1- Niki Jackson | Inside The Tent | $200
Artist panel, cardboard, cardstock, sculpting, gesso, acrylic and watercolor paints
Artist Statement: Perspective from the inside of a warm glowing tent, camping somewhere the stars outweigh the light pollution, watching the treeline while snuggled beneath the comfort of blankets.
Artist Bio: Lifelong artist. Tattoo Artist and Painter. Born in West Virginia, grew up and reside in Ohio. Practices watercolor, acrylic and mixed media.

2- Rita Montlack  | The Fresh Fairy Tale: Little Red Riding Hood Goes to Capadoccia | $1,000
Archival digital print, computer manipulated
Artist Statement: In my work I like to take things out of context and insert them where they don’t belong. I begin by making visually striking combinations of unexpected and unconnected things and building webs of meaning around them. The smallest detail can easily become my major focal point. Oftentimes I add stripes, checks, dots, and vintage wallpaper in the process. Odd connections occur, and this new chemistry suggests new realities. In this way I am introducing the element of surprise, not only to myself, but hopefully to the viewer as well. The photographs that I have entered have been printed on metallic paper which exaggerates subtle changes of color as the viewer moves about them encouraging closer examination. My photographs are digitally manipulated on the computer by means of Photoshop. Rita Montlack
November 2023
Artist Bio: Rita Montlack, a Cleveland native, has a distinguished career as a professional artist. Her work has been shown nationally in dozens of solo exhibitions, including gallery exhibitions in New York City and Miami, as well as scores of juried group shows, in which she has received many awards and prizes, including the “Architecture Prize” at the national FAVA Biennial Photography Show 2021 and the “Jon Logan Purchase Prize” at the CAN triennial 2022. Her work is included in prominent institutional collections, such as those of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland State University, Cuyahoga Community College, MetroHealth, Progressive Corporation, and University Hospitals. Her current work grows out of her own photographs that are subjected to various interventions on the computer. Subverting things that are familiar and creating matches that do not match are things that Rita is passionate about.

3- Emily Speelman | The Door | $150
Digital collage
Artist Statement: Going through The Door leads you to a completely new realm. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, you have to move forward by stepping through.
Artist Bio: Emily is an artist, author, and naturalist living in Wayne County, Ohio. Through her works she hopes to inspire others to slow down and find something new in nature, even if it’s finding a moment to pause and take a breath.

4- Mary White | Bitter the Parting | $3,000
Oil paint on canvas
Artist Statement: In painting Bitter the Parting, my goal was to create a mysterious atmosphere using dramatic lighting and a challenging composition. A narrative surrounding the main figure is implied with the suggestion of a “missing” figure, indicated by the half empty drink glasses on the bar. I leave it to the viewer of the painting to determine what transpired between the two characters, although the title indicates an unhappy conclusion. The main challenge in this painting was to create a harmonious relationship between the large warm red mass (the T-shirt) and the large cool red mass (the bar). Adding both warm and cool red touches to the background keeps the painting cohesive. I kept the rendering of the graffiti wall purposefully vague, (although there are some words and symbols understood only by the artist) and used the abstract shapes and organic lines to keep the viewers eyes moving around the painting. Using multiple element; figure, still life, interior, and graphics, give this painting the moody complexity I was hoping to achieve.
Artist Bio: Mary White has been a life-long resident of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Her home and studio are located on the edge of the scenic Cuyahoga Valley National Park, where she often paints en plein air. Mary’s earliest artistic inspiration came from her aunt, Frances Graham Molson, who was a watercolor painter, and her father, who recognized Mary’s artistic ability at a young age and did all he could to nurture it. She studied fine art painting at the University of Akron. She also studied oil painting with notable artist, Jack Richard, at his school of art. Mary is proficient with several mediums; watercolor, pastel, color pencil, and drawing, but her medium of choice is oil paint. Mary’s style can be described as realism. Her painting process starts with a foundation of accurate drawing and continues with the building up of layers of color. In her landscapes, she likes to capture the interaction between light and shadow. Her portraits and figurative works are laced with subtle narrative. When painting a still life, she chooses objects that are personally meaningful to her and aesthetically interesting. Mary has participated in local Plein Air competitions for over 12 years, winning several awards, including Best of Show. Her artwork has been published in International Artist Magazine and also, one of her paintings is published on the cover of the book, The Gate Lodge, published by Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens. Recently, two of her paintings were purchased to be part of the permanent art collection at the John S. Knight house in Akron Ohio. Mary has accepted several portrait commissions, as well as pet painting commissions. Mary is a signature member of the Akron Society of Artists, where she also serves on the board.

5- Luanne Bole-Becker | The Measure of Our Days  | $350
Sardine tins, chopsticks, vintage toy pieces, yardstick, calendar, specialty paper, LED lights
Artist Statement: The colorful sardine tins I found in Portugal deserved to be highlighted! They exuded life, community, and celebration. Our lives are too fleeting to miss these moments of enjoyment together. I emphasized this theme with vibrant colors and the playfulness of vintage toys and game pieces, then lit the celebration scenes with tiny LED lights. (Note: For exhibition, I suggest placing the lights on mode 3 or 5, which provides gentle flickering. The piece is built to be displayed lit or unlit, on a wall or easel.)
Artist Bio: MAGIC FROM THE MUNDANE My artwork is a lot like me: quirky, whimsical, a bit disjointed, and full of vintage pieces and parts!
I love storytelling through photography and assemblage, building magical worlds to explore. My work often includes:
– Surprises in terms of unexpected angles, perspectives, and eclectic details
– Vintage items that I’ve accumulated for the past 40 years
– Whimsical creations that entertain
– Glimpses of behind-the-scene stories that intrigue
– Immersive spaces that invite EXHIBITION GALLERIES & VENUES
Apple Tree Gallery (Piqua, OH)
Artist Archives of the Western Reserve (Cleveland, OH)
Ashtabula Arts Center (Ashtabula, OH)
Bryn Du Mansion (Granville, OH)
Carrington Arts (Sandusky, OH)
Center for Artful Living (Westlake, OH)
Cleveland Photographic Society (various)
Creative Space Avon (Avon, OH)
Cuyahoga Valley Arts Center (Cuyahoga Falls, OH)
Fusion Art (international online)
Jenks Building (Cuyahoga Falls, OH)
Lakeland Community College (Kirtland, OH)
Light Space Time Gallery (international online)
Peninsula Art Academy (Peninsula, OH)
Photocentric/Waterloo Juried Arts (Cleveland, OH)
Stella’s Art Gallery (Willoughby, OH)
Summit Artspace (Akron, OH)
Valley Art Center (Chagrin Falls, OH)
Westlake-Bay Village Rotary Art Festival (Westlake, OH)
Willoughby Artsfest (Willoughby, OH) RECENT AWARDS
Best of Show: “Bricolage,” Stella’s Art Gallery, November 2023 “Size Matters, SQUARES,” Stella’s Art Gallery, July 2021
1st place: “Bricolage,” Stella’s Art Gallery, November 2022 “Celebrating the Elements,” Stella’s Art Gallery (3-D), April 2022 “Bricolage,” Stella’s Art Gallery, November 2021 “You-topia,” Summit Artspace, May 2020
2nd place: “Photographers Only,” Stella’s Art Gallery (2 categories: wildlife, abstract), September 2022 “Northeast Ohio (6th Annual), Stella’s Art Gallery (wildlife), August 2022 “Celebrating the Elements,” Stella’s Art Gallery (2-D), April 2022 “Line by Line,” Stella’s Art Gallery (literature), April 2021 “Black & White,” Stella’s Art Gallery (3-D), January 2021
3rd place: “Oddball,” Stella’s Art Gallery (3-D), October 2021 “Love Is…,” Stella’s Art Gallery (3-D), February 2021 “Black & White,” Fusion Art (3-D, international), February 2021 “Bricolage,” Stella’s Art Gallery (assemblage), November 2020 “Femicentric,” Summit Artspace, August 2020 “Portals,” Summit Artspace on Tusc, September 2019

6- m | Portraits | NFS
Frame, theatrical spotlight
Artist Statement: This is an audience participation piece. It consists of a frame, a theatrical spotlight, and somebody, anybody to stand between the spotlight and the frame, casting their shadow in the frame. The purpose of this piece is for the public not only to engage with art, but to become the art. The public is free to pose and free to do whatever they want with their art. I strongly encourage the artists to post their art on whatever social media they prefer. They will be encouraged to tag Summit Art Space and myself. Images collected at the end of the show will be posted as an Instagram montage reel. The photo attached are of the frame, the light, and an example of a shadow portrait.
Artist Bio: m is a award winning national artist whose current work uses shadow portraits to tell the story.

7- Steven Mastroianni  | Fathomable Series #24 | $2,500
Unique cameraless photogram, silver gelatin print
Artist Statement: My work re-examines the alternative processes of cameraless photography, expanding on the medium from the simple relationship between objects and shadow to fully embracing the unique graphic possibilities of drawing with light. Some of the earliest photographic processes were referred to as “photogenic drawing”, as they did not yet use a camera to capture the image, but instead used direct contact of objects and renderings onto light sensitive materials to capture a “shadow”. Commonly referred to as photograms, or cameraless photography, this medium has been explored by artists from the early 19th century up to the present. I’m continuing that tradition into the 21st century, exploring the connection between photography and drawing with light on a very large scale. These patterns and motifs are inspired by automatism, surrealism, and the subconscious, deriving abstract imagery from synesthesia and the imagination. Evocative of watery depths, imaginary heavens, and mysterious maps, these luminous images create an immersive dimension with their own rules of scale and space. Like dreams, these shadowy objects seem familiar but weird; letters that don’t exist, mechanical forms floating in dark space or deep water, math problems that don’t add up, or overlapping patterns that follow their own logic of space and dimension. The pieces start out as sketches where I develop my concepts, motifs, and patterns through drawing. The final pieces can resemble mechanical drawings, microscopic organisms, or distant stars all at once. In order to execute the photograms, I find or create stencils, along with miscellaneous bric-a-brac and hand drawn “negatives” to serve as analogous forms to the lines and marks of the original drawings. Those objects and drawings are then laid out on photographic paper in the darkroom as if to make a drawing, exposed, processed, and fixed. Since the process is the reverse of actual drawing, I need to visualize how solid objects leave white shadows, translucent objects leave shades of gray, and open areas take on a deep black in order to create these compositions. This cameraless process harkens back to the very root of photography: drawing with light.
Artist Bio: Steven Mastroianni is a Cleveland based artist, photographer, educator, curator, and musician. His art straddles the worlds of photography, drawing, and printmaking, incorporating camera-less photographic processes and mixed media. He has exhibited in dozens of regional group and solo shows, most recently a solo exhibition at the Massillon Museum (2022), and an artist residency at Akron Soul Train. His work is included in the permanent collections of University Hospitals, Progressive Insurance, Cleveland Clinic, and many private collections.

