Hemingway said, “Clarity is the indispensable characteristic of good prose,” and E.B. White gave the means to that end when he said, “I rewrite a good deal to make it clear.”
We understand editing in writing, but we sometimes treat every stroke we paint as precious. The fear of ruining a painting often leads artists to be timid and spend vast amounts of time polishing bad ideas. But growth can’t come without revisions, without taking risks, and without being willing to try even outrageously different ideas for a painting. There really is no other way to learn and improve.
I have found that in various stages of any painting, revision for clarity is essential. Sometimes I can easily see where a piece needs to go, and other times it’s not until I get trusted feedback that I see things in a new way. But if, for example, the tree I’m envisioning in the middle of the canvas doesn’t work, I don’t want to repaint half the piece to get it back to where it was. I have found several things very helpful to keep in mind as I work through revisions:
1- Paintings in-progress are NOT precious and often require a great deal of reworking. Repeat this in your mind often. The moment I get too attached to something before it’s finished is when I get careful and timid, which inevitably leads to stiff, cautious paintings.
2- Digital paintovers can solve a lot of problems very quickly. I would wager I’m not the only one who has stared at a painting for hours unsure of how to proceed, and the risk-less potential of digital paintovers saves a lot of time and stress. I can quickly try an idea digitally, and then get back to the easel and continue working much more confidently.
When I’m struggling to work out compositional ideas or clarifying adjustments, I take a quick photo of the painting with my phone, import it into photoshop, and then use a digital tablet and stylus to try out different ideas. Having painted a lot digitally, this works well for me, but Photoshop and a tablet/stylus can be expensive and some artists have found faster ways to work out revisions quickly. Artist Josh Clare uses an iphone app called ArtStudio delux ($5, but there’s a free basic version too). This allows him to take a picture with his phone and quickly paint right over it with his finger on the phone. This saves time and doesn’t require multiple machines. It also doesn’t feature the same fine movement and pressure-sensitive controls that Photoshop does, so it forces decisions to be worked through quickly and boldly.
Another thing I have learned about digital paintovers (or any painting study) is to keep them small: our minds compose well at a small scale. The pitfall of digital painting is that it’s a noodler’s paradise, and one can zoom in and in to paint every pixel/hair/leaf. The trouble with this is that A) One ends up painting details but not solving compositional and value problems, and B) when painting from the digital version later, too much fine detail will lead to an attempt to copy stroke for stroke what you did digitally, rather than taking a principled solution and applying it to a painting. So keep it small on the screen!
Let the days of being afraid to try new ideas be over. Be bold and willing to make revisions and explore a piece. Some paintings will go to the cutting room floor, but some will be the best you’ve ever done.
Oil Painting
Dear Mrs. Browning
Written by Buddy Odom
Dear Mrs. Browning,
It has been some forty-plus years since high school graduation, and I think of you. What a love you had for Latin! Your petite and brittle frame would slowly shuffle past our desks as we recited our conjugations… bo, bis bit, bimus, bitis, bunt. I wonder how many biologists and doctors cut their teeth under your guidance!
But, sorry, I am not one of them. I didn’t make it to med school. Nor did I complete Botany 101, a field that fascinates me to this day. But one claim I can make – I married a woman who daily practices Tabula Rasa. As an artist, an oil painter in particular, Kathie begins with a blank canvas. A clean slate. A Tabula Rasa. No boundaries. No rules. Just a fresh start.
Oil on Linen
16×20
And why, Mrs. Browning, is a fresh start so frightening? How is it that a new beginning can seem so daunting? Not long ago, inspired by Kathie’s creative courage, I walked into the local art store to purchase a pencil and sketchbook of my own. I knew what a pencil was, but had to ask both where to find them and how to use them. I left with four. Four… like one was different than the other! Come to find out, they are. There are pencils for fine lines, smooth textures, shading, cross- hatching, sharp detailing, smudging and so on. (As if I was not frightened enough).
I still hold my breath when I watch my wife load a brush and lay a paint stroke with seemingly calculated ease. She explains that some of her art is painstaking and laborious while others seem to paint themselves. So, starting with a clean slate
and a truck full of courage Kathie jumps in.
