Gale Fulton Ross is a prolific African American

African American

African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

 visual artist

Visual arts

The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...

 living in Sarasota, Florida

Sarasota, Florida

Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...

.

Life

Gale Fulton Ross was born in Medford

Medford, Massachusetts

Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...

, Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

, in 1947, the oldest of nine children.

She graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art

Massachusetts College of Art

Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a publicly-funded college of visual and applied art, founded in 1873. It is one of the oldest art schools, the only publicly-funded free-standing art school in the United States, and was the first art college in the United States to grant an artistic degree...

 in Boston, where she explored a wide variety of styles and media including sculpture. She continued her art education

Art education

Art education is the area of learning that is based upon the visual, tangible arts—drawing, painting, sculpture, and design in jewelry, pottery, weaving, fabrics, etc. and design applied to more practical fields such as commercial graphics and home furnishings...

 at the California College of Arts and Crafts

California College of the Arts

California College of the Arts , founded in 1907, is known for its broad, interdisciplinary programs in art, design, architecture, and writing. It has two campuses, one in Oakland and one in San Francisco, California, USA...

 in San Francisco, where she earned a Master’s of Fine Arts in painting. In addition to formal academic training she has studied under the guidance of established artists, including Melvin Johnson, at the Vesper George School of Art

Vesper George Art School

The Vesper George School of Art in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, closed in 1983.For many years the school contributed to the Boston art community, training many talented artists, many of whom are still active in both commercial art and fine arts...

, Boston; Cleveland Bellow, of the DeYoung Museum

M. H. de Young Memorial Museum

The M. H. de Young Memorial Museum, commonly called simply the de Young Museum, is a fine arts museum located in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. It is named for early San Francisco newspaperman M. H...

, Oakland California

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

; and Pierre Parsus, of France.

Initially trained as an art curator, Fulton Ross traveled extensively throughout Africa, Europe and as far east as China in order to study, teach, and paint. However painting quickly became her main focus. She developed a reputation early in her career as a portrait artist, and has created likenesses of Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Desmond Tutu

Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid...

, Justice Thurgood Marshall

Thurgood Marshall

Thurgood Marshall was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, serving from October 1967 until October 1991...

, A. Philip Randolph

A. Philip Randolph

Asa Philip Randolph was a leader in the African American civil-rights movement and the American labor movement. He organized and led the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first predominantly Negro labor union. In the early civil-rights movement, Randolph led the March on Washington...

, Arthur Ashe

Arthur Ashe

Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. was a professional tennis player, born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. During his career, he won three Grand Slam titles, putting him among the best ever from the United States...

, and Governor Michael Dukakis

Michael Dukakis

Michael Stanley Dukakis served as the 65th and 67th Governor of Massachusetts from 1975–1979 and from 1983–1991, and was the Democratic presidential nominee in 1988. He was born to Greek immigrants in Brookline, Massachusetts, also the birthplace of John F. Kennedy, and was the longest serving...

, among others. In 2009, she was selected to paint the portrait of Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber

Andrew Lloyd Webber

Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...

.

Philosophy

Fulton Ross has cited several classical artists as influences on her work, including Michelangelo

Michelangelo

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...

, Da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...

, and Rembrandt, as well as modern day African American masters like Elizabeth Catlett

Elizabeth Catlett

Elizabeth Catlett Mora is an African-American sculptor and printmaker. Catlett is best known for the black, expressionistic sculptures and prints she produced during the 1960s and 1970s, which are seen as politically charged....

, Charles Wilbert White

Charles Wilbert White

Charles Wilbert White was an American artist born in Chicago. He was known for his WPA era murals. White was married to famed sculptor and printmaker Elizabeth Catlett briefly...

, Beauford Delaney

Beauford Delaney

Beauford Delaney was an American modernist painter.-Early life:Beauford Delaney was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, in 1901. Delaney’s parents were prominent and respected members of Knoxville's black community. His father Samuel was both a barber and a Methodist minister...

, and Romare Bearden

Romare Bearden

Romare Bearden was an African American artist and writer. He worked in several media including cartoons, oils, and collage.-Education:...

. Her style incorporates both the abstract and the figurative, as reflected in her eclectic creations. She believes that artists are the humanistic conscience of a materialistic society. Her visual expressions most often depict poignant images of people, especially African American women, reflecting her philosophy that it is the depth and variety of human feelings that motivates art, and indeed that she must become a more sensitive human in order to be a better artist.

In that regard she has dedicated considerable time to mentoring and creating opportunities for younger artists as the founder of the Fulton-Ross Fund for Visual Artists of Sarasota County, which provides a supportive environment and awards competitive grants to those just beginning their careers.

Awards

Work Study Project, People's Republic of China

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

, Summer 1993;
Fellowship, La Napoule Art Foundation (France), Winter 1990;
Atlanta Life Painters Award, 1990;
Winner-Best of show 1994, Bay Area

San Francisco Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...

 African American Florida Competition;
West Coast Center for Human Development, 1996 Humanitarian Award;
Nation Coalition of 100 Black Women, Arts & Humanity Award, Pennsylvania, 1992;
Highest Achiever, Women’s History Month Competition, Tempo Magazine, Sarasota, March 2008

Collections

Edward Littlejohn, Sarasota, FL

National Museum of Women in the Arts

National Museum of Women in the Arts

The National Museum of Women in the Arts , located in Washington, D.C. is the only museum solely dedicated to celebrating women’s achievements in the visual, performing, and literary arts. NMWA was incorporated in 1981 by Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay...

