February 2012 BoldBrush Painting Competition Honor

 "Held in His Hands", a painting of Red Mountain in Mesa, Arizona, was selected as part of the FAV15% (jury's favorite 15% of the entries) in the February 2012 BoldBrush Painting competition.

Thank-you to Scottsdale Artists' School!

I worked with Skip Whitcomb here in Tucson for 5 days last week and I will be reflecting on the great instruction and inspiration for some time. The nstruction was paid for in part by a scholarship based on merit from the Scottsdale Artist School and I am very grateful for their generous contribution which allowed me to paint with and learn from such a fine artist. I have taken several workshops from some of my favorite artists and each time I am humbled but afterwards I am always amazed to find that I am painting at a new level! I look forward to what the influence of Skip Whitcomb's mastery will do for my work. Humbled but encouraged, Jeff

Prickly Pear   9X12"

OPA Shirl Smithson Scholarship Recipient for 2012!



I am very honored to have received one of three Shirl Smithson Scholarship for 2012, named after its founding member, awarded through the Oil Painters of America! Based on a review of the application materials, the scholarship committee selected three OPA members to receive a scholarship based on the quality and strength of the art work submitted and the potential for further development, and one other scholarship was awarded to a full-time student.  The scholarship will pay $500 towards a workshop or class in representational oil painting.  I am very excited to be able to start off the year with this kind of honor... Now the hard part - Picking a workshop to attend...  So many good ones!

Thank-You to Shirl and the OPA scholarship selection team for making this possible! -Jeff Love

 Shirl Smithson - Founding Member of Oil Painters of America

What a great Year 2011 has been!

Wow! What a great year it has been! I have painted almost daily and am loving it more and more...  I have been in a number of shows, recieved 2 scholarships which afforded me the opportunity to learn from Matt Smith twice - en plein air and in the studio.  I tagged along on one of Phil Starke's painting expeditions which took us up to Wyoming where I had a chance to paint the Western Mountains and watch a true master paint. This week I got word that "Arroya Rosa" has been juried into the Empire 100 Western Show and Sale for 2012 ( my second year), and am honored to hear that the Arizona Plein Air Painters have selected "Fearless" for their advertisement for the April 2012 edition of Southwest Art Magazine!  I am a blessed man, not just for the strides I have made in art this year, but because of God's great love and mercy.  I look forward to 2012 and the continuing journey..... -Jeff Love

Arroya Rosa - 24X36"

Fearless 24X36"

Paint the Parks Top 100 Competition and Exhibition 2011

                              Up to the River's Edge 24X18"
I am honored to have had this painting, Up to the River's Edge, selected as one of the top 100 winning paintings in Paint the Parks Top 100 for 2011.  Paint the Parks100 is America's leading competition and exhibition designed to illustrate the beauty and significance of America’s National Parks. 

New Plein Air from Wyoming Trip

I had a great trip up to Wyoming - I spent the week painting and taking reference pictures with another artist friend from Tucson who judged a show and taught a workshop while we were there.  The area we were around was Dubois and then further up to the Tetons, a place that I fell in love with last fall at the Jim Wilcox class I attended.  One of the ranches that we got to paint on was once owned by Walt Disney and the Ranch owner gave us a grand tour.  The weather was beautiful, the scenery stunning, and my inspiration is once more sparked.  I am offering several of the plein air paintings from the trip on ebay beginning this week so if you are interested in my work from the trip, please take a look.   I am also working on a new larger piece of Mt. Moran from Jackson that I will be launching in a few days - Love that place!

Wyoming Road Trip - Painting and Pictures

Here is an update on my week:   I'm in Wyoming doing a painting trip with another artist friend. The picture is one of the hundreds of references I've gotten over the last couple of days - (very little sleep, lot's of driving, painting and taking pictures... and junk food).  I'll be back in Tucson next week and will be posting new work soon!