"Pitter-Patter" Still Life Oil Painting by Arizona Artist Mary Opat

"Pitter-Patter" Still Life Oil Painting by

Arizona Artist Mary Opat

6" x 6" Oil Painting on Linen Panel

This little painting is my post for week #4 of my personal challenge

for 2017, "one painting a week for a year".  I used a photo that I took of

my Mom's baby shoes.  Mom was born in 1929.  The soft little 

leather shoes are still in remarkable shape.

More of my paintings can be seen HERE

Life is Art...Paint Your Dreams!

"City on Fire" Acrylic Cityscape Painting by Arizona Artist Mary Opat

"City on Fire" Cityscape Painting by

Arizona Artist Mary Opat

30" x 24" Acrylic on Canvas

This painting was a commissioned piece and will hang near

it's companion piece "Queen Anne's Revenge".

You can see more of my artworks on my website at:

maryopat.com

"Lily Pond" Oil Painting by Arizona Artist Mary Opat

"Lily Pond" 

by Arizona Artist Mary Opat

11" x 14" Oil on Linen Panel

This is number 2 in my year-long challenge to complete

one painting each week.  This painting has been sold to a couple

who noticed it on my easel while discussing a portrait of a

beautiful cat named Jade.  Thank you Dianna and Ron!

"Mom's Teapot" Still Life Oil Painting by Arizona Artist Mary Opat

"Mom's Teapot" Still Life Oil Painting by

Arizona Artist Mary Opat

It's been awhile since I've added paintings to my website or blog.

I've been taking a little break, enjoying time with my family and

painting a few requested pieces.  This is a little painting I made for

one of my guest rooms.  The room is decorated in the theme taken

from the Peacock Tea Room in Ely, England.  I enjoyed the colors in the

courtyard and the crowded but comfy interior.  This teapot actually lives at Mom's

house in Iowa.  I used a photo of the courtyard in Ely as a backdrop for this

lovely teapot.

1st Place in Drawing Category!

I was surprised and happy when I found out that I received the

first place ribbon in the drawing category at the Gilbert Visual

Art League juried show and sale.  The exhibition will be hanging at the 

Gilbert Historical Museum Gallery through March 24th.

I've seen this gentleman several times at the Superstition Mountain 

Museum working as the Blacksmith.  This drawing was done

using one of my photos as reference.

Portrait Artists of Arizona Exhibition and Sale 2016

I was happy to hear that all three of my entries into the juried PAOA show were accepted!  This year was the first time I submitted to the show.  The exhibition and sale runs from March 8th through April 22nd at the University Club of Phoenix.

"A Moment for Thanks"

"Portrait of a Cowgirl"

"Their Legacy"

"Blacksmith" Charcoal Drawing by Arizona Artist Mary Opat

"Blacksmith" Charcoal Drawing by

Arizona Artist Mary Opat

14" x 18" Charcoal and Conte` on Paper

This drawing is with the framer and will be entered in the 

annual Gilbert Visual Art League Juried Show and Sale.  We spent a great deal

of time picking out the three mat colors and just the right frames for "Blacksmith

and "A Moment for Thanks". It will be fun to see the finished products in

 a couple of weeks.  These last two drawings 

have been enjoyable and I've decided to do more.  My oil paintings are are

original and aren't available in print, but I've decided to make

my future drawings available in print form through Fine Art America.

Stay tuned for more figurative and animal drawings!

Life is Art...Paint Your Dreams!

" A Moment for Thanks"

"Old Red" Contemporary Still Life Oil Painting by Arizona Artist Mary Opat

"Old Red" Contemporary Still Life Oil Painting by

Arizona Artist Mary Opat

8" x 10" Oil on Canvas

This old pickup has done it's job and now holds beautiful

flowers on a farm in Northeast Iowa.  It's a little beat up and has

flat tires, but is still a reminder of goods times for the lucky land owners.

Check out this and other paintings on my website

 http://www.maryopat.com/workszoom/1956277

Life is Art...Paint Your Dreams!

"Tehya Aleshanee" Oil Portrait of a Child by Arizona Artist Mary Opat

"Tehya Aleshanee" Oil Portrait of a Child by 

Arizona Artist Mary Opat

11" x 14" Oil on Stretched Canvas

Tehya (Precious) Alashanee (She who plays) is the descendant of

a Choctaw chief.  This photo was provided by her grandmother and was

taken several years ago.  Teyha is a beautiful 11 year old girl now.  My 

intention was to paint a companion piece to "Their Legacy".  When

my neighbor saw the finished painting, she asked to buy it.  It feels good to

know the painting will be appreciated.  I feel blessed to have good friends

who appreciate my art!

Follow this link to Mary Opat Art

Life is Art...Paint Your Dreams!

International Voices Speaking Through Art 2015 Art Collector's Guide

"Face to the Sun"

"Scottish Trawlers"

These are the two paintings chosen for the 2015 edition of

International Voices Speaking Through Art Collector's Guide.  If you

happen to see a copy, my paintings are on page 20 and 21, with my name and

website.  I'm not sure how many copies of the book will be sold, but it's always

fun to be "published", even if it's just a free ad won through a drawing!

It's a Small World!

"Bird on a Wire" and "Sittin' Pretty" were mailed out recently to a 

 lovely couple in Chandler, AZ.  It's interesting that my first two sales from

Handmade at Amazon were sold to a local couple!  We were able to exchange a few

e-mails through the Amazon site.  It turns out that the purchaser's wife will

receive the pair of bluebirds for Christmas.  They are avid bird watchers 

 and enjoy visits from a large variety of Arizona birds to their backyard feeders.

