Featured Artist and Many Other Thanks

I decided to send out my thanks half way between the Canadian and USA's celebrations of Thanksgiving. There is something about the coming of fall that makes me more introspective. Perhaps it is the changing of leaves to their autumn shades that makes me more aware of time flying by.  So here are my thanks for 2014.

My newest item to be thankful for is the Featured Artist promotion by Artsy Shark.  This is a very popular blog with over 4000 followers.  They share great tips for art as a business, but also feature a couple artists each week. I enjoy visiting the sites of other artists since the variety of art is endless.  Please enjoy my feature and take the time to visit my website.

Special thanks go to the many art organizations that make it possible for me to show my work to such a broad audience.  

Local organizations

Ashley DuRoss & Lillian Bayley Hoover at Building Perspectives

A Rimpo and K Veilis Turan's Art at Building Perspectives

Starting at the home front, I'd like to thank the Howard County Arts Council for curating such a beautiful exhibit, Building Perspective, that included my art and that of four other artists. Samples of the art are shown here.  The care and skill that clearly went into this exhibit was obvious as soon as you stepped into the gallery. The mages are included to give you some sense of this show.

HCAC also sponsors Celebration of the Arts in Howard County where both visual and performing artists from the region are featured. I always include at least one piece of art in the Art Auction that is part of this celebration. Proceeds from the auction are shared by the artist and HCAC.

Robert Tennenbaum & Ashley DuRoss art in Building Perspectives

The Columbia Art Center also held several invitational exhibitions this year in which I was invited to participate. The title of my paintings is listed in bold italic after the event name. The CAC exhibits included: 

• Visions of Hope - Making a Difference
• Things that Scare Me - Trapped

It is so great to have two organizations here in Howard County Maryland who work hard to promote artists in the community. 

The Maryland Federation of Art, based in Annapolis Maryland, offers a variety of exhibitions that are open to artists in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. I am thankful to have my art selected for inclusion in three of these exhibitions. 

• Art on Paper - Aerial Bikes II
• American Landscape - Morning in NYC
• Strokes of Genius - Harder Times

The MFA also promotes exhibitions at other venues in the region and my paintings were included in two of these: Gallery B in Bethesda (Aerial Bike I) and MDArt at College Park at the University of Maryland (Freight Yard & Bike Rider).  The MFA is very creative in their support of Maryland artists.  My way to give back is to donate a painting to their annual Collector's Choice Art Raffle, where attendees get to meet the artist, enjoy great food, and go home with a piece of art.

Local art organizations also provide venues for regional exhibitions. I extend my thanks to Laurel Art Guild, which held their 45th Annual Juried Exhibition this year.  My painting, Woman with a Wrapped Hat, received the First Place award. In addition, the Artists' Gallery of Columbia held their annual Local Color exhibit in which they invite non-members to exhibit. They receive paintings, select the pieces to be included and to receive awards, and the show is on display within a couple days.  This was my first time in this exhibit and my painting, Messengers, received a Second Place award. 

Arriving at Kensington, my Kensington entry

Another new venue for me was the Kensington Labor Day Weekend show in Kensington, MD. Each artist must include at least one painting of Kensington in this show. This event is run by the Montgomery Art Association (MAA.) This exhibit is another major feat in organization and volunteering. The Labor Day Weekend Show set records both for the number of paintings submitted, 550, and the number of artists participating, 130, of which 79 of these artists had sales.

Imagine receiving 550 paintings and getting them hung in one day.  Many kudos to the MAA. 2100 people attended the show over Labor Day weekend.  My painting, Ponte Vecchio, received the First Place award in the Landscape category.

Thanks to National Organizations

April's family joins her at the WAS-H exhibit

In addition to the local organizations, there are watermedia organizations across the country that hold annual National or International juried exhibition. I've been fortunate to have my work selected in the following exhibits.  Since I am on the board of the Baltimore Watercolor Society, which holds a Regional Exhibition of the same caliber as these each year, I am aware of the enormous amount of work it takes to hold these exhibitions and my thanks go out to all these organizations for offering these opportunities. 

• Louisiana Watercolor Society's in New Orleans, LA- Messengers
• Illinois Watercolor Society's 30th National Exhibition in Dixon, IL - More Beautiful with Age
• Watercolor Art Society of Houston (WAS-H) 37th International Exhibition in Houston, TX- Morning in NYC
• International Society of Experimental Artists 23rd Annual Exhibition - San Pedro, CA - Moving Up
• Pennsylvania Watercolor Society's 35th Annual International Juried Exhibition in Harrisburg, PA [April received Signature Artist status Jan 2014] - Student Brushes

I am delighted and thankful that I was accepted into just over 50% of the exhibits I applied to this year.

Galleries At Last!

Welcome Since 1772 - Sold at Still Life Gallery

This year I took some time to locate some galleries to carry my art; I added two. 

• Still Life Gallery in Ellicott City, Maryland - sold my first painting in their gallery in less than 24 hours.  It is so great having a gallery represent my work, providing a new path to reach my audience. Open Wed - Sun 11 am - 6 pm. 
• Montgomery Art Association Gallery in Westfield Wheaton Mall in Wheaton, Maryland - A cooperative gallery where the artists run and operate the gallery from Mon - Sat: 11 am - 8 pm, and Sun: 11 am - 7 pm.  Consider stopping by the gallery, where you can purchase original art, prints, and cards by local artists. 

I continue to include my art in Xanadu Gallery's Online Studio - a wonderful venue where Xanadu Gallery includes artists from around the globe to help us promote our art.  Jason Horejs is a very innovative gallery owner who provides many webinars to help artists with the business side of art and hosts the ever informative Red Dot Blog. 

Huge thanks go to the people who have acquired either my original paintings or prints.  

My customers have been a joy to work with. I have never held a job that included as much time working with the public and am happy to report that my experiences have been really positive. Some of my customers are old friends while others I met through my art.  It has been a joy to meet such nice people who are now caring for my art in their homes. Some have also helped me learn more about selling prints that were enlarged from the size of my original paintings.  These were printed on canvas and varnished to protect them from the elements.  It was fun to see my work in a larger format.  I loved how some of the techniques I use in my watercolors look even better when enlarged. Thanks to these customers who helped me grow my business acumen and to Archival Arts for the excellent quality of their prints and the great advise they provide.

The Support of Family and Friends

My husband joins me at the Building Perspectives reception

And last, but certainly not least, I am grateful for the support of family and friends who provide such great feedback and encouragement for my art and my second career as a full time artist. When I decided, nearly three years ago, to start out on this venture as a full time artist I knew it would be an upward climb to get known by the art community and to begin to sell my art to the public. I've learned a lot over the last 3 years, made some mistakes, but also made some great strides as well.  My family and friends have provided the moral support that kept me going.  My husband, Chas, is an amazing person who has picked up the slack around the house, as I spend much of my day in the studio, out shipping or delivering art, working on the computer writing blogs, updating my website, posting in Facebook and Pinning images in Pinterest. Chas encourages me in so many different ways. Thank you, Honey.