8- Ja Miller | To Bear Our Sorrow with Greater Assurance than Our Joy (I’m Gonna Find You in the End) | NFS
Acrylic paint and crayon on canvas
Artist Statement: To Bear Our Sorrow with Greater Assurance than Our Joy (I’m Gonna Find You in the End) is a visual and emotional response to Tina Boonstra’s song “Proof of Life”. Stylistically, it is an abstract expressionist work influenced by street art and with particular attention to using words and language as art. Thematically, this piece is an exploration of the human tendency to happily avoid the tragic—a habit that often keeps hidden the value of sadness to produce something new in us.
My work is heavily influenced and inspired by music and Boonstra’s song “Proof of Life” served as my primary inspiration and source material for this piece. The artwork also includes moments of reflection based on the poem “Pushing Through,” by Rainer Maria Rilke. My hope is that this painting like most of my artwork reveals some of the intimate chapters in my story (one that is rooted in many long years of chronic pain). It’s also intended to provide a thoughtful response to Tina Boonstra’s song and lyrics, which overlap thematically with my battle with daily physical pain and my attempts to always hold on to hope. This work was also influenced by the song “Catastrophe,” by the band Rainer Maria, as well as some lyrical thoughts by the band MewithoutYou.
Artist Bio: Artist Bio and Summary of Work Hawaii-born Ja Miller is a Korean-American abstract expressionist and filmmaker, who has lived in Akron since 2003. Abstract expressionists Gerhard Richter, Jason Craighead, Taylor O. Thomas and Ty Nathan Clark have strongly influenced him, as well as street artists, Blek Le Rat and Shepard Fairey, and filmmakers, Jim Jarmusch and Sophia Coppola. Music plays a big role in inspiring Ja’s art and he considers mewithoutYou, Comrades, Tina Boonstra, and Sonic Youth particularly influential. Ja’s films have been accepted into Flickerings Film Festival, Highland Square Film Festival, and The Akron Art Prize Film Festival. His paintings have been accepted into a number of past Summit Art Space’s Fresh Art Exhibitions. Professionally, Ja is a filmmaker, photographer, and graphic designer. He studied photography and graphic design at Indiana Wesleyan’s School of Art.

9- Eric Tuck-Macalla | Grandfathers house | $300
Wood and paper
Artist Statement: Part of the “Bundles of Sticks and Bits of Paper” series. Innocuous materials, spontaneous processing a simple message. From homeless encampments, the fragility of structure, housing a wealth of the inhabitants experiences. Somebodies Grandfather choosing to live on the street.
Artist Bio: Eric Tuck-Macalla, b.Cleveland Ohio 1959. 1986 Graduate of Cleveland Institute of Art. Active sculptor 1984-1993. 1986 AllOhio show, 1986 Three River Art Festival, 1991 Ohio State University temporary outdoor sculpture and Artist in residence Fairview Park High School, 1993 Solo Show at The Sculpture Center and FAVA Gallery.
Returned to active showing of my work in 2022. 2022 showed at Copley Art Association in Boston, and Woodstock Art Association in Woodstock NY. 2023 showed at “Fresh” Summit Artspace, ROYGBIV gallery in Columbus, Par Projects in Cincinnati, Eku Gallery in Kentucky and Yards Project in Cleveland.

10- Michelle Eisen | I’ve Made My Bed | $500
Silkscreen on hardboard
Artist Statement: Based on an earlier relationship, this work explores love, queer expression, and the shame we attach to acknowledging the dynamics of intimacy in our early adulthood. This work is specifically inspired by the “third place” we would often meet at, neither of our homes, the back of his Bakkie (pickup truck) where at a moment’s notice he could leave, shielding himself from his own desires. In the past, I was the person left behind, the person who had to live in that “third place”. It became necessary to make permanent arrangements, to get comfortable as it were, living in a liminal zone of other’s shame. [Accompanying Text] I know I was your give-it-all-I-got girl, the girl you would come to when you needed it. We always loved each other in a “third place”, it wasn’t never my home or yours, it was outside, the back of trucks, bathrooms… you name it. You didn’t want me in your home… your parents couldn’t know about this. When we had sex, I touched you, but your hands were never on me. I glowed bright pink, you were dim and cold. A means to an end, someone to love and leave. I was your give-it-all-I-got girl because you knew I cared so much. I think you cared too, but I know you wish I was white, a white girl to bring home to your Afrikaans parents and not some coloured moffie. Every time you left, I wished you’d stay, I’d watch your bakkie drive off, eventually it left tracks… the only proof any of this happened. I’m better now, better with how I give my love and who I give it to. No more white boys with trucks. I know now that I love queerly and that you didn’t feel the same. You did treat me like a woman, but that’s more telling of you than me. I’m not the woman you wanted me to be when you would drive off, looking both ways for anyone who could have seen. I haven’t lost that beautiful pink glow. It’s not weakness, it’s not softness, its tenderness.
Artist Bio: Michelle Eisen is a Zambian-American artist living and working in the Akron area. Her work, primarily silkscreen, explores the complicated dynamics of queer love, intimacy, and narratives of time. Often ghostly-white, her work haunts a space with its presence, drawing attention to the complicated emotional tableaus she explores.

11- Zachary Tyler Gill | Coping Mechanisms #2: “Gardening Gizmoids” | $2,000
Mixed media on paper
Artist Statement: Earlier this Fall, I visited the studio apartment of the abstract artist David Chesler, who had passed away in 2021 during the pandemic, as his space was undergoing an open-house sale in Cleveland. There I found drawings done by Chesler, which varied in age, condition, and preparation. As I went to examine these studies, I selected samples that both seemed incomplete and held compositional potential for further revision, as the idea of “recycling” scrap materials from other artists to build a new work seemed promising. I start my revisions through watercolor washes that work with complimentary contrasts and neighboring color schemes relative to natural light as a base tone. Next, I navigate my way through the surface with linework done in pen, looking for designs in the fibers of the surface to stitch a scaffolding for the whole image, and at the most extreme should visually simulate a kind of drawn “static” one may see on electronic devices. From here I collage and paste together varying colors of paper that work with the base colors, cut by hand to make “gears” in various sizes and other mechanical shapes, which are crosshatched together to further construct a figure-ground relationship. After sealing in the collage with a matte medium used as a clear-coat primer, I finish the surface with a combination of oil markers, to create crisp and fine linework, and a blend of oil pastels, to deepen the environment with rich pigments and a grainy texture; Both of which are used to ultimately fuse the surface together, and have each layer engage in a visual dialogue with one another through transitions in texture, pressure, and color, while also making sure a strong sense of contrast and spatial depth is maintained. The end result of such a process should also leave strong reflective properties when put under a strong light, making the work seem to be “holographic” on occasion. As I work to build these two drawings as one may assemble a machine, I ponder on the name for these creations. Given how my taste in aesthetics leans towards modern abstraction, particularly Surrealism, I consider the psychological connections to the movement’s history relative to the emotional state of the environment many people face in a world post-pandemic. Having also considered my affinity towards mechanical subject matter, I decided to name these two to be “Coping Mechanisms”, as there are many ways one may “cope” with the challenges of life, which could be further explored as a potential series of future works. When naming “The Guzzling Gadgetron”, I consider how some may “consume” as a type of coping mechanism, and how “gadgets” refer to devices that are designed to serve specific functions. As for “Gardening Gizmoids”, I consider how some may “produce” as a type of coping mechanism, and how “gizmos” refer to devices that focus on creating a novel and entertaining experience. In conclusion, this was another fun experiment with materials and practices in making aesthetic machines.
Artist Bio: Website Bio: Zachary Tyler Gill is a BFA in Painting & Drawing Major with a Minor in Illustration at the University of Akron, Spring 2022. Having once worked in the industrial sector in packaging and as a Certified CNC (Computer Numerical Control) Machinist, Gill left the industry in order to pursue his passion art, while developing his interest in rendering machine subjects as he makes observations of both past and present experiences. His works explore themes of Philosophy, Mysticism, Psychology, along with various other scientific and contemporary issues within a Mechanical Lens. These ideas are visually translated through live Mechanical Objects, which are explored through a series of ongoing experiments. Such experiments primarily occur in physical form through Oil Painting, Live Drawing and other forms of Mixed Media trials. The resulting work may vary in stylistic execution such as Cubo-Futurism, Impressionism, Surrealism, and Geometric Abstraction. Regardless, the end goal remains to pose Machines and Mechanical Function in an existential framework, in order to provoke further questioning and exploration within the self and the audience. On this page you are viewing art that Zachary had displayed in two art galleries: The Lynn Rodeman Metzger Gallereries at the Cummings Center for the History of Psychology (Akron, OH), and MIArt Space (Miami, FL). (To access content in “Paintings”, “Drawings”, “Prints”, and “Sketches” tabs on website, please contact the artist via email or text to request login data.)

