Opening mid-November, the American Artists Professional League hosts its largest event of the year—the Grand National Exhibition, now in its 97th edition. The overall mission of the show, and AAPL, is to support and honor artists who excel in realist art. Artists from across the country submit works in mediums like oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, graphics and sculpture. The top 100 works are shown in an exhibition at the historic Salmagundi Club in New York City.

This year’s guest jurors were Kara Ross, co-founder and chief operating officer of the Art Renewal Center; and Signature AAPL Members Joel Edwards and Don Taylor. The Juror of Awards is Frederick Brosen, a renowned watercolor artist and instructor. 

Brian McClear, Hoon, oil on canvas, 60 x 40 in.

 “We are proud that our members bring such diverse training and perspectives to AAPL, and this breadth is reflected in the Grand National Exhibition,” says show co-director, Deborah Gersony. “Collectors will encounter a wide spectrum of realist work across mediums...The exhibition ranges from the meticulous detail of photorealism and hyperrealism to the expressive brushwork of impressionistic realism. Subject matter is equally varied, with portraiture, still life, landscapes and seascapes all represented. What unites these different styles and mediums is the artists’ mastery of technique and their ability to convey a truthful view of the natural world.”

Artist Brian McClear, for instance, will be represented a portrait titled Hoon, part of the artist's Ink & Oil series. “[The series features] portraits that explore people of all ages and walks of life that have chosen tattoos as their form of self-expression,” explains McClear. “These portraits seek to capture a gesture and mood that provide additional insights into the subject’s personality beyond their art. Simply put, canvases of people who are themselves canvases.”

We see more portraiture by artist Fang Sullivan, recognized for her distinctive use of color. “Working in pastel, I capture the shifting interplay of light and shadow, giving my work both immediacy and vitality. In this portrait, Beautiful Blue, painted live, I convey the model’s luminous skin, vibrant blue dress and profound, focused gaze through layered, subtle hues. The painting embodies a moment of elegance, resilience and humanity.”

In Kate Lackman’s oil portrait Daydream, a young boy drifts inward, absorbed in the quiet world of his imagination. “His posture and expression evoke the universal experience of retreating when solitude surrounds us,” says Lackman. “The work invites viewers to recognize themselves in this quiet turning inward, reminding us of childhood and our capacity to create entire inner landscapes when our world feels distant. As an artist, I appreciate AAPL for encouraging us to create and share our inner landscapes.”

Fang Sullivan, Beautiful Blue, pastel, 19 x 13 in.; Gwynn W Di Pilla, Morning Light, watercolor, 18 x 12 in.

Inspired by the raw, sacred beauty of motherhood, Lin Melissa Yang sought to capture that powerful transition in her figurative painting Awaiting Bloom, depiciting a woman admiring her pregnant form. “The blooming flowers symbolize her inner fertility and grace, while the open robe represents a vulnerable, unadorned strength,” says Yang. “This piece is a celebration of the divine feminine—a tribute to the miraculous, blooming form of a woman cradling new life, embodying both softness and immense power in her unveiled state.”

Traveling along the Eastern Seaboard, artist Desirée Rose Zaslow finds inspiration in the charming towns, small fishing villages and the beauty of the coastline. “Whether journeying by boat, walking the docks or immersing myself in these communities, I paint the romantic natural beauty of the coast and sea, striking a balance between realism and impressionism. My work combines luminous atmosphere with realistic draftsmanship, giving structure to boats, buoys and lighthouses. Impressionistic skies and seas allow my paintings to breathe with movement and color.” This combination of expressive brushwork and luminous light captures the rhythm of maritime life, seen in Zaslow’s oil show piece Walking the Docks at Dawn.

Desirée Rose Zaslow, Walking the Docks at Dawn, oil, 18 x 24 in.

