Very Fine Arts | About Stark County

Very Fine Artist: Judith Sterling

October 27, 2017

November '17, About Features, Very Fine Arts, On the Cover

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Much like the jewelry she creates, Judith Sterling’s life as an artist continues to evolve. The 64-year-old East Canton native began as a painter, dedicating about 20 years of her life to the craft before she began to see art in a more three-dimensional form.

Very Fine Artist: Dirk Rozich

Charita Goshay

October 26, 2017

November '17, About Features, Very Fine Arts, On the Cover

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Dirk Rozich’s murals don’t just grab your attention—they leap out from their enormous spaces. The North Canton-based artist is one of the area’s most prolific muralists. One of his most notable projects is a commemoration of Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Namath’s brash guarantee that the underdog New York Jets would win Super Bowl III—which they did in 1969.

Very Fine Artist: Ted Lawson

Dan Kane

October 25, 2017

November '17, About Features, Very Fine Arts, On the Cover

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Ted Lawson started out painting with watercolors for a simple reason: He needed a challenge. He’d been doing oil paintings and other artwork since high school.

Very Fine Artist: Heather Haden

Alison Matas

October 24, 2017

November '17, About Features, Very Fine Arts, On the Cover

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Heather Haden purchases the art and designs the exhibitions that are on display at the Massillon Museum. Her day-to-day job includes keeping the gallery in order, checking technology, running reports about temperature and humidity, writing grants and even identifying any bugs that are found in the museum.

Very Fine Artist: Joseph Close

Jessica Holbrook

October 23, 2017

November '17, About Features, Very Fine Arts, On the Cover

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It’s not easy to get Joseph Close on the phone. Especially when he’s working. “As much as I have ideas floating in my head, I get linear on these big scary projects,” he said. “There’s so many moving parts. It’s pretty daunting.”

Justine Lamb-Budge | Very Fine Arts | (Arts &) Culture Shock

Todd Porter

May 2, 2014

May '14, About Features, Very Fine Arts, On the Cover

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Since the first time she picked up a violin bow and struck the strings, Justin Lamb- Budge became mesmerized by the instrument.

Marti Jones Dixon | Very Fine Arts | (Arts &) Culture Shock

Jess Bennett

May 1, 2014

May '14, About Features, Very Fine Arts, On the Cover

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In her artist statement, Marti Jones Dixon proclaims frankly: “I paint because I have to. It keeps me alive and focused.”

Darius Stokes | Very Fine Arts | (Arts &) Culture Shock

Kelsey Reinhart

April 30, 2014

May '14, About Features, Very Fine Arts, On the Cover

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Darius Stokes spends about 20 hours a week at Candy Apple’s Dance Center and the young dancer has a lot to show for the time and effort he puts forth.

Amy Eibel | Very Fine Arts | (Arts &) Culture Shock

Jessica Holbrook

April 29, 2014

May '14, About Features, Very Fine Arts, On the Cover

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Amy Eibel’s classroom at Faircrest Middle School is a vivid mix of student art—paintings decorate the walls, half-completed cellophane men lounge in the corner, and gowns made of duct tape and tissue paper hang on dress forms.

Scot Phillips | Very Fine Arts | (Arts &) Culture Shock

Dan Kane

April 28, 2014

May '14, About Features, Very Fine Arts, On the Cover

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Like Andy Warhol before him, artist Scot Phillips creates celebrity portraits of silver-screen actresses based on dot-pattern photographs. Unlike Warhol, though, Phillips doesn’t silkscreen his pop-art images. Instead, he painstakingly paints them by hand. Every dot comes from his brush.