Artists of Rubber City Juried Exhibition

Artists of Rubber City Juried Exhibition

Forum Gallery

Artists of Rubber City hosts its traditional juried show of adult artists from Summit and neighboring counties. The show is juried by Mary Urbas, Gallery Coordinator at Lakeland Community College. Artist of Rubber City is a membership organization of working artists and art lovers who enjoy supporting each other’s creative endeavors, and connecting the Akron community to contemporary art.

Special thanks to Bradley Hart, Summit Artspace resident artist, for photography of virtual exhibitions!

Did you know?

Most of the artwork on display at Summit Artspace is for sale.
Click on the artwork images for pricing and more information about each piece. 

If you would like to purchase any art, please visit a staff member or volunteer at the front desk, or email natalie@summitartspace.org.

1- Luanne Bole-Becker | Tropical Blues | $100
Photography
20″ x 16″

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!

Artist Statement- The vibrancy of blue sky against this Bonaire building and its shadows formed a striking and abstract collection of line, texture, and color.

2- Care Hanson | A Breath of Clarity | $375
Acrylic on wood panel
39” x 15”

Artist Bio- Care Hanson’s art exploration encompasses painting, mixed media collage, nature mandalas, simple stitching and photography. She operates from an intuitive spirit of ‘just try’ and finds the variety in medium and scale keeps the work fresh. Care’s a Cleveland native & longtime resident of Stow, with a BFA from BGSU. Summit Artspace holds a special place in her heart; it was her first (and still favorite) place to exhibit her work.

Artist Statement- The tall, narrow shape guided the intuitive composition. This painting speaks to me of twilight, a time of peaceful energy. (In contrast, my daughter senses an approaching hurricane). I’ll leave it to each viewer to take a breath and decide.

3- Muddy Monroe | Cursed by an Angel | $500
Acrylic on canvas
20” x 16”

Artist Bio- Who is Muddy Monroe?
and why does it matter?
The path every woman walk is a little… well Muddy. In a world where society demands every aspect of being woman be Pristine and Perfect. Scrubbed clean of all personality and perspective to be packaged for consumption. Sold to the highest bidder for their own enjoyment. Eternally framed and hung with the burden of adding value in hopes of being appreciated.
So, who is Muddy Monroe?
A Woman? An Artist? A Work of Art?
What’s the difference?
Why does it matter?

Artist Statement- “Cursed by an angel” is a piece that shows the venerability women face in the world.

4- Brian Bakos | Crossing Paths | $1,100
Water based acrylic on stretched canvas
36″ x 24″

Artist Bio- I’m Brian Bakos, a Northeast Ohio based artist who works at his home studio in Stow, Ohio. Growing up in this region, I’ve always had a passion for bright colors and the outdoors.

My work primarily consists of water based mediums to illustrate emotions along with the connections we all share.

Artist Statement- My work is an examination of the paths we cross in life, amongst ourselves and others. Using different common objects, brush strokes, and techniques, I explore the relationships we share, and paths we cross, through colors and shapes.

5- William Beuther | Painted Lady | $220
Photograph
20″ x 16″

Artist Bio- Bill is an award-winning and published local photographer whose work has been in numerous art shows, including national exhibitions at the Butler Institute of American Art. Whether bicycling across Europe with a camera strapped to his back or shooting scenes at a local park, Bill’s enthusiasm for photography is infectious.

Artist Statement- Painted Ladies are Victorian houses repainted in three or more colors to embellish their architectural details. I found this beauty at the Laura Plantation in Louisiana and fell in love with its wonderful shapes, textures, and colors. While it may have been built too early to qualify as a Painted Lady, it definitely is one to me.

6- William Beuther | Artistic Profusion | $220
Photograph
16″ x 20″

Artist Statement- I love the contrast between the mundane and the artistic in this photograph. On one side of a fence, a man walks to his destination, apparently oblivious to his surroundings. On the other side. an artistic abstract covering a building with a profusion of colorful and bizarre imagery.

7- Chad Troyer | Leftovers: Cream Peas | $720
Dyed monofilament, handmade ropes, hand-felted ropes, beads, wool yarn, monofilament
20″ x 60″

Artist Statement- Leftovers: Cream Peas is the second iteration of a piece and is made with the leftover yarn from that piece. That piece, Creamed Beads (Wilma’s Rope), was about a dish that my grandmother made for me as a child and was my attempt at a connection to her postmortem. This weaving uses a monofilament warp that was ikat dyed, and monofilament weft in sections. The warp is much thinner than the wool ropes, and thus wraps around them and traps them in plastic, like how you treat leftover food. This process is to make the storing of food easier, cleaner, and more manageable. In the same way, it allows for the materials of Creamed Beads (Wilma’s Rope) to be easily stored away, but also the feelings in it. This plastic encasement is usually the best way to store leftovers until they spill out and begin to mingle with the plastic.

