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Demos

The Hand of a Master: Portrait Demo by Mian Situ

Rick Delanty · Sep 2, 2013 · 2 Comments

Portrait Demo, by Mian Situ, June 2013
Portrait Demo, by Mian Situ, June 2013
Any artist knows that seeing a master-craftsman demonstrate his/her skills in person is one of the most effective ways to learn about techniques, strategies, and concepts.
Just as significantly as seeing a quality artwork created are the intangibles communicated to onlookers, through the hairs of the artist’s brush directly into the minds and hearts of the spectators.
This is precisely what occurred on the occasion of Mian Situ’s June demonstration for the Orange County Chapter of the California Art Club at the Higbee Gallery in Costa Mesa, California. Fifty artists and collectors were treated to Mian’s process in creating a portrait of Linda Stern, wife of Jean Stern, executive director of the Irvine Museum.
Mian Situ and his model
Mian Situ and his model
Mian Situ has a reputation not only as a fine artist, but as an historian and one who loves his traditions and homeland. He came to the United States from the Guangzhou Institute of Fine Art in mainland China, via Canada, where his first portraits done publicly in North America were in Vancouver’s Stanley Park, drawing and painting passers-by. Over time he decided to paint those subjects he knew best, and he began to concentrate on figures in traditional dress in historical settings. With decades of practice, he is able to create portraits that are amazing in their lifelike quality, and inspiring in the spirit and technique with which they are created. In the demonstration, he painted for three hours with barely a single word— Mian told us he does not talk while he paints. It was by far the quietest demonstration I’ve ever attended!
Mian Situ - The set-up
The set-up.

“Show your soul—paint what you know.”Mian Situ

This night, Mian started with a delicate but deliberate drawing in charcoal, held at the very end as he blocked in the portrait with angular marks, some long, some short.
Then, using a dark earth color, he carefully placed the darks at the edges of the cheeks and nose, in the hair, and indicated the shapes of both eyes and eyebrows.
Medium-value flesh tones were laid in, with reds featured across the eyes, nose and cheeks. Mian’s intense observation created a complex system of grays in the skin tones, as he left highlights, blouse and jewelry for last. The way he handled the brush indicated deliberation in each stroke. Mian’s concentration was focused, his strokes confidently placed, his edge treatments considered and integrated into the whole. Even the background strokes were poetically applied, with a flourish and flick at the end of the stroke, to prevent smearing of completed passages. The blouse was created simply but masterfully with deft strokes of the palette knife.

Mian Situ Portrait Demo Block in
The painting blocked in.
Mian Situ Portrait Demo Portrait at 2 hrs
Portrait at 2 hrs.
The finished painting and model Linda Stern
The finished painting and model Linda Stern

What did we learn that night, from this master who taught without words?
• Compose with care
• Think and feel, then paint
• Make every stroke intentional
• Concentrate throughout the process
• Never lose sight of “the big picture”
• Love what you do
Perhaps most impressed with Mian’s work was historian, lecturer, juror and museum director Jean Stern—the model’s husband– who said at the portrait’s conclusion, “I’ve been in the art business since I was ten, and I’ve never experienced anything like that—that’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen!”
Art has that capacity: to amaze, to edify, to reveal the soul of sitter and painter—to everyone who sees and appreciates. That also is the power of the master: to bring the highest beauty to earth, to help all of us see what he sees within.