It has taken several up-close and personal years with Kathie for me to discover that I want that. No, not to be an oil painter, but to be me… that way. Brave, risky and free! And so my Tabula Rasa begins. For two months now I have been practicing the discipline called sketching. It is absolutely terrifying, yet simultaneously, there is a strange exhilaration of possibilities. While my instincts are resistant to the idea of drawing a tree, something much deeper in my soul is awakened.
Sometimes fear and freedom seem like cousins. Thanks for the B minus.
Buddy Odom, Class of 1975
John Pototschnik's Interview
Three weeks ago, the award winners of the 25th Oil Painters of AmericaNational Juried Exhibition were announced. The best of the best had the honor of exhibiting in this important show, and only 10 percent of the 2000 entries juried were selected for the exhibit. Held at Southwest Gallery in Dallas, internationally renowned artist and OPA Master Signature member, Kevin MacPherson, selected the winning works. Many awards were given in a number of categories, but the real excitement was reserved for the top award winners in the Associate and Signature Member Division…top prize being thirty-thousand dollars. So that you can share in the excitement, this blog post will not only share the winning paintings with you but also comments from each of the winning artists. Each were contacted and asked the following question:
Please explain your motivation, what you wanted to communicate, and the creative process behind your winning painting?
40″ x 40″
Gold Medal, $30,000 prize. Associate/Signature member division
“My motivation of the Spade Fish painting was the idea of describing light shining through water and the reflection of the fish at the top of the surface of the water. I wanted to communicate light, the translucent quality of light penetrating through the water. My creative process started when I took literally hundreds of pictures of fish at The Oklahoma Aquarium in my home town. I narrowed it down to this image and omitted other fish to help the composition. I painted this on panel with many, many layers of glazing to help communicate the transparencies of the water and the fish. This was one of my first paintings to experiment with glazing as I had never really used the technique before.”
“My motivation for this painting, as many others, came from travel. I was in a small beach town in Morocco, called Essaouira. Everything there is made by hand: boats of all sizes are even built by hand. Gates, ropes. The town is the least brand-driven place I’ve ever been. I wanted to show the natural beauty of the way those fishermen live. I also have a deep respect for the laborer, anywhere in the world. In this particular image I didn’t want to over-compose formally, because life there is rather unplanned and spontaneous. So I wanted the composition to be very natural feeling in composition. As far as process, I don’t do a lot of underdrawing. I started with the head of one of the walkers, and then built composition around his character. I like to paint accumulating different layers. When I start I place a thin layer of retouch varnish on oil primed canvas, and paint rather spontaneously in layers right away. Sometimes I scrape off. I like the moments when, spending lots of time in nature, you see the most unusual colors. Sometimes my wife and I comment about a landscape or a sky, “If you painted exactly that color, nobody would believe you!”
30″ x 24″
Nancy had a very big night. She was recognized as a Signature Member, but her painting was also awarded the Bronze Medal, Artist’s Choice Awards.
“I hope that my paintings are more like poems than textbooks and if I can inject a little mysterious magic in them, that’s even better. My painting ideas come in different ways. On this one, I had the title first. I cross the Brazos River at the same spot the historic Chisholm Trail did every time I go to see my mother. I often think about painting ideas as I drive and the distant clouds over the river suggested Thunder on the Brazos. The remaining elements of my painting simply came to me a couple weeks later when I saw the dramatic clouds driving between Dallas and Abilene, Texas last fall. The incredible strength of the clouds and distant rainstorm called for an equally strong image in the foreground. I felt action would be good, so I created the girl moving through space. My young neighbor posed for me; it helps that she takes ballet lessons since I asked her to run and gracefully jump over and over to find a pose that I liked. I intended for her to be the modern girl that she is (with leggings and combat boots) but presented her in a classic/vintage way. The strong silhouette of a solitary figure jumping and running through the landscape intent on important business of her own was what I wanted. But then I didn’t want her to be too alone so I added the herons as companions. We watch them fly over our house on their way to the lake all the time and I have always wanted to use them in a painting. I do not know what she and the herons were doing or where they were going, I just know that they were there. This quote by Georges Braque comes to mind: “There are certain mysteries, certain secrets in my own work, which even I don’t understand, nor do I try to do so.”
The cloudy sky on that Texas day was a deep warm phthalo blue. I added yellow ochre, cadmium yellow, Transparent oxide brown and white. The limited palette gave it a harmonious feeling. I also love the vintage look of some of the filters on my iPhone camera. My color choice was partly influenced by the bluish look of the “process” choice.”
