Arthur Uphold

Arthur J. Uphold, known as AJ to his friends and family, is a longtime resident of the Tulsa area and has made it his home for over 30 years. AJ served 28 years in the US Army and retired as a Master Sergeant. He served both active and reserve duty with deployments in Kuwait and Baghdad, Iraq. AJ pursued his art education while both working and enlisted in the service. He studied at the Rocky Mountain School of Art where he focused on the human form, received his AS degree from Tulsa Junior College, and obtained his BFA in 1995 from Oklahoma State University. As an artist, AJ likes to excite the viewer's eye with color, and appreciates when people spend time looking at his work and discovering the hidden forms. His use of geometric shapes and organic elements gives him the freedom to enjoy less restriction. There is often a person or object in his paintings, but they are transformed through shapes, shadows, and light. AJ appreciates that he can move organically through his work, allowing him to create his own vision. He often states that his art piece guides him once he begins. AJ uses traditional tools such as reflective lighting, shading, color theory and perspective. AJ’s work includes oils, acrylics, watercolor, bone and wood.