Oil Painters of America's Virtual International Wet Paint Competition & Convention!
Events
OPA's International Wet Paint Competition
OPA went International for this year's Wet Paint Competition & Convention. Registered
attendees* competed for a minimum of $20,000 in cash and merchandise awards. OPA members vied for awards in both the studio and plein
air categories. International artists who reside outside of North America competed in a separate international category.
*Please Note: Only attendees who had paid the convention registration fee were eligible to
participate in the Virtual Wet Paint Sale & Competition. Eligible convention attendees could enter 1 painting in the competition. Please see
the new, updated competition rules for the full details. Wet Paint Rules can be found here: Wet Paint Rules
6:30 p.m. Central Time OPA's International Wet Paint Competition Virtual Awards Ceremony
Join us for this exciting live awards ceremony! OPA Signature member John Pototschnik announced this
year's award winners in the three divisions. Please note: Registered attendees will receive a link to this
event in advance.
Immediate Past President of OPA Kurt Anderson will give an overview of the current scene in representational oil painting, and speaks to its significance as the most vital and burgeoning movement in contemporary art. He will show how most of the leading painters today are part of a distinct lineage, master to pupil, intent on maintaining and expanding the great traditions in painting. And he will speak to the OPA's important role as the leading showcase and advocate for this art. This presentation has been developed specifically for OPA members to take and use in their own communities and will be available upon request.
A distinguished painter, Kurt has won top honors from many of the nation's leading art organizations
and
publications. He is the
author or co-author of eight books on painting. In addition to having a BA in art, and a Master's
degree in
accounting, Anderson spent
four years as an apprentice in a traditional atelier, making him part of a master pupil lineage that can
be
traced back to the
eighteenth-century master Jacques Louis David.
10:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. "Change Your Studies, Change Your Art" with David Dibble OPA
Artist and teacher David Dibble OPA shares his process of doing small plein air and studio studies as a means of creating gallery paintings of greater clarity and conviction. Underscoring this approach is David's focus on the elements of value, shape, color and composition as vital story-telling elements. These principles will be demonstrated in both traditional and digital media.
Born in 1977, David Dibble OPA was raised on a farm in Davis County, Utah, where he was influenced by the
landscape from an early age.
He completed a BFA in Illustration from Brigham Young University and began landscape painting in earnest
in
graduate school at the
Academy of Art University. Following attending the Academy, he and his wife Liz moved to New York, where
he
worked as a color artist
for Blue Sky Studios (20th Century Fox), creating Concept Design for such films as Rio, Epic,
Ice Age 4,
Peanuts, and Ferdinand.
David and his family now reside in Orem, Utah, where he teaches Illustration at Brigham Young University
and
paints often in the
surrounding mountains and valleys, focusing largely on agricultural themes.
John DiGiacomo, Esq. has extensive experience in internet law, intellectual property, corporate law, and international law. He has litigated matters in these areas in state and federal courts across the United States, including in front of courts of appeals and international arbitration bodies, such as the World Intellectual Property Organization, National Arbitration Forum, and the South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law. He has also served as an adjunct professor of both trademark and Internet law for Michigan State University College of Law, teaching both in East Lansing, Michigan and in MSU's summer abroad program in Opatija, Croatia.
John is highly sought after for his deep understanding of the intersection of law and technology. He has been published and interviewed concerning internet law, intellectual property law, and emerging legal issues by various media outlets, including the Economist, Intellectual Property Magazine, Canadian Public Radio, and other media outlets across the country and world. He is regularly asked to speak to conferences and corporations on his areas of expertise. In 2014, John was recognized as one of the most influential people under the age of 40 in his home of Traverse City, Michigan, and in 2015, 2016, and 2017 he was recognized as a "Rising Star" by SuperLawyers.
John has been interested in technology since his first Apple IIGS, and still maintains a Linux server in
his
basement. He is highly involved
in his community and has served as a board member on the Traverse City Downtown Development Authority
and the
Traverse City History Center,
and as chairman of the board of pH Productions, a comedy theater in Chicago's Andersonville
neighborhood. He
rarely leaves work behind,
but, when he does, you can find him sailing on Lake Michigan, fly fishing, or spending time with his
wife Brooke
and his dog Grimace. John
is a dual citizen of the United States and Luxembourg.
Rusty Jones graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biomedical Communications and the University of Texas Health Science Center in Dallas with a Master of Science Degree in Medical Illustration. He is a Certified Medical Illustrator and a Fellow of the Association of Medical Illustrators. For over four decades Rusty provided highly technical medical art for major pharmaceutical companies, medical product companies, medical journals, surgical atlases and ad agencies.
Rusty's love of sports led him into sporting art which landed him illustration assignments with such notable magazines as Golf Illustrated, Golf Magazine, the Golf Journal, the Masters Journal and American Way Magazine. He also provided sports art for the Coca-Cola Foods Division for the Summer Olympics, the Dallas Cowboys NFL team and the Dallas Mavericks NBA team.