“Whenever I am in a town where draft horses are being used to haul one thing or another ( usually tourists) I am easily pulled along in the wake of the carriages. I follow, I mill around on corners waiting for them to approach and much to the annoyance of the drivers, I stand in the middle of the street in the direct path of the buggies moving aside just before I can look up the nostrils of these equine giants. It’s not that I am in love with the idea of how these horses spend hour after hour engaged in the daily grind of pulling visitors through the same route. If anything, I like to I imagine them in pastures far from pavement and stoplights. Yet, when I see the way the sun drapes across their broad curves and hear the beat of those massive hooves I am simply captivated. The geometry of the harnesses, the shine of the hames, the jingle of the chains, the creak of carriage, the smell and sheen of the leather; all of these elements can be distilled into something that is both complex and palpable. This painting, like all of my work, began with a great deal of focus on the design. The windows and shutters felt like the proper anchor for the multitude of curvilinear shapes that dominated the subject. Often in my work, I am attracted to juxtaposing basic geometric forms with shapes that that are gently curved. Draft horses lend themselves so beautifully to this kind composition. I also tend to enjoy interweaving a sense of movement into something that may feel quite still. This is one of the ideas that I focused upon throughout the painting process_ “What will move in this space -what will remain very quiet and how will these 2 opposites work together?”
And the most important question was, “What is the emotional core of this piece?”
I don’t believe paintings need big stories behind them. I generally think in terms of mood because that is the visceral response that comes from relating to the world. The mood is where the story originates. So for me the emotional core of the painting was to be found by bringing the focus to the eye of the horse. So often, the eyes of these animals are hidden behind blinders. I think, had the eye been covered the tone of the piece would be altered. So the eye, the closed eye, even though it could be obscured by all complexities of the harness seemed very powerful. Tired, beautiful, steadfast and halfway home…that’s what I saw on a late afternoon in Charleston.”
Thanks Derek, Daub, Nancy, and Elizabeth for your beautiful paintings and your contribution to the world of art. Congratulations to each of you.
Artists as Documentarians and Conservationists
Landscape and wildlife painters today and throughout history have been responsible for awareness and change as explorers, documentarians, and conservationists. For instance, the idea of our National Parks is largely credited to artists and authors. Our paintings today are just as important as those of the The Hudson River school artists who first shared western views with their world. I recently had an opportunity to share experiences and dialogue surrounding the Oyster Reef Restoration in Apalachicola Bay, Florida.
The Forgotten Coast, a 130 mile stretch of the northwest Florida coastline, begins in Mexico Beach and continues through Port Saint Joe, Carrabelle to St. Mark’s. Little did I know when I began painting the area almost ten years ago, that I could eventually become part of something so worthwhile and spread such an important message through my work. With twists and turns and a vast array of eco-systems, there is such a variety of subjects to paint. I have painted the area on dozens of trips and produced nearly 1000 sketches. At some point I found myself navigating more and more toward Apalachicola Bay and Eastpoint, areas which are known for the best oysters and shrimp you’ll ever eat. Everyone from the New York Times to Field and Stream thinks so! Sure, I enjoyed eating them too, but due to recent environmental and economic strains that have impacted oyster reproduction, I became and more interested in documenting the crises and the plight of Apalachicola Bay.
Buildings, boats, and people connected to the industry have been in my paintings. Many of the structures no longer stand, boats have literally sunk before my eyes, and the men and women no longer work many of the depleted oyster beds.
by Lori Putnam
11×14
by Lori Putnam
8×16
“Still Standing,” is ironically NOT still standing.
In 2013, I painted “Re-Seeding Care Line,” (private collection), documenting the early morning re-shelling process. For as far as the eye could see, boats lined up to take on a front loader bucket of used shells. Each load was then dumped in a specified location in order to help with the oyster bed restoration. Oyster beds are fragile. They have survived, however, quite well until recent years. Even the area’s hurricanes have typically been just a part of the circle of life. But expanding growth in cities north of the area lead to fresh water being captured and diverted for residential and commercial use well before it had a chance to flow naturally into Florida’s pristine bays. The lack of freshwater flows from the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, and Flint River system has upset the salinity balance. Either there is too much salt, allowing sea creatures and habitat to destroy the beds, or the water is released in a way that does not allow for it to flow naturally and slowly, gathering much-needed nutrients along its way. It then floods the bay, shocking the oysters with fresh water which reduces the balance needed to maintain healthy oyster bars. Replacing oyster cultch by local oystermen each spring for the past four years has been successful, but there is still much work to be done in this area.
by Lori Putnam
12×16
Another depiction of the people and their labor, “Eastpoint Blues,” (private collection), was painted during a demonstration from sketches and photographs during the Portrait Society of America Conference in 2014.