12- Andy Tubbesing | junkyard Kid | $700
Assemblage
Artist Statement: Let’s assume an enterprising guy manages the local junkyard, which lies adjacent to the town cemetery. And let’s further assume said enterprising guy gets a little lonely surrounded by those piles of junk. He hankers for company. He knows how to weld and bolt and run electrical line. And dig.
So he tinkers and rivets and appends. And digs, and appends some more. Until he gains the companionship he seeks.
It’s amazing the perfectly good stuff people discard.
Artist Bio: My art tends to be representational, although the stuff represented may not exist. Fleeting glances around corners, over hills, or through windows into otherwise unseen worlds. Onlookers have labeled these worlds somber, low-brow, weird. Who am I to argue? Forty years in commercial art has forged a perverse weakness for typography and garish colors, and bred a wary respect for deadlines. Which is good, because nothing would ever get done if I waited for the muse. Creating art is a perilous enterprise, a trek through uncharted territory on a moonless night. Perhaps a process of joyous discovery, but also of damage control. Painting: The creative process takes long enough as it is (see above), so I paint in acrylics. H2O, the universal solvent, is my friend. Even with the reduced drying time, I use a hair dryer to speed things along. This allows for more glazing, scumbling, and outlining, which are my favored techniques. Animation: Actually, we’re talking animation and assemblage, since my cartoons need somewhere to live. Cast-off furniture, plumbing parts, various doodads and gizmos interlock to house the art-in-motion. To create the cartoons themselves I employ 2D and 3D software as well as good ol’ hand-drawn cels. Takeaway thought: Much as I moan about art as a “perilous trek” on a “moonless night,” it seems the only thing more difficult is not creating art.

13- Sarah Kosinski | Fragments of Beauty | NFS
Photography
Artist Statement: I love doing all forms of portrait photography and when my friend had asked to do an abstract shoot I happily jumped at the opportunity. I was able to get this amazing picture that showcases her beauty in a way I personally had not seen before, as soon as i saw it I was dragged into it looking at every fragment there was. I knew I wanted to showcase it as soon as I could.
Artist Bio: I am a 21 year old photographer who enjoys trying out new styles and techniques. I started my journey with photography in 2019 during my senior year of high school and have been fine tuning my skills since then always willing to learn and take notes at every chance i can get!

14- Keith Wisdom | Winter Queen | $800
Mixed media collage
Artist Statement: This piece (Winter Queen) is my early attempt at discovering the possibilities of image creation, in this case the Royal Fantasy, via the technique of collage.
Artist Bio: After years of involvement in the visual arts via theatrical productions and corporate advertising and marketing campaigns Keith Wisdom decided to begin to draw and paint seriously. “My art is inspired by the creative essence, costumes, color and rhythm of modern Bahamian Junkanoo. I began experiencing this artistic spectacle even before I could walk. I have never gotten over it — it lives in my soul. It is who I am and what my art holds for the viewer ultimately.” Keith Wisdom was born in Nassau, The Bahamas. Keith earned his B.Sc. in Drama and Theatre from Minnesota State University (Mankato). He went on to obtain an M.F.A. in Performance and Ph.D. in Drama and Theatre from the University of Georgia. At the age of 38 years, Keith followed a “persistent urge” and began to draw and paint seriously. His Junkanoo-inspired, intricate paintings have been seen in private collections in Hungary, the United States, Canada and numerous Bahamian private and corporate collections.

15- Robert Pierson | Streamliner Iron | NFS
Colored pencil on black mat board
Artist Statement: This iron has been in student still life arrangements since I began teaching almost 30 years ago. I have also composed self portrait drawings every year since starting art school. I’ve found my face has changed over the years to an amalgamation of my parents and grandparents the distortions provided by the chrome iron accentuate how my face has changed over the years.
Artist Bio: I’m Bob Pierson, a resident of Bath, Ohio. For the past 29 years, I have had the privilege of serving as an art teacher at my alma mater, Revere High School. Prior to my teaching career, I engaged in various creative roles one can pursue with a fine arts degree from Kent State. Prior to teaching, I worked part-time creating scenery and bartending at the Carousel Dinner Theater in Ravenna. I honed my skills in display work at the May Company in Cleveland, and I dedicated five years to the display department at Arhaus Furniture. Ultimately, I decided to pursue a teaching degree, and the opportunity to guide high school students in the art-making process has proven to be the best decision of my career. Teaching has allowed me to channel my passion for art into a meaningful and rewarding vocation. I like the idea that a still life can give reverence to a person, place, or time. One could describe many of my compositions as portraits in a sense. Currently, it has been my intent to investigate the concept of collecting or in an extreme sense, hoarding and the specific difficulty of letting go of objects that are meaningful. My still life compositions are often filled with nostalgia. I must admit, I’m a sentimental kind of guy.

16- Ali Gemmer | The Brink of Death | $2,000
White charcoal and chalk pastel on black paper
Artist Statement: “The Brink of Death” explores two opposing ideas existing simultaneously: life and death. It invites viewers to challenge their perception of time and the security of their conscious existence. This piece was born from a period of depression. I frequently found myself revisiting this idea and grew curious of the cognitive dissonance that resulted. The creation of this work was a major turning point in the conceptual exploration I continue to hone in my art.
Artist Bio: Ali Gemmer is an emerging artist located in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. As a self taught artist, she has honed her skills in experimentation and exploration. Her preferred mediums include a combination of charcoal and chalk pastel on black paper, sometimes branching beyond that and incorporating mixed media elements. Gemmer’s artistic journey is a continuous exploration of the raw and often unsettling aspects of the human condition. As an emerging artist, she submits aspects of her own experience while pushing the boundaries of drawing and realism.
While Gemmer approaches her work with intent, she welcomes viewers to perceive it in any way they wish. She hopes to create a space for reflection and contemplation, allowing people to confront their own fears and anxieties while fostering a sense of empathy and understanding towards others.

17- Will Wilson | The Bridge (Quick Escape), 2023 | $3000
Mixed media on wood panel
Artist Statement: Quest Friends Five heroes quest throughout the land looking for glory, adventure, meaning or just a good time. Consider how their experience parallels your own as they find themselves investigating, fighting, and running through the work, often questioning whether they are the good guys or the bad. Reginald, Maggie, Rocky, Stick, and Gronk are a group bound by their own selfish goals while working together to achieve greatness. Follow their adventures through my experimental pieces that combine sculpture and painting. These mixed-media experiments include a wide variety of ingredients; styrofoam, insulation foam sheets, spray foam, wood filler, found objects, resin, sculpey, ceramic, google eyes, found objects, and paint.
Artist Bio: Wilson was born and raised in California, receiving his BFA in Drawing and Painting from California State University of Long Beach. He also holds an MA in Arts Education from Case Western Reserve University. He now resides in the greater Cleveland area where he is a high school art teacher and a father of three. He works as an artist, muralist, and illustrator.

18- Carol J. Stevens | Seeing Red | $800
Oil paint, cold wax
Artist Statement: The layering techniques of cold wax/oil was irresistible even though my long-gone days of college and oil paint on everything still haunt me. I began experimenting with this new medium using my old unresolved acrylic paintings as substrate to layer and test the cold wax/oil. Rolling and scraping more neutral colors over the too garish under color allowed me to see the red in a new light. “Seeing Red” was a learning experience: cold wax/oil over acrylic over watercolor/gouache on Yupo.
Artist Bio: Carol J. Stevens
NWS OWS KWS
cjstevens@zoominternet.net l 440 213 8047 As an art teacher, I watched young children play with crayons, paint, whatever was at hand. They showed me a world through their eyes. It was the playing, the process, the discoveries, the fun not the finished product we proudly hang on the refrigerator door. These children taught me! My method begins with this “play” and as images and thoughts appear I become more analytical in a search for design and content. Experimental and usually nonobjective mixed water media, my work is intuitive and invites you to enjoy a search for images and stories meaningful only to you.
Highlights: Signature Memberships from: National Watercolor Society (NWS) Ohio watercolor Society (OWS), Kentucky Watercolor Society (KWS) Board Trustee of Ohio Watercolor Society for 5 terms
Education: BS in art education from Bowling Green State University Additional classes from Cleveland Institute of Art and Cleveland State University 30 years of workshops and seminars with professional artists and mentors
Teaching K-8 in Lorain City Schools Various workshops in Ohio and Florida Mentor the “Art and Creativity Retreat” at Sandscrest in Wheeling, WV
Selected Awards and Exhibitions 2019-2022 Aqueous USA 2023, Silver brush Award Watercolor Ohio 2022, Ohio Watercolor Society-Sara Kass Award Aqueous USA 2021 Watercolor Ohio 2021, CAC- Don Getz Award Aqueous USA 2020 Kentucky W Society: Cheap Joe’s Art and Silver Brush Award Watercolor Ohio 2020 Summit Art Space 2021 Shows: Fresh, Kaleidoscope, Femcentric, Fresh 2022 and 2023 Valley Art Center: 49th Annual Juried Exhibit, 50th Annual Juried Exhibit- Phyllis Lloyd Award Watercolor Ohio 2019, Ohio Watercolor Society/ Blick Award The Butler Inst 83rd National Midyear, Honorable Me

19- Bridgett Crocker Emerson | Gaslit/Smeared | $190
Digital collage printed on metallic paper: 1/20, edition of 20+1AP
Artist Statement: Last year I finally worked up the courage to embark on a self-portrait series to process my past. I chose diverse and even unconventional materials to communicate the visceral experience of how it felt for me to live through domestic and intimate partner violence. I then photographed the fragile works for use in digital collage.
Artist Bio: Bridgett Crocker Emerson is no stranger to the arts as a professionally trained flutist with two Master’s degrees in flute performance and music theory. A completely self-taught visual artist, Emerson pulls the threads of her expertise within the ephemerality of music into manifestations of concrete physicality. Her work focuses on the abstract, natural themes and subjects, dreams, visions, and even nightmares. Her most recent photography series examine the juxtaposition of beauty and loss, life and death, love and betrayal. Her work has been shown in juried exhibitions both in and outside of Ohio and she was recently selected to feature her photography in a three-day takeover on the Womens’ Photo Alliance of New York City Instagram account.

