It's great to start off 2023 with a huge honor from the @OilPaintAmerica , learning that I have been awarded the status of Master Signature Member.

#cityscapepainting #templodesantodomingo #sanmiguelallende #guanajuatomexico #oilpaintersofamerica #opamaster #portraitsocietyofamerica #psoasignaturemember

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Early morning offered a striking atmospheric texture, as the light rose over the mountains and spilled into the narrow streets.

This painting is a memory from a trip that Kimberly and I took to San Miguel de Allende last year. Down each narrow street, a picturesque view awaited. As the light changed through various times of day, the city took on different qualities.

My thanks to judge Daud Akhriev, and also to @reinertfineart for sending this piece home with a collector.

I was very surprised to learn that my painting won the Master Signature Most Original Award of Excellence at the @OilPaintAmerica's 2023 National Exhibition. "Ascending Towards Templo de Santo Domingo" • Oil on Linen • 24" x 30" • SOLD

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This one was a tough one for me, and I'll share those challenges and the process in an upcoming newsletter post.

This piece was inspired by a visit to the @fwstockyards. I had originally intended to paint the figures in separate paintings, but I found it made more sense to celebrate their teamwork in a single piece.

I'm excited to share my latest painting, my largest and most ambitious to date. "The Drovers" • Oil on Linen • 60" x 36" • Available Painting & reference photos by @SaundersFineArt

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I’ve been an OPA member for two decades, so this honor means a lot to me, and goes a long way toward convincing me that maybe I should stick with it. My thanks to the fellow OPA masters who voted to include me among your ranks.

The painting experience can be a wildly swinging pendulum, from the exciting sense of accomplishment after a successful piece, to moments of frustration when a painting fails, and you wonder if you’ll ever reach your goals.

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Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Hitchcock graduated from Harvard Law School in 1874 before moving to Europe five years later, and then turning his full attention to painting. He studied in London, Paris, and Düsseldorf before settling in Holland.

This not only creates a more pronounced sense of depth in the image, but also gives the flowers individuality and variety.

He takes the image further, breaking apart the masses in the foreground areas to clearly define the floral shapes, not in a simple stylized pattern, but in a much more natural and realistic depiction.