Getting an Early Start,” (available), shows the oyster houses and ice house in the small town of Apalachicola as workers begin their day of taking in and processing oysters and shrimp.
These are just a few of the pieces which lead to an Artist-in-Residence program in March of this year. I was invited to get a more personal look at the people whose lives have been most effected by the declining availability of oysters there.
by Lori Putnam
20×24
The highlight of the program was a day I spent on an oyster boat with Eugene and Delene Millender-King. According to Eugene, he had his wife once filled 5 or 6, 60-pound bags of oysters an hour. Today they are lucky if the get 2-4 in an entire day. Delene sits on the side of the boat, measuring each oyster one by one as Eugene works to tong with the huge, scissors-like tools. Oysters measuring less than 3” are likely male. Those are not to be harvested. Once oysters reach a certain size, they become female.
Illegal catch is another factor that has contributed to the oyster population. Following the closure of such industries as the St. Joe Paper Company, Arizona Chemical and decreased jobs in construction, the slowed economy meant more people began looking for ways to feed their families. Many turned to the fishing industry. Oystering is generational. Many of the oystermen and women’s parents and grand parents were also fishermen. But many younger generation harvesters do not have the same respect for the bays that their ancestors have, resulting in over harvesting. Now, inspections are required. This Spring, every oyster was checked again for size, and there are hefty fines for anyone caught breaking the law.
by Lori Putnam
8×10
“His Granny’s House,” (available), barely standing along the shore in Eastpoint.
Small, 3-4″ sketches on oil paper were made to provide resource materials needed for larger studio pieces to come. I found out later that one of these small sketches was the home of Delene’s brother and a small blue boat with very high bow was built by her father. The high bow was engineered at Delene’s request, following a near-fatal day when unexpected storms and high seas nearly capsized their boat.
by Lori Putnam
8×10
In “New Measures, (private collection), officers and the youth Conservation Corp of the Forgotten Coast are checking bags of oysters and retagging them once they have passed inspection. (The CCFC is part of Franklin’s Promise Coalition, Joe Taylor, Executive Director. A comprehensive youth development program for young adults 18-25 years of age (veterans up to 29, and summer internships for ages beginning at 16 years old) it provides participants with job training, academic programming, leadership skills, and additional support through a strategy of service that conserves, protects and improves the environment, as well as community resilience. This initiative will accomplish an array of specific habitat restoration projects throughout the region such as invasive species removal, living shoreline installation, oyster reef restoration, water quality monitoring, and pine savanna restoration.)
Processing facilities in the area, such as 13-Mile Seafood (named for its location 13-miles along the coastline from Apalachicola), were once bustling with workers washing, bagging, and preparing oysters for transport to restaurants and markets. Over 60% of oysters consumed throughout the southeast (and points beyond) were once trucked from this region. According to Tommy Ward, this company handled more than 250, 60-pound bags a day prior to 2012. Now they average just 25.
by Lori Putnam
8×10
This sketch, “13-Mile Brand,” (on loan), is the outside of the facility and is just one of many plein air sketches I have made there over the years.
Proposals and solutions are a constant topic. From visitors to restaurant owners; from fishermen to scientists; from engineers to congressmen; many people are working to assist in recovering a healthy balance for this most significant resource. Each entity which whom I spoke had a slightly different take on the issues. Some optimistic; some not so much. The one thing all agreed on is that this is the worst it has ever been. Without fail, everyone I spoke with thanks me for what I am doing, as an artist, to help bring awareness. When I returned to Tennessee to work on studio pieces, I heard their voices and replayed their stories in my mind. In early May, I returned to Eastpoint to present my findings through work produced over the years, during the residency, and in the studio. You could feel a bit of tension in the air during the discussion which followed my presentation. Over and above all of that was the sense of community and togetherness. It was a difficult thing to present knowing that Delene, Eugene and other oystermen were there. We have become friends and I feel close to their families and fellow fishermen.