20- Adriana Caso | Cherry Blossoms | $750
Acrylic and interference acrylic on several different size canvases and shapes, and sculpture flowers, with adhesives
Artist Statement: This piece is an exploration in dimension, color, and point of view. By mixing stylized with realistic, flat and dimensional, color and black and white I am inviting the viewer to appreciate the contrasts as well as the synergy of the piece. Contrasts are present in our everyday life, can we be challenged to appreciate and see beauty in them?
Artist Bio: Adriana Caso holds a BFA degree in Painting from the Cleveland Institute of Art and a dual Master’s in Painting & Sculpture from Rosary College, Florence Italy. She has many years of public art experience and is the Director and Founder of Door 2 Art Studio. Adriana desires to engage the community with love and kindness through her art. She believes there is power in beauty to speak into difficult issues as well as illicit joy. She enjoys creating art that is full of surprises, inviting participation and sparking delight! Adriana loves to inspire and connect people through visual language.

21- Andy Tubbesing | Osteokaiju | $700
Video assemblage
Artist Statement: The Ministry Yielding Truth & Honesty issues this dire warning: Alarm! straňge crëatures arrive. You may bë food. Dëpart in haste!
Daňger looms!
Straňge crëatures to this building approach! Need we say more?
Artist Bio: My art tends to be representational, although the stuff represented may not exist. Fleeting glances around corners, over hills, or through windows into otherwise unseen worlds. Onlookers have labeled these worlds somber, low-brow, weird. Who am I to argue? Forty years in commercial art has forged a perverse weakness for typography and garish colors, and bred a wary respect for deadlines. Which is good, because nothing would ever get done if I waited for the muse. Creating art is a perilous enterprise, a trek through uncharted territory on a moonless night. Perhaps a process of joyous discovery, but also of damage control. Painting: The creative process takes long enough as it is (see above), so I paint in acrylics. H2O, the universal solvent, is my friend. Even with the reduced drying time, I use a hair dryer to speed things along. This allows for more glazing, scumbling, and outlining, which are my favored techniques. Animation: Actually, we’re talking animation and assemblage, since my cartoons need somewhere to live. Cast-off furniture, plumbing parts, various doodads and gizmos interlock to house the art-in-motion. To create the cartoons themselves I employ 2D and 3D software as well as good ol’ hand-drawn cels. Takeaway thought: Much as I moan about art as a “perilous trek” on a “moonless night,” it seems the only thing more difficult is not creating art.

22- Teresa DeMio | Wherever You Go, There You Are | $2,450
Acrylic paint and recycled produce packaging on canvas
Artist Statement: As both a designer and artist, I consistently explore the essence of art and design, contemplating their individual identities and the points where they converge. This ongoing exploration profoundly influences how I perceive and engage with the world, as well as how the world reciprocates. Here’s what I’ve discerned thus far: Design, for me, embodies a systematic process—a technical and problem-solving endeavor akin to assembling a puzzle. While it brings intellectual satisfaction, it doesn’t evoke profound emotions or resonate on an emotional level. Instead, it has evolved into my life approach, guiding me through existence with iterations, evaluations, and critiques. Design serves as a practical tool, facilitating my navigation of the world. I leverage its methods and processes in my artistic creation. Conversely, art holds an inherently personal significance, transcending the utilitarian nature of design. It emanates from within, a genuine expression that extends outward—an endeavor to be acknowledged not merely as a physical entity or a symbol, but as an authentic manifestation of being. It represents a profound connection, a reaching out from the depths of personal expression.
Artist Bio: Originally hailing from Cleveland, Teresa DeMio currently resides and works in Akron, Ohio, where she pursues her passion as a fine artist and commercial graphic designer. Employing unconventional materials and vibrant color schemes, she has crafted a distinctive artistic style. For Teresa, art represents a radical endeavor to exist in the present moment and celebrate genuine experiences. Her preferred medium is acrylic paint, supplemented by the integration of paper, collage, and mixed media, often incorporating recycled and unconventional materials. Notably, she has repurposed salvaged wood planks, sidewalk scraps, and other uncommon items as both canvas and media. Since 2008, she has been immersed in an “experimental phase,” during which her imagination flourished. The recurring themes in Teresa’s work are frequently autobiographical. She views art as a powerful tool to unite people, narrate stories, and articulate what words alone cannot convey. Drawing inspiration from her life experiences, including her upbringing surrounded by a family of musicians, writers, and artists, Teresa traces her artistic roots back to childhood. Having been frequently brought to her parents’ rehearsals and gigs, where she spent her time drawing, she cultivated a lifelong passion for art. During her teenage years, she frequented the streets of Coventry in Cleveland Heights, always equipped with chalk and a sketchbook. This creative journey eventually led her to pursue fine art, culminating in her attendance at Cleveland School of the Arts in her senior year of high school. This served as the groundwork for her graphic design education at Cleveland State. In 2019, Teresa’s life journey led her to Summit County, where she currently resides in Akron. Embracing the outdoors and nature, she finds joy in activities such as running, hiking, and camping in the woods. She appreciates Akron’s close proximity to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the Summit Metroparks.

23- Pollock Youngpole | Torrent | NFS
Plaster fabric and acrylic paint
Artist Statement: This ia a painting I did with acrylics. You can’t tell from the photo but a good portion of the piece is covered in plaster cloth giving it a lot of texture. I also used iridescent paint in the areas of white. I did this to add the rainbow effect often seen in tiny bubbles. This caused the painting to shimmer from different angles. i find that taking photos of my work never matches the original due to glare.
Artist Bio: I’m 74 and just like creating, most everything I do, I do for myself.

24- William Peck | Sedimentary Layers | $800
Colored pencil on gypsum-based substrate
Artist Statement: I have enjoyed the work of problem-solving. Art expression should not be rote but should be created in ways to engage the public in a unique visual experience. Traditional colored pencil is flat. I thought it would be interesting to explore the use of found objects, a 3-dimensional surface and traditional colored pencils in the same object.
Artist Bio: William Peck is a retired art teacher who has been an active professional artist in the northeast Ohio area for over 50 years. He does landscape painting and works 3-dimensionally in colored pencil on Hydrostone. In addition to his actual artwork, he volunteers as a docent at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

25- Susan Yingling | D.C. Brownstone | $250
Laser engraved photo on painted glass with collage
Artist Statement: If given a cursory look, my work often appears to be a printed photograph. Hopefully, the viewer looks more closely and questions exactly what it is. That conversation includes the laser engraver housed in the library’s Tech Zone, and the Cuyahoga County Zero Landfill Program. I “process” my photographs on the computer and print/engrave them onto painted glass panels. The colors that appear in the photo are collaged under the engraved glass using paint chip samples sourced from Zero Landfill. Because the paint chip samples are actually paint, it could be said that I am painting with painted paper. I frame images that contain a strong sense of place and/or time, or generate a conversation.
Artist Bio: Susan Yingling holds a BFA from Kent State University and taught visual art in the Akron Public Schools 35 years. She served as co-chair of the NECO Scholastic Art Committee, chair of the Akron-Summit Council on Holocaust & Genocide Education, docent at the Akron Art Museum and the Canton Museum of Art, Summit Artspace Board and the Akron Art Museum Education Committee. She has a studio in the Summit Artspace and utilizes the Akron-Summit County Library’s Tech Zone on Main in her photography and collage work.

26- Kathryn Milek | Home | NFS
Pen, sharpie, gesso, acrylic paint and collage
Artist Statement: This drawing explores the concept of ‘home’ as you change and grow so does the environment around you, influencing our perception of ‘home’.
Artist Bio: My name is Kathryn Milek. I am currently a senior at Kent State, working on completing my Bachelor’s in art history with a minor in drawing. I am fascinated by explorations of color, shape and line. Motifs of vegetation and surreal environment are often presented in my work. These have an ability to interact and influence human existence. These motifs conjure images of metamorphosis. Layers of collage and line further push this idea of change. Creating, a fleeting sense of movement. I often try to incorporate memories and emotions in my work to investigate intimate details of life and human expression. My works attempt to translate evolving changes we go through as humans, within a natural world.

27- Eric Tuck-Macalla | A little sparkle in the dusk | $2,000
Wood and paper
Artist Statement: A bundle of sticks and bits of paper, innocuous materials. With this work and the subsequent work in this submission my aim is to be spontaneous with little care for process or materials, for me the movement and composition of the piece and the message are the important aspects. As with all my work I draw from stories, and concerns about marginalized people and places. A little sparkle in the dusk of a warm night on the street.
Artist Bio: Eric Tuck-Macalla, b.Cleveland Ohio 1959. 1986 Graduate of Cleveland Institute of Art. Active sculptor 1984-1993. 1986 AllOhio show, 1986 Three River Art Festival, 1991 Ohio State University temporary outdoor sculpture and Artist in residence Fairview Park High School, 1993 Solo Show at The Sculpture Center and FAVA Gallery.
Returned to active showing of my work in 2022. 2022 showed at Copley Art Association in Boston, and Woodstock Art Association in Woodstock NY. 2023 showed at “Fresh” Summit Artspace, ROYGBIV gallery in Columbus, Par Projects in Cincinnati, Eku Gallery in Kentucky and Yards Project in Cleveland.
Current day job, Director of Building and Housing for City of Bay Village.

28- Alecia Pike | TWO WARS: BLOODLAND I | $1,200
Alcohol ink, aqua ink, Sharpie marker on reclaimed tempered glass and wood frame
Artist Statement: It is a time of war. Yellow for wheat. Blue for sky. Yellow and blue make green. Green for nature. Green for money. Ukraine is bleeding. Ancestors weeping.
Artist Bio: A.D. PIKE is a classically trained artist from Wadsworth, Ohio. A second generation Ukrainian-American with an ancestral need to honor the natural world, A.D PIKE leans heavily on form, color and contrast to tell stories about our shared Earth. A.D. PIKE uses various forms of ink on glass to create visually interesting pieces, reminiscent of stained glass, that beg to be looked at. A former therapist, A.D. PIKE works in the way of Rorschach, encouraging the viewer to pause and find personal meaning in a presented image that might otherwise be dismissed as chaos.

