Walls Gallery hosts Oil Painters of America 2010 Eastern Regional Exhibition at Mayfaire Town Center

Sept. 28, 2010 - PRLog -- An exhibition of one hundred and ten paintings, all from east of the Mississippi on up to the North Pole, juried by Oil Painters of America under the guidance of artist John Michael Carter, opens Friday October 15th at 6842 Main Street in Mayfaire Town Center in Wilmington, NC.  

Oil Painters of America is a non-profit organization "dedicated to the preservation of representational art."  Begun in 1991 as a reaction to the focus of major art and educational institutions on abstract art, Oil Painters of America provides a forum for traditional, representational artists to mingle and flourish.  Their membership of over 3200 artists includes such luminaries in the representational art field as CW Mundy, Daniel Green, and Kevin MacPherson.

The jurying process began with submissions from members of a maximum of 2 paintings.  All in all, nearly 1000 entires are culled down to 100 finalists.  Among them are long time painters and illustrators, like Martin Pate of Georgia, and newbies like Lyndia Green from Canada.  The decision, in or out, is based on the quality of the individual painting - not the resume of the painter, which allows for the participation of hitherto unknown painters to gain the spotlight.  Figures, portraits, still-life, landscape.  From tight, carefully detailed work to loose brushwork with exuberant color, variety reigns, making for a great show.  

Charles Movalli, Master Signature Member of OPA (OPAM) , is the awarding juror for the event and will be handing out nearly $12,000 in prize money.  He is joined by Neil Patterson (OPAM), Howard Friedland, and Tom Bluemlein for a panel discussion where they will field questions gathered from participating artists and other interested people.

Walls Fine Art Gallery, host of the exhibition, has been setting the standard and providing quality fine art in Wilmington, NC for 25 years.  "Oil Painters of America called us last March to ask if we would host the show, and I knew this would be a great opportunity both for collectors to see great work they wouldn't otherwise know about, and for local artists to see, listen to, and watch some well-known painters." says David Leadman, owner of Walls Gallery.

"First our selection committee looks for areas of the country that are appealing destinations to our members and have plenty of activities and cultural events.  Being accessible by air was also a big plus," says Kathryn Beligratis, Executive Director of Oil Painters of America. "On top of having a desirable location, we need a gallery that has a strong reputation among artists and collectors, has ample gallery space, and more importantly, is accustomed to dealing with top artists from across the country.  Walls Gallery met all those requirements, so we knew that Wilmington was the right choice for this year's Eastern Regional Competition."

In order to provide the easiest access for the most people, Walls Gallery is taking advantage of a venue offered by Mayfaire Town Center, a mixed use complex that exudes an old downtown feel.  With homes and apartments, restaurants and cafes, clothing shops, book stores, and movie theaters, a national fine art show will be right at home - all within biking distance to the beach.

The actual show will be open for preview starting Saturday, Oct. 9, but in the meantime can be seen at www.wallsgallery.com along with the schedule of painting demonstrations lectures and panel discussions.  Painting sales begin at the Opening on Friday Oct. 15 at 6PM.  The exhibition and all scheduled events are open to the public and free of charge.

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