Additional seascape imagery is found in Jess Bell’s oil painting Sunset Sailing, which was inspired by an evening the artist spent watching her oldest son, who is a sailor. “We spend countless hours by the water, but this particular night stood out," Bell shares. “The sky erupted with dramatic color, mirrored in the rippling reflections between the boats. I was immediately drawn to capture the fleeting moment on canvas, celebrating both the beauty of the river and the quiet rhythm of sailing.”

Gwynn Walker Di Pilla was juried into the show for her watercolor Morning Light. “One morning, I awoke to bright light streaming into the bedroom of my parent’s old shore home," she explains. "We had just repainted the doors and trim white. I was captivated by the effect of the light on this doorknob, so I grabbed my camera and began photographing it for a future painting. Picking which photo to work from was clear to me when I edited them.”

As it is for many, autumn is Katherine Grossfeld’s favorite season, with its warm, raking light highlighting nature’s saturated colors, and cool, crisp breezes signaling summer’s end. She chose to capture the autumn season in her show piece, Tumbled.“Collecting these dried leaves and bringing them back to my studio allowed fall to linger a little longer,” she says. “Each leaf, brittle and colorful, preserves the sensory memory of autumn, letting its presence continue to fill my studio with the scents and sights of fall.”

Top: Kate Lackman, Daydream, oil, 16 x 16 in.; Jess Bell, Sunset Sailing, oil on cradled Gessobord, 20 x 16 in. Bottom: Lin Melissa Yang, Awaiting Bloom, oil on linen, 36 x 30 in.; Katherine Grossfeld, Tumbled, oil on linen, 10 x 20 in.

Kim Shaklee’s life as a sculptor is filled with wonderous opportunities to observe wildlife in its natural habitat. For the AAPL exhibition, she captures the graceful form of the white ibis in bronze in a piece titled, In the Shadows. “White ibis are stunning birds that enjoy secluded, shaded areas in early morning and evening, while silently stalking their prey in the shallows along various water ways,” the artist notes. The entirety of the piece is colored and presented on a stand.

Patsy Lindamood, Great Blue on the Bow, graphite on Claybord, 36 x 30 in.; Oleksandra Korolenko, The Blossom Guardian, acrylic, 24 x 18 in.

Patsy Lindamood also depicts a water bird in her graphite on Claybord, Great Blue on the Bow. “On a birding trip in Fulton, Texas, I spotted a great blue heron framed between a bait shop and a workboat,” she explains. “As I moved closer to photograph the bird, the shimmering reflection of the boat in the water caught my eye. What began as a study of wildlife evolved into a layered composition—an interplay of bird, boat and reflection—revealing the unexpected in the mundane.”

Collectors will also find animal imagery in Oleksandra Korolenko’s highly realistic show piece The Blossom Guardian, depiciting a reptile amongst florals. “Creating The Blossom Guardian, I was inspired by the idea of an inner strength that protects tenderness,” says the artist. “I wanted to show how power can safeguard beauty and unite strength with delicacy. This work became a reflection on the truth that real protection is born not from aggression but from deep respect and love for the fragile living world.”

Kim Shaklee, In the Shadows, bronze, ed. of 30, 15 x 5½ x 9½ in.

Collectors and enthusiasts have the opportunity to enjoy and purchase these artworks and many more at the Grand National Exhibition opening November 18, and hanging in the Salmagundi Club’s Skylight Gallery through December 5. An awards reception will be held on November 21, when $35,000 in cash and other awards will be presented. Guests can also enjoy a piano performance by Brielle Logel, along with food and drinks. A live demonstration by AAPL Elected Artist Member Scott Nickerson, a renowned portrait artist, will be offered on December 5 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. During the event, he will paint a portrait from a live model in the Skylight Gallery, offering the public a rare chance to watch a master at work and gain insight into his process. —

American Artists Professional League: 97th Grand National Exhibition 
When: November 18-December 5, 2025
Where: Salmagundi Club, 47 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10003
Information: www.aaplinc.org 

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