Spring Serenade

Oil Painters of America 2020 Virtual Salon Show of Traditional Oils

August 13 – October 3
Oil Painters of America

Oh, Happy Dance! I am very excited to be included in this amazing show! As an art teacher, I love using my own life examples to inspire my students. I often start the school year with a picture of one of my drawings from kindergarten. I then show students a drawing of my work now, after years of practice and persistence. I like to use the analogy of learning to ride a bike to explain the process of improving as an artist.

When you learn to ride a bike, you don’t just jump on a road bike and take off. First, you learn to ride a tricycle. Then you learn to ride a 2-wheeler with training wheels. Next the training wheels come off and you learn to balance while your father is holding the back of your seat to balance you. Then after many falls and brushing yourself off, you can finally learn to balance on your own.

And so it is with painting. Persistence is the key along with the willingness to experiment and fail. Learning is a life-long process (and there is always more to learn)! The master painters that we admire today were once using training wheels, too. If you are just learning to paint or feel as if you are struggling as an artist, remember:

We can do anything we want to do if we stick to it long enough.
—Helen Keller

As a traditional oil painter, I have been so inspired by the representational painters at OPA and I am very honored to have my painting, Spring Serenade juried into this prestigious show.

About the Show:  Oil Painters of America assembles the finest display of approximately 300 representational oil paintings. The focus in the jurying process was to select paintings that show the highest quality in draftsmanship, color, and composition, emphasizing a diversity in representational style and subject matter.

Spring Serenade
(20 x 16 inches, oil on panel)