8- Carol J Stevens | Pieces of Dreams | $950
Acrylic collage
20″ x 20″

Artist Bio- Highlights: Signature Memberships from: National Watercolor Society (NWS), Ohio Watercolor Society (OWS), Kentucky Watercolor Society (KWS) Board Trustee of Ohio Watercolor Society for three terms Education: BS in Art Education from Bowling Green State University Additional classes from the Cleveland Institute of Art and Cleveland State University 30 years of workshops and seminars with professional artists and mentors Teaching Experience: K-8 in Lorain City Schools Various adult classes and workshops Ohio and Florida Mentor the annual “Art and Creativity Retreat” at Sandscrest in Wheeling, WV Selected Awards and Exhibitions 2019-2022: “ Watercolor Ohio” 2022 Sarah Kass Award, KWS: “Aqueous 2021 USA” “Aqueous 2020 USA, Cheap Joe’s Art, Silver Brush Award OWS: “Watercolor Ohio 2021”, CAC- Don Getz Award “Watercolor Ohio 2020” “Watercolor Ohio 2019”, Ohio Watercolor Society/ Blick Award Summit Artspace: “Fresh” “Kaleidoscope 2020, 2021 “Femcentric” Valley Art Center (Chagrin Falls) “50th Annual Juried Exhibit” Phyllis Lloyd Award, The Butler Institute of Art “83rd National Midyear”, Honorable Mention

Artist Statement- While cleaning my studio I tossed some torn pieces of old paintings onto a newer unresolved work. As I continued cleaning, I realized that each unrelated torn piece represented dreams of a past painting floating over the new incomplete image but somehow resolving it. I wondered how incomplete past dreams can still be realized by refitting them together with new ones.

9- Lou Camerato | Windows from the Ukraine | $350
Assemblage
20.5″ x 16.5″

Artist Bio- Lou Camerato (he/him)
Lou Camerato, a resident of West Akron, is an award winning artist. His medium is assemblage/ Found Object art and Collage. Each of his assemblages are rich in metaphoric imagery, revealing his inner conflicts and personal victories.
Since his retirement from a 47 – year career in accounting and finance Lou rebranded his art studio – Just Another Bright Idea Productions – and jumped back into more creative time. Since then, he has continued creating unique assemblage and mixed media works.
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 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 and Hazel Tree Gallery, Akron. He is a member of Akron Society of Artists, Artists of Rubber City, Summit Art space, National Collage Society, Ohio Collage Society and Cuyahoga Valley Art Center. Lou is also a board member of Akron Society of Artists and Summit Art Space.
You can view Lou’s work at is Instagram account Lou.Camerato.Art an also contact him by e-mail at jabi5858@gmail.com

Artist Statement- This assemblage was on my drawing board for several months. In this piece, I am providing the viewers a glimpse of the travesty that is happening in the Ukraine as result of the Russo-Ukraine War. This piece began with a wooden utensil drawer from a kitchen cabinet that I found in the trash. The partitions provided me a stage to form the windows. I created vignettes of various stages of death and destruction to the Ukraine and its citizens. The back drop of an icon of St. Olga, Patron Saint of Kiev is a strong motif to this piece since it clearly expresse her sadness and horror over the atrocities of this war. I framed this assemblage with tanks..providing the message of hope that the tanks being funded by other nations arrive in time to save the Ukraine from Russian occupancy and oppression. I could not, not create a piece that creates dialogue as to how important this war is to not only the Ukraine but other nations as well. Some do not understand that this war is about freedom from Russian oppression, not just for the Ukraines but for every other Nation in the world. It is serendipitous that I completed this assemblage on the one year anniversary of this war.

10- Jacob Mollohan | Ukraine Overpowers Russia | $1,300
Archival inkjet print
15″ x 10″

Artist Bio-

Jacob Mollohan is a photographer based in Akron, Ohio. He graduated with a BFA in photography from The University of Akron in May 2019. Jacob currently works as an Architectural and Fine Art photographer. He has been working as a photographer since 2017. Jacob found a love for photography while in school, prompting a change from the graphic arts. His foundation of graphic design helps shape each photograph he makes.