29- Amber M. McElreath | 25 Circles | $300
Assemblage
Artist Statement: This piece is a departure from my usual narrative work. “25 Circles” is an exploration in form, texture, and color. There is a feeling that the viewer is looking thru portals seeing segments of several different images. The viewer may also get the feeling that these circles are samples which have been collected.
Artist Bio: Amber McElreath is an Akron-based assemblage and collage artist who uses found objects in her work to tell autobiographical stories in a surrealistic style. Most of the work is very small which is meant to convey intimacy and vulnerability. Her two inspirations are Frida Kahlo and Joseph Cornell. Amber was born in Landstuhl, Germany and raised in East Liverpool, OH. She got her BFA in Fine and Professional Arts from Kent State University and graduated with her MA in Art Therapy and Counseling from Ursuline College. She worked as an artist assistant to Brooklyn-based artists, James Seward and Erin Racheal Hudak. She has shown her artwork in the Cleveland and Akron areas. Her last solo exhibition, Memories, Dreams, and Ruminations was in 2016 at Studio 2091 Mothersbaugh and her two-person exhibition, Delivering Stores (with Karen Koch) was in 2017 at the Box Gallery in SummitArtspace. She just recently participated in the annual members show at the Artist Archives of the Western Reserve and in a show called the Infinite Mix the YARDS Projects, in Cleveland. Her work is in private collections in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, Georgia, Washington, and Maryland. Amber is a Board-Certified Art Therapist and the Intern Coordinator at the Art Therapy Studio. She belongs to the Artist Archives of the Western Reserve, Artists of Rubber City, and Akron Soul Train. She is represented by Gallery 202 at 78th Street Studios in Cleveland.

30- Anita Burgess | Approaching Storm | NFS
Digital print, markers, alcohol ink, oil paint and art crayons
Artist Statement: As an artist I believe I see things differently. Where someone might see an old alley. I see shapes, lines, contours. I see colours expresssing happiness, sadness. They can be bright, muted, dark or light. I try to these elements to convey to the viewer my interpretation of my imagination.
Artist Bio: Been doing art for the majority of my life. I have been working more with mix media and trying to free my work and get into a new direction.

31- Mike Hovancsek | Star Map | $200
Pen and ink drawing with digital enhancements
Artist Statement: This piece harkens back to the time of early astronomers, who tried to map out the heavens when they very little information available to them and their work had to be determined by speculation and imagniation. What resulted was actually a map of their imaginations.
Artist Bio: Mike Hovancsek is a visual artist, musician, published author, and mental health counseling. His mixed media work combines experiments with perception and cognition to explore emotional and psychological states.

32- Amanda Margaretha | The Transcending Cloth | $200
Paprika, oreganum, ginger, epoxy resin
Artist Statement: The washing and drying of feet is a deeply symbolic act, transcending mere physical cleansing. Rooted in various cultural and religious traditions, this ceremony embodies humility, service, and spiritual purification. The artwork depicts the moment a piece of sacred cloth, used in the ritual of washing someone’s feet, is swept up by a strong gust. The piece was created through a innovative process I developed and coined, Raison D’être, in which spices are suspended within resin. As the feet are considered the lowest part of the body, washing them symbolizes a profound act of selfless service, breaking down barriers of status or hierarchy. Drying the cleansed feet with a sacred cloth elevates the ritual to a symbolic gesture of honor and respect, imbuing the act with a sacred touch. This ritual not only cleanses the body but serves as a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of individuals, fostering a sense of unity and humility that transcends beyond the physical realm.
Artist Bio: Amanda Margaretha, an accomplished installation artist based in Ohio, possesses a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Art, attained at the University of South Africa, her country of origin. What sets Amanda apart is her avant-garde approach to art, where she ingeniously utilizes spice as her chosen medium.
Gaining recognition for her groundbreaking work, Amanda has become synonymous with transient installations that artfully mimic the intricacies of Persian rugs or the homely warmth of American quilts. Recently, she unveiled a revolutionary technique she coined as Raison D’être, a process that entails encapsulating spice within resin, pushing the boundaries of traditional artistic methods.
The pivotal moment of choosing spice in Amanda’s artistic journey occurred during her residence in the Middle East, where there was a shortage of fine art materials but an abundance of spice. Her creative process involves the meticulous gathering and categorization of spices, each chosen to symbolize traditions, rituals, culinary delights, and historical narratives. These aromatic elements serve as powerful metaphors, reflecting the multifaceted human experience.
Amanda’s artistic lens is finely tuned to themes of culture, diversity, and the intricacies of personal and national identity. Through her installations, she engages viewers in a sensory exploration of the profound connections between spice, tradition, and the essence of being. Her work stands as a testament to the transformative power of art in exploring the depths of the human experience.

33- Madison Hendry | Compression | NFS
Compression socks and toy cars
Artist Statement: The United States is one of the worst countries in protecting the postpartum period for families. 1 in 4 new mothers return to work a 2 weeks fter givig birth. Between the overwhelm of hormone shifts, feeding through the night, recovery from birth itself, no paid leave, the postpartum period is anything but restful. “Compression” seeks to bring forth the realities of mothering tiny humans in a society who does not value rest as productivity.
Artist Bio: Madison Hendry (b.1985, Cleveland, OH) received her MFA in Sculpture from Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY in 2011. Madison studied under the influential conceptual artists Vito Acconci, Blane de St. Croix and Tom Scicluna. Madison’s works on Motherhood have been exhibited internationally, including her most recent exhibition with ProCreate Project, “Mother Art Prize”, Cromwell Place, London, 2020, Solo Exhibition, “Mother/Infant,”Unperceived Existence, Gallery Shush, Europe (2018), “Project AfterBirth,” Whitechapel Gallery, London (2015); the first ever international exhibition on the subject of early parenthood. Publications include: “Mother Art”
Women Untied Art Magazine, House=Home, Arhitext, Romania. She is an Associate Artist of Digital Institute of Early Parenthood, with Artist Parent Index, Museum of Motherhood and an active Member of the Artist/Mother network. Madison is known very well as a community birth worker and speaker at many conferences and Workshops, including: The Annual Museum of Motherhood Conference, NY, NY, The Motherboard Birth Summit, Postpartum Support International & United States Breastfeeding Committee Conference. She is a Certified Breastfeeding Educator (BAI), Certified Birth Doula (BWI) Certified Kangaroula with Jill and Dr. Nils Bergman and a Trainer/Mentor with BirthWorks International. She is married to Tattooer, Angus Hendry and they live in a restored Sear’s Kit Home in Olmsted Falls, OH with their 4 children, including and a new baby!

34- Tamara Jaeger | Dance of Joy | $655
Mixed media
Artist Statement: Having grown up taking frequent family walks in the parks and nature centers and with a menagerie of pets at home, I’ve always felt a strong connection to nature and animals. My work focuses on wildlife and nature, since I find them restoring and inspiring and I aim to share that experience with the viewer. In many ways, my art is about connection—to nature and to each other. As such, my art serves as a metaphor for community. In my collage pieces, I take tiny, individual fragments and combine them together to form something more meaningful. Like people in a community, individually each fragment may not seem important, but each one is an essential part of the finished piece. My current work incorporates materials that I find around my neighborhood, giving these materials new life as part of my artwork. The reuse of seemingly useless, discarded items represents the renewal and revitalization of community as well as the wider need for people to reconnect and reestablish a sense of community.
Artist Bio: Tamara Jaeger is best known for her wildlife collage art made from torn paper and discarded materials found around her local neighborhood. Her highly textural pieces tantalize and invite the viewer to slow down, look deeper, and reflect. Jaeger has exhibited her work in a variety of juried group exhibitions and her torn paper collage pet portraits were featured in the 2020 ‘Pets’ issue of Akron Life Magazine. Currently based in Akron, Ohio, Jaeger initially studied visual arts and anthropology at Albion College in Michigan, but later trained and worked as an archaeological conservator and as a chemical engineer and completed a PhD in polymer engineering during the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020. Her website: www.tamarajaeger.com

35- Janet Mikolajczyk | Borderwall | $225
Digital collage
Artist Statement: This digital collage is from found images associated with the border wall. I used actual examples of the border wall. The migrants are pictured with their struggle for placement and shelter. I call attention to the environment with the animals that are endangered by the wall.
Artist Bio: Taught art history for 15 years at Cleveland State University. Show my work locally and in Maryland

36- Charles FELZEN Johnson MD | Revenge of the Endangered Toucans | $400
Acrylic paint and India Ink on posterboard on Masonite, Plexiglass, plastic vegetation, ceramic and Fimo Toucans
Artist Statement: Toucans are my favorite colorful and easily recognized tropical bird. As a result, I have a collection of Toucan models that I have crafted, purchased and received as gifts. Toucans have become an endangered species due to the destruction of their habitat and potential extinction due to hunting for their colorful feathers. In this construction I used model train foulage to represent their destroyed habitat and plastic, ceramic and hand crafted Femo Toucans who are leaving the forest on a platform projecting from the surface of the construction. Conspiracy theorists could blame them for harming the environment by their exodus instead of protecting them from extinction.
Artist Bio: I began my “art history” in medical school where I drew cartoons about the educational experience using my middle name to avoid detection. Most cartoons were exhibited and published. I evolved to creating abstract hanging art using drafting tools, India Ink and casein on poster board. My artwork evolved into the use of posterboard on Masonite and the use of acrylics, India Ink and other materials to create 3-dimensional multimedia “constructions”. After retirement I joined the talented Artists of Rubber City and have exhibited my constructions at Summit Art Space exhibitions. Subject matter has included medical issues, aphorisms, scenery and music. My goal is to involve the viewer in the creative experience for more than a glance. The addition of music to a construction that was shown at a recent exhibition resulted in my third award.

