John Ross Palmer
John Ross Palmer has become one of Houston’s leaders in the art community. During the course of his eighteen-year career as a professional artist, John has self-published seven books, exhibited internationally, and established both his personal gallery and his artist-Escapist Mentorship Program. 1218 Heights Boulevard serves as John Ross Palmer’s Fine Art Gallery, art studio, and the private residence for both him and his husband Ryan Lindsay. In 2013, Palmer was honored as one of the very few living and working artist with a page on Wikipedia. That same year, he launched the massive “Refuse to Struggle Campaign”, a groundbreaking fundraising endeavor to construct an Escapist Artist Gallery and studio for the entirely free use of future Escapist Artists. Palmer raised more than $150,000 through a combination of private contributors and a public crowdfunding operation on Indiegogo. To coincide with that years’ Evening of Escapism, former Houston Mayor Annise D. Parker proclaimed October 19th, 2013 as John Ross Palmer day in Houston, Texas. After humble roots from showing within Houston bars and restaurants, Palmer’s career has taken a meteoric rise to an international level. His studies under master painters have taken him to all corners of the globe including; Barcelona, Florence, Buenos Aires, Skopelos Island, Vienna, Cape Town, Tokyo, Berlin, Dublin, Jerusalem, Sao Paulo, Nice, Port of Spain and most recently Havana. Palmer's extensive art adventures around the world are underwritten by an elite group of art patrons known as the First Class Club that he formed in 2010. For his dedication to the Space City, the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau selected john Palmer as a member of the My Houston Campaign along with a small group of notable Houstonians including; Beyoncé Knowles, Clay Walker, Hilary Duff, George Foreman, and George and Barbara Bush.