Irene Tobias Rodriguez is a great example of someone who is genuine in the detail of her landscapes, seascapes and naturalist scenes.

It is in the maritime art that we find Irene’s details fully disclosed. In Off Shore and Three Astern, we see her characteristically complex definition, but we also see the nature of the water. The careful chaos and calamity are conveyed fastidiously.

There’s also a wonderful softness to her Bumblebee as he gathers pollen, but the details on his anatomy are meticulous.

Irene’s long career in the arts, both as a teacher and as a practitioner, has granted her an artist’s skill. It’s her willingness to experiment and to let the work speak in its own voice that has granted her greatness.

Check out more of Irene’s work on her website, or click over to her permanent Hearted-Artist gallery.

Please let us know what YOU think about Irene’s work by leaving a comment below, and by rating her portfolio. Come back in two weeks – to check out our next hearted artist!

P.S. You’ll never be cool like Irene if you don’t submit your artist portfolio! And if you’ve already submitted, we’ll be picking another hearted artist in two weeks – it might just be you!

This week, Margie Kinsley is showing us how creativity, while instinctive, is labyrinthine work through and through.

The potency of creativity is startling, isn’t it? The way creative urges cross-breed and multiply, the way that they cannibalize artistic instincts in order to push forward toward the appealingly unknown.

If the hungers of a true artist are insatiable, then it follows that artists must have mighty heterogeneous palates.

For Margie, the wires that she uses to furl together her jewelry design have been a short fuse for the detonation of great artistic combustion. She’s not wary of blowing sky high the conceptions of herself as an artist or of experimenting with foreign mediums until they become comfortable old friends. Her jewelry-making, born of a pragmatic foundation, has given way to art photography and sketching.

We’re looking forward to future evolutions of this “bad girl” artist.

Check out more of Margie’s work on her website, or click over to her permanent Hearted-Artist gallery.

Please let us know what YOU think about Margie’s work by leaving a comment below, and by rating her portfolio. Come back in two weeks – to check out our next hearted artist!

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P.S. You’ll never be cool like Margie if you don’t submit your artist portfolio! And if you’ve already submitted, we’ll be picking another hearted artist in two weeks – it might just be you!

Liz DeBellis‘ work is woven, whether her stitches are the tactile fibers of her quilts and fabric pieces, or bound together by the liquid stitches of her inks. By print or by quilt, DeBellis entwines us in her story.

Fiber artist and print maker, Liz DeBellis, is young and talented. Because for an artist who deals in such literal themes – leaves, a faucet, tree limbs – her work is sensationally allegorical. It captures the magic of the symbols of our existence, pieces them together and stitches them up with renewed meaning. She was selected for the annual Quilt National exhibit because of her distinct demonstrations of innovation in quilting. Be sure to check out her upcoming shows and her full resume of accomplishments.

Once again we’ve been introduced to a talented artist who is learning their craft in Stark County while also teaching art to a new generation of artists. DeBellis is aiding young students in New Philadelphia with their formative art education.

Liz just started her “Fiber Dreams” blog, so check it out to get the most up to date scoop on what she’s developing, and be sure to go to her shop on Etsy – great gift items, especially her purses!

Check out more of Liz’s work on her website, or click over to her permanent Hearted-Artist gallery.

Please let us know what YOU think about Liz’s work by leaving a comment below, and by rating her portfolio. Come back in two weeks – to check out our next hearted artist!

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P.S. You’ll never be cool like Liz if you don’t submit your artist portfolio! And if you’ve already submitted, we’ll be picking another hearted artist in two weeks – it might just be you!

Craig “Uncle Dreg” Booth might claim to not have a clue what he’s doing, and maybe he doesn’t, but the result is extremely cool.

Uncle Dreg calls it “art photography” because the creative juices don’t stop flowing just because the shutter snaps. His work becomes charged around the edges and electrocuted with color.

A simple stroll down Court Avenue in downtown Canton becomes a glowing etch-a-sketch portrait, like a neon x-ray that shows off the hidden energy lurking under the surface of our everyday surroundings. Uncle Dreg reveals the heat and passion that surrounds a young woman like an aura.  He shows us the apprehension that soaks a businessman embarking on a trip on a lonely train platform.

Some pieces show distinctly sinister undertones. Others are just plain unorthodox. But all of them are cool.

For more about Uncle Dreg, be sure to click over to his permanent Hearted-Artist gallery. You can also see his work in person at 2nd April Galerie’s The Dreg Spot or his website.

Please let us know what YOU think about Uncle Dreg’s work by leaving a comment below, and by rating his portfolio. Come back next week – same time, same place – to check out our next hearted artist!

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P.S. You’ll never be cool like Uncle Dreg if you don’t submit your artist portfolio! And if you’ve already submitted, we’ll be picking another hearted artist next week – it might just be you!

As for us – we’ll see you after the New Year with new hearted artists! Have a happy, safe & prosperous holiday.

Best Wishes,
Heart Stark Art

P.S. We hope you’ll spend a few moments of your holiday vacation submitting a portfolio online. It will only take a few minutes, and you’ll be on your way to Stark County stardom with an online artists profile and feature!

Do you Heart Stark Art? It’s time to put your money where your mouth is – give the gift of Stark County art from some of our top picks. There’s something here for everyone on your list, trust us! And there’s still plenty of time to get your friends and loved ones incredible gifts while supporting the fantastic local artists in our community!

We’ve recognized 20 Stark County artists so far this year – painters, sculptors, jewelers, musicians, photographers, and more. Want to give the artist in your life the gift that keeps on giving? Send them over to our submission form. In a few minutes time, they’ll be on their way to hearted-artist status, and they might just wind up on our next gift list, too!