37- C. Arthur Croyle | Interstitial Memory | $2,000
Acrylic and oil paints
Artist Statement: Finally saw the great pyramids. Can’t believe we did…it was like a dream. Maybe, we didn’t? I am not really sure anymore.
Artist Bio: C. Arthur Croyle C. Arthur Croyle was raised in both Akron, Ohio and in Dorfen, Germany where his grandparents lived. His German grandfather was an artist and designer and profoundly impacted Croyle’s career path. Croyle completed a BA and BFA with an emphasis in graphic design and illustration at the University of Akron and worked at an advertising agency, an art studio, and a publishing company before completing his MFA at Indiana University. He then began a 33 year career as a college faculty member, culminating in a 27 year stint at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. During his academic career, he transitioned from teaching graphic design and illustration into the fine arts where he taught painting and drawing. Croyle was Director of the Biological and Pre-Medical Illustration Program at Iowa State and later served as Director of the Graduate Program in the Visual Arts and Culture Department. One of his career highlights was teaching four semesters in Rome, and producing watercolors and drawings that recorded the beauty of the “ Eternal City”. His work in graphic design, illustration, abstract and representational art has been exhibited regionally, nationally and internationally. Croyle is an Emiterus member of the Akron Society of Artists.

38- Susan Mentrak | Self Portrait | NFS
Ceramic stoneware decorated with colored slips, epoxy
Artist Statement: This self portrait embodies the theme of resilience amid life’s challenges. It depicts my feeling of being overwhelmed, akin to a swirling flock of birds, mirroring the world’s distractions and information overload. Even the shadow is chaotic. Emerging from the middle are leaves and ripe, juicy peaches symbolizing my tentative desire to be seen and heard in spite of the chaos.
Artist Bio: I’m a Military Wife. Mom. Eater of potato chips. Vacuumer of crumbs. I think a good sense of humor is healthy and that most people are comedically constipated. I went to the Columbus College of Art and Design and graduated in 1992 with a emphasis in illustration. I have been featured in Little Thing Magazine (China), interviewed by the NYT for my work with Spoonflower, contributed to two books by Lark Books and have been featured in several doll magazines, as well as many craft & design blogs over the years. Since 2016 I have been exploring a new medium to me – ceramics. I took a class at the local museum and I was hooked. It is interesting to see how I can incorporate my background in illustration into clay. I love storytelling and see each piece as a way to communicate my observations of the world.

39- Jen Florentine | Within Me | $925
Acrylic paint on canvas
Artist Statement: “Within Me” is a painting I made to remind myself to look within. While I’m on my journey of self-healing, it’s a friendly nudge, telling me I don’t have to look to others for answers; they’re right here inside me.
Artist Bio: Jen Florentine is an Ohio based abstract artist. Jen hopes to bring forth a personal story in each of her paintings. – a visual dive into her subconscious. Each painting is started by laying down paint in a carefree and expressive way, letting the paint and tools decide what it wants to become. The first few layers are the most freeing and I’m guided only by my gut and instinct, one brush stroke leads to the next. A lot of experimenting goes on with each piece – “what happens when I do this or that, a great deal of building and then much more editing.” Often inspired by nature and her surroundings and her graphic design experience is also a heavy influence. Color plays a significant role in her artwork and the palette is established as the painting develops. Her paintings consist of many layers of paint, primarily acrylic, but also utilizing charcoal, ink and pastels. Each painting is a complete surprise when finished.

40- Nancy Richards Davis | Red River Legacy | NFS
Hand-cut and set stained iridescent glass, glazed ceramic tiles, granite, limestone, jasper, quartz,copper beads, and wire
Artist Statement: I love exploring and playing with materials. In my art over the years, I have created in a wide variety of media including 15 years with mixed media encaustics. In addition to being inspired by the properties and qualities of materials, the beauty, processes and environmental concerns of the natural world resonate , My current passion is contemporary mosaics. Red River Legacy started with a collection of semi precious stones and rocks I inherited from my late husband and a cousin . In beginning a new mosaic I do a lot of research, pondering, sketching and planning. Through this process I saw images of the environmental impact of copper mining on the Queens River in Australia. The reds of the polluted water are gorgeous and devastating. As an artist, I visualized an abstract ,vertical composition for my interpretation .
My mosaic techniques are loosely based on traditional andamento , the flow and placement of tesserae. However, I break with traditional mosaic techniques in using a strong glue rather than a cement adhesive and no grout in my execution of the materials. In this piece along with the semi precious stones such as jasper and quartz ; and rocks like granite, I have incorporated copper wire, beads, ink, stained , iridescent glass, and glazed and unglazed ceramic tessera. This work represents to me two legacies. The materials that were passed down to me and the on gong destruction
of our planet.
Artist Bio: Nancy Richards Davis has been exploring artistic expression through her love of materials since childhood. With experimentation
and interpretation in a variety of media including encaustic and currently contemporary mosaics , she has continued to be inspired by the natural world, it’s beauty, processes, and urgent issues.
Nancy was an art teacher for thirty years and has a BFA and MA in painting. She has exhibited and sold her work around Ohio and out of state. In retirement, Nancy continues to make art and is active in Artists of Rubber City and Summit ArtSpace.

41- Judi Krew | Dance With Dementia | NFS
Textiles
Artist Statement: This garment is for display only. The body form has no neck or head area (the emptiness of dementia) and is also on rollers so she can “dance”. The piece is designed as a modified ballet costume (perhaps a bit of Swan Lake for a swan song?) comprised of: the artist’s 1984 wedding rehearsal dress; overskirt made from a bedsheet that was wrapped around her mother’s bridal gown (to preserve it) circa 1958; and the front panel of a real dance costume. The back sequin panel, feather boa trim, costume jewelry, and netting overlay are materials favored by the artist over time. The front panel poem was written by the artist. Attached are the original sewing tools of the artist’s grandmother (Annabel Romig Cahill) and her husband’s grandmother (Anna Drotloff). The 48 miniature dresses pay homage to the full sized wearable and small scale sculptural Hoard Couture series of garments. Each mini-dress represents one to three pieces from the collection by the use of specific materials. For example, the napkin dress represents garments in the Daily Doodle Series. These small pieces are made as memories and more able to be stored once the artist passes away and the full scale series is eventually disposed of. When fully assembled, this dancer’s dress serves as a retrospective of the artist’s years making Hoard Couture and a lifetime of playing with art materials. Below is the poem embroidered on the front panel, whose color fades away with her mind….. Dance with Dementia A little girl grows up to make art She wears it well, they say
Dancing under gallery lights Accolades
Decades
Pieces of herself left behind, until An unfinished canvas, an empty hook
A missed deadline
Unsigned Did anyone notice?
Were there signs?
Decline The stage grows dark
The theater lies empty
Studio spaces forgotten A.R.T. entombed in bins
Abandoned
Unavailable A nice lady gives her some crayons
Artist Bio: Judi Krew has been a working artist since 1982 upon graduation from the University of Akron, having established the Honors program for the Art Department. A Master degree in Art Education from Case Western Reserve University dual program with the Cleveland Institute of Art followed in 1984. Since then, she has worked in visual merchandising, museum education, as a high school art teacher and as an active community volunteer all while maintaining a successful studio and exhibition career. She has worked in different media over time, producing several very successful bodies of work including The Woman Series (acrylics); Fascinating Faces from Interesting Places (pastels); and now Hoard Couture. Besides exhibition work, the artist has designed award winning floats for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Parade, patches for the Boy Scouts of America and elaborate décor for major Canton area fundraising galas. Her work for the local community has earned her The Silver Beaver from the Buckeye Council BSA, Woman of Year from the YWCA, Woman of the Year Presidential Award from, the Junior League, and Alumni Hall of Fame awards from both Brecksville High School and the University of Akron. Judi lives in Canton, Ohio.

42- Diane Anderson | Eye See the Flowers | $450
Large glass doll eye, epoxy clay, electroformed copper, turquoise, coral, spiny oyster, copper chain, copper wire
Artist Statement: I have a great love of the strange and weird, and obtaining a collection of glass eyes has fed my creativity. At the end of the fall season, I saw the last of my flowers hanging on in the cold. That sparked in me a vision of the strength of those last blooms. My vision became an eye, set in the center of a hand-sculpted flower, which I electroformed in copper. I gave it a bit of patina and sealed it to give the impression of aging. The eye becomes the seed pod, left behind by the fading flower. Perhaps if planted, it would grow an entire bouquet! I’ve set it with coral stems, small Kingman Mine turquoise/spiny oyster beads, and also two large turquoise beads that were given to me by a friend – those two beads echo the cycle of ending and beginning. The necklace is extra long but adjustable with its chain, so that the floral focal point can be placed exactly where it should be.
Artist Bio: I am an IT professional by day, multimedia jeweler and sculptor by night. Jewelry has been my passion since 1993 – I started with stringing beads but soon wanted more control over my materials. I soon learned to make lampworked glass beads and fell in love with hot glass processes. I’ve moved on from lampworking beads to enameling copper, still loving the kiln time and hot glass. I added copper electroforming to my arsenal during Covid quarantine. I now sculpt epoxy clay, enamel and electroform copper, and make everything from small pendants and earrings to larger multimedia works. I love to incorporate glass, metal, stone, bones, feathers, and really any found object that I find, into my work!

