? Brave? Beaten? As a painter, are the voices in your head your piper or your punisher? Curiosity is seriously cool… “Curiosity killed the cat!” So, did curiosity actually kill the cat? Not ... Read More...

"Sunlight and Shadow" by Ned Mueller OPAM Most of us would like to be creating unique or compelling works of art, or at least something that we can feel quite proud of. However, all sorts of things can either get in the way or just our ... Read More...

“Along the Trail, Mendocino” by Rick J. Delanty 12" x 24" - Acrylic --all images here have been painted or begun en plein air-- When Bob retired after 42 years in the aerospace industry, one of his buddies whose wife was an artist ... Read More...