OPA - Oil Painters of America

Dedicated to the preservation of representational art

James Bruce Jr. OPAM

The Deadline Is Coming. Are You Ready?

· · 1 Comment

This article was written by long-serving Board member and Master Signature artist James Bruce Jr., (January 1938 – December 2020). It is reprinted from our archives and outlines the methods and criteria the OPA jury uses to select paintings for the National Juried Exhibition. We hope it helps you select your best work to enter into this year’s show. See you in Bradenton! 

The deadline I’m referring to is the last date to enter OPA’s competition, 34th National Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils to be hosted by The Art Center Manatee County in Bradenton, Florida. The focus in the jurying process will be to select paintings which show the highest quality in draftsmanship, color and composition, emphasizing a diversity in representational style and subject matter. Entries must be received no later than Saturday, March 1, 2025.

Each year OPA receives approximately 1,900 entries and jurors must carefully choose approximately 200 paintings to be included in the exhibition. As always, the goal is to assemble the finest display of representational oil paintings.

This annual national competition is one of the most important endeavors of the OPA mission to promote representational painting. Awards for this annual competition total approximately $100,000, including a $25,000 Best in Show, so there is good reason to enter. That said, every artist entering should understand the jurying process and what criteria is used to determine the paintings that are included in the competition.

OPA selects a jurying committee comprised of 5 OPA members. Three are Signature members of OPA and two are Master Signature members. The make-up of the committee is different for each exhibition and jurors do not know who else is jurying with them. The Jurying Chair always attempts to get jurors that represent a variety of painting styles and that are located in different parts of the country. Jurors are asked to use the criteria below in making their selections.

  • Is there a dominant value?
  • Is there a dominant harmony?
  • Is there a clear center of interest?
  • Is there balance?
  • Do the shapes and lines lead the eyes to focal points within the picture plane?
  • Is the drawing accurate?
  • Are the value relationships convincing?
  • Are the color temperature relationships consistent and believable?
  • Is there an appropriate variety of hard and soft edges?
  • Is the paint application varied and interesting?

III. Expression/Idea:
Does the painting’s intent or execution demonstrate a unique, compelling or worthwhile idea?

There are two rounds of jurying. For the first round, jurors are asked to evaluate each painting and assign it a “yes” or “no” vote. Yes means that the juror believes that the painting meets some or all of the criteria and warrants a second, more critical evaluation.

The second round is usually comprised of approximately 600 – 700 paintings. In this round, jurors are asked to vote using a scale of 1 to 7. It is important that jurors are consistent and use the following scoring system when making their selections.

  • One represents a painting that is weak in all or almost all of the above.
  • Two represents a painting that is weak in most areas.
  • Three represents a painting that may be competent in a few areas but, overall, is aweak painting.
  • Four represents a painting that displays knowledge of the fundamentals but overallis mediocre.
  • Five represents a painting that is competently handled in most areas.
  • Six represents a painting that is skillfully executed in almost all areas.
  • Seven represents a painting that is outstanding and is skillfully executed in virtually every area. These are the top 1-3% of entries for this show.

 Summary:

  • Very Weak
  • Weak
  • Some Competence
  • Average
  • Competent (top 15 – 25% of entries)
  • Excellent (top 10% of entries)
  • Outstanding (top 1– 3% of entries)

After the jurors have completed voting, the scores are tabulated and artists receiving the most points will be accepted into the exhibition. Only one (1) painting may be accepted.

Again, the last date for you to enter is Saturday, March 1, 2025. I hope that you will enter the annual competition. Your painting cannot be selected if you don’t enter, so do so starting November 1, 2024, and use the criteria that the jurors will use to select your entry. Present your very best painting. Follow the entry rules and use the criteria the jurors will be using to judge your painting against the best paintings entered into the competition. And best wishes to each member of OPA. The competition is stiff but it is worth the effort to participate by submitting your entries before the deadline!