Jacob has been commissioned to make work for Akron non-profits, Crafty Mart, Art Bomb Brigade, and Highland Square Neighborhood Association. The U.S. Army continues to use work he created while enlisted – earning him an Army Achievement Medal. Within the University of Akron, he has won two portfolio scholarships from the Myers School of Art. Jacob has hosted a number of solo exhibitions for his series Pick It Up Together. He has participated in several exhibitions including the 81st, 82nd, and 83rd Annual Juried Student Exhibition at The Emily Davis Gallery. He has also participated in The 29th AoRC Annual Juried Exhibition, and 419 Square Miles of Summit County Juried Exhibition at Summit Artspace. He achieved an honorable mention at the 419 Square Miles Exhibition where he was then invited to sit on an artist panel discussion.

Artist Statement- Blue & Yellow is an extension of my series Krakow Train Station. Just as that series sets its goal on raising support for the Ukrainian refugee crisis, this series shares the same objective. I hope that this series helps viewers empathetically connect to the people who have been torn from their homes due to the Russian invasion. The images in this series show a predominant color set of blue and yellow, represented by the peoples supporting their home colors. The colors can also be seen across the city and volunteers of Krakow as a nod of support. This kind of support give comfort as a means of saying you’re safe and we will do all we can to help you.

11- Susan Yingling | Courtyard | $150
Laser-engraved photo on painted glass with collage
14″ X 11″

Artist Bio- Susan Yingling holds a BFA from Kent State University and taught visual art in the Akron Public Schools for 35 years, the majority of that time serving the students of Margaret Park Elementary School and the George C. Miller South School for the Visual & Performing Arts. She has served as co-chair of the NECO Scholastic Art Committee, chair of the Akron-Summit Council on Holocaust & Genocide Education, a docent at the Akron Art Museum and the Canton Museum of Art, Summit Artspace Board and the Akron Art Museum Education Committee. She has judged and/or adjudicated the Akron Arts Expo, Summit Artspace Fresh exhibit with Arnold Tunstall, the Medina Art League student show, the Akron-Summit Council on Holocaust & Genocide Education art competition, NECO Scholastic Art competition, and the Norton High School Art Department Fashion Show and Competition. She holds memberships in the Artists of Rubber City and the Ohio Collage Society, and is active in her community with the Dorchester-Mineola Block Club and the Maple Valley Merchants Business Association. Susan 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.

Artist Statement- This image is an American courtyard that asks the viewer to stop and ponder the origin of the craftsmanship within. This photo was “processed” using a laser engraver and a sheet of painted glass. The image is engraved from the black paint leaving transparent areas behind which colors and textures are collaged. Colors are mostly paint chip samples gleaned from Zero Landfill along with old wine labels.

12- J.J. Thornberry | Nurturing the Bittersweet | NFS
Colored Pencil on black paper
14″ x 11″

Artist Statement- In this self portrait I explored an aspect of my career in education. As teachers it is in our nature to give, to plant seeds, to promote growth. Often times it feels like no matter how much you give, the expectation is to provide more. What else can you give? How can you help more? The seeds that we tended begin taking over like an invasive species, slowly blotting out everything in it’s path. In this work I wanted to express the feeling of suffocating while still being willing to share my seeds.

13- Thomas Reiderman | Solar Philodendron # 1 in black and white | $275
Digital photography
21″ x 15″

Artist Bio- Mr. Reiderman has been an active artist and photographer in Akron since 2003. He has exhibited often at Summit Artspace with Artists of Rubber City, and also exhibited with the Akron Art Prize. He has exhibited two times with the Butler Intstitute of American Art MidYear show (Youngstown, Ohio) and won Honorable Mention in that show in 2018. He has also exhibited with the Valley Art Center in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. His recent exhibit of art and photography was at St. Paul’s Episcopal church in Akron from November, 2022 through January, 2023. He has served on the board with Artists of Rubber City as corresponding secretary.

Artist Statement- I had a color photograph of this large philodendron plant, but I felt black and white rendered it more dramatic, so I printed it as such.

14- Jacqui Sukie | Bubble Up | $90
Photography
16″ x 20″

Artist Bio- Jacqui Sukie is a self-taught photographer and artist from Akron, OH. Her appreciation for things of beauty began at an early age and blossomed during college art classes. After graduation, she continued her studies by traveling the world to visit museums and to immerse herself in local art scenes. This eclectic background can be seen in her fresh perspective of everyday subjects.

