Artist John Ross Palmer The Hardest Working Man in the Art Business
Education Although for the most part self-taught, artist John Ross Palmer first studied art professionally at the Santa Reparata International School of Art in Florence, Italy in 2001. In 2003, he studied under Robert Venosa in Cadaques, Spain (the former home of Salvador Dali). John spent the summer of 2004 working with Master Painter Philip Rubinov-Jacobson in the Austrian Alps. In 2005, Palmer studied mono-printmaking on Skopelos Island, Greece under the direction of California artist Linda Goodman. Other travels which inspired unique travel bodies of artwork include his journeys to Cape Town, South Africa, Tokyo, Japan, Buenos Aires, Argentina and Berlin, Germany. In 2011, Palmer will travel to Dublin, Ireland to create his Dublin 2011 art series. Books During the course of his more than a decade-long career, John has self-published four books: Deliverance and More than Words (2003), Escapism (2004), Seven and Jane & Co. (2010). The Art of Meaningful Living, a collaborative project with Houston psychotherapist Christopher Brown, debuted at the Book Expo America in May of 2009 and has since gained national, critical acclaim. The Art of Meaningful Living is available in bookstores nation-wide. Palmer's next book scheduled for release, Faces, will document a portrait series and embody the largest commission project of his career.
 John Ross Palmer John Ross Palmer Media and Accolades John's work has been featured in many restaurants, publications, homes and businesses around the country. His art has appeared in the Houston Chronicle, Inside Houston, The Voice, Outsmart, Prime Living Magazine, CultureMap, Houston Modern Luxury, PaperCity Magazine and Fox News. John was selected as the Featured Artist of The Periwinkle Foundation's "Making a Mark", in partnership with Texas Children's Hospital as well as the 2006 Via Colori Featured Artist, to benefit the Houston Center for Hearing and Speech John has also worked closely and made generous contributions to some of his favorite Houston charities, including S.I.R.E., the Arthritis Foundation, the Montrose Clinic and the Houston Heights Association. In August 2009, John Palmer was the Featured Artist for ARTcetera, benefitting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In 2010, John Palmer has served as Featured Artist at Art4Life benefitting AIDS Foundation Houston and the 2010 Hearts & Buckles Art Auction sponsored by Cowboys & Indians Magazine and benefitting Texas ranch families. In April 2010, he served as Featured Artist at Art with Heart benefitting the San Jose Clinic. Palmer was most honored to be named the Artist of the Year for 2010 by the Museum of Cultural Arts Houston. In 2010, Palmer was named as a Finalist for the highly-sought-after Hunting Art Prize, the amazing art competition that gives the winner the largest cash prize in the United States of America. In March of 2011, artist John Ross Palmer will serve as the sole juror for the highly prestigious Michigan Fine Arts Competition. Museums Even though Palmer is still considered to be a relatively young artist, he is already being featured at the museum level. From 2009 to 2010, Palmer was honored to have the longest-running display in the history of the art museum at the Children's Museum of Acadiana in Lafayette, Louisiana. The exhibit, The Heads and Tales of Ten Presidents, not only featured Palmer's fine artwork but also incorporated an educational experience for the young men and women of Louisiana. Palmer took the time to go and paint with the kids to inspire confidence in their artistic ability from a young age. In the summer of 2010, Palmer was honored along with Houston Artist Chris Silkwood with a solo and collaborative exhibit at the historic Nave Museum in Victoria, Texas. The Nave has exhibited talented artists from around the globe, and, based on the statistics, experienced the highest volume of attendance in the history of the museum during the Palmer & Silkwood exhibit. If you would like to see the artists speak at the Nave exhibit unveiling, please click here. Gallery & Studio As Johns’ art career has grown and expanded, so has his showplace. Initially in a 400 sq. ft. apartment, John was forced to paint on his driveway because he had no studio space. After many years of saving money from both bartending and selling art, John purchased a bungalow on West 17th Street in the Houston Heights in 2002. There, John showed his work in a small art studio, his original bungalow and a second home that he acquired on the neighboring lot in 2005. After selling those two properties, John moved onto Winter Street Studios where he displayed his art from 2006 until 2008. In May of 2008, John finalized his 4,500 sq. ft. private residence, studio and gallery on Heights Boulevard by not only preserving a historic bungalow but also adding on a chic, museum-quality showroom. Collections John Palmer has not only placed hundreds of art pieces in incredible private collections, his work has been displayed in the following public forums: The Santa Reparata International School of Art (Florence, Italy); The Jung Center (Houston, Texas); The Skopelos Foundation of the Arts (Skopelos Island, Greece); The Children's Museum of Acadiana (Lafayette, Louisiana); The Pagosa Springs Hospital (Pagosa Springs, Colorado); Texas Children's Hospital (Houston,Texas). In 2009, the first retrospective of John Palmer's artwork was held in Houston, Texas to celebrate a spectrum of original pieces from his first ten years as a professional artist. Notable private collectors of John Palmer original artwork include Dr. Carolyn Farb, hc, Sir Roger Moore, Olympic Gold Medalist Carl Lewis, famed Texas litigator John O'Quinn, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Joan Rivers, American filmmaker John Waters, famed comedian Sandra Bernhard and Houston Mayor Annise Parker. International Art Fairs 2009 marked the rise of John Ross Palmer's career to the international stage when he began displaying as the gallery John Palmer Fine Art at international art fairs including Art Chicago, Art Toronto and the Red Dot Fair Miami during December's Art Basel week. In 2011, John Palmer Fine Art will attend the prestigious Art Chicago for a third consecutive year. My Houston For his many years of service to the Space City, in 2009 John Palmer was selected as a member of the My Houston Campaign by the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau along with a small number of other notable Houstonians including Beyonce Knowles, George Foreman, Hilary Duff, Clay Walker, ZZ Top, A.J. Foyt and George & Barbara Bush. Palmer is also one of the notable Houstonians that is featured in the My Gay Houston Campaign--a program which highlights prominent members of the Houston GLBT Community. Online Presence 2009 ushered in the rise of John Palmer's colossal online following. With thousands of fans and followers on Facebook and Twitter, many people around the globe are following the whirlwind life and career of this larger-than-life artist, mentor, author and celebrated founder of Escapism.
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