I really feel that, for me, the best part of selling is interacting with people and

sharing my paintings with them.  It's nice to know that the Handmade at Amazon site 

allows some back and forth in the form of e-mails.  Knowing where my

paintings are going and getting to know the recipients are part of the fun!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Life is Art...Paint Your Dreams!

"Best Buds" Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting by Arizona Artist Mary Opat

"Best Buds" Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting by

Arizona Artist Mary Opat

24" x 30" Oil on Canvas

If you know me, you know that I love water.  This painting was inspired

by remembering wonderful days spent at the lake in my childhood hometown.

I can almost hear the gentle waves and feel the cool water.  I hope you can too!

To purchase this or any of my artwork, follow the link to Mary Opat Art .

Life is Art...Paint Your Dreams!

My new digs

I set the canopy and new mesh walls up all by my lonesome last weekend

 and it was surprisingly easy!  I'm looking forward to being at the Queen

Creek Olive Mill on Sunday, Dec. 13th with the San Tan Artists.  The venue

is beautiful and makes such a relaxing day.  If you're in the area, come out for wine tasting, live music, and delicious food, as well as the best art in the the area!

Queen Creek Olive Mill

25062 S. Meridian Rd

Queen Creek, AZ 85142

"Reach for the Sky" Contemporary Landscape Oil Painting by Arizona Artist Mary Opat

"Reach for the Sky" Contemporary Landscape Oil Painting by

Arizona Artist Mary Opat

40" x 30" Oil on Stretched Canvas

This painting got a lot of comments for it's first time out, but no sale yet.

You can purchase it on my website by following this link Mary Opat Art

Life is Art...Paint Your Dreams!

"Prims and Roses" 30" x 40" oil on Canvas

"Prims and Roses" Still Life Oil Painting by 

Arizona Artist Mary Opat

30" x 40" Oil on Stretched Canvas

This painting is one that I reworked a little and finally have it finished.  You

can purchase from my website Mary Opat Art.

Life is Art...Paint Your Dreams!

Artist of the Month

I was happy to get the "Artist of the Month" award at the November

GVAL meeting! 

 Many of the members worked on painting 5"x 7"s for the

 upcoming benefit sale in Gilbert.  The profits from the sale go to fund a 

scholarship which is awarded to a local high school senior who excels in the visual arts.  

If you have a chance to get to the Gilbert Historical Museum during the 

month of November, stop in the Gallery and view the members' show.  

The art is of excellent quality and most of  the pieces are for sale.

I'm so grateful to be a member of this group!

Life is Art...Paint Your Dreams!

"Arizona Sunset" Desert Landscape Oil Painting by Arizona Artist Mary Opat

"Arizona Sunset" Desert Landscape Oil Painting by

Arizona Artist Mary Opat

18" x 14" Oil on Stretched Linen

I finished this one today.  I started it a few months ago and got

stuck on how to make the foreground and tree look more natural.  The

trick was to pick up some very dark paint and then scrub it in with the side

of my brush.  A little lighter green scrubbed in here and there over the front

bushes seemed to do it.  Who knew ?  Maybe I'll take on more landscapes!

Life is Art...Paint Your Dreams!

"Slice of Life"

16" x 20" Stretched Canvas

I'm back home and back into the swing of things.  My short term goal is

to finish up a few paintings for the upcoming shows.  Awhile back I painted

a sunflower still life with colors similar to these.  I was surprised by the way

the yellow glowed when light hit it.  This painting seems to do the same thing.

The lemons certainly take center stage on this one!

Work in Progress

16" x 20" Work in Progress 

Here is the still life I've been working on.  I'm going to let it dry and

come back in and straiten edges, define the edge of the table, etc.  I may

not get this one added to my website Mary Opat Art until I get back from vacation, but I'm

going to try to fit it into my schedule.  Until then...

Life is Art...Paint Your Dreams!

Home Sweet Home

Me in front of the Palace in Madrid, Spain

Well, I'm back home long enough to catch up with the household duties

and pack again for another trip.  The visit with my son in England was fantastic.

  We were able to hop on the train system just a few miles from his house and get to 

London, eliminating a lot of frayed nerves on my part.  The small roads and fast speeds 

while driving on the "wrong" side of the road is not my idea of a good time!

We spent time touring London and saw all of the iconic sites in Westminster and

the surrounding area.  The underground "tube" made getting around easy.

  The north coast of England on the North Sea was a completely different feeling,

 again, accessible by train.   Sheringham and Cromer were my favorite seaside towns.  They

each had colorful beach huts between the sandy beaches and the steep cliffs.

Cromer was busy with people crabbing from the pier and playing in the water.

We decided to fly to Spain for a four day stay.  It turned out to be a wonderful trip. 

 Our hotel was just a couple of blocks from the underground Metro system 

and we were within walking distance of some great restaurants.  

We bought a tourist pass for the underground Metro and bus

system, so we could pop up anywhere and look around.  One of the stops turned

out to be the Madrid Zoo and Aquarium.  That was a nice surprise and a made for a fun day.

 I took over 850 photos during the trip, and I'll begin painting my 

way through them soon.  They're a combination of castles, cathedrals, shops and

seaside.  It's nice to be home, but I'll be taking off soon for Iowa and Minnesota to

visit family and help celebrate my nephew's wedding.  When I get back, expect to

see some new work here!

Life is Art...Paint Your Dreams!