OPA Signature Member, Art Gallery Painter, Award-Winning Artist, Sr. Illustrator in Animation and Gaming field, born in Guangzhou, China. Received his BFA degree from Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art one of the most prestigious fine arts schools in China, has lived in the United States since 1996.  Beach Siblings #1 by Paul Cheng OPA I have loved painting since childhood, and I wanted to be a professional painter when I was a teenager. My youth was the decade of China’s Cultural Revolution. There were no art teachers, and no art teaching books. I had to explore painting by myself and fi ..read more

As artists, we always desire that our work stands out. One of the key ingredients in a painting is mark making, your individual way of applying the paint.  So why not help that process of unique mark making along and actually make a tool to use that no one else in the world will have? I have found that mini relief printing blocks (or I guess you could call them original rubber stamps) are a great help. There are many repetitive patterns I have found myself painting, sometimes occurring on fabric or sometimes I just want the repetition to create a unified image. As I have worked on those p ..read more

With its rich cultural heritage and awe-inspiring landscapes, Scotland has emerged as a top destination for artists seeking inspiration and growth through their travel. Artists coming to paint in Scotland find plenty to enjoy as they tap into the allure of this enchanting land and its culture. This prompted the renowned organization, Workshops In France, to leap across the English Channel and curate immersive painting workshops and art retreats, such as the Majestic Scotland Art Retreat, in the land of myth and legend. It’s an annual occurrence and each summer their team travels to Scotland to ..read more

Being an artist, like many other professions, opens up to an interesting question on the choices one faces, e.g., Sculpting vs. Painting, Oil painting vs. Water colors vs. Pencil drawing, etc., or perhaps a little bit of all of them. There is, of course, no answer to what people will choose in the end, it is their individual preference that will influence their decision.  However, I would like to delve a bit deeper as to once our artist decides which medium to call their own – what would be their subject matter or perhaps their subjects (plural). Through the years and after visiting a myr ..read more

“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.” —Author Shannon L. Alder   In 2023, we sadly bid farewell to Signature artist Lyn Boyer, a luminary member of the art community.  It’s rare to find a person like Lyn whose life and passing has had such an undeniable ripple effect on so many people – too many to even fathom. Her positive nature and compassionate soul inspired and encouraged others to do the same. She was wise beyond her years and understood the value of having deep, meaningful friendshi ..read more

It was an amazing thing to be accepted into the 2018 OPA National Exhibition in Steamboat Springs, CO. I couldn’t believe my eyes when the acceptance list came out and my name was on it! Zinnias by Rich Alexander OPA 24″ x 18″ – Oil on panel Many years earlier in the Northlight Studio at the Ridgewood Art Institute a fellow artist Sue Barasi passed me a handwritten note on a scrap of paper. “What to do to get better” it read across the top. Sue was my favorite painter in the class. Her paintings were terrific, I wanted to paint just like her. Sue was so nice to me when I first came to the Wedn ..read more

OPA will be taking Deep Dives into our archives and sharing our favorite posts from years past. Please enjoy this Deep Dive by Adam Clague OPA from 2019. Sam by Adam Clague OPA Oil – 12″ x 14″ Mixing skin colors can be challenging. Flesh often contains hints of every color of the rainbow! Plus, it’s easy for skin tones to become “chalky” or “muddy.” In this article, I’ll share information to help you mix realistic, lively flesh colors. Simplify When I’m mixing skin colors, I often find it convenient to dip into every color on my palette. To simplify this process ..read more

There are several ways to create more depth and a feeling of 3-D space in your paintings. Some of these include, atmosphere perspective, softening edges and flattening shapes as they recede and more especially, using the principle of linear perspective. I have students in my college classes who tend to shy away from linear perspective. I admit, perspective can be a daunting, complex principle, but it doesn’t have to be. To create more depth in my paintings I begin with a simple, one-point perspective grid before I paint in my subject matter by following three basic steps: 1. Find my horizon li ..read more

One thing is certain; the more I teach, the more I learn.  There are so many technical lessons: lessons about values, lessons about color, lessons about edges, lessons about composition, lessons about materials.  We need to master all these skills and train our eyes to see, calculate, and arrange the elements of our painting in order to create a good work.  Morning At the Beach by Katherine Galbraith OPA 30″x36″ – Oil on canvas But there are a few lessons that fall into none of these categories. I have come to believe they may be the most important lessons of all.  These ar ..read more

OPA Says Goodbye to Master Signature Artist Nancy S. Crookston November 23, 1948 – November 17, 2023 It is with profound sadness and a heavy heart that we share the news of Master Signature artist Nancy Seamons Crookston’s untimely passing last Friday, November 17, due to post-operative complications resulting from shoulder surgery.  Nancy was a beautiful and talented soul who will always be remembered for her kindness, generous spirit, and exceptional artistic talent.  Her warm and friendly demeanor, coupled with her wealth of knowledge about art allowed her to connect with so many ..read more