Dixie State art student takes 4th place in prominent oil painting competition

ST. GEORGE —Melissa Ferguson, a local art student at Dixie State University, entered her oil painting in the Student Art Competition by Oil Painters of America and proudly placed as only 1 of 5 winners and one honorable mention. 

Melissa Ferguson stands in front of her oil painting series, March 22, 2022, St. George, Utah | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Melissa Ferguson stands in front of her oil painting series, March 22, 2022, St. George, Utah | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

The second annual competition encouraged students ages 14-23 to submit up to three oil paintings for award consideration. Ferguson received the fourth-place award accompanied by a $250 cash prize and one year of student membership to the Oil Painters of America for her piece titled, “Exit 10 onto Green Springs Drive.”  

In an interview with St. George News, Ferguson said she’s been painting for a long time and that her love for art came to fruition in high school. In college, she deviated shortly toward a health/science degree, but she couldn’t stay away from her true passion – art –  and made the switch to an art degree. She is now a senior, finishing her fourth year at Dixie State.

Ferguson’s award-winning oil painting is actually part of a rain-inspired art series consisting of seven paintings, each carefully brush-stroked on a 16-by-20-inch canvas. This series, titled “Summer Storms,” depicts the views from inside a car on a rainy day.

Ferguson said the series was inspired by calm moments of introspection, adding that seeing rain from inside a car can be like walking into a different world. Originally from Washington State, she expressed that scenes of rain are also nostalgic for her, bringing more inspiration into her art.

Oil painting by Melissa Ferguson, winning entry at the Student Art Competition, date and location unspecified | Photo courtesy of Oil Painters of America, St. George News
Winning oil painting by Melissa Ferguson, date and location unspecified | Photo courtesy of Oil Painters of America, St. George News

“I’m really honored to get any kind of recognition,” said Ferguson, adding that the contest entries came from all over Canada, Mexico and the U.S.

When Oil Painters of America contacted the juror for the competition, Jane Hunt, to ask what she found unique and award-winning about Ferguson’s entry, she said it was an unusual composition and vantage point, had a pleasing color harmony and was very well drawn.

To see more of Ferguson’s work in person, visit the Senior Exhibition on April 8,  6-9 p.m., at the Atwood Innovation Plaza on the Dixie State University Campus.

About Oil Painters of America

One of the leading art organizations in the country today, Oil Painters of America, is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, dedicated to preserving and promoting excellence in representational art. Its membership is composed of over 3,500 talented artists from across the United States and Canada. 

St. George Newsmet with representatives Liz Pusch, marketing manager, and Amber Lang, an intern and student membership coordinator, to discuss the organization further.

In 1991, Shirl Smithson founded Oil Painters of America in order to fill a gap. Lang said Smithson was unhappy with the underwhelming education of representational art at the colleges and universities at the time and wanted to ensure that representational art didn’t die out, Lang said. With only pastel and watercolor organizations existing at the time, Oil Painters of America was the very first National Oil Painters Association for artists.

According to a press release issued last week by Oil Painters of America, the second annual Student Art Competition ran Jan. 15-Feb. 15 and was open to student artists who paint in the representational style. 

The release also states that the Student Art Competition saw a growth of competitors this year, with 37 students from 15 states entering their work. The winner of this competition awarded the top six artists with cash prizes ranging $50-$1,000. Winners also were invited to exhibit their work in Oil Painters of America’s National Exhibition of Tradition oils at the Steamboat Art Museum in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, June 3-Aug. 27.

Pusch encourages students to enter their art next year, stating that the Third Annual Student Art Competition will include a high school division for ages 14-18 and a college division for ages 19-23. 

Click here to see a full list of the 2022 Student Art Competition winners.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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