Canton Cultural Center for the Arts & Canton Museum of Art

  Sally Lamb

My background is in photography.  I studied at the Cooper School of Art and attended numerous workshops.  I also had a one-woman show at the Massillon Museum.

I'm still drawn to the black and white image and feel most exposed letting people see the world through my eyes.

I started creating jewelry last year to have pieces that meant something to me that I wanted to wear.  I love the color of silver, the sculptural and textural possibilities. The accessibility of jewelry as an art form, as well as its relative permanence, appeals to me. It's fun to see how my work has changed in the past year.  Each piece is a portrait of who I was when it was made.

  Helen Lewis -- Illuminating Words

My love of letters and words, both the visual aspect of their shape, and the beauty and impact of their meaning, inspires my calligraphy,

mixed-media collage, and design work. I am fascinated with the curve of an "E" or the elegant flow of old script. I love the stirring in

my heart as I read a meaningful quote. My art combines my own lettering with various ephemera and elements, such as snippets of old

text, correspondence, and old photographs. I have a B.A. in Communications from Mt. Union College. blhl@ohio.net

  Kristina Malcolm

My art and jewelry explore the beauty of nature; integrating the organic qualities in classic Art Nouveau, Gothic and Native styles.

To support my high standards and integrity in my designs, I avoid using synthetic materials and adhesives.  Each piece is individually created - a

true one-of-a-kind piece.

  J. Kevin Maxwell

My art is the result of Nature’s genetic roulette wheel.  God-given talent runs for generations in my family.  I am the first fool, however, to receive all “art genes” and little else.  I could discern the difference between Cerise and hot pink at 18 months, and to this day still contemplate the correct social/political applications of each.  (ARG!)

Of course I admit that as a child I also thought that if I painted a pony it would come to life! (WELL!)

My daytime life defines me as an Architectural/Interior Designer.  The joke is that I am still just a little kid in love with his Crayon box.  Currently I am in love with making colors stand up off the page and Grab you.  (BY THE EYEBALLS!)

I swear my crayons dance around my room at night!  Watch my paintings long enough and they will start dancing for you, but only if you look at them with the eye of your inner child.

Educational Background:  I attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, the University of Cincinnati, and am currently attending critique classes with Nancy Stewart Matin.  Humorous notes: I won my first art prize at seven years of age for a “do not pollute” poster and was on television for 1 ½  minutes!  At eight I won a prize for the best handmade book and original story.  At fourteen I won first prize for a realistic oil portrait.  I have just returned to fine arts after a twenty year sabbatical, and I continue to create with flair and enthusiasm!  I am deeply grateful for the encouragement of my friends and fellow professional artists. 

 Carol Mendenhall

Carol Mendenhall grew up in Virginia and North Carolina.  She graduated from the University of North Carolina with a B.S. degree. Later, she received her Masters degree from Ashland University.  One of her first painting teachers was Dr. Gregory Ivy at U.N.C. Later influences were Marc Moon, and Leroy Flint, who let her bring paintings to him on a monthly basis for him to critique (some were still wet!). At the time she was teaching full time and rearing four children.    She has also taken workshops with Lee Weiss, Al Brouilette, Gerald Brommer, Don Getz, Judith Carducci, Pat San Soucie, Bette Elliott and Wanda Montgomery.  Since retiring after 35 years of teaching art, she has thoroughly enjoyed having the time to be a painter at long last.

Artist’s Statement

Painting is pure joy for me. Perhaps it is because I have waited so long to pursue it.   I feel that the painting is the statement.  There is creativity inside each one of us and the differences between each of us are what makes our creations so exciting!  My pictures rarely begin with a drawing but with a manipulation of form, color and space; darks and lights; movement and areas of stillness. As the painting begins to develop, it begins to have a life of its own and declare for itself a direction that is sometimes a surprising one, completely unexpected.  As the artist, my job is to nudge it in the direction it seeks.  The difficulty is in trying to find the right balance that makes the result communicate an idea or present a paradox or a provocative combination of forms that sets up a reflective thought process for the viewer.  It is my hope that each viewer finds something that touches him or her in a personal way.

 Judith Mueller

I simply love to create - the more vibrant the colors the better.  Capturing nature's beauty through the lens of my camera soothes me; one step out my front door lends me my subjects. I am particularly fascinated with flowers and butterflies, and turning a photograph into a playful clock is my creative outlet.  My clocks add an element of happiness to any room - time and time again. Each clock is an original design and is never duplicated.  I can be contacted through my website: judithmueller.com

 JoAnn Poulton

JoAnn Poulton: Nurse, Wife, Mother, turned Artist.  My love for clay began with Play-Doh.  It taught me shapes, colors, forms, and textures; the same elements that I still use today in both my ceramics and clay monoprints.  I studied in Greece to learn monoprinting techniques.  A life’s worth of love, knowledge, experience and innovation go into every piece of my work. 