Artist Statement- The grounds of Stan Hywet provide many photo opportunities, and this day was no exception. The bubbling fountain was mesmerizing to watch as the bubbles gurgled out from the fountain and sailed across the pond. At times they look like satellites, with the reflection turning them into orbs.

15- Andy Tubbesing | Up People & Down People | $300 Assemblage
31″ x 8″ x 8″

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 instilled 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. Yes, a process of discovery, but also of damage control. About the only thing more difficult is not creating art.

Artist Statement- This vertical realm of pipes and chains and sludge ain’t for everybody, but to a quirky few, it’s the best of all worlds. Top or bottom, the view’s pretty much the same. And your luck is bound to change, yet again, whether you’re inching your way up or sliding back down.

16- Joanna Mack | Shattered | $400
Hand dyed and painted new and used fabric, digitally printed photograph, novelty yarn, cotton and metallic thread
22″ x 38.5″

Artist Bio- Fabric is my art medium of choice. I have been making art quilts since 2011, after several years working with traditional quilt patterns. The colors and interaction of diverse fabrics set the mood for the emotions I seek to convey. I often work improvisationally and abstractly, but also create representational pieces. My love affair with color has led me to experiment with many surface design techniques. Currently I am incorporating mixed media, fabric collage, and digitally edited photographs in my work.

Artist Statement- A broken mirror abandoned backstage at a theater led to this work. As I worked with the photo I took of that mirror I developed the uncomfortable realization that any control I have over my life is mostly illusion. I work to rejoin the broken pieces, knowing the edges will never fit together smoothly.

17- Gwen Waight | grandma said i could have a normal nose. | $200
Found object assemblage
8” x 6” x 5”

Artist Statement- This assemblage is about a childhood memory of my grandmother telling me if I put a clothespin on my nose when I slept that I could have a normal nose, a good nose, a white person’s nose. My cousins and I would have a sleepover at grandma’s and I was expected to sleep with a clothespin on my nose, but not my cousins. It was a painful experience.

18- Deanna Clucas | Rest in the Forest | $550
Watercolor
14″ x 11″

Artist Bio- Deanna’s (watercolor & acrylics) experience as an artist covers most of her life, but changed to a professional career over the last twenty-five years. She works in several mediums in a vast array of subjects from realistic to abstract.
Earning a degree in Commercial Art from the University of Akron and taking ongoing classes and workshops keeps her work fresh. Besides several one-woman shows, she exhibits in numerous group and indoor-outdoor shows. Her award winning work can be found throughout the U.S.

Artist Statement- As we have missed the snow for this year, I wanted to give the feeling of a restful snow of the past. There are so many vertical trees in the forest that I needed some wind damaged trees leaning into the mass and something horizontal. The bench I sit on gazing at the wonderous scenes fills the bill.

19- Jacob Mollohan | Hunger | $1,300
Archival inkjet print
15 x 10

Artist Statement- Blue & Yellow is an extension of my series Krakow Train Station. Just as that series sets its goal on raising support for the Ukrainian refugee crisis, this series shares the same objective. I hope that this series helps viewers empathetically connect to the people who have been torn from their homes due to the Russian invasion. The images in this series show a predominant color set of blue and yellow, represented by the peoples supporting their home colors. The colors can also be seen across the city and volunteers of Krakow as a nod of support. This kind of support give comfort as a means of saying you’re safe and we will do all we can to help you.

20- Bill Dowey | Beyond the pines | $100|
Watercolor
8″ x 12″ 

Artist Bio- I started painting after a brain injury in 2016. Painting with watercolor has changed my life and I don’t even think about the the things I can no longer do because of what happened to me. I am self taught thru YouTube watercolor classes and mostly trial and error. I am 63, married and we live in Stow, Ohio

Artist Statement- The mountains of PA and West Virginia are some of my favorite things to paint. No matter what time of year they are truly beautiful. A majority of my paintings will have a full moon. A Full moon makes me feel at peace.

21- J.J. Thornberry | Two Worlds | NFS
Colored pencil on black paper
11″ x 9″

Artist Bio- I am an artist and art educator living in Summit County. My background includes earning a BFA from Cleveland State University in Graphic Design, coaching collegiate softball at University of Akron, and completing a Masters in Visual Arts Education from The University of Akron. I currently teach high school art with a focus in drawing, painting, and Advanced Placement Art & Design. Personally I am still working on a balance of teaching and creating, but my preferred mediums are drawing on toned paper.