Respectfully,

James Bruce Jr. OPAM

In Memoriam
(January 17, 1938 – December 25, 2020)

James W Bruce Jr. began pursuing art at age 14. He was a Master Signature member of Oil Painters of America and believed that art competitions organized by OPA provide wonderful opportunities to learn and grow. In September 2016, Bruce and Scott Christensen had a two-person exhibition in the Patrons’ Gallery at the Salmagundi Club in New York City. In addition to his love of painting, Bruce pursued a significant career in banking. After retiring from Banks of Mid-America, the largest banking company in Oklahoma, he acquired controlling interest in American Bank Systems. He was also a member of the Board of Directors of American Bank and Trust Company of Tulsa, Oklahoma and InvesTrust of Oklahoma City. He served on boards of the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City University, Canterbury Voices, and Oklahoma Arts Institute. In 2006, Governor Brad Henry awarded him one of the prestigious Governor’s Arts Award. A retrospective of 25 of his paintings was held in the Governor’s Gallery at the State Capitol in recognition of this award. James tirelessly gave his time and expertise to Oil Painters of America, serving on the Board for over ten years.

The Deadline Is Coming. Are You Ready?

· · 5 Comments

Originally written by long-serving Board member and Master Signature artist James Bruce Jr., (January 1938 – December 2020) this blog from our archives outlines the methods and criteria the OPA jury uses to select paintings for the National Juried Exhibition. We hope it helps you select your best work to enter into this year’s show. See you in Steamboat Springs! 

The deadline I’m referring to is the last date to enter OPA’s competition for the 31st National Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils to be hosted by the Steamboat Art Museum in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The focus in the jurying process will be to select paintings which show the highest quality in draftsmanship, color and composition, emphasizing a diversity in representational style and subject matter. Online entries must be received no later than Friday, January 28.

Each year OPA receives approximately 2,100 entries and jurors must carefully choose 200 paintings to be included in the exhibition. As always, the goal is to assemble the finest display of representational oil paintings.

This annual national competition is one of the most important endeavors of the OPA mission to promote representational painting. Awards for this annual competition total approximately $100,000, including a $25,000 Best in Show, so there is good reason to enter. That said, every artist entering should understand the jurying process and what criteria is used to determine the paintings that are included in the competition.

OPA selects a jurying committee comprised of 5 OPA members. Three are Signature members of OPA and two are Master Signature members. The make-up of the committee is different for each exhibition and jurors do not know who else is jurying with them. The Jurying Chair always attempts to get jurors that represent a variety of painting styles and that are located in different parts of the country. Jurors are asked to use the criteria below in making their selections.

  • Is there a dominant value?
  • Is there a dominant harmony?
  • Is there a clear center of interest?
  • Is there balance?
  • Do the shapes and lines lead the eyes to focal points within the picture plane?
  • Is the drawing accurate?
  • Are the value relationships convincing?
  • Are the color temperature relationships consistent and believable?
  • Is there an appropriate variety of hard and soft edges?
  • Is the paint application varied and interesting?

III. Expression/Idea:
Does the painting’s intent or execution demonstrate a unique, compelling or worthwhile idea?

There are two rounds of jurying. For the first round, jurors are asked to evaluate each painting and assign it a “yes” or “no” vote. Yes means that the juror believes that the painting meets some or all of the criteria and warrants a second, more critical evaluation.

The second round is usually comprised of approximately 600 – 700 paintings. In this round, jurors are asked to vote using a scale of 1 to 7. It is important that jurors are consistent and use the following scoring system when making their selections.

  • One represents a painting that is weak in all or almost all of the above.
  • Two represents a painting that is weak in most areas.
  • Three represents a painting that may be competent in a few areas but, overall, is aweak painting.
  • Four represents a painting that displays knowledge of the fundamentals but overallis mediocre.
  • Five represents a painting that is competently handled in most areas.
  • Six represents a painting that is skillfully executed in almost all areas.
  • Seven represents a painting that is outstanding and is skillfully executed in virtually every area. These are the top 1-3% of entries for this show.

 Summary:

  • Very Weak
  • Weak
  • Some Competence
  • Average
  • Competent (top 15 – 25% of entries)
  • Excellent (top 10% of entries)
  • Outstanding (top 1– 3% of entries)

After the jurors have completed voting, the scores are tabulated and artists receiving the most points will be accepted into the exhibition. Only one (1) painting may be accepted.

Again, the last date for you to enter is Friday, January 28th. I hope that you will enter the annual competition. Your painting cannot be selected if you don’t enter, so do so today and use the criteria that the jurors will use to select your entry. Present your very best painting. Follow the entry rules and use the criteria the jurors will be using to judge your painting against the best paintings entered into the competition. And best wishes to each member of OPA. The competition is stiff but it is worth the effort to participate by submitting your entries before the deadline!

