Oil Painters of America National Exhibition

One of Charles' most recent paintings, the beautifully serene "Of Wood and Roses", has been accepted into the upcoming Oil Painters of America 17th National Exhibition of Traditional Oils!

Charles' painting will be hanging in great company. Approximately 200 pieces were juried into the show, created by some of the best oil painters in the country, including 17 Master Signature Members of the OPA.

The exhibition will be held at the Dana Gallery in Missoula, Montana from May 2 to June 14, 2008. The OPA's annual members' meeting is scheduled to coincide with opening weekend - 4 days of programming are planned with demonstrations, lectures and paint-outs. More info is available on their website.

Charles' still life painting "Gold Elephant" was, this past December, included in the OPA's 2007 Eastern Regional Exhibition at the Weatherburn Gallery in Naples, Florida. This is his first OPA National Exhibition.

New Works: "Of Wood and Roses"

The concept for this piece originated with a painting demonstration Charles conducted last fall for a high school art class. Later that day back in the studio, he came to realize the tremendous potential of these elements, so he refined the composition and began anew on a new canvas. (24 x 20, oil on canvas)

"Of Wood and Roses" will be featured on the cover of the upcoming March issue of the Atlanta Artists Center's newsletter "Flourish." (Which has, btw, been recently and very successfully expanded to full color.)

Salon International 2008

We just found out last Friday that "Lavender Lace" has been accepted into the extremely prestigious juried exhibition Salon International 2008!

The competition to get in is very steep. Paintings are submitted from all over the world and the quality of the entries is consistently excellent. Charles' painting "Still Life - India" was accepted into this exhibition last year and even won an honorable mention. I just know that I'll be on pins and needles until the opening reception in April.

We have just over six weeks to give "Lavender" her final varnishing and get her gussied up with a nice new frame...

Well, enough of my gushing. Here's a more official sounding promotional blurb for the show:

A juried exhibition of approximately 300 oil paintings, Salon International's goal is to recognize, exhibit, encourage, and promote artistic excellence worldwide. This year's judge is the acclaimed scenic western landscape artist George Hallmark. The exhibit is hosted by Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art in San Antonio, Texas. It opens with an awards banquet on Friday, April 11 and hangs through May 2, 2008.

The gallery also features the entire show online during that time frame, so be sure to check it out.

6th Biennial National Art Exhibition

We are very pleased to announce that the "The Tea Chest" was accepted into the 6th Biennial National Art Exhibition hosted by the Charlotte County Art Guild in historic Punta Gorda, Florida!

One of the nation's most prestigious juried exhibitions of traditional two-dimentional media, this show is produced every other year to benefit the programs and artists of the Charlotte County Art Guild, a non-profit league since 1961. The organization owns and operates what is recognized as the most attractive Visual Arts Center in all Southwest Florida, located in the heart of Punta Gorda, along the beautiful Charlotte Harbor.

The juror for this year's exhibition was Joseph Fettingis, a signature member of the National Watercolor Society.

The show is currently hanging (the opening reception is this Friday, February 8th) and it will remain up until March 14, 2008. If you happen to be in the area, be sure to stop by and enjoy all the beautiful paintings!