Now Rusty focuses his artistic skills painting the Western American landscape. Following in the tradition
of John
Singer Sargent,
Julian Onderdonk, Portofino Salinas, Edgar Payne and many other great American painters, Rusty travels
throughout the country painting
the landscapes before him. "Painting outdoors takes passion. Without passion the wind, heat, snow
and bugs
will drive you indoors.
I enjoy my time in the studio, but it doesn't make my heart race like it does when I am outside."
OPA is thrilled to have Rose Frantzen as this year's Juror of Awards. Living in Maquoketa, IA, Rose Frantzen is establishing a history as a working artist, creating figurative, serial, allegorical, and installation works in oil and multimedia, with numerous solo shows and participation in group exhibitions. "Portrait of Maquoketa," a collection of 180 portraits, painted of her townspeople, was exhibited at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery and is now an installation in the Figge Art Museum's permanent collection, which includes a 315 square foot anamorphic landscape, voice, and music. She is also in other notable collections such as the World Food Prize, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Dubuque Museum of Art, Iowa State University, and University of Iowa.
She has shown at Butler Institute of American Art, Brunnier Museum, Denver Historical Museum, Iowa State
Historical Museum,
and as a three-time award winner in the Portrait Society of America's International Portrait
Competition.
Frantzen is a frequent
demonstrator, workshop instructor, guest lecturer, and panelist, discussing art and the artist's
life in the
21st century at museums
and national art conventions. Her paintings have been featured in national and international art
magazines,
podcasts, and journals.
Her latest project, "In the Face of Illusion," is a 4'x70' wall of contiguous portraits
and
figures in dialogue with optical illusions.
Frantzen is represented by Old City Hall Gallery in Maquoketa, where she shows with her husband, Charles
Morris.
10:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. "Taking Risks and Painting Bold" A Still Life Painting Demo with Kelli Folsom OPA
Kelli Folsom OPA is an academically trained artist working exclusively from life in oils. She creates museum quality paintings combining an old master feel with rich color and painterly brushstrokes. When collecting her work, you will be bringing a layer of refined beauty of the highest quality into your collection that uplifts the soul. Kelli is an award-winning artist who at a young age is already exhibiting in museum shows and garnering attention and inclusion in some of the highest organizations in contemporary representational art like Oil Painters of America, American Women Artists, American Impressionists Society and Women Artists of the West.
She received a B.F.A. from Lyme Academy of Fine Arts in Old Lyme, CT, the first impressionist colony in
the U.S.
established in 1899.
It is here that she studied traditional life drawing, painting and sculpture with great emphasis on in
depth
study and classical
techniques and the joy of working in a direct impressionist style in nature. Every still life
arrangement is set
up in her north light
studio and painted directly from life in a matter of one or two sittings. She paints directly so that
her
relationship to the subject
is heightened in the moment in order to pass on that perception and experience to the viewer resulting
in a
painting that looks like a
painting and not a photograph. Kelli chooses objects and arrangements to create the most aesthetically
beautiful
design and a feeling
of abundance and intimacy. These arrangements are influenced by centuries of traditional painting from
the Dutch
Masters of the 1600s
to French Academics of the 1900s.
Sooner or later we all hit the artist's wall. No matter what we do, we can't seem to increase our art sales beyond a certain point. We end up caught in a never-ending tug of war between producing our art and marketing our art that ultimately limits our ability to sell our art.
Modern, commonly held beliefs about how to market art online have only made this problem worse. These approaches demand that artists spend a ridiculous amount of time marketing themselves on social networks, search engines, and more. What's worse, these approaches often don't work, leaving artists frustrated and disillusioned.
But what if there were a better way to market art online? One that required less time to accomplish
and
delivered more results?
One that finally allowed artists to break through the artist's wall and increase both production and
sales?
Join Dave Geada, CMO of BoldBrush and FASO, as he shares a proven approach to breaking through the
artist's
wall.
Learn how to market in less time, while increasing art production and art sales.
Susan Hotard OPA is an experienced and award-winning artist who lived in New Orleans over 31 years and
now lives
in the Houston
suburb of The Woodlands, Texas. She is a proud Signature member of OPA, AIS, and NOAPS, and an elected
member of
the Audubon Artists
Inc. NYC. Susan had a cover story in American Artist magazine (July/August 2005) and earned
the
highest honor at The New Orleans
Academy of Fine Arts and most recently won the Top Fifty Award in the Portrait Society of America's
International Competition 2019.
Since 2003, Susan has taught portrait, figure, and still life workshops in Texas and Louisiana. She
enjoys the
vibrancy of both the
New Orleans and Houston art communities. She received a BFA in Interior Design from Louisiana Tech
University
and studied at The New
Orleans Academy of Fine Arts and the Arts Student League in New York City.
There's a lot to be learned by listening to different perspectives and this session will bring
together some
of our most well–respected
artists to contribute their viewpoints and knowledge on a handful of paintings – a terrific way to
learn
and be inspired!
Questions?
Please Call OPA at 815-356-5987
Or email at: mail@oilpaintersofamerica.com
