CONROE, TX – The Houston Area Oil Painters of America, a group of local artists from Conroe and The Woodlands, has announced that their first show of 2020 will be held on February 7 – 9, 2020. An opening reception will be held on Friday, February 7th from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. The exhibition will be held at the Conroe Art League located at 127 Simonton Street in Conroe.

The group of six award-winning artists will be exhibiting landscapes, portraits, narratives, and still life paintings.

Exhibit Dates & Times:

• February 7th — 10:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Reception: February 7th — 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• February 8th — 10:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• February 9th — Noon – 3:00 p.m.

The artists are: Lois Blackburne, George Bramlett, Juan Cantavella, Beau Crump, Tom LaRock, and Debra Riley. The group of artists has a combined portfolio of local and national awards. Additionally, all of the artists have been juried into the national Oil Painters of America organization. All members are representational artists with a passion for realism.

The artists will be present at the opening reception on February 7th.

Advertisement

About the Artists

Lois Blackburne

Blackburne is self-taught, and has attended numerous workshops and seminars. She trained under Karen Vernon, Bernice Walters, and nationally known portraitist Juan Cantavella. Blackburne has been teaching oils, pastels, watercolor, and china painting at the Conroe Hobby Lobby for the last twenty years. She has been a member of the Conroe Art League since 1978 and is also a member of Oil Painters of America. Blackburne describes her artistic style as detailed and impressionistic. She is known for her landscapes, animal portraits, still life, florals, and portraits. She has lived in Conroe since 1978.

George Bramlett

Bramlett is self-taught, and attributes his natural talent to his father. “Art is something I have enjoyed my entire life but have only been able to focus on in recent years.” Bramlett’s awards include: 1st place in the 2019 Lone Star Art Guild, 2019 People’s Choice Award from the Conroe Art Gallery, and finalist in the 2019 Madeley National show. He places an emphasis on the details of each work of art in order to truly bring the subjects to life and for the audience to feel a moment in time.

Juan Cantavella

Cantavella is self-taught and also is a degreed architect. He is nationally known for highly detailed portraits, still life, and cityscapes. He is a member of Oil Painters of America. He has lived in the Woodlands since 2014.

Advertisement

Beau Crump

Crump is self-taught and has been attending numerous workshops and seminars for the last 43 years. He has trained under Joy Bradford, John Porter, Martha Barr, Carrie Albritton, and nationally known portraitist Juan Cantavella. Crump is known for his landscapes and portraits. His style is detailed and impressionistic. Many of his works depict scenes from Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, Louisiana, England, France and Germany. He is a member of Oil Painters of America. He has a B.S. degree in Zoology from Northwestern State, in Louisiana and studied Engineering Technology at Kilgore College in Texas. He has been a resident of Conroe for over 10 years.

Tom LaRock

LaRock relocated to New York City in 2013 to train at the studio of his son, Art Renewal Center (ARC) Living Master, Joshua LaRock and at the Grand Central Academy in New York. Returning to Texas three years ago to paint professionally, Tom is best known for landscapes and still life, however he also enjoys painting portraits and narratives. In addition to training with his son, LaRock has received additional instruction with Douglas Flynt (Florida) and Michael Klein (New York). His style is classically realistic with a hint of contemporary impressionism. He is a member of the Oil Painters of America. LaRock is a graduate of the University of Texas, El Paso with a degree in Physical Education and UT Austin with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has been a resident of The Woodlands since 2004.

Debra Riley

Riley has trained under nationally known artists Gary Hernandez and Lois Blackburne. She has also taken workshops from Scott Christensen, Lori McNee, and Suzie Baker. Her artistic styles are both highly detailed and impressionistic. Riley has been an Art Colony Giverny Artist for the past two years. She is known for landscapes, still life, and portraits and is a member of the Oil Painters of America. Riley has a BS degree in Business and Human Relations from Amber University. She has lived in Montgomery, Texas since 1999, and currently serves on the Executive Board of the Conroe Art League.

Advertisement