Artist Statement- In this self portrait I wanted to explore a feeling I’ve experienced most of my life: the feeling of not fitting in to the “worlds” that I exist within. Athletics has played a huge role in who I am but at time I felt like my artistic side had to take a backseat because it didn’t belong in the world of sports. Vice versa, art has been my way of communicating my thought and emotions for so long, but often the art community misunderstood athletics and left me feeling like I wasn’t enough of an artist to be in the fold. It has taken time, patience, and growth to recognize how these two worlds can and will forever coexist in my being.

22- Kayla Billings | Simon Magus | $180
Ink, dry media
22″ x 17.5″ x 1″

Artist Bio- I am an artist who is primarily interested in line and the human figure. My drawings are illustrative, such as a style seen during the end of the last millennium. Faces are rendered as case studies, artifacts in their own narratives, much as some of my subjects are lucid witnesses to their pending ordeals.
An Alumni of The University of Memphis, I received my BFA in studio art and have subsequently lived in South Korea. In recent years, I have transplanted to Akron, Ohio from New York City.

Artist Statement- Life forms begotten not from a rib, but inkblots appear on the page amidst confident lines and simplified forms. Call it more a Rorschach, there is a lucidity where the figure contemplates its savior- or the complete removal of.

23- Kit Palencar | Nihilanth | $1,000
Oil on panel
22″ x 36″

Artist Bio- Born in Fairview Park, Ohio in 1992, Palencar currently resides in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio and holds a Masters of Fine Arts degree from Kent State University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The University of Akron.

Having exhibited in galleries across Northeast Ohio and collectors ranging from across the globe, Palencar currently teaches painting and drawing at the Cuyahoga Valley Art Center as well as several painting and drawing courses at the Canton Museum of Art. As with his expanding teaching career, Kit also teaches art history through the Correctional Education Department at Ashland University. Most recently, Palencar serves as the Exhibitions Manager at the Cuyahoga Valley Art Center.

Artist Statement- The figure stands to look out amongst the setting full moon and the rising sun. Warm light splashes on the figure’s face, bathing it in dust particles from the cosmos. The duality of past and present creates a balance between beginning and end. However, this is the end of nothingness. Yet nothingness begets genesis. The cycle repeats, much like the moon and the sun, until we become dust particles from the cosmos.

24- Cassie Hart | Afterthought | NFS
Ballpoint pen, gouache, acrylic on book
12″x16″

Artist Bio- In 2009, Cassie Hart obtained her B.F.A. in illustration and has since worked in many artistic fields, including jobs as a graphic designer, product designer, textile designer, and comic book artist. Her work has been shown at the ICON portfolio showcase, in the 3×3 annual, and in various group shows around the country. You may have also seen her at conventions like New York Comic Con, DragonCon, and Chicago’s C2E2. Never formally trained as a painter, she allows her paintings to evolve meditatively. Cassie’s work constantly evolves as she experiments with medium and scale, but her focus remains on the study of the figure and the physiological expression of emotion.

Artist Statement- To me, the beauty of static art is in its ability to express catharsis – to depict feeling and story with one image. I try to use texture, line, and figure to communicate emotion through the filter of chaos and rapid experience. The slightly deformed unrealism of the figure alludes to the physiological expression of emotion we share.

25- Taylor Clapp | Delicate State of Mind | $1,000
Cheery wood, epoxy, misc. fabric, thread, gesso, oil paint, needles, and found objects
51″ x 33.5″

Artist Bio- Taylor Clapp- a graphic designer and artist that loves nature, animals, and creating; she strives to push herself and works in many mediums.

Taylor grew up in rural Ohio and has always been interested in pursuing a life in the arts in some way. After earning her BA in Graphic Design from Central State University she moved to Akron, Ohio with her spouse and cat. They quickly fell in love with their adoptive city and now are settling down and filling their home with more pets. During her first few years in Akron, she had the pleasure of working with multiple local organizations in art related jobs. In November of 2020 she decided to officially start freelancing and created her own company, Clapp for Art, LLC. This has allowed her to work with many organizations large and small including Wigs for Kids and Summit Artspace. Taylor also serves on the board for Summit Cycling Center and is one of the co-organizers of the Groundhog Show in Portage Lakes.

