The Oil Painters of America (OPA) welcomes its 2026 National Juried Salon to Cassens Fine Art in Hamilton, Montana, opening in late July. The exhibition will feature around 200 small oil paintings, measuring at 16 by 20 inches or smaller, offering collectors a wonderful opportunity to purchase high-caliber pieces at a lower price point.
Elizabeth Robbins, Heaven Scent, oil on linen, 14 x 18 in.
While the focus of the OPA is on traditional representational painting, many members work in a wide variety of styles and approaches. “For instance, some members are very academic and have trained in traditional academies or ateliers,” says Kurt Anderson, the OPA executive director. “Some are very impressionistic and participate in the plein-air competition circuit, while others began their careers in commercial illustration.” Attendees will also find photorealists or those that work in trompe-l’oeil. You’ll see the best art being produced today, in a wide variety.
Anderson adds that the diversity of styles embraced by the OPA can be seen in the piece that won the Gold Medal award at the National Juried Salonin 2024. “It was given to Blair Atherholt for a stunningly beautiful trompe-l’oeil still life,” he shares. “We have separate awards for our Master Signature entries, and the Gold Medal in that division went to a loosely painted tonalist landscape by Mark Hanson.”
Calvin Liang, Spider Rock, oil on canvas, 20 x 16 in.
Examples to look forward to at the 2026 exhibition and event, are powerful works like Calvin Liang’s Spider Rock. Liang is best known for his representational landscape paintings, particularly his seascapes and coastal scenes, but Spider Rock is a desert scene depicting the rock formation found in Canyon de Chelly in Arizona. “One of the central themes of the painting is the relationship between light, space and the vastness of the desert environment,” Liang notes. “I was particularly interested in conveying the canyon’s luminous air quality through the use of warm sunlight—not only defining the form of the rock formations but also creating a sense of depth and atmosphere throughout the composition.”
Whether painting the ocean, a harbor or a dramatic landscape, Liang’s goal is to create a sense of place while conveying the mood and emotional response that the scene inspires.
Bill Farnsworth, The Flats, oil, 14 x 18 in.
Elizabeth Robbins, known for her floral still lifes, showcases her impressive piece Heaven Scent. “I grow many of the flowers I paint in my own garden, tending them through each season and witnessing their quiet transformation from tender shoots to abundant blooms,” she shares. “Caring for these flowers creates a deep personal connection that finds its way into my work. When I paint them, I am not simply recording their appearance; I am honoring the time spent nurturing them and celebrating the small, sacred moments of beauty they bring into everyday life.”
For Heaven Scent, Robbins depicts roses, one of the artist’s favorite flowers to paint. “I grow over 100 varieties in my garden,” she says. “In this painting, there’s Mustead Wood, Love Song, Tranquility and Sharifa Asma. As I was painting them, the scent was ‘heavenly,’ thus the name.”
Collectors are urged to visit Cassens Fine Art for the opening reception on July 31, from 5 to 7 p.m., with awards presented at 5:30 p.m. The show will hang at the gallery in Montana through August 29. —
OPA National Juried Salon: Exhibition of Small Paintings
July 31-August 29, 2026
Cassens Fine Art
215 W. Main Street
Hamilton, MT 59840
(815) 356-5987
www.oilpaintersofamerica.com
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