This fall, some of the most talented oil and acrylic painters will gather for the National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society’s Best of America National Juried Exhibition. The annual event, celebrating its 30th anniversary, showcases many talented artists from all across North America. Cutter & Cutter Fine Art in St. Augustine, Florida, hosts the exhibition this year, starting November 6, with a virtual experience that promises to deliver the same excitement from past years.
Stacy Barter, Fall Sunflowers and Roses in Full Bloom, oil, 20 x 24"
Approximately 150 paintings have been juried into the show to be judged by artist Mark Boedges for many different categories. Boedges is also offering a three-day online landscape workshop, as well as an online demonstration. Matt Cutter, an award winner from past years and co-owner of Cutter & Cutter, will also demonstrate his landscape technique in acrylics.
“When we host events like this,” says Cutter, “it’s exciting to see the variety that comes of a large group of talented people…It’s also exciting to meet these artists and get to know more about them. Just the body of work itself and the ability to show it to our collectors.” 
Linda Besse, Light and Shadow, oil, 17 x 26"
There is an abundance of exceptional work featured in the show this year, such as the complex still life Fall Sunflowers and Roses in Full Bloom by Stacy Barter. “I loved the play of the intense yellow sunflowers with the coral colored roses that also had such vibrant cool notes in their petals as they turned,” explains Barter. “The overall temperatures of warm cloth, metal and flowers with the accents of blues and violets caught my eye and interest.”
Linda Besse’s exhibition piece, Light and Shadow, depicts a close-up study of a leopard against a background of abstracted foliage. “Light and Shadow is a painting using one of my most limited palettes,” she explains. “I wanted to see how far I could push the envelope and still have a piece that resonates with energy. When I thought about employing a limited palette, several leopards I had seen in the wild in sub-Saharan Africa came to mind…For me, it’s the story that comes first.”
Cheng Lian, Contemplate, oil, 16 x 20"
Maritime oil painter Donna Lee Nyzio will be exhibiting her piece 4 Southern Belles, showing four fishing boats in calm, sunset colored waters. “My paintings, like in 4 Southern Belles, now include a human element,” Nyzio says. “Either the working waterman himself, or the boats depicted as the working waterman with human attributes and mannerisms…A Southern belle is traditionally a woman who has been presented into a society through a debutante ball or a cotillion. It describes a woman with an attitude, appearance and set of manners often associated with Southern ladies. Well, here are four of them, a bit past their prime, but still dedicated to their fishing families and communities.”
Donna Lee Nyzio, 4 Southern Belles, oil, 18 x 36"
The show features a number of other subjects and styles, making it a standout. There may not be the same grand opening as in past years, but there’s still much to celebrate. Cutter & Cutter will be open to take small groups to view the show in person, and to accommodate everyone’s safety needs, everything will be viewable online. The show will be on view through November 29. Collectors can visit the NOAPS website at www.noaps.org/2020-boa-events-page to see all up-to-date information. —
Cutter & Cutter Fine Art
25 King Street • St. Augustine, FL 32084
(904) 810-0460 • www.cutterandcutter.com
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