Oil Painters of America

Adam Clague Adam Clague studied at Pensacola Christian College, where he received instruction from master artist Brian Jekel and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree. Adam now lives near Kansas City, Missouri and enjoys the adventure of pursuing art with his wife and fellow painter, Andrea Orr Clague.
Adam is a member of the Oil Painters of America and the Missouri Valley Impressionist Society. In 2012, he was chosen for Southwest Art Magazine’s annual “21 Under 31” feature. His work has received national awards, including First Place in the 2011 Laumeister Competition, Portrait Award of Excellence in the 2013 OPA National Exhibition, and a Merit Award in the 2013 Scottsdale Salon. Adam’s work is represented by Hudson Fine Art in Ohio and Augusta Wood in Missouri.
Adam is grateful for the opportunity to paint the beauty of God’s creation. He hopes to share that beauty with others and seeks to glorify the Lord through his work and life.
www.adamclague.com

The artwork of Bruce I. Petrie, Jr. began with an early enjoyment of drawing and caricature–a curious eye for what gives anything, anyplace or anyone its unique character. 

In college, graduate school and years following, he pursued free lance illustration, caricature and editorial cartooning, producing a portfolio of several hundred published and reproduced works. In 1989, he began oil painting with American Master Thomas Buechner in the beautiful Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York. 
Over the years since, Bruce has refined his skills through many hours of painting outdoors directly from nature. His easel has traveled across the United States and in France, Italy, Canada, Mexico and Guatemala. He paints in the parklands and natural areas near his home in Cincinnati, as well as in Southwestern Ohio, Northern Michigan, Upstate New York and the American West. He is a member of a guild of artists who meet and draw weekly in Cincinnati and share a dedication to carrying on classical disciplines of direct drawing and painting. His artwork is regularly shown and is held in distinguished private collections.
In a style that blends classical methods with the freedom of the outdoors , the artwork of Bruce I. Petrie, Jr. still draws on his early eye for character within the subject-that substance and spirit which makes the landscape, the natural object or the person distinct and humane.
www.brucepetrie.com

A professional artist all of his adult life,  James Crandall worked as a concept illustrator in the advertising and entertainment industry for decades, but has now turned his full attention to easel painting.  
At home in northern California and on travels in the southwest U.S. and Europe, he finds subject matter in everyday life, and is always looking for an intriguing play of light or the unstaged gestures of people at work or play. 
An ongoing series of paintings depicts life in his maternal grandfather’s hometown of Lucca in northern Tuscany.  Living abroad for months at a time, he does sketches and collects reference for studio paintings to be done back in the States.
His work has earned him a growing reputation in the traditional market, with a wall of awards and almost routine inclusion in juried exhibitions.  His recent solo show at the Lee Youngman Galleries in Calistoga, California saw a third of the paintings sold before the opening reception.
He has been an Artist Member of the California Art Club for over 15 years, and was recently elevated to Signature status by the Oil Painters of America.
jamescrandall.fineartstudioonline.com

James E. Tennison graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California in 1982. He cites his time at Art Center, where he studied under such artists as Dan McCaw and John Asaro, as his most formative educational experience. After graduating, he spent several years as a freelance illustrator, eventually making the transition from illustration to portraiture and fine art.
Inspired by local geography, neighborhoods and landmarks in his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas – as well as subjects he finds on his travels – James seeks to paint the beauty he sees all around. He is particularly excited by the effect of light – sunlight and shadow – and the colors that can be seen in shadows and reflected light if one looks closely.
Tennison’s paintings have been exhibited in galleries throughout the United States, including the Salmagundi Art Club in New York City, the Legacy Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona, Howard/Mandville Gallery in Kirkland, Washington and Galerie Kornye West in Fort Worth, Texas. He has participated in many group shows and competitions and has had a one man show titled “A Year In Fort Worth”.
His portrait commissions have taken him across the United States and to England. His commissions include the official portrait of former Texas Governor Ann Richards, which hangs in the state capitol in Austin. He has painted portraits for Harvard University, Southern Methodist University, Texas Christian University, The National Cancer Institute, the New York County Lawyer’s Association as well as many other public and private collections.
His awards include the Salmagundi Art Club Purchase Prize, the People’s Choice and First Honor Awards at the Portrait Society of America’s International Competition, the RayMar Art Competition Best of Show Award and the Oil Painters of America Online Showcase Silver Medal.
www.jamestennison.com

