You may have seen Mom Ross and her partner Dave, on Evening!, when they did a feature on the NW Regional Championship in 2023. Did you know she was the very first Art Battle Seattle City Champion?
While working as a paint and sip instructor at Pinot’s Palette on South Hill in Puyallup, WA, her boss sent her a link and encouraged her to apply. She didn’t make it into the first one, but a coworker did, and that’s where she discovered the absolute magic that is Art Battle! Accepted to compete in the next event, Mom Ross made it to the finals with her landscape. She continued to compete and volunteer with Art Battle Seattle until she finally became an event champion. “It’s a crazy challenge to create in 20 minutes, especially in front of a live audience, but that’s what makes it so much fun!” she explains, “you get to know the other artists and you learn a lot from watching them create.”
During the City Finals, the event champions from the season compete against each other. “I knew who my competition was, and I knew the talent I was up against,” Mom Ross said, “I can’t believe that I actually won, I felt like I was channeling Bob!”
The winner of the City or regional championship secured a spot at the Art Battle National competition, unfortunately Covid hit shortly thereafter and Mom Ross never got to compete in Nationals. However, she did become an event organizer and began Art Battle Tacoma! She and Dave now run Art Battle Tacoma, Art Battle Portland, Art Battle Seattle, and additional events.
The winning painting by Mom Ross