  Nan Rearick

Nan is a self-taught artist of 30 years working in oils and pastels.  Her subject matter includes: still life, florals, landscapes, seascapes, portraiture, animals, etc.  She is an active member of:

Canton Museum of Art (Board member 2004-5)

Canton Fine Arts of CMA

Canton Artists League

            President 2003,4,5

            Secretary 2006, 7

Cuyahoga Valley Art Center

Akron Society of Artists

Massillon Art Museum

North Canton Little Art Gallery (Board member 2008-9)

Served on Board of Christkindl Markt (past 4 years)

Nan has taken classes from Dino Masseroni, Carolyn Lewis, Judy Carduece, Jack Lieberman, Vi Dun-har, and accomplished alla prima painting and plain air painting techniques.

  Martha Regula

Martha Regula has been creating one of a kind pieces of jewelry for 15+ years.   She has traveled extensively and draws her inspiration from her travels and from nature.   Always searching for new ideas and new materials to incorporate into her work, Martha seeks out other artists when she travels both in the states and abroad.     She likes to integrate semiprecious stones with “glitzy” stones such as Swarovski crystal and pearls weaving them together with sterling silver wirework .

Martha lives in the country in a log cabin in Northern Ohio and tends to lean towards the colors of nature when designing her pieces.  Prior to moving back to her home state of Ohio 10 years ago, she lived for many years in Colorado.   Consequently she is also deeply influenced by the colors and textures of the Southwest.

All of her pieces are truly one of a kind and no two are ever alike.  Martha likes to think of each piece of jewelry as a small work of art that can be worn and enjoyed for years.

  Mieze Riedel, TWSA, OWS, GWS

Mieze Riedel loved to paint and draw from childhood on.  She studied architecture and later pursued a career in watercolor painting.

She studied with many nationally known painters and taught for eight years at the Alliance Art Center.  Her work is in collections

worldwide.  She has won many awards and is affiliated with many galleries.  She is a signature, life memeber of the Transparent

Watercolor Society of America and the Ohio and Georgia Watercolor Societies.

  Pat Ullom

Pat’s personal journey is an admirable one.  Her present life as a professional artist and teacher grew out of past occupations in the hardware / paint / picture framing / office supplies industries.  Through her experience of doing the labor herself or managing others, she gained knowledge about artist’s materials and how to use them.  She has 35 plus years experience in these fields.  She now owns and operates a home studio where she creates art and gives classes. 

Pat’s primary mediums are watercolor, oil, pen & ink and colored pencil.  Her subjects are taken from nature, and include landscapes, still lifes, florals, animals.  She is self-taught, and her art tells the story of an inner artist creating for personal satisfaction, with the intent of learning as much as the mediums could teach her.  She can intuitively guide her students in decisions about subjects, colors, techniques and many aspects of a piece.  All guidance is offered with a “we’ll grow together” attitude.

Many of Pat’s paintings and drawings are of a floral nature because she is also a professional florist.  She also grows her own beautiful gardens at her home and sells silk arrangements.  Pat’s work is widely sold, hanging in private collections in several states.  She has won numerous awards at local art fairs and festivals, including the Algonquin Mill Art Festival.

Pat is married to husband Chuck Ullom.  They live at Lake Mohawk in Malvern.  She has three grown children and is a fun grandmother to eighteen grandchildren.

  Jack Valentine

Jack Valentine was born in Cambridge, Ohio.  From a young age he was constantly making things; helping his father paint cars, working on the family fishing boat, and helping with carpentry projects

Jack continued to hone his artistic skills throughout high school, spending all of his free time in the art room painting. Upon graduation, Jack attended The University of Akron, Mary Schiller Myers School of Art.  At first, Jack believed he was going to be an art educator.  However, Jack was financing his own education.  Ceramics had a low materials fee.  Jack signed up for the class and never looked back. 

During his tenure at Akron, Jack won scholarships and travel grants which enabled him to study wood firing at Paradise Pottery in Arkansas.  He also exhibited his art throughout the college, signing up for exhibition space whenever he had the opportunity.

At nineteen, Jack began showing his ceramic sculpture at area art festivals, a practice he carries on to this day for he enjoys interacting with his customers and patrons.  He also exhibits in galleries, including Eye Candy in Cleveland and the We Gallery in Akron.  Recently, Jack put together a show at Pentagon Gallery in Cleveland with his former mentors and teachers, Sandy Barstow and Donna Webb. 

His most recent awards include

  Kris Wyler