The Sky’s the Limit

So reach for the stars.

I am stoked. 

This is the first post I am writing as a member of Oil Painters of America (OPA), an organization of more than 3,500 members in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. This organization offers a plethora of opportunities for oil painters in national and regional shows, as well as scholarships. 

Members are designated as under either the Associate, Signature, or Master category. I am an Associate member, which means I’m a newbie oil painter in terms of showcasing my work. As one exhibits his/her art work in more and more shows, they can climb the hierarchy. Truth be told, while my goal is to try to get my work in shows and ultimately sell more art, I’m not obsessed with promotion and hierarchy. 

I’m just glad to be a member of the OPA.

When Konrad Hack was my oil painting professor years ago, he strongly encouraged me to join the OPA, of which he was a member. Potentially new members must submit two pieces of artwork done within the last three years, and those pieces of artwork must be approved (gulp) for the artist to become a member. Yes, my artwork was judged – after all, all artists have their work judged – and I was nervous. Luckily, I got accepted, but I didn’t get serious about art shows and such – too busy teaching – and let my membership expire.

Fast forward to this week. Because I was a member before, the organization didn’t require me to submit any art. I was so relieved. There are ample opportunities for OPA members, and this time, I will be taking full advantage of them. The OPA representative I spoke with on the phone couldn’t have been any friendlier. I look forward to seizing as many opportunities as possible. 

Except when it comes to plein air painting, also known as painting outdoors. Frankly, I suck at it, and have had some incidents that I couldn’t deal with, such as the sun going down little by little causing the light to change while I was still painting. And the wind picking up, sending my canvas flying onto a dirt-filled path. Oh, and insects flying right into the canvas. Professor Hack told me that this was the best part of plein air painting because you can paint over the insects. He said it jokingly. But he was serious.

Nope. Plein air is plainly not for me.

Still, I’m so excited about all the other opportunities the OPA offers. And because I was feeling that the sky's the limit, I decided to focus this week’s painting on the wintry sky I started last week and continued reworking this week.

This week’s draft was completely finger-painted from top to bottom, which meant I didn’t have to clean brushes (yay!). I wanted more drama in the sky so I tried to put in better contrast between lights and darks. I also added yellow and red to the right of the canvas to indicate the sunset. I think the sky still needs some work, but I’m not sure. I don’t want to overdo it.

Toward the bottom of the canvas, I added little snow hills. When I feel that the snow in front and the sky are good, then I will use a thin paint brush to outline the trees on the dry paint. I’d like a couple of evergreens with snow on top of their foliage, as well as some bare deciduous trees. The latter will require my hand not to shake too much. 

I used to have a steadier hand in my younger days, but I think it will all work out in the end. Right now, my confidence is going strong and steady.