A long-standing wish of mine was fulfilled this summer: to teach at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts. I had taught workshops there, and substituted for other teachers over the years, but I had not taught formal classes. Andrew Rodgers, ... Read More...

Autumn Harvest by Pam Newell OPA10" x 20" - Oil So you want to be an artist?  Go sit at your palette, wear old shabby clothing, wear a beret, live in a romantic studio hideaway and wait to be discovered.  Hollywood has created a ... Read More...

Finders Keepers Mystery by Hodges Soileau OPA Oil, Book Cover #98 from the Boxcar Children series The times we live in and the problems people are dealing with make me pause. Although I am not a person who regularly reflects on the past, ... Read More...

Golden Glow by Deborah Tilby OPAM12" x 16" - Oil The topic of skies in the landscape comes up all the time with my private students and is a subject with which many painters struggle. I thought I would share a few things I have ... Read More...

Cherished by Susan Patton30" x 30" - Oil Character, Personality, Spirit, Soul – these qualities cannot be measured by the length of the nose or the distance between the eyes. Yet, they are what a client is looking for when they ... Read More...

The Valley Patriarch by Anna Bain OPA 24" x 42" - Oil on linen I am a professional artist, but what some people don't know about me is that I have played piano since I was eight years old. I was classically trained all the way through ... Read More...

I consider myself a colorist.  That is, I find that color palette inspires the visual message I wish to convey in my painting.  Interestingly though, color is subordinate in what I do. As a more-or-less representational ... Read More...

Did you know that OPA has been sharing artists’ blog posts for over ten years?  We have an extensive collection available to the public on our website. This summer, OPA will be taking Deep Dives into our archives and sharing our ... Read More...

Wandering by Dan Schultz30" x 30" - Oil I have heard many artists say they wish they could loosen up in their work. Certainly, many of us aspire to create paintings that look effortless, but we find that doing so is easier said than ... Read More...

We are pleased to share this week’s blog from OPA Master artist Albert Handell.  Albert will be giving a live demonstration at the upcoming OPA National Convention in Santa Fe, NM, August 24-29, 2021. Tickets and more information are ... Read More...