Paintings by Seattle-based artist (and Roy Chapman Andrews fan) Thom Ross provided the focus for the Andrews birthday celebration, with an exhibition of Ross’s work hanging in Beloit during the month of January. The "Explore Art" exhibit was a collaborative venture between the Society and the Beloit Fine Arts Incubator, the host of the exhibition. It marked the 121st anniversary of the explorer’s birth.

     Ross’s paintings conveyed the breadth of Andrews’s Gobi expeditions and discoveries with a style at times reverent, at times whimsical. His works are based on the historical record of the explorer’s life and adventures.

     The artist traveled to Beloit mid-way through the show to attend a birthday-party reception and celebration of the exhibition. The event was held Friday, January 14. Ross returned to the Arts Incubator the following day for a special youth program as part of the Society’s annual celebration of the explorer’s January 26, 1884 birth. The "Explore Art!" exhibit ran through February 28. (Click on photos below to see larger version.)

Artist Thom Ross with "Roy Chapman Andrews and the Dinosaur Eggs" from the " Explore Art!" show in Beloit	Thom Ross visits with patrons during the opening reception for "Explore Art!"	Every birthday celebration needs a cake. Happy 121st birthday, Roy Chapman Andrews!
Thom Ross steps into a camp scene with a life-size view of Roy Chapman Andrews from the "Explore Art!" exhibit.	Ross with the camp scene again.	Thom Ross spoke about the influences Roy Chapman Andrews has has on his life and art during a program with the artist on January 15.
Visiting artist Thom Ross and Ann Bausum, board member of the Roy Chapman Andrews Society, serve up birthday cake during the Beloit celebration of his birth.

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