Respectfully,

James Bruce Jr. OPAM

In Memoriam
(January 17, 1938 – December 25, 2020)

James W Bruce Jr. began pursuing art at age 14. He was a Master Signature member of Oil Painters of America and believed that art competitions organized by OPA provide wonderful opportunities to learn and grow. In September 2016, Bruce and Scott Christensen had a two-person exhibition in the Patrons’ Gallery at the Salmagundi Club in New York City. In addition to his love of painting, Bruce pursued a significant career in banking. After retiring from Banks of Mid-America, the largest banking company in Oklahoma, he acquired controlling interest in American Bank Systems. He was also a member of the Board of Directors of American Bank and Trust Company of Tulsa, Oklahoma and InvesTrust of Oklahoma City. He served on boards of the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City University, Canterbury Voices, and Oklahoma Arts Institute. In 2006, Governor Brad Henry awarded him one of the prestigious Governor’s Arts Award. A retrospective of 25 of his paintings was held in the Governor’s Gallery at the State Capitol in recognition of this award. James tirelessly gave his time and expertise to Oil Painters of America, serving on the Board for over ten years.

The Deadline Is Coming. Are You Ready?

· · 2 Comments


The deadline I’m referring to is the last date to enter OPA’s competition for the 27th National Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils to be hosted by the Steamboat Art Museum in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The focus in the jurying process will be to select paintings which show the highest quality in draftsmanship, color and composition, emphasizing a diversity in representational style and subject matter. Online entries must be received no later than Friday, January 26.
Each year OPA receives approximately 2,100 entries and jurors must carefully choose 200 paintings to be included in the exhibition. As always, the goal is to assemble the finest display of representational oil paintings.
This annual national competition is one of the most important endeavors of the OPA mission to promote representational painting. Awards for this annual competition total approximately $100,000 so there is good reason to enter. That said, every artist entering should understand the jurying process and what criteria is used to determine the paintings that are included in the competition.
OPA selects a jurying committee comprised of 5 OPA members. Three are Signature members of OPA and two are Master Signature members. The make-up of the committee is different for each exhibition and jurors do not know who else is jurying with them. The Jurying Chair always attempts to get jurors that represent a variety of painting styles and that are located in different parts of the country. Jurors are asked to use the criteria below in making their selections.

    I. Design:

  • Is there a dominant value?
  • Is there a dominant harmony?
  • Is there a clear center of interest?
  • Is there balance?
  • Do the shapes and lines lead the eyes to focal points within the picture plane?
    II. Execution:

  • Is the drawing accurate?
  • Are the value relationships convincing?
  • Are the color temperature relationships consistent and believable?
  • Is there an appropriate variety of hard and soft edges?
  • Is the paint application varied and interesting?


III. Expression/Idea:
Does the painting’s intent or execution demonstrate a unique, compelling or worthwhile idea?
There are two rounds of jurying. For the first round, jurors are asked to evaluate each painting and assign it a “yes” or “no” vote. Yes means that the juror believes that the painting meets some or all of the criteria and warrants a second, more critical evaluation.
The second round is usually comprised of approximately 600 – 700 paintings. In this round, jurors are asked to vote using a scale of 1 to 7. It is important that jurors are consistent and use the following scoring system when making their selections.

  • A one represents a painting that is weak in all or almost all of the above.
  • Two represents a painting that is weak in most areas.
  • A three represents a painting that may be competent in a few areas but, overall, is a
    weak painting.
  • A four represents a painting that displays knowledge of the fundamentals but overall
    is mediocre.
  • A five represents a painting that is competently handled in most areas.
  • A six represents a painting that is skillfully executed in almost all areas.
  • A seven represents a painting that is outstanding and is skillfully executed in virtually
    every area. These are the top 1-3% of entries for this show.

