I recently submitted a couple images in to the 18th annual Oil Painters of America show. The thing with this show is that only one of the paintings can even end up in it, and the chances of that happening, given the sheer amount of entries, is very unlikely. But I entered the following paintings anyway because it is such a prestigious show and I 
really admire the judge’s work.
The judge for the show is Kevin Macpherson(click on the link to see his 
work) who is a very well known landscape painter. I’ve got both of his books and have read them cover to cover several times. The books are pictured at left and you can link up to buy them by clicking on them as well. The books are,”Landscape Painting Inside and Out,” and 
“Fill Your Oil Paintings With Light and Color.” He writes about painting in a way that is easy to understand and gives a lot of examples to further illustrate the concepts. Another thing about Kevin that I really like is that he paints with a limited pallet.
A “limited pallet” refers to the pallet of colors that each artist chooses to paint with. Some artists go with a wide variety of colors to put out when painting, others use fewer colors. The latter is called working with a “limited 
pallet”, but it is actually more liberating than limited. Obviously, a painter doesn’t go out in to nature with every color in the Universe from “Snow in the Shadows Blue” to “Ponderosa Pine Needle in the Afternoon Light Green” all bottled up neatly in tubes. A painter has to pick and choose his colors and brands carefully in order that they can paint a variety of subjects by mixing the appropriate color from what choices of paint they make. If a painter is painting representationally, then they will need at least the three primary colors and white. Since I do a lot of on-location painting, and hiking up to five or six miles in to a place with my easel is part of the painting process, I use a “limited pallet” of seven colors. While my specific pallet deviates a bit from other limited pallets, I find it to be the most versatile for me. In my choices every color better be a workhorse, or it gets “fired.” (For more information on color and color theory, my pallet of colors, the brushes I use, some techniques I’ve found to be useful, etc. click HERE)
So we’ll see what happens, and you can bet I’ll keep you posted. I should know if I got a painting in the show by the end of February.
10 Comments
Hi Joshua, Thanks for talking with me in your gallery yesterday about painting and for sending your blog. I love reading it and learning more about painting, thanks. I’ll look forward to your adding the pallet info and brushes, etc. to the educational part of your website. I really appreciate your willingness to share these things. Your work is beautiful. Bye for now, gotta go and look at the rest of your web site, and maybe even get some “work” done today.
Best, Barb Belknap
Your new log jam painting is ‘Bitchin’ brother! I’ll be surprised if it does not win something. Keep up the great work.
Cody
Hey, Joshua! Good to see you’re in the world of blogs now. Your new work is really fine. Happy to see it! – Michael
Best of luck in the Santa Fe, NM show.
Josh- I love your new site and the paintings are beautiful- good luck with the OPA submissions – it’s nice to see Kevin Macpherson is judging the show- he is an incredible painter and also a very nice guy.
Hi Everyone,
Thanks for your kind words, it’s always nice to hear.
Susan, you’ve also got some beautiful work on your site, some really nice snow scenes!! I love the one with the Aspens I think on Rock Creek.
MCJ, Great to hear from you. I talked to Cody the other day and he said you guys went painting around Sedona. I love blogging, but there has to be a balance of painting to writing, cause the blog can easily suck a lot of hours out of your practice.
Cody, Thanks man. As you know, I love painting subjects like that. “Existence in the process of biodegrading and making anew.”
Bruce, Thanks, I’m going to need it.
Barb, Thanks for having a look around. I’m always adding new posts and I’ll be getting that page up regarding my work materials very soon.
Hi, Joshua – Indeed, one needs to strike a balance between blogging and painting. For me, most of what I do that isn’t in painting is geared toward marketing, and that includes the writing. Most days, I’d rather be just painting! Hope to get up your way sometime…Trina and I are spending two weeks in New Mexico (the last week in Taos) once we’re done here after March.
Josh! – Great to meet you last week in Augusta, MO. You pumped out some great inspiring work my man. Hope to paint with you sooner than later in Colorado. My road trip back to Winnipeg was a long one, as was your drive home too. Hope you made it back safe. Keep up the great work. Talk to you soon. ps…Was curious about the OPA submission?? Choice piece!
32PFFV I’m not easily impressed. . . but that’s ipmressing me! :)
When I originally commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get four e-mails with the same comment.
Is there any way you can remove people from that service? Thanks!