by Lori Putnam
24×28
by Lori Putnam
18×24
by Lori Putnam
8×10
The studio painting, “A Stark Reality,” (on loan), has stimulated much discussion while on exhibit at the Eastpoint Visitor’s Center. It, along with other sketches and “Raw Bar,” (private collection), are on loan for an extended period to help continue moving conversations forward. The sketch “Tongin’ and Cullin’” (private collection), was painted while actually sitting on the bow of the boat, was presented as a gift to the Kings as thanks being so amazingly genuine and open during my time on the boat.
The following week, more conservation efforts were also brought to the front of the Forgotten Coast community and visitors who had come for their annual plein air event. I was part of a panel discussion with fellow artists Mary Erickson and John P. Lasater, IV which was moderated by Mr. Jean Stern, Director of the Irvine Museum in California. Mary Erickson offered information from her residency surrounding the ecology and balance of one of the world’s most significant estuaries at St. Joseph Bay State Buffer Preserve, also located in the Forgotten Coast area. Mary’s interest in birds is not only a part of her attraction to this region, it is a part of her life.
by Mary Erickson
She purchased the neighboring property to her North Carolina home in 2006, giving her close to 40 acres to oversee. “That fall, an adjacent 130 acres of woods was “harvested” –cut, bulldozed and burned,” states Erickson. “As I sat on the hill overlooking the charred remains, I worried where all of the winter and migrating birds would go. I put up feeders all along the fence line to help the birds that came back to find their food and protective tree cover gone. That was the beginning of an all-consuming work in progress! We now have bird feeders scattered throughout the pastures, trails and woods. We are continually adding nesting boxes, and mow selectively, to give adequate cover and nesting grounds for many different species. We have two year-round ponds and one seasonal wetland, in addition to birdbaths, to provide a bountiful water source. In addition to almost 70 “sight” identified birds, we have deer, raccoon, rabbit, bobcat, possum and fox. Feral cats are trapped and turned in to the local animal rescue. We use pesticides and fertilizer only as a last resort, and then very sparingly, on the property.”
by Mary Erickson
Erickson’s property, High Ridge Gardens, is listed on the North Carolina Birding Trail, and is slated to be left as an ongoing artist retreat and bird sanctuary. In addition to Mary’s home, the property holds a 1350 square foot studio and a four bedroom, three bath guest house available to artists, photographers, birders & musicians, and is very affordable for small groups. High Ridge is about 1 hour from Charlotte, NC. Her description says it all, “With canopied country lanes, meandering meadows of green and gold, whisper quiet creeks, and gently rolling hills, the rural villages of Marshville and Peachland boast more fence posts and horses than people. Tucked snuggly away and centrally between interstate highways, it continues to defy time and the temptation to “improve”. Artists come from far and wide to settle, sketch the barns, paint the fields, capture the magic of this area lost in time. There is no traffic, no big box stores, no noise. Horses have the right of way here. I want to leave High Ridge so that people can come here and stay, enjoy morning coffee on the deck of the guest house, watch deer feed along the pond and listen to the song of the birds. Mornings in spring host a cacophony of bird song, and on summer nights we listen to the chorus of frogs, crickets and cicadas. Our dream is to leave the property as an ongoing artists’ retreat and bird sanctuary, long after we need to be here, so that others can enjoy its serene beauty.” “Our talent is a gift, what we do with it is our gift in return” – Mary Erickson
by Mary Erickson
by John P. Lasater, IV
John Lasater, from Arkansas, shared his Artist-in-Residence experience for his local Illinois River Watershed (of Arkansas and Oklahoma). According to Lasater, “I had a few aims including painting, art education, and exploration, all in the name of building awareness and appreciation.
As an exploration junkie I had a great time finding and painting much of the disregarded vistas and waterways, and as a gift to the area, I built a Google map of my favorite spots. It’s an area of raw beauty, and I continue to encourage its residents to be stewards of it, and to take a part in shaping it.”
“This is a view from our yard in Arkansas, and I’ve never been able to do it justice. After about 5 or 6 outdoor painting sessions on it, I think I’ve expressed one of my most sincere pieces to date. Obviously, it’s not a “magical” time of day. It’s pretty subjectless. The light seemed “silver” to me so I adjusted my palette to make that come across.