43- Madison Hendry | Gloves; a series of 9 | $800
Color photograph collage
Artist Statement: “Gloves” is a photographic collage of the artist’s gloves hands mimicking gloves hands within the birth space. The specific positions these gloved hands are placed in are specific to a task within the medical industry complex and specific to childbirth. The gloves create a barrier between the skin of the birthing person and the medical provider; the in-between. The intimacy is stripped away, creating a sterile environment.
Taking back control of her own births, the Artist recreates these positioning of hands of the medical provider to her own hands. The veil of blue material covering her hands creates ambiguity loss of connection through each moment of the birth of the baby.
Artist Bio: Madison Hendry (b.1985, Cleveland, OH) received her MFA in Sculpture from Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY in 2011. Madison studied under the influential conceptual artists Vito Acconci, Blane de St. Croix and Tom Scicluna. Madison’s works on Motherhood have been exhibited internationally, including her most recent exhibition with ProCreate Project, “Mother Art Prize”, Cromwell Place, London, 2020, Solo Exhibition, “Mother/Infant,”Unperceived Existence, Gallery Shush, Europe (2018), “Project AfterBirth,” Whitechapel Gallery, London (2015); the first ever international exhibition on the subject of early parenthood. Publications include: “Mother Art”
Women Untied Art Magazine, House=Home, Arhitext, Romania. She is an Associate Artist of Digital Institute of Early Parenthood, with Artist Parent Index, Museum of Motherhood and an active Member of the Artist/Mother network. Madison is known very well as a community birth worker and speaker at many conferences and Workshops, including: The Annual Museum of Motherhood Conference, NY, NY, The Motherboard Birth Summit, Postpartum Support International & United States Breastfeeding Committee Conference. She is a Certified Breastfeeding Educator (BAI), Certified Birth Doula (BWI) Certified Kangaroula with Jill and Dr. Nils Bergman and a Trainer/Mentor with BirthWorks International. She is married to Tattooer, Angus Hendry and they live in a restored Sear’s Kit Home in Olmsted Falls, OH with their 4 children, including and a new baby!

44- Renata DeLuca | Intimacy | $250
Oil paint on canvases
Artist Bio: Renata DeLuca has attended art classes at The University of Akron and Cuyahoga Valley Art Center as well as many workshops. She is a member of Akron Society of Artists and Cuyahoga Valley Art Center. Renata works mostly in oil paint and other mediums such as watercolor and water-based paints.

45- Roger Benedetti | Video Mix | NFS
Inkjet print
Artist Statement: The sequential format of the imagery in “Video Mix” is literally a mix of video, television images, cutouts (some applied directly to the TV screen) and multiple exposures on film. The resulting 35 mm film strips represent not just a mix of imagery but also a “temporal” mix of technologies–analog, video and digital. The film strips were scanned at 2400 ppi with a Nikon high resolution scanner and printed using an Epson 4800 printer with Ultra Chrome pigment based inks.
Artist Bio: B.F.A. Kent State 1972
First Professional Exhibition: 51st May Show, Cleveland Museum of Art 1969
Most Recent Exhibitions: POP!, Pop Art Exhibition, Canton Museum of Art 2021-2022 FRESH, 18th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, Summit Artspace, Akron, Ohio 2022

46- Carol Klingel | School Lunch 1959 | $575
Plastic lunch tray, paper, oil paint
Artist Statement: The school lunches I loved as a child exist in my memory as colorful but flat, almost like a photograph or a film. And yes, I even liked those peas!
Artist Bio: 1969 BS Art Ed -Kent State University; 1991 MS Education- University of Akron; 1970-2004 Art Teacher; Member AoRC, ASA, Artists of Group Ten, CVAC, Medina County Art League; many group and solo shows, including awards at the Butler Midyear Show, Kaleidoscope People’s Choice Award, Fresh Art, and Medina Aquarius Show.

47- McKenna Carder-Brunty | Time and Place | $60
Collage on wood
Artist Statement: This piece uses the visual element of a grid meant to evoke feeling of both small-scale pixelation in this digital age and large-scale aerial views of the earth. Its display is whimsical, meant to look like a snapshot of a memory of a certain time and place, which may be different for each viewer depending on their perspective.
Artist Bio: McKenna Carder-Brunty is a 2019 graduate of the University of Akron with a BFA in Painting and Drawing and a minor in Art History. Currently, Carder-Brunty is a secretary at a hospital creating artwork part-time in addition to owning a small business (Made by McKenna Studio). Her artwork has evolved from large-scale portraiture, to smaller less objective work. Though the content has shifted, overarching themes and elements include technology and grids.

48- Brenda Keblesh | Lifetime of Loss | NFS
Vintage handmade wedding dress, embroidery floss stitching, vintage photo transfers
Artist Statement: This piece was my mother’s handmade wedding dress. She made it from wool, for her December wedding in 1947. She had a very sad life with many losses at a young age. She lost her father at seven years old, her only brother at 15, all her siblings and her husband . An illegitimate child born to her after a physical attack by a group of boys was taken by her own mother. The father remains unknown. The losses, deaths and betrayals continued throughout her marriage and ended with a fifteen year battle with Alzheimer’s. This is my remembrance of her sadness and her broken heart.
Artist Bio: I have made art, mostly collage or mixed media off and on for the last fifty years. I have participated in Kaleidoscope, AORC and Ohio Collage Society shows in the past. I went to vocational high school for Commercial Art and have an Associate’s Degree in Graphic Design from VMC. This is the first three dimensional piece I have done.

49- Greg Julius | Floss | $1,000
Acrylic and spray paint on wood and plastic
Artist Statement: “Floss” marks a diversion from my primary medium – paint. “Floss” attempts to reorient the viewer to art by adding a 3 dimensional element to the work. The pockets and angles of the work require the viewer to move around the art to see various elements, which results in no single viewing position contains the entire work. At times the light of the room can create new elements. Different angles make images impossible to see without moving. The viewer tends to pace around “Floss” as to find how each element aligns.
Artist Bio: Greg Julius has performed, recorded music, and produced art work in the Akron area since the early 90’s. His first formal exhibition was in September of this year. In 2021, Greg returned to painting after 10 year pause while focusing more on musical works and instrument design. Greg Julius currently teaches writing at the University of Akron and Kent State. He also continues to record and release music with 2 albums released this last year.

50- Lou Camerato | Yin & Yang | $575
Assemblage
Artist Statement: In the intricate tapestry of existence, the eastern concept of yin & yang has stood as a visual representation of opposing forces in harmonious balance—the duality inherent in all aspects of life. But in art, and particularly in this piece, “Yin & Yang” beckons viewers into the enigmatic labyrinth of self-discovery and introspection. The essence of this work transcends the apparent dichotomy, inviting an exploration of the complex layers within the human psyche. Through the meticulous arrangement of disparate elements and found objects, “Yin & Yang” manifests as a striking amalgamation that mirrors the intimacies of the self. Each component holds significance, meticulously chosen to symbolize moments, feelings and fragments of personal history, layered upon one another. This artwork encapsulates the nuances of the human experience, portraying the fallacies, truths, self deception & self encouragement of the inner dialogue, the interplay of light and shade within the soul, the convergence of contrasting paradigms. Amidst the juxtaposition of elements that signify light and darkness, chaos and tranquility, joy and sorrow, love and indifference, the assemblage evokes a sense of vexed retrospection. The deliberate arrangement prompts contemplation on the interconnectedness of these seemingly opposing facets within oneself, urging viewers to confront their own inner conflicts and reconcile the coexistence of contrasting emotions. Ultimately, my intent for “Yin & Yang” was that it transcends its physical form to become a catalyst for introspection, contemplation of the spark and smoke beneath the surface, beckoning viewers to unearth the perilous truths hidden within the mosaic of their lives—an evocative testament to the intricate dance between the conscious and subconscious within us all.
Artist Bio: Lou Camerato, an award-winning artist hailing from the vibrant art community of Akron, Ohio offers a fusion of assemblage/found object art and collage that not only is a feast of the senses, but reveals the inner mysteries of his soul. Every piece he creates is an immersive experience, bursting with metaphorical imagery that exposes his deepest struggles and triumphs. Lou’s passion for his craft is evident in every intricate detail, taking viewers on a journey exploring the relationship between thought & emotions. Lou’s art is a powerful testament to the triumph of the human spirit. When Lou retired from his 47-year career in the world of accounting and finance, he decided to revive his long-neglected art studio under the new name of Just Another Bright Idea Productions (JABI). With a renewed passion for artistic endeavors, he plunged headfirst into the creative abyss. Ever since then, he has been tirelessly crafting one-of-a-kind assemblage and mixed media pieces, each one a testament to his unbridled imagination and unyielding dedication to his craft. Lou attended Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford, and holds a bachelors’ degree in accounting & finance from Central Connecticut State University. Throughout his artistic career, Lou has participated in various regional and national juried and non-juried exhibits and has won several awards. He is often part of many Northeast Ohio art shows as well. Lou’s work has been exhibited at the Canton Museum of Art, The Massillon Museum (Honorable Mention), Little Art Gallery in North Canton, (3rd Place) Summit Art Space, (Honorable Mention, 3rd Place) the Gallery at Lakeland Community College, Middle Earth Gallery in Cuyahoga Falls, Peninsula Art Academy, Akrona Gallery, Hazel Tree Gallery, Akron, Peg’s Gallery, Hudson & The Ohio Collage Society (Merit Award), Cuyahoga Valley Art Center Member Show (Best of 3 Dimensional), 38th Annual Juried Exhibition (Best of 3 Dimensional), Butler Institute of American Art 87th National Mid-Year Juried Exhibition, National Collage Society – 39th Annual Juried Exhibit, Invitational Show (Contemporary Debris-Valley Art Center), Akron Society of Artists 92nd Annual Juried Exhibition (3rd Place Award), 2023 Stak County Artists Exibition-Massillon Museum. He is a member of Akron Society of Artists, Artists of Rubber City, Summit Artspace, National Collage Society, Ohio Collage Society, Cuyahoga Valley Art Center Lou is President and Signature Member of the Akron Society of Artists and a board member of Summit ArtSpace. You can view Lou’s work at his Instagram account @Lou.Camerato.Art and contact him by e-mail at jabi5858@gmail.com

51- Vivienne González | Unfinished Business | $1,200
Oil paint, ink, pastel on wood
Artist Statement: “Unfinished Business” took inspiration from architecture and the linear nature of such structures. Motion and change throughout layers of the composition is a consideration that was at the forefront of my mind for this piece, along with the concept of entropy. According to thermodynamics, a system is increasingly getting more complicated, never more orderly. I wanted to capture a deconstruction of a space; a space becoming progressively more entropic.
Artist Bio: Vivienne Lynette González (b. 2005) is a student and painter from Cleveland, Ohio. Beginning her painting career as a High School CCP student at the University of Akron, González has recently participated in several gallery exhibitions, such as GAR Foundation’s 13th annual Student Art Show and Valley Art Center’s 2nd Annual Emerging Young Artists Exhibition. She currently attends the University of Akon studying Biomedical Science and Painting.