Artist Statement- Recently most of my paintings have been about mental health, specifically anxiety and depression. This self-portrait is a glimpse into a time last year when I was struggling deeply with my anxiety. It is composed to look like a relatively normal and cozy portrait of someone in their safe space; but as you take in the assemblage items you realize that things aren’t quite as they should be. It turns out that the new birth control that I was on had severe negative side effects on my mental health and caused me to continually be in a delicate state of mind. The entire process of making this piece was a means of pouring out my anxiety into a container that could hold it. From making the “frame” out of cherry wood that my husband inherited to sewing on the embellishments; the process was just as much of the art as the final piece.

26- Makaylah Clark | Brothers From The Stars | NFS
Mixed media
18” x 24”

Artist Bio- Makaylah Clark is a Black women artist and lifelong resident of Akron Ohio. Clark creates colorful and dreamy character-based artwork that works together to tell a story of escapism. She uses a mix of common materials to bring familiarity to the viewer, such as crayons, glitter, and stickers. Alongside Unique materials to captivate the viewer like metallic fountain pen ink, wax pastels, and pressed plants. Many of her artworks use bold and saturated colors to express otherworldly. Together the materials and colors help create many textures that bring the work together and give work a fantastical look.

Artist Statement- I wanted to focus on using many different types of materials in this illustration. I also wanted to create a multi subject drawing. I used stickers from a sticker book, glitter, gems, colored pencils, watercolor and acrylic paint. The challenge was making all these different materials come together cohesively. I also wanted the two figures to be distinctly different and also clearly similar. So i started with the title of the piece and created the design based on that.

27- Maria Uhase | What Worth On Earth Are The Words | $625
Oil on canvas
24″ x 36″

Artist Bio- Maria Uhase is an oil painter and illustrator living and working in Northeast Ohio. She completed a BA Studio Emphasis with a Minor in Painting and a Minor in Drawing from the Myers School of Art at the University of Akron (OH) in 2019. She creates surreal narratives involving combinations of plants, animals, and objects in the natural world. Much of the inspiration for her art comes from her daily experiences of the nature surrounding her home in the woods, traveling often to explore new environments, through her amateur research in various sciences, and learning from the people she knows and meets. She hopes to encourage people to form connections with each other founded in genuine altruism, empathy, and acceptance as they produce individual narratives in relation to her work, and as they discover the commonalities between them.

Artist Statement- This painting of unopened orchid buds, leaves, branches, and spiderwebs spilling from the neck of a two-headed leopard combines thoughts of the past with present conditions. While continuing to deal with lifelong struggles with mental health, I have often found rest in certain childhood memories as they are recalled, especially relating to nature and old pastimes. For this painting I decided to create a piece of that world of comfort. I included the leopard head and orchid buds as souvenirs of visits to warm climates and trips to the zoo when I was young. I also reached into the realm of 16-bit video games I played with my siblings and used the color palettes to direct the painting. Rather than using this piece to linger in the past and neglect present issues, I find that it is a reminder to continue to create spaces of joy and comfort for myself and to share with others. 

28- Maria Uhase | Take Some, Pass It Down | $625
Oil and acrylic on canvas
24″ x 36″

Artist Statement- In this painting of three snaking flamingo heads on a bed of leaves, I intend to tell a story centered around the passing down of information, trauma, etc. from one being to another. In the interconnectedness of relationships between people, animals, and plants many positive and negative interactions are shared. As can be seen in the interactions between the figures in this painting, what one receives might not be in their ability to control. However, it is their decision what they will choose to pass along to another. 

29- Steven Larsen | Grandpas Boots | NFS
Nue pastel on gessoed hard backed canvas, watercolor, and oil pastel
18” x 24”

Artist Bio- Fine arts background in drawing and printmaking. Native American and heritage inspired.

Artist Statement- Grandpa was a cattle rancher in California and these were his boots.

30- Chad Troyer | Chemin | $350
Jacquard woven cloth, cotton, rayon
14″ x 11.5″

Artist Bio- Chad Troyer is an interdisciplinary artist working in textile practices such as weaving and felting. They graduated from Kent State University in 2022, receiving a BFA in Sculpture and Expanded Media, in addition to a BA in French.
Their art uses the interlacement of yarn to highlight the relationship of textiles to itself, interlacing patterns to craft a metaphor between the artist and their community, family, and environment. Using their rural and Christian upbringing as a framework, Chad satirizes the religious rhetoric they grew up with to elevate a queer message.