Painting Fred Red

Rosemary Carstens · Jun 10, 2013 · 1 Comment

2013-National-Exhibition-Photo-08If you didn’t make it to the 22nd National Exhibition & Convention this month in Fredericksburg, TX, you missed a lot.  It was better than ever.  But don’t despair, just begin planning and saving for next year!
Events like these are reminders of who we are and who we want to be. This year, I met so many top artists for the first time — artists I had interviewed and written stories about but never met or whose artwork I had not seen in person. While you can read all the books, magazines or surf the net from dawn to dusk — each helpful and invigorating in their own ways — to be face-to-face with the art and the artist is like drawing a Royal Flush in a Vegas poker game!
The exhibition itself was superb, presenting an amazing array of talent, subject matter, and style.  At any other show, we might expect to see a handful of paintings that knock our socks off, blow our hair back or electrify our senses—but the exhibition at Insight Gallery this year hit all those categories and more.  Painting after painting revealed craftsmanship any professional artist would be proud to call their own; paintings that exemplified what can be achieved with hard work and dedication.  Underscoring the impression the show made on me were the many red dots that caught my eye and told me that art lovers felt the same.
2013-National-Exhibition-Photo-25Once the reception was over, the crowd gathered for another exciting awards ceremony—replete with surprises, awards and well-earned nods for the winners from their peers. It was time to celebrate and acknowledge the culmination of months of preparation by many of the finest artists in America. We wish every one of you who participated could have been there too.
By Sunday morning, Insight gallery owner Meredith Plesko told me that 40 paintings had already been sold.  Checking in with her this past week, she informed me that the count is now well over 50 and has amassed nearly $200,000 in sales.  Plesko was still awaiting several clients who had their sights on larger pieces, which leads her to believe that totals will undoubtedly rise even higher.  The gallery loved hosting the OPA and, speaking on behalf of those who attended, all had a fantastic time!
Southwest Art magazine again put on their first-class opening event, the “Pampered Paint Out,” this year and Kimberly Moore whipped up an unforgettable day, including a continental breakfast, lunch and a wine and cheese send-off to help revive tired artists who painted the hours away.Southwest Art
When Friday night rolled around, it was time to relax and enjoy a beautiful evening during American Art Collector magazine’s “Party Under the Stars, Texas Style.”  Dining outside under a glorious old oak tree at the historic Pat’s Dance Hall, guests spent the night sampling some of the best barbeque in Texas and listening to one of Austin’s hottest up-and-coming country bands, “The Lonesome Heroes Band.”   It was a perfect end to a perfect day.  Thanks to Joshua Rose, Amy Gause and Alex McKee for putting together such a memorable event for OPA members!
2013-National-Exhibition-Photo-13However, competing and sharing with colleagues, as well as the wonderful opportunity to network and party with vendors and new friends, is only a part of the convention’s value. There were demos by such masters as Sherrie McGraw (this year’s judge of awards), Kenn Backhaus, Scott Burdick, John Michael Carter, John Cosby, and Elizabeth Robbins.  We all learn from watching those who wield a skillful brush and, this year more than ever, we came away inspired.  I think what impressed me most about the demonstrations were how generous and kind each artist was as they shared their insights and answered questions.  There were no showboats, no posturing—only stars within our tribe bent on helping us all move forward.  They appeared so at ease.  They were in their natural element and among friends.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday each brought presentations touching on various aspects of a professional artists’ life.  Each speaker contributed insights to our understanding of all that this crazy business requires.

Joe Paquet
Joe Paquet
Starting things off with a bang, Joe Paquet took the stage and hammered home the importance of being authentic in our work and in our lives.  He described how to discover our unique, personal vision and develop it to its highest intent. His final point? EVERYTHING matters!
John Cosby
John Cosby
John Cosby shared his real world experiences with the business of art—what you do when you lay down the brush and interact with galleries, collectors, writers, museums and framers—and how to manage and build your pricing structure.  Cosby was followed by Montana art law attorney Bill Frazier, who covered topics such as copyright, trademarks, Internet piracy and contract analysis.  Professional artists today must develop a working knowledge of these topics and, perhaps most importantly, know where to turn when the waters get choppy.
Sherrie McGraw
Sherrie McGraw
All of this and it was only Friday! When Saturday rolled around, there were even more presentations to enjoy.  Following an extraordinary demo by Sherrie McGraw, art publisher and entrepreneur Eric Rhoads took the stage to teach us how to build our “brand.” If you know Eric, you know he can be persuasive! His talk was filled with helpful marketing advice, but the tip that stands out for me as a strong takeaway is “repetition, repetition, repetition”—that is, repeatedly using tried-and-true methods as well as fresh new ones to help us build name recognition over time.  Whether through advertising, networking, exhibitions, social media or a combination of all of these, we must step out of our studios and mix-and-mingle!
Scott Burdick
Scott Burdick
Scott Burdick shared an ironic and entertaining survey of modernism and traditional art, one that has stirred a bit of controversy in some circles (visit his website at //www.scottburdick.com and click on his one-hour video titled “The Banishment of Beauty.”  We have only to look at Burdick’s luminous paintings to be persuaded that beauty is best!
One of my favorite presentation events was Southwest Art’s editor-in-chief Kristin Hoerth’s interview with Sherrie McGraw on Sunday morning.  Hoerth delved into McGraw’s life and influences, and the artist responded with warmth and wit and practical advice.  To achieve what McGraw has achieved and to see the quality of her craftsmanship reminds us all that hard work and determination pay off.  Now and then we see an artist attain a flash of popularity only to fade from view shortly thereafter.  But the real masters lay down a solid foundation and then add to it brick by brick, year by year, challenging themselves, extending a hand to others, and remaining open to life and art.  Sherrie is truly one of those.
Kenn Backhaus
Kenn Backhaus
The last day of the convention was wrapped up beautifully by Kenn Backhaus’s discussion of conceptual thinking and how to find your own unique place in the art world. Being “literal” may not be enough. Literalism means adhering to a strict representation of “what is there.” That in itself takes skill, but to rise above that level means mastering a new language, seeing more in the scene before you—extracting patterns, designs, physical elements, and atmosphere, and manipulating them in a way that is all your own.
As we prepared to say our goodbyes, we had a last reminder of the practical side of art as a profession. Bill Bush, owner of Frederickburg Artists’ School and a certified public accountant, shared his thirty years of experience dealing with such issues as taxes, insurance, agent relationships, gallery representation, and the finer points of “doing business.” We left fully charged!
This was a long post, but for those who couldn’t be with us in Fredericksburg, I wanted to share how rich the national exhibition and convention experience can be. I wanted to urge you now to begin planning for next year’s so you can take it all in for yourself. You won’t be sorry.
For those who were there, you each did your part. You painted Fred RED—and they won’t soon forget you!