For the precocious niece Copper Blue Bottle with Top Diann Adams Price: $35 | Buy Online	For the history buff Trumpeter of Justice Ltd. Ed. Print Diane Belfiglio Price: Inquire | Buy Online	For kids of all ages Alien Light Switch Covers Bili Kribbs Price: $15 | Buy Online
For fans of Gustav Klimt Klimt Joe Martino Price: Inquire | Buy Online	For the classic car guru Classic Car Calendar 2010 Joanne Mariol Price: $27 | Buy Online	For the stylish fashionista Love Nest Liz Jacob, Yellow Finch Designs Price: $28 | Buy Online
For your funkiest friend Praise Steve Ehret Price: Inquire | Buy Online	For the new homeowner Upward Mobility Michele Waalkes Price: Inquire | Buy Online	For the enjoyment of guests Folk Music great for any holiday party Caboodle Tunes Price: Inquire | Book Online
For the contemplative art aficionado Still Life with Oranges and Grapes Lynn Digby Price: Inquire | Buy Online	For the environmentalist Eco-Friendly “Fat Cat” Tote Kelli Swan Price: $15.99 | Buy Online	For the aloof CEO Past Times Thom Metz Price: Inquire | Buy Online
For the office green thumb Bamboo Vases Laura Kolinski-Schultz, TerraKi Teaware Price: $42 and $30 | Buy Online	For the eternal optimist Field of Red Tulips Print Renie Britenbucher Price: $28.99 | Buy Online	For man’s best friend Custom Pet Portrait Sue Steiner Price: from $80 | Buy Online
For Alice in Wonderland fans The Caterpillar Megan Mars Price: Inquire | Book Online	For the brooding stranger at Starbucks Stormfront Christopher Triner Price: Inquire | Buy Online	For the world crusader Good Morning Katmal Stephen McNulty Price: Inquire | Buy Online
Contact for details or to view a portfolio: Joan Henninger Georgia Shankel

The effect of her sedate work in color is results in a striking dimensional appeal.

The layering in “Field of Green” is unexpected and thoughtful, the gentle turmoil of “Triptic” is mesmerizing, and “Ariel” radiates an electric energy.

With the talent that flows from her other passions, specifically in film, advertising and art direction, I count us lucky that she endeavors into the fine arts realm at all. As it is, she does endeavor, and work is esoteric, meaningful and more than a little profound.

For more about Georgia, be sure to click over to his permanent Hearted-Artist gallery. You can also contact Georgia to view more of her work.

Please let us know what YOU think about Georgia’s work by leaving a comment below, and by rating her portfolio. Come back next week – same time, same place – to check out our next hearted artist!

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P.S. You’ll never be cool like Georgia if you don’t submit your artist portfolio! And if you’ve already submitted, we’ll be picking another hearted artist next week – it might just be you!

Best Wishes,

Heart Stark Art

The difference this week is really quite simple. Conservation photographer Stephen McNulty’s work is literally imbued with benevolence.

In the fleeting moments before the eagle sails over his prey, in the delicate, symbiotic palette of shallow tide pools, and in the resplendent electricity of the tiny frog’s environ, we find no hint of the remoteness of the locales. Instead, there is an intimate and accessible component, a beckoning, voyeur view of magnificent creatures and habitats.

The scenes Stephen shows us from his travels – be it Alaska, the Caribbean or Polynesia – are captured impeccably. They go a long way to replicate the wonder he must have experienced first hand, separated by a single, simple lens.

For more about Stephen, be sure to click over to his permanent Hearted-Artist gallery. You can also see his work in person at Cyrus Art Gallery or The Joseph Saxton Gallery of Photography, where he is the general manager.

Please let us know what YOU think about Stephen’s work by leaving a comment below, and by rating his portfolio. Come back next week – same time, same place – to check out our next hearted artist!

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P.S. You’ll never be cool like Stephen if you don’t submit your artist portfolio! And if you’ve already submitted, we’ll be picking another hearted artist next week – it might just be you!

On behalf of rogue spray enamel artist Steven Ehret, bite your tongue.

Despite the lonely, esoteric and languishing spirit that infects much of his work, Steve’s work is infectious. And even when he’s painting on walls, I’m left thinking thank god for this “debasement.”

When Steve says that he draws inspiration from the people and places he encounters each day, one can hardly believe him. At first. But somewhere among the dilapidated, dingy hovels and the frenzied fiends that populate his pieces, it doesn’t take too much imagination to connect the hyperbolic dots.

Steve’s work imbibes the feeling of a merry riot. His isn’t a style that leaves you at the canvas edge. It’s an entire existence, happy in its gritty, sinister promenade. The creatures he creates, ones he lovingly calls “phontasmal,” are sometimes beleaguered, always beguiling, and often belligerent, but each surges with its own life – without moving an inch they are animated, stirring and memorable, to say the least.

If you’re looking for Steve’s work, you can look online at his site or blog, at the William Rupnik Gallery in Cleveland, Ohio, or you can look around the city. He exhibited at the recent Stark Naked Salon exhibit at Massillon Museum of Art, and got rave reviews.

Whether with a can of spray paint or the more refined tools of the trade – with Steve, it’s not his work that is obscene, but his talent.

For more about Steve, be sure to click over to his permanent Hearted-Artist gallery.

Please let us know what YOU think about Steve’s work by leaving a comment below, and by rating his portfolio. Come back next week – same time, same place – to check out our next hearted artist!

Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

P.S. You’ll never be cool like Steve if you don’t submit your artist portfolio! And if you’ve already submitted, we’ll be picking another hearted artist next week – it might just be you!