Artist Statement- Chemin is a digital weaving done on a TC1 (Thread-Controller Generation 1). This piece started as a vector image I created in Adobe Illustrator, which I then exported into Adobe Photoshop and to which I manually assigned handmade weave structures. During the design process I decided I wanted the weaving to use two wefts, so there would be slight color variation, textural variation, and structural variation. Chemin also uses the warp floats in the large band in the center of the weaving. This means that the warp and the weft are not interacting with each other, which is unstable, compared to the integrity that the interlacing weave structures gives. This gives the central band of the weave a loose and somewhat flowing feeling, as they are free to move.

31- Beth Prindle | I Don’t Remember Living There | $150
Mixed media assemblage
20.5″ x 6.5″

Artist Bio- Originally possessing a degree in Design from KSU and having worked in commercial printing, I have returned to making art after a detour into nursing. What started out as therapy has evolved into a passion.

Artist Statement- In this piece I am trying to convey the space between an actual memory and knowing something happened only because there is a photograph of it. I moved many times as a child, hence the child’s shoe and the many house keys. The footprints in the snow in the found photograph is evidence that someone was there, but where are they? The curtain pulled back represents a “veiled” memory, and is someone peeking from behind the curtain – or are we peeking in?

32- justray | 88 cents | $800
Found objects, glue, acrylic paint and wood panel
36″ x 36″

Artist Bio- I was born and have spent all of my life living in NE Ohio. I earned my BFA in Sculpture from the University of Akron in 1995. Most of my professional career was spent working for others as a graphic and web designer. During my years of undergraduate studies, I was once told that life experience is fundamental to the process of art. The one thing I have established over the years is plenty of life experience. The question has always been, “Not if I would continue art full-time, but when?” Well, That time is now.

Artist Statement- Using objects from my past, my artwork is born from memories, dreams, and nostalgia. When information is fed into the brain, we can make quick connections to information already stored in our memory. With these associations, we anchor concepts in our brains. Finding concepts – that’s what our brain deals with all day. It tries to understand what we see. I am deeply inspired by this process.

Currently, I have been using decoupage as a medium to create works. I find this medium extraordinarily accessible and easy for non-artists to relate to. Their relationship to such objects makes it feasible that they could make similar art as well. Creating art out of easily obtainable art supplies is a goal of mine to help grow our artistic community and encourage others to create as well.

33- Shirley Ende-Saxe | Lies and Luck for Her | $300
Assemblage
8″ x 12″ x 3″

Artist Bio- Shirley Ende-Saxe is an artist who works primarily in collage and watercolor abstraction, with an occasional excursion into assemblage.
She is interested in the ephemeral qualities of time and memory and seeks to express these in her work.

Artist Statement- Surrounded with traditionally feminine objects, the vintage photograph of a young girl that was never aware of what is outside the frame looks out at the viewer.

34- Tom Baldwin | Saw Whet Owl | $500
Woodcarving
15″ x 8″

Artist Bio- Tom Baldwin is an internationally award winning wildfowl carving artist. He recently won 2nd Best in the World at the Ward World Wildfowl Carving Championship in Interpretive Division, M & T Printing purchase award at the Canadian National Wildfowl Carving Championship, and has won back-to-back Best in Shows at the Wings and Water Festival, Award of excellence at the 2014 Kaleidoscope Holiday show, 1st place at the 2015 Kaleidoscope Holiday show, top 5 runner up for the Akron Art Prize 5 years in a row and Best of Show at the 29th Annual Regional Juried Art Show at the
Cuyahoga Valley Art Center. Tom also received the best sculpture award at the 70th Annual Ohio Exhibition at the Zanesville Museum of Art. Tom lives
in Akron, Ohio with his wife, Barbara, and their two dogs.

You can see more of Tom’s work on his website: songofwood.com

Artist Statement- Every once and a while I feel like doing something a little different. I wanted to carve an Owl and I wanted it to be something to show on a wall instead of the usual table top arrangement. Saw Whet Owls are the smallest Owls in our part of the country and felt the size of the Owl would make a good subject. I also designed this carving in a vertical formation to fit in the short wall spaces of a home as in between doorways or windows. Great places for a small art presentation designed to mix with other flat art of similar subjects.

35- Carol Klingel | 2 Possibilities | $450
Acrylic on paper
24″ x 18″

Artist Bio- 1969 BS Art Ed -Kent State University; 1991 MS Outdoor 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.

Artist Statement- Capturing my own image in the laptop screen as I watched a murder mystery put me in the scene. Was I looking out or looking in?