A Week Painting at Scottsdale Art School with Milt Kobayashi

Nancy Boren OPA · May 13, 2013 · 3 Comments

Nancy Boren was the proud winner of the $500 Shirl Smithson Scholarship. Click here to learn more about the Shirl Smithson Scholarship.

Milt KobayashiLast December, I was fortunate to be selected for a $500 scholarship from OPA to use toward attending a workshop of my choosing. Since I’ve long admired the rich, evocative figure paintings of Milt Kobayashi I elected to sign up for his recent class at the Scottsdale Artists School. The ocotillo and palo verde trees were blooming red-orange and yellow making April in Arizona a real joy.
“Stay attuned to opportunities and be open to change” was the advice we received throughout the week. Kobayashi views his once a year class in Scottsdale as a valuable experimental time for himself as well as his students, painting new models, trying new compositions, hearing ideas from his class. He also enjoys the opportunity for creative freedom — no thinking about producing work for galleries or shows. Back home in New York he paints late into the night, the solitary work time often giving his paintings an introspective quality. Every year he says he takes something valuable back to his studio from his workshop experience; maybe something tangible, like a new color combination or maybe simply a creative spirit rejuvenated by the wide open southwest and the bonhomie of simpatico painters in the lively class. He certainly doesn’t take home the actual demos he does — the class participants were avid collectors and there was good natured rivalry on Friday when names were drawn for the chance to purchase the five new Kobayashis.
The emphasis for the week was on composition and he encouraged the 18 students to try new arrangements of objects, repeating several times that there are no rules about placement except try to avoid aligning edges. He enjoys pushing the figure to the far edge of a painting, sometimes even looking straight out to the side, an arrangement few artists use. He painted with various color schemes: dark blue (Egyptian blue by Doak) and brownish orange (Mars orange and Mars Yellow he likes for their rich opacity), orangey red-green-lavender, black with a host of grays, and the last day, medium blue and rusty red punctuated by a large area of black. He loves black and is not afraid to make the commitment to use it boldly.

Nancy Boren's Tuesday Demo Finished
Tuesday’s Demo – Final

He paints things how he thinks they should be, not exactly the way they look. Nothing is set in stone. He urges you to understand the form and why light is hitting it the way it is.
As he started to paint each morning, beginning with a tone of a warm gray, he seemed to let the design present itself to him. On occasion it was suggested by the shape and strokes of the initial tone, other times, it evolved from pencil lines over the tone as he played with placement of the objects he had in mind. On Tuesday, he decided to place the figure dead center with arms out stretched, making a cross composition. He further emphasized the centrality of the figure by placing a deliberate rectangle of blue right behind her face. He committed himself to his decision. When it came time to paint the mouth, he said with a laugh he was going to make it green, “just because I can.” He added a couple more touches of green so the color of the mouth would be repeated. The girl in the painting echoed his attitude of being attuned to possibilities and celebrating who she was.
In Kobayashi’s discussion of painting with cool and warm grays of similar values, he made a statement that distilled his decades of experience working in subtle tones: it won’t look muddy if you make the strokes crisp. When a painter starts to over blend it is easy for it to turn to mush.
Each afternoon for student painting time, there were three complex model set ups to choose from. These were orchestrated by artist Nancy Chaboun, who also participated in the workshop. Gorgeous fabrics, kimonos, fresh flowers, pillows, vases—if you couldn’t get inspired there, you couldn’t inspired anywhere.
Nancy Boren's Wednesday Demo
Besides the great class at SAS, there was so much to take advantage of while in Scottsdale. I painted Monday evening in the open studio with a wonderful model, at no charge since I was enrolled in a workshop. Wednesday evening, one of the class members invited everyone to her lovely home for dinner where we also enjoyed her art collection which has an impressive number of Milt’s paintings. Thursday afternoon is Thirsty Thursday, put on by the Friends of SAS — great hors d’oeuvres and wine. Thursday evening is gallery walk for the Main Street galleries and the rest of my free time I spent plein air painting or photographing dramatic Arizona scenery. It was a fabulous art week.
Nancy Boren's Thursday PaintingAfter some hit or miss work the first three days, finally on Thursday I felt I did a painting that incorporated some of Milt’s advice.
In case I forget in the future to embolden my compositions, use lots of neutrals in the skin, or throw in a surprising color choice now and then, I only have to look back at Tuesday’s dead-center girl with the green lipstick to remind me–and that’s easy, because she hangs on my wall.