Someday I hope to be able to bring many people here to study and enjoy the natural beauty of Arkansas. See more art by John P. Lasater by clicking here
by John P. Lasater IV
Additional articles and videos to give you a taste of what is happening in the oyster industry:
- Apalachicola Bay Oyster Industry Facing Uncertain Future
- The Disappearing Apalachicola Oyster: Florida’s Fight to Save Its Prized Delicacy
- Oyster Farming “True Treasures of Apalachicola Bay”
- The Heritage of Eastpoint – Oyster Harvesting
- A. L. “Unk” Quick, Oysterman
- Oystermen and Researchers Fighting for Apalachicola Bay: In the Grass, On the Reef
Images courtesy of the artists.
OPA's 2016 National Juried Exhibition
Meet the Gold Medal Winners from the 25th National Juried Exhibition
Derek Penix is OPA’s 2016 Salon Show Gold Award Winner for Associate/Signature Division.
Derek Penix was born on December 29, 1980 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Penix grew up watching members of his family paint but didn’t pursue painting himself until after high school. After trying his hand at painting and selling his first piece he knew this was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.
Over the years Penix’s work has changed greatly and continues to evolve with each painting. “I never want to be stuck painting only one way or only one subject matter. Variety is the spice of life and is especially that way for me with painting.”
Penix has had the opportunity to work under Quang Ho and later with C.W. Mundy. “They have helped me as an artist immensely. I am so thankful that they have been willing to feed into my life as they have.”
Penix has been recognized in many national competitions and publications. Even at a young age Penix was recognized in South West Art Magazine’s “21 Under 31” in 2010 and Oklahoma Magazine’s “40 Under 40” in 2014.
Liu Huihan OPAM is OPA’s 2016 Salon Show Gold Award Winner for Master Signature Division.
Liu, Huihan born in 1952 in Guangzhou China. Huihan graduate from Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art in Oil Painting Department with BA in 1975. He taught in the Art School of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art in 1979-1985. Huihan was a candidate and was accepted by Graduate school of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art in 1985. He went to the United State of America to further his study in 1987, graduated from the Graduate School of the Academy of Art College in San Francisco with an M.F.A. in 1989. Huihan taught in the Academy of Art University in San Francisco in 1993-2005. He is a Graduate School Adviser at Academy of Art University.
When he was in China, he had been participated many show exhibitions both in regional and national. Since Huihan has moved to the United States, he has been participating in many national painting shows and invitational exhibitions. His paintings have won many awards and have been collected by both private collectors and museums such as: “Gold Medal for Best Painting” in California Art Club’s 92nd Annual Juried Exhibition; “First Place Winner” 9th Annual Mission San Juan Capistrano Plein Air Painting Event, Wilmington Trust Purchase Collection; “First Place Painting” Plein air exhibition in Bower Museum of Culture Art, Bowers Museum Contemporary Plein air Permanent Collection in Santa Ana ; “Best of Show In Painting-John Scott people’s choice Award” The 25th Western rendezvous of Art, Helena; “Gold Medal for the Master Signature Division at the Oil Painters of America Western Regional Show; “Members’ Choice Award for The Master Signature Division in Oil Painters of America National Exhibition. In 2012, Huihan’s painting “Spring of Miao Village” has been selected by the Organization committee for the Olympic Fine Arts 2012 (London), which was exhibited in London during the 30th Olympic Games in London, was permanent collection by the National Museum in China. Huihan’s work was featured in articles by many leading national artist/collector magazines such as Art of The West; Southwest Art Magazine; The International Artists Magazine and The Artist’ Magazine. Huihan conducts a few invitational painting workshops both in the United States and abroad.
Huihan and his wife Liang, Weizhen are both full time painters live in Kensington in the Bay Area of San Francisco. They both love to travel and have many trips to Tibet, France, Italy, and Taiwan for their painting subjects. His son, Liu Jian graduated in Cornell University in 2008.
Huihan is an Artist Member of Guangdong Artists’ Association China, Master Signature Member of Oil Painters of America, Master Member of American Impressionist Society, an Artist Signature Member of California Art Club, School of Art & Design Guangzhou University Professor in China.