 
Summary:

  • Very Weak
  • Weak
  • Some Competence
  • Average
  • Competent (top 15 – 25% of entries)
  • Excellent (top 10% of entries)
  • Outstanding (top 1– 3% of entries)

After the jurors have completed voting, the scores are tabulated and artists receiving the most points will be accepted into the exhibition.
Again, the last date for you to enter is Friday, January 26th. I hope that you will enter the annual competition. Your paintings cannot be selected if you don’t enter, so do so today and use the criteria that the jurors will use to select your entries. Present your very best painting. Follow the entry rules and use the criteria the jurors will be using to judge your painting against the best paintings entered into the competition. And best wishes to each member of OPA. The competition is stiff but it is worth the effort to participate by submitting your entries before the deadline!
Respectfully,

James W. Bruce, Jr. OPA
 Chair, Jury of Selection Committee
James W. Bruce, Jr. OPA

Chair, Jury of Selection Committee
James W Bruce Jr has been pursuing art since he was 14 and still seeks to grow. He believes that art competitions organized by OPA provide wonderful opportunities to learn and hopefully get your paintings included in the show. He is a Signature member of OPA. In September 2016, Bruce and Scott Christensen had a two person exhibition in the Patrons’ Gallery at the Salmagundi Club in New York City. In addition to his love of painting, Bruce has pursued a significant career in banking. After retiring from Banks of Mid-America, the largest banking company in Oklahoma, he acquired controlling interest in American Bank Systems. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of American Bank and Trust Company of Tulsa, Oklahoma and InvesTrust of Oklahoma City. He serves of several boards of the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City University, Canterbury Voices, and Oklahoma Arts Institute. In 2006, Governor Brad Henry awarded him one of the prestigious Governor’s Arts Award. A retrospective of 25 of his paintings was held in the Governor’s Gallery at the State Capitol in recognition of this award.

