Patrick Roberts, Dragon*Con Art Show Director, said artists participating in the Art Show (Artist Alley) are up to 230-plus from 185 in 2002. For the first time, a panel or "jury" selected artists for the show. Roberts is pleased with the process and the results.

"Couldn't have been better," Roberts said. "We're working with artists who were declined to get them into the show in the future," he added.

When asked about showstoppers in the Art Show, Roberts said: "Where do I start?" He pointed out a new collaboration between Teresa Mather (known for her paintings on feathers) and Australian artist Xonrad. Framed and ready for purchase or bidding, the work features two dragons in an aggressive "yin-yang" pose.

Jean Marie Ward, editor of Crescent Blues, an online magazine featuring genre entertainment and the arts, singled out the work of Laura Reynolds. Reynolds, a Dragon*Con Art Show regular, creates unique creatures in soft sculpture which Ward praised as "exquisitely rendered." Roberts said that Reynolds usually sells out well before the Art Show closes.

Roberts tried to involve local students including artists from Emory University, the Art Institute of Atlanta, and Kennesaw State. An "awesome" example of student work, per fan and artist spouse Maura Mueller, is the crouching, 6-foot "alien" sculpture greeting fans at the entrance to Artist Alley. Student artist Patrick Crowsdale completed the untitled "action figure" in mixed media.

A 2003 first, fans will be able to purchase the debut work of an exciting new series of posters promoting the Dragon*Con Art Show. Conceptualized and compiled by airbrush fantasy artist Joe Mueller, the 22x37-inch poster features a collage of art by Don Maitz, Nene Thomas, Bill Wright, John E. Kaufman, and Mueller. The poster is available for $15 at the Art Show cashier and is sold with an information sheet identifying the artists and works included. The 2003 poster may be previewed on the Art Show link at www.dragoncon.org. Artists interested in participating in the poster series for future years should contact Mueller through www.joemuellerillustration.com.

Artist Alley also features an artist "bazaar." "Not all the best buys are in the dealers' room," said beadwork jewelry artist Natha Hancock. Visual art, sculpture, mixed media, jewelry, pottery, glasswork and other art may be purchased directly from the creating artists at tables located around Artist Alley located in the Imperial Ballroom on the Convention Level of the Marriott Hotel.