, Washington DC

Exhibitions

Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise Charles H. Wright Museum, Detroit MI Jan-May 2011 Beyond the Border, San Diego CA, September 2009 Ain’t I a Woman Too?! Greenboro Cultural Center, Greenboro, NC, March 2005 Edge, G.R. N’Namdi Gellery, Detroit MI, June 2004 Earth N' Arts Gallery, Oakland, California 1971-1976 Rainbow Sign, Berkeley, California Berkeley, California Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...  Black Contributions, 1972 Black Expo, San Francisco, 1972 Child with Basket, Oakland Museum, 1971 California State Fair Competition, 1971 Print Show, M.I.X. Program San Francisco, California Museum of Art, 1973 Governor's Office, State of California California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... , 1975 Group Second World Festival of Black and African Arts and Culture, Lagos, Nigeria 1977 The Gallery, Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, California Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California... , November 1978 Museum of the National Center for Afro American Artists, Prints and Drawings, 1980 Dignity, Brockman Gallery, Los Angeles, California, 1984 Private Exhibitions for the Center of Visual Arts, Los Angeles, California, and New York City New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...  1985 Foxworth Productions, Los Angeles California, 1985 California African Museum, Los Angeles, California, 1986 Artist in Residence Cousen Rose Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts, 1987-1989 University of Massachusetts University of Massachusetts This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst... , One Woman Retrospective, Boston Campus 1989 Moods, Blues, Beatitudes 1989 Moods and Nudes One Woman Exhibition Soul of New York, D. Christian James Gallery One Woman Show, Governor's Office, Boston, Massachusetts, 1988-1989 Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Atlanta/France 1990 One Woman Show, National Council of Churches National Council of Churches The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA is an ecumenical partnership of 37 Christian faith groups in the United States. Its member denominations, churches, conventions, and archdioceses include Mainline Protestant, Orthodox, African American, Evangelical, and historic peace...  Headquarters, New York City, Jan-Feb 1991 Emerging Artist Group Show Museum of African American Art, Los Angeles CA, May–June 1991 Nudes, Castillion Fine Art, New York City, May–June 1991, One Woman Show Zora Neal Hurston Zora Neale Hurston Zora Neale Hurston was an American folklorist, anthropologist, and author during the time of the Harlem Renaissance...  Museum, September 1994, Solo Exhibition Parrish Gallery, Washington, DC, December 1994 Forbes Gallery, New York City, 1994 Monique Knowlton Gallery, New York City, 1994, Solo Exhibition Philadelphia AA Historical and Cultural Museum, 1995 Don Roll Gallery, Sarasota, Florida, February 1995, One Woman Show African American Museum, Tampa, Florida Tampa, Florida Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709.... , October 1995, One Woman Show United States Department of Health and Human Services United States Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services is a Cabinet department of the United States government with the goal of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America"...  Art Gallery Art gallery An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection... , Washington, DC, 1996 Pennsylvania State University Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service... , 1996 Chuck Leviton Gallery, New York, City, 1996 Tampa City Center, Tampa Florida Francesca Anderson Gallery, Lexington, Massachusetts Sarasota Center for the Visual Arts, Sarasota, FL 1997 SoBo Fine Art, Tulsa, OK, February 1999 Art Jaz Gallery, Philadelphia, October 1999 Shamwari Gallery, Oakland, CA 2000 My Museum, multimedia interactive installation, Ringling Museum John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is the state art museum of Florida, located in Sarasota, Florida. It was established in 1927 as the legacy of Mable and John Ringling for the people of Florida...  of Art,Sarasota, FL, October 1999-2000 2000 Mural A tribute to Artist Romare Bearden

Commissioned Works

Archbishop Desmond Tutu Congressman Ronald Dellums Ambassador Bradley Holmes Governor Michael Duckakis Mayor Andrew Young J. Bruce Llewellyn James Baldwin James Baldwin (writer) James Arthur Baldwin was an American novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic.Baldwin's essays, for instance "Notes of a Native Son" , explore palpable yet unspoken intricacies of racial, sexual, and class distinctions in Western societies, most notably in mid-20th century America,... , University of Massachusetts Ambassador, Franklin Williams Jackie Robinson Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...  for Ms. Rachel Robinson Dr. Arthur Logan for Mrs. Marian Logan Byard Rustin Governor L. Douglas Wilder President R. William David, Council of Churches Bronze, Charles Hamilton Huston, North Carolina University, Sarasota Memorial Hospital Pediatrics Dept. Arthur Ashe for the Arthur Ashe Foundation Selected as Feature Artist, Sarasota Magazine, December 1995 Law Office of Rosen & Shapiro, Sarasota, Florida Law Office of Shaffer Zapson, New York City Premier African American Painter, Jacob Lawrence Jacob Lawrence Jacob Lawrence was an American painter; he was married to fellow artist Gwendolyn Knight. Lawrence referred to his style as "dynamic cubism", though by his own account the primary influence was not so much French art as the shapes and colors of Harlem.Lawrence is among the best-known twentieth...  and his wife, Artist Gwen Knight San Francisco General Hospital -Permanent Collection, 1978 Forbes Gallery, Absolut Vodka Absolut Vodka Absolut Vodka is a brand of vodka, produced near Åhus, Skåne, in southern Sweden. Since July 2008 the company has been owned by the French firm Pernod Ricard who bought V&S Group from the Swedish government....  Ad Campaign 100 Black Women, Boston Massachusetts. National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Officers, Washington DC