American Tonalism – A Poetic Approach to Painting

· · 1 Comment

Henry Ward Ranger –Fall Landscape (Spanierman Gallery)
Henry Ward Ranger –Fall Landscape (Spanierman Gallery)
This artistic movement was basically focused on landscape painting (though not completely) and flourished from about 1880 to 1915 or so. This also was during the time when American Impressionism was flourishing. After about 1915, the tonalist movement was virtually forgotten although many of the artists who were involved in the movement continued to practice the stylistic mode essentially unchanged. I have been drawn to “tonalism” and the art of the artists who were influential in this movement since first learning about it when I attended an exhibition at Grand Central Galleries of New York. The paintings in the exhibition were sensitive, reserved in the use of color and evoked a wonderful and poetic vision of the landscape subjects being portrayed. Grand Central published a book/catalogue which is now long since out of print; but Spanierman Galleries of New York has recently published a wonderful book on this subject – The Poetic Vision: American Tonalism – which is worthy for every artist and collector’s library. The concepts and facts about American Tonalism contained in Spanierman’s book are gratefully acknowledged and we certainly applaud Spanierman Galleries’ contribution to illuminating information about this important artistic movement and the art of the artists who pursued it. In addition, David A Cleveland has written an extensive book about tonalism entitled A History of American Tonalism: 1880 – 1920 which also merits consideration for any artist’s library.
Henry Ward Ranger was one of the leaders of Tonalist painting. Ranger said that “Tonality to us means just one thing and but one thing. If you were to give it an arbitrary definition you might say, harmonious modulations of colour.” Others might say that you see the landscape through coloured atmosphere or mist to get an evenness of tone. The Tonalists focused on (or perhaps preferred) an overall gray tone, blue evening and night scenes were particularly prevalent. The French Impressionists laid down colour against each other to gain a vibrancy without making any attempt to blend them. American Tonalists usually mixed colors after applying them on the canvas – working to gain a harmonious paint surface rich with a variety of edges. As noted by Dr. Lisa Peters of Spanierman Gallery: “Although the Tonalist movement was established essentially as a reaction against impressionism – in the perception that it was overly scientific and a foreign import – many American artists felt free to combine aspects of the two styles.”
John Henry Twachtman – “Windmill in the Dutch Countryside” (Spanierman Gallery)
John Henry Twachtman – “Windmill in the Dutch Countryside” (Spanierman Gallery)
Tonalist painters usually also sought intimate segments of sometime flat and marshy (and at most gentle hilly scenes). Fragment bits of nature devoid of human activity. The favorite time of day might be dawn, early morning, dusk, twilight or evening – and the seasons most often depicted were later autumn, winter or at the latest early spring. Seasons of emptiness and bareness – all designed to create a mood…a poetic vision of the landscape.
So, the Tonalist artists were concerned primarily with creating a “poetic vision” – suggesting in pure landscape the feelings of reverie and nostalgia. They generally did plein air sketches or studies and then painted larger studio versions – often these larger painting might be “from memory” (the studies having been discarded).
Birge Harrison – “Fifth Avenue at Twilight” (Spanierman Gallery)
Birge Harrison – “Fifth Avenue at Twilight” (Spanierman Gallery)
Artists often associated with tonalism include Henry Ward Ranger, Ralph Blakelock, George Bogert, Bruce Crane, Charles Melville Dewey, Charles Warren Eaton, Arthur Hoeber, William Lathrop, Robert Minor, J. Francis Murphy, George Inness, Alexander Wyant, Homer Dodge Martin, Leon Dabo, Thomas Wilmer Dewing, Dwight Tryon, J. Alden Weir and John Henry Twachtman. Clearly there was a link between the early-nineteenth century Romanticism and the poetic mode of Tonalism. Twachtman’s painting of the Dutch windmill scene demonstrates the use of reserved color and tonal characteristics so strong in many of his paintings.
Birge Harrison and Arthur Hoeber both were tonalist related. Harrison wrote a book “Landscape Painting” (published in 1909) taught at the Art Students League in New York City and the League’s summer program at Woodstock where he perpetuated his own “moonlight and mist” atheistic. A good example of Harrison’s work is his nocturnal painting of Fifth Avenue in New York. His student and friend, John Fabian Carlson continued his focus at Woodstock and his book on landscape painting has been widely used by student artists. The concept of being reserved in the use of color is not only a concept of tonalism. Sir Winston Churchill, in his book, Painting as a Pastime, is very clear on the benefits of maintaining a strong reserve of color.
James Abbot McNeill Whistler - "Nocturne in Gray and Gold, Westminster Bridge"
James Abbot McNeill Whistler – “Nocturne in Gray and Gold, Westminster Bridge”
James Abbott McNeill Whistler - "Nocturne: Blue and Gold, ­Southampton Water"
James Abbott McNeill Whistler – “Nocturne: Blue and Gold, ­Southampton Water”
The nocturnal paintings of James Abbott McNeill Whistler are among the most beautiful – and influential – paintings of any genre. For example, the Nocturne in Gray and Gold, Westminster Bridge evokes such poetry in art. Adding any additional color notes would simply detract from the visual impact and the effect captured by Whistler. The series of these nocturne paintings are stunning and should capture the attention (and the imagination) of any artist wishing to learn from a master!
Alfred Stieglitz – "The Hand of Man" (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Alfred Stieglitz – “The Hand of Man” (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Eduard Steichen and his friend and mentor, Alfred Stieglitz, were also “tonalists” in many ways. Stieglitz’s photograph, The Hand of Man, shows the poetry of his photography – of its soft edges and composition. Though Steichen ultimately focused his artistic effort on photography, his paintings in the early 1900s were evocative and very tonal in nature. Early in his life, Steichen was very interested in painting and he adapted much of his focus on edges and tonal qualities in his photography into his paintings. Soft edges, mysterious and evocative ideas and subtle tonal values formed the core of Steichen’s approach – both in his paintings and in his early photography.
Eduard Steichen – "Landscape with Avenue of Trees" (Private Collection)
Eduard Steichen – “Landscape with Avenue of Trees” (Private Collection)
Steichen’s painting “Landscape with Avenue of Trees” is a wonderful example of Tonalism at its finest. It is one of my favorite paintings – and one which has not only been an influence to me but a number of my artist friends who seek to achieve the same sense of mastery of the craft. Another nocturnal painting which exhibits Steichen’s mastery of the art form is shown below. Unfortunately, there are only a few of Steichen’s paintings which survived his decision to focus entirely on photography – but those which did have are wonderful artist efforts worthy of study.
Eduard Steichen – "Balcony, Nocturne, Lake George" (Private Collection)
Eduard Steichen – “Balcony, Nocturne, Lake George” (Private Collection)
At the end of the day, the Tonalism movement was relatively short lived but had an important influence on American art. Its subtleness, poetic feeling, reserved color palette – all combined to make a wonderful and powerful artistic vision. For me, it is the essence of poetic art and truly a “poetic vision” as the title of the Spanierman book proclaims. You may check out more images by visiting the Spanierman website which contains their past exhibitions. It’s worth your time.