Practicing Art

Ms. Jane Barton · Jun 4, 2012 · 8 Comments

"Saturday Wash" by Jane Barton
"Saturday Wash" by Jane Barton
It has always struck me as odd that physicians “practice” medicine. Aren’t they ever done? Of course not–doctors are required to learn new things–they must keep up with the latest science and treatments. With this in mind, I decided to begin or rather, renew, my own art “practice”. My office is my studio, my tools are the obvious ones, and I have begun to write myself prescriptions for regular check ups, (value studies, 1x/day), continuing education (workshops, 1x/year or as needed, constant study in my library and on the internet), and booster shots (at museums and every week with my art friends). You get the idea.
It all began last fall as I was planning a trip with some artist friends to Italy to paint where Edgar Payne captured those marvelous orange-sailed boats in the early 20th century. I was really nervous. I live in the desert. I don’t know a halyard from a square knot and I knew I’d better start “practicing” painting boats. Two months before the trip, at the OPA conference in Idaho, I went to a demo by Ned Mueller and he advised us to get up every morning and, even before that first cup of coffee, head into the studio and paint a small study for exactly 15 minutes. No more, no less. So, I did just that, except I had my coffee in hand, for 64 days before my trip to Italy. Most of the 64 little paintings were done in black and white to help me with the values, but it also helped me to became familiar with the perspective and beautiful curves of the boat and the sails. It helped me so much that I still do it. Ok, sometimes I miss a morning, but it’s become such a habit that I actually feel guilty when I don’t do it. What do I paint now that I’m back on solid sand? Anything I want to paint. It’s just practice, after all. Although I can tell you that those little, 15 minute studies have grown up to become some of my best paintings. Besides being a great way to warm up my painting muscles (both physical and mental) this is a practice that really pays off.
Jane Barton - Boatmaker Value Study
Jane Barton - Boatmaker Value Study
All of this brings me to the point of this blog. As artists we never stop learning, but sometimes it feels like we’re just treading water, going nowhere fast. I tell my students not to throw away their old, rejected paintings, but to date them and keep them for comparison to newer paintings. Sometimes we don’t feel like we’ve made any progress until we can actually see what we were doing 3 months ago. Then we see some movement, however small, that’s enough to encourage us to keep going. This year, I decided to make a conscious effort to take my work to a new level and started to think about how to do that. The 15 minute sketches were the beginning, but I found a few other ways to work on this that I’d like to share with you.
1. I made an effort to find an art “support group.”
I remembered reading Art and Fear, Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking, by David Bayles and Ted Orland which describes a study about those artists with/without support groups. They studied art students for 20 years and discovered that the ones who had connected with other artists were more likely to still be making art. This connection was more important than talent in the long run.
I think that a good support group, with artists who you trust, is like a marriage that works: when you’re “up” you help them, when you’re down, they help you. Not often in the same place at the same time, but it works. Now I meet with artists at coffee or in one of our studios at least once and usually twice a week. We share show information, frame suppliers, etc., congratulate each other or commiserate and talk about anything that we’re thinking about art-wise over coffee for about 2 hours. We artists, like writers, lead very solitary lives, so this is an incredible way to leave the studio and still feel like we’re “working” and, of course, learning.
2. I rediscovered the joys of getting back to basics
I took a workshop with Skip Whitcomb and he had us working with an extremely limited value palette–white, black and one grey very close to either the white or the grey. Wow. Talk about challenging you to simplify!
Then I did some new color charts with a four color palette I was interested in trying. These exercises really helped me to find new ways of saying what I wanted to say with the paint and reminded me to just enjoy the process of painting, without always having a specific painting or show deadline in mind.
3. I remembered the importance of making mistakes–it’s how we learn.
“You make good work by (among other things) making lots of work that isn’t very good and gradually weeding out the parts that aren’t good, the parts that aren’t yours.” Art & Fear, p26
4. I set some new goals for myself–at least two paintings a week, good or bad!
"The Boatmaker" by Jane Barton
"The Boatmaker" by Jane Barton
5. I went back to my art library.
I revisited old “friends”: some books are more dog eared than others–you know which are your favorites. I also made myself reach for the books that I’d never really spent any time with–I wanted to try new ideas on for size, taking the lessons of other artists and trying them for myself
6. I started to thumb through my old workshop notes.
I wondered, “Why do I keep writing down the same things?” I paid to attention to that and decided to work on those areas. In some cases when I revisited the lessons, lightbulbs went off! I was in a better place to understand some of the ideas now and actually put them to use in my work.
The short version of this is: keep practicing and find artist friends, even if they’re only in blogs! And, as my friend (and fellow artist) Joan Larue always says, “keep your brushes wet!” I’m reminded of the old joke, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice!” Just substitute “How do you get to the Metropolitan Museum of Art” and you’ll get my point.
Thanks so much for listening and please let me know how it goes for you!