52- Gwen Waight | watch out! | $1,500
Found object assemblage
Artist Statement: I used found objects like a step tool, mirrors, ice picks, substrate, chain, a brush and old hardware to express my thoughts about always being on guard and aware of the dangers in recent days. There are multiple things to be anxious about and concerned with. This also seems to be increasing by the constant social media blasts , news, and by the public. I feel that watching out for myself and my well being is a full time commitment.
Artist Bio: My studio is in Peninsula, Ohio in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. I have resided and worked in Ohio for 19 years. I received my degree from the University of Iowa in sculpture and worked in my dad’s ceramic studio for ten years. It was in my father’s studio that I learned my appreciation of three-dimensional space. It was also my dad’s non-sentimental nature of tossing/ burning all things deemed unnecessary clutter that rooted my deep need to covet and collect almost everything. I studied ceramics in college and love, really, all things clay, thus also why I have an awesome collection of cups, mugs and unomi. I however never felt like clay was the medium by which I wanted to express myself. With found objects and assemblage I truly discovered my voice. The objects I lean towards always seem to have lived and have a story to tell….some objects are complete memories for me and just as a writer will string words together to create a work I assemble objects to create my art. I love the fact that like words, smells and colors; objects hold meaning and memories. The wonderful thing is that sometimes the viewer has similar or completely different ones than my own. I feel that found object assemblage is just like painting in 3D or perhaps, collaging. For me, it is a better process because I don’t start with a blank canvas and I get to move my objects around without having to “paint” over something I don’t like or have to wait for paint to dry. Often in my studio I will have three or four different pieces going at the same time. I start sometimes with an idea first and search for the objects that are going to express that idea or I start with an object or several objects that shout so loudly that they need to be together.

53- Nick Lee | My name sounds like a song from your lips | $700
Acrylic paint and acrylic gouache on canvas
Artist Statement: Although this piece is a still life, it can be seen as a self portrait as well. Symbolic objects surround the two frames in the center, which represent different components of myself. First, there are eyes on a Japanese doll and a hand to represent basic human needs of wanting to be seen and touched. The smaller figurines represent two halves of the same feeling of wanting intimacy with other people. The small boy figurine is more upfront with sharing these emotions, while the cat in contrast is more cautious about the situation. Next, the painting depicts a self portrait compared to a traditional Japanese print. The print is used to show my relation to my eastern features. They share a red background to link these figures in the same realm. There is hope that one day someone will love me for who I am and what I look like. Finally, the backdrop of this still life is a pair of Lee jeans. The pants are used in a humorous way to use my last name and share my ties to American culture. These jeans have been advertised for the working class, which I represent as a painter. All of these objects represent who I am and the feelings I have for human connection.
Artist Bio: Nick Lee (b. 1996) is a painter and 2021 Kent State University graduate. Lee lives and works in Akron, Ohio. Lee’s work is inspired by the diversity of human experience. As a Japanese-American, Lee’s visual art strives to better represent minorities like himself in American portraiture and western art. Another motivation for Lee is self discovery. Lee uses symbolic Japanese objects in his paintings to connect with a culture that was never taught to him growing up. Lee is the 2023 recipient of the Distinguished Citizen for Art Education for the Northeast Ohio region.

54- Linda McConaughy | What Are You Looking At? | $500
Game board, acrylic, mirror, vinyl
Artist Statement: I am very much inspired by the idea of juxtaposing unexpected visual elements to tell a story. My work attempts to connect elements in ways that express personal and maybe communal experiences. The pieces I call “word frames” started as reflections on big changes in my life. I recently retired from a career, sold my house, and moved from Baltimore, Maryland back to Cleveland, where I live with and care for my aging mother. Time away from the pace of the busy career has led to a lot of reflection on who I am and how I interact with the world. I am still realizing how different I am than the person I thought I was. I used frosted vinyl with cutout phrases to both frame and obscure the painted surfaces, intentionally making it difficult for the viewer to figure out what is going on inside each piece. I used oversized sequins and mirrors to reflect images of the viewer and space surrounding them, encouraging the viewer to consider each phrase as it relates to them. In each piece, the layer furthest from the viewer is painted on a board from a vintage game that connects to the phrase visible on the glass.
Artist Bio: Linda McConaughy recently returned to the Cleveland area after a career as an art educator and art program supervisor in Baltimore, Maryland. She creates artworks that reflect a desire to attend to and dialogue with the environment, (including the natural, constructed, and social environment), and look inward to the personal, hidden dialogue with self. Her work includes many media: recycled materials, wood, paint, collage, and collected/found objects. Her work has been exhibited locally at The Artist Archives of the Western Reserve and Bay Arts, and nationally in many juried exhibits.

55- Sarah Leemaster | Where do we go from here? | $1,200
Oil paint on canvas
Artist Bio: Sarah is a Junior at the Myers School of Art obtaining a B.F.A in Painting and drawing and a minor in Art History. Her paintings investigate the dichotomies between nature and architecture that serves as a human vessel. Emphasizing formal elements allows her to highlight the contrasts experienced between architecture as the environment. Artificial v natural color, soft v hard edges, and organic v inorganic are some dichotomies that help visually communicate the contrast experienced between nature and architecture. Ultimately, nature acts as our scaffolding- smaller systems and structures create the scaffolding for architecture. Passages in these pieces reveal some of the process, creating a path of navigation between the figure and ground. While utilizing color as a formal element to distinguish between real and artificial, curvilinear forms and lines appear to create a relationship between organic forms and more structural forms. Furthermore, a sense of confusion is created between layers to evoke a feeling of immersion. Her works are informed by personal experiences with domestic architecture and how perception of these systems impacts general thought.

56- Anna E. Young | Momma’s Irises—A Memory | $325
Scanner photography with collaged, additional cut photos
Artist Statement: Can you trust a memory? As I have aged there have been stories retold to me from other’s perspectives about my younger years and they aren’t quite what I remember. I began to think about how details from life experiences deteriorate over time. This body of work is an investigation of how the image can deteriorate much like memories through the scanning of objects, printing, rescanning, cutting, pasting, and manipulation. Can you trust the image? Will you charge my memory?
Artist Bio: Anna E. Young received her MFA in Photography from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2018. She received her BFA in Photography from the University of Akron with minors in printmaking, art history, and professional photography in 2014. She is the co-owner of KINK Contemporary, an exhibition space in Cleveland, Ohio. Young currently works at the Massillon Museum as an administrative assistant and social media manager, and is an assistant lecturer in 2D Design at the University of Akron’s Myers School of Art. She lives in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and focuses her practice on anxiety, aging, and mortality.

57- Fred Pierre | Orchidaceae | $350
Digital collage printed to fabric
Artist Statement: Orchidaceae (2023) is a digital collage and composite image that combines subtle geometric forms with orchids and the ruins of an ancient temple. It combines bold colors with geometric forms to create a sense of depth and motion within the image. See if you can find the gardeners in this floral conservatory.
Artist Bio: Fred composes digital collages that proclaim the beauty of the natural world while investigating mathematical and geometric forms that add depth and motion to his pieces. It’s op-art, but it’s also digital compositing and it’s intended to pose a visual question for the viewer. The more you gaze at the pieces, the more flowers and animals will emerge from the colorful abstraction. Fred Pierre served on the board of Art/Not Terminal in Seattle from 1995 to 1996 and was their featured artist in 1996. Fred currently manages the FJ Kluth Gallery in Kent and serves as Treasurer for Standing Rock Cultural Arts.

58- Care Hanson | An Acquired Taste | $400
Acrylic on canvas
Artist Statement: A FRESH perspective on aging…
This is a story that began in a dark corner of a thrift store, with the discovery of an empty old frame. The frame was heavy in both weight of wood and grime. The initial plan was to clean it up and spray paint it into New Found Glory.
But…
Partway through the scrubbing, the character of the discoloration and duller sections of the frame rubbed off on me. The restoration goal was no longer negation of the frame’s age or history, but rather a celebration of the best it had become.
A new intuitive abstract painting followed – one that held thoughts of aging beauty, hanging by a thread, & ‘becoming real’ like the velveteen rabbit. The pallet is subdued; the composition, not quite symmetrical. It’s all a bit rough around the edges. This specific painting developed & grew in direct conversation with the frame. (It was never the case of choosing a painting who wore it best)
In the end, the frame and the painting support each other and realize they won’t be universally appreciated. Much like aging itself, they are an acquired taste.
Artist Bio: Care Hanson is a visual artist with an eclectic practice that includes acrylic on canvas, altered book art journals, mixed media on recycled cardboard, nature mandalas and hand stitching. She thrives on color exploration, using intuition and a spirit of ‘just try’
Care’s favorite art is a bit open ended, leaving room for conversation with the viewer and offering something new with each viewing. This is the type of connection she aims to achieve in her work.
Art play is her daily habit and way of life. Summit Artspace has provided great support for the past decade & is her favorite place to exhibit.
You can follow Care’s creative journey on Instagram@carehanson

59- Barbara Himes | Portal | $250
Acrylic paint, plaster, graphite, gel printing, collage
Artist Statement: Art making continuously challenges me to explore my beliefs so that I can present my authentic self in my work. . Balancing technique with exploration pushes my idea of who I am as an artist and makes me eager get to my studio each day. In ‘Portal’ I’m walking through a door to my world.
Artist Bio: I’ve done some form of art most of my adult life. A need to make a living led me to a nursing career, but painting and drawing were always a passion. Following that passion led me to study with many locally and nationally know artists and to the University of Akron. I’m able to pursue my art more fully at this stage of my life and I love experimenting with materials and techniques. The Akron Society of Artists recently honored me with Signature membership.