36- Shirley Ende-Saxe | Mr. Rose’s X | $300
Collage
8″ x 10″

Artist Statement- The vintage photograph has been X’ed out and surrounded with red blotches and rose petals. Mr. Rose isn’t telling the whole story.

37- Tina Grondin | Bird Song | $375
Watercolor, mixed media, on paper
16″ x 20″

Artist Bio- Tina Grondin is a mixed media artist, working from her home studio in Garrettsville, Ohio. Her work is inspired by urban and natural environments, and by factors of their transformation. Tina is also often motivated to make art which refers to current social, environmental and cultural content. She is a member of the Artists of Rubber City and The Artists of Group Ten. Her work has been exhibited in group and solo shows in Northeast Ohio including Summit Art Space, The Lakeland May Show, The Butler Mid-Year, Waterloo Arts, Chagrin Valley Art Center, Fair mount Center for the Arts and Cuyahoga Valley Arts Center.

Artist Statement- A mixed media collage representing the rhythmic melody of early morning. Color awakens from the sleepy shadows, a bird sings and the wild flowers stir in the dew.

38- Ashley Bittner | Parietal Reality | NFS
Acrylic mixed media on canvas
30″ x 38″ x 2″

Artist Statement- This piece was inspired by a spiritual shift of the mind towards enlightenment

39- Linda Lyell | Poppies | $700
Chalk pastels
24″ x 23″

Artist Bio- With a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Akron and a scholarship from the Women’s Art League, Linda worked for many advertising agencies in the Northeast Ohio region, winning numerous awards for her designs – especially logo designs. Since then, Linda has gone back to exploring her deep-seated artist self, taking classes in various mediums including metal-smithing and jewelry-making. She has embraced her transition to chalk pastels because of her love for the fragility and timelessness of the medium. Very rarely does she use fixatives on her work, for it compromises the presentation and freshness of the pastel. She continually surrounds herself in color in everyday life, which is reflected in her work.

Artist Statement- One of my favorite flowers is Poppies. They are so delicate and stay with us for a short time. i wanted to capture their beauty but also their fragility. A colorful explosion in a wink of the eye.

40- Lindsay Martin Gryskewich | 3 PM Yellow Rope | $475
Acrylic on canvas
16″ x 20″

Artist Bio- Lindsay Martin Gryskewich received her Master of Fine Arts from Oregon College of Art and Craft and her Bachelors of Arts from Denison University. She has received numerous scholarships and attended Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts and a residency in Deschutes National Forest, Oregon. Her paintings are exhibited locally and nationally in spaces such as the BayArts Center near Cleveland, Ohio, Wasmer Gallery at Ursuline College, the galleries at Kent State University, Troy Laundry Building and Ford Gallery of Portland, OR, ArtReach Gallery of Portland, OR, and the Hoffman Gallery. She regularly exhibits at Troppus Projects in Kent, Ohio.

Lindsay Martin Gryskewich is also an educator and art administrative professional. Currently, she teaches full time in arts and Reggio Emilia classrooms at Old Trail School. A full time mother, her family lives and works in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Artist Statement- Lindsay Martin Gryskewich’s paintings explore space, color, pattern and materiality as the artist retraces influential surroundings. She creates a map of musings, day trips, collections of colors at twilight in the garden or perspectives from the family room window as she nurses her child. Using these details, her imagery honors place and holds simple, domestic and familial moments as philosophical, and at times escapist structures. Her work weaves together different moments of painting histories, tapping into styles and historic interior spaces as experimentations. Within rooms, backyards and neighborhoods, Martin Gryskewich explores phenomenology within objects, memory and place.

“I am interested in how we spatially orient ourselves and wander through the sites of our lives. Place is a fluid illusion: both general and detailed, permanent and temporary. Painting emerges as material amalgamation of the body’s translations of memory. “

41- Gwen Waight | mother | $200
Found object assemblage
12” x 10” x 5”

Artist Bio- My studio is in Peninsula, Ohio in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. I have resided and worked in Ohio for 17 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.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. 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.

Artist Statement- My mother died this past year and this piece is a small totem to her. The use of the styrofoam base is a commentary on how fleeting and non precious life seems. Also how lasting it can be through memories and remnants. The net is the representation of how we try to hang on and capture what we can. The brush is the idea that we are all caught up in our own death and demise. Just as styrofoam is only useful in its form but not as parts of detritus . Finally the ice picks captures my discomfort with the process.

See the Summit Artspace exhibit schedule for show details.
Have questions? Here is our Frequently Asked Questions page.

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