Workshops, Classes, and Demos

Richard Dziak · Apr 23, 2012 · 6 Comments

"Last Lotus" by Richard M. Dziak OPA
"Last Lotus" by Richard M. Dziak OPA
As I’m sure most of you have noticed is that there has been a tremendous increase in workshops just about anywhere you may live. And, I would venture to say that painting in oil workshops may have started to, or already have, overcome the number of those in other media. Classes have always been popular whether they are at a museum or someone’s basements, and demos, are demos…
Which of the three do you think offer the most to the artist in terms of value for your money?
I have taken a couple of workshops, and have given several over the years. I haven’t really taught any classes in oil painting, but I am an experienced teacher. Demos, well, seen many and done many.
With that in mind, let me give you my thoughts, and then you can bombard me with your objections, or, better yet, your support.
Most of the artists I’ve had in my workshops either don’t really need my instruction at all, because they are well on their way, or they would be better off taking classes. What’s the difference? Well, the key difference is “Time”. Workshops generally last anywhere from 1-7 days and in most cases are very intense. They can be expensive, especially if not given nearby. Classes, on the other hand, generally span several weeks, but are limited to 1-3 hours per session, and offered once a week.
The experience I have gotten in giving workshops has been, for the most part positive. Although I did give a workshop “Painting in oils, en plein air”, in which half the class didn’t want to go outside to paint. Then they complained that they didn’t get enough attention because I spent most of the time with those that painted outside the building. But that’s ok. The other workshops were better, but after they were over, I wondered how much good I really did.
Most of the students/artists wanted to paint like I paint. I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to paint like anyone else. It’s like why would anyone want to sign their name like anyone else? Later, I would see paintings at local shops and shows that I actually thought I had painted. No, just knock offs of what I do when I paint, done by previous workshop students.
Now, I have to ask, who gains more here? The student that picked up on some techniques and palette use that they may, or may not use in the future, or the instructor, who now has been complimented by copy, and getting his or her name spread around in the art world? I’d say the latter.
I know many of you say that it is of equal exchange, etc. and after 3 or 4 days of intense painting from sun up to sun down did wonders for your work. Of course it did! But what if you had done the same thing on your own? Now, I know we all learn from others, and you can’t beat the camaraderie, but give it some thought. If I were to take another workshop, it would be to go to some exotic place to paint new sites, and get to know other artists. To me, that would be where the value lies, and the most fun. We all know that there are workshop junkies that are looking to find their own way… but through others?
Now what about classes? Well, I like the idea of “Time” being on my side. In a class the subject is more focused, i.e. perspective, figure studies, etc. And, you have time to absorb what was instructed. Then you go on your way and do what is assigned and bring back your efforts the following week. To me, this is a much better scenario, usually less expensive, and we can pick what we want to learn. We also have the social aspect, and it can be fun.
That leaves us with demos. Well, I like demos. Everyone likes demos. Why, because we don’t have to do them. We just watch, and let the demo person do all the work. They are even more appealing if informal, and you can leave when you want without making a stir.
In conclusion, let me say that I wrote this blog because sometimes we as artists shortchange ourselves, and the thing we need the most, may not come from the obvious. We all have to go and find our own way, and a little help along the way is always welcomed. But let us go forth with confidence, cut ourselves some slack, and have some fun with this crazy thing that we seem so desperately NEED to do.

If you’re interested in joining or hosting workshops and classes in your area, visit www.oilpaintersofamerica.com/workshops.

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