Catching up with Atalante Shay
Wow, I can't believe it is time for my anniversary interview with the MilspoFAN blog, and so much has happened in just a year!
Since my last post, I have landed an art teaching gig as a guest artist for the Anne Arundel Public Schools Art Magnet program- Apex Arts. But it was totally by accident because I was asked to sub for an art teacher for just a few weeks. It ended up being a long-term sub! I did such an awesome subbing that I was asked to submit a proposal to teach my own art class for the following school year. Not in my wildest dreams, I never thought I would teach art to high-schoolers, but it's been enriching and inspiring!
I was recently asked by a local Gallery here in Annapolis, Maryland, to put together a show of some of my students' paintings since I'm currently teaching acrylic painting to 9th, 10th, and 11th graders! Their Maryland-themed acrylic paintings are presently hanging at Gallery 57 West as this ongoing support of young artists.
As an artist, it's essential to keep making art every day, no matter how chaotic life gets, because it's so easy to put aside what we love the most. So, I make an effort every day to either sketch or draw for at least 15 to an hour. This has led me to enter my artwork into local art shows around the Annapolis area, and I didnt realize it, but it has become a full-time job producing work and entering them into art shows.
I have a piece hanging in BWI Airport; I just wrapped up a solo show at City Hall in Annapolis, MD. I just had two of my paintings accepted into a juried exhibition for exhibit at the Goldstein Treasury Building, and two other pieces have been accepted into a local show! Having my artwork in all these local shows has been such a fantastic feeling!
I truly feel very blessed that I can teach and still produce my work!
Make sure to follow me on Instagram at @atalanteshay