John Ross Palmer's Evening of Escapism Presents First Annual Vallone Award

Dec. 6, 2011 - PRLog -- On Saturday, October 15, 2011, Artist John Ross Palmer hosted his 4th Annual Black Tie Gala, An Evening of Escapism.  The event featured Palmer's newest art series, Equestrian Escapism 2011, as well as the newly-unveiled works by the three 2011 Escapist Artists: Nubia Gala-Seibert, Raul Gonzalez and Zak Vasquez.

The Escapist Mentorship Program was established in 2009 as a casual way for a fun group of local Houston artists to meet, communicate with each other about art and business while learning by example from Artist John Ross Palmer as a group leader.  In 2010, the program was elevated by the business of John Palmer Art by having a juried application process.  Applicants were required to submit images and answer a series of essay questions.  Applications were received from all over the United States of America.  The juried process continued for the 2011 Escapists and also included an in-person interview component.  The Black Tie Party marked the end of this year's Escapist Mentorship Program.  To learn more, please visit EscapistProgram.com.

John Palmer Art was also thrilled to have Houston's legendary Kofi perform at the Evening of Escapism.  Kofi auctioned off the painting that Palmer created live earlier in the evening during a spirited live auction.  At this year's Evening of Escapism, John Palmer Art gave out an award to the year's most supportive collector called "The Vallone," named in honor of Houston's legendary restaurateur Tony Vallone & his wife Donna because of their tremendous and ongoing support of Palmer's career.  John Palmer Art was honored to have Mrs. Donna Vallone at the John Palmer Art Gallery & Studio to present the award.  The year's recipients were the Douglas Family: David, Lamar, Steven and Brittany.  This family has been a tremendous supporter of John Palmer Art in 2011 and graciously accepted the award at the height of the evening's festivities.  Steven and Brittany Douglas were also the winners of the live auction piece that evening.

All art pieces acquired at this exciting event helped to raise funds for Outreach United, John Palmer Art's 2011 Charity of the Year.  John Palmer Art made a donation of $2,500.00 to this amazing non-profit soon after the event date.

If you have any questions about the John Palmer Fine Art Gallery & Studio, Artist John Ross Palmer or the Evening of Escapism, please contact Gallery Owner Ryan Lindsay at 713-861-6726 or Ryan@JohnPalmerArt.com.  You can learn all about Artist John Ross Palmer by visiting http://www.JohnPalmerArt.com

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John Palmer is the Founder of the Art Movement of Escapism. He owns a chic 4,500 sq. ft. art gallery in the Historic Houston Heights but he regularly shows his works at prestigious international art fairs. Through his donation of art, time and personal funds, Palmer has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Houston-area charities.