Jeff Merrill comes from the quiet solitude of Idaho and has always been sensitive to the beauty around him. After living in Spain for two years as a missionary he returned to study illustration at Brigham Young University. He worked as an illustrator for more than a decade before marrying and starting a family. In 2011, he completed an M.F.A in figure painting at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. There he was able to study with many inspirational teachers including Zhaoming Wu, Baoping Chen, and Huihan Liu, among others. Although, his primary passion is the human figure, he loves plein air painting and its implicit challenges. “I paint outside to hone my skills, of simplifying shapes, perceiving color, and visual expression. It helps me focus in the studio and keep my eyes fresh.” Jeff is currently a Professor of drawing and painting at BYU-Hawaii, where he lives with his wife and three children.
Of his process he states, “My primary focus in painting is founded in the principles and elements of design. I paint things because they move me but I strive to present them in a compelling and balanced way. Much of my motivation to paint comes from the inherent duality of the painting process. On one hand, it’s incredibly abstract and disorganized, but on the other hand it has beautiful purpose and strength when it maintains its representational integrity. Working within these two forces creates a sort of reconciliation of opposites. It moves me to find solutions that satisfy my desire to balance these disparate elements. Beyond the technical processes of painting my ultimate goal is to express in visual terms something that isn’t readily definable in words. This involves beauty and truth, introspection and observation, as well as our own mortality and eternal purpose.”
www.jeffmerrill.com

“Art has always been my passion. Throughout my life, I have always tried to involve myself in art.” Kathryn Miller spent 14 years travelling the world as a flight attendant. This gave her the opportunity to see first-hand the artistic creations of many cultures, from the beauty of the temples of India to the Louvre. These experiences nurtured her instinctive desire for creativity.
Sculpture and oil painting have been the media in which she has concentrated. Although she has been painting for a number of years, it was not until recently, that she has been able to devote full-time to this pursuit. She finds it challenging and a constant learning experience. “I am a studio artist; a still-life painter. My work is about the passion I feel for painting. Every time I sit down at the easel, it feels as if I have come home. The peacefulness of my studio and the light and shadow from the north-facing windows, inspire me.”
After taking a still life seminar in 1995, she realized that she found her artistic passion. “I decided at that point to commit my energy to becoming a still life artist.” While still life remains her main focus, plein-aire and portraiture are of interest to her.
Since 1995, Kathryn has studied with several well-regarded artists. “I have been fortunate to have accomplished artists as my mentors. But even more so, I am lucky to have had their support, friendship and encouragement. She continues to participate regularly in workshops and seminars. “I can never learn enough about art.”
She has been a member of Oil Painters of America (OPA) since 1999. In 2001, the OPA awarded her Signature Member status. She has exhibited in four national OPA shows, receiving an Award of Excellence at the Palm Springs OPA Show in April 2001 and the Missoula Montana OPA Show in May, 2006, as well as the Friends of OPA Award of Excellence at the Chicago OPA Show in May, 2002. She also received an Honorable Mention in the Greenhouse Gallery International Salon Show in May, 2003. Most recently, she was awarded 3rd place in the Oil Painters of America 2013 Fall Signature and Associate Online Showcase.
Her work was featured in Southwest Art Magazine’s “Artists To Watch” in April 2001.
Kathryn’s work is about the passion she feels for painting. “That someone would feel a connection to a painting that I created gratifies me.”
In addition to the paintings, Kathryn also creates frames in a style known as sgrafitto, a 15th century technique used by many of the Dutch and Italian masters of that time.
Kathryn Miller is represented by New Masters Gallery (www.newmastersgallery.com) in Carmel, California and by Jones and Terwillger Gallery (www.jones-terwilliger-galleries.com) in Palm Desert, California.
www.kathrynamiller.com