By STEPHA POULIN
BG Independent News Correspondent
Judges chose a diverse collection of winners at the Black Swamp Art Show Saturday.
“I’m more drawn to original work that’s coming from an authentic place. I’m looking for multiple narratives in the work — work that’s diverse,” said art show judge Sandra J. Heard.
Nick Ringelstetter, of Spring Green, Wisconsin, won Best of Show for his space-inspired prints, paintings and crates.
First place in two-dimensional art went to Sagamore Hills, Ohio, resident Joe Dagostino, who displayed film photographs of landscapes, some with silver gelatin overlay effects.
In the three-dimensional art category, Sumiko Takada, of Columbus, Ohio, received first place for handmade ceramic jars which draw inspiration from simple, everyday items.
Other winners include:
- Second Place: jewelry designer Amy Beeler
- Third Place: woodturner Mark Hilligoss
- Honorable Mentions: Xiao Xia Zhang Minich, hand-stitched embroidery; Thomas and Sarah Gelsanliter, ceramics; Andy Van Schyndle, fantasy paintings.
Ringelstetter, who’s done promotional artwork for Mini Cooper, describes his art as having a “space-hiker aesthetic.”
The “space-hiker aesthetic” may look familiar from last year’s art show, where Ringelstetter won the first-place award in the two-dimensional category.
But Ringelstetter and his art are always evolving. At next year’s art show, the alien aesthetic will probably be replaced with his next point of inspiration, he said.
Some of this otherworldly art stemmed from talks with friends and observations about himself.
“I always kinda think of myself as an alien, and so I’ve thought about how I would look as an alien and inserted that into my art,” Ringelstetter said. “But it took nine years to get to this point in my art.”
He hopes his alien likeness will spread an inspirational message about low-waste living, he said. Much of his art uses reclaimed materials, such as old wooden crates and fabrics.
Meanwhile Dagostino gets inspiration from terrestrial settings rather than alien. His still photographs of landscapes and small-town sights emulate Bowling Green’s scenery.
“This place would be perfect,” for his art, Dagostino said of the city, pointing to Belleville Market across the street from his booth.
Small towns tell a story with their landscapes, he said. Industry often moves away, but family businesses continue to thrive.
Dagostino’s images are entirely black and white, creating a timeless depiction of his rural subjects. Some are overlayed with silver gelatin that adds a shiny, filter-like effect.
He will be teaching these techniques and others, ranging from beginner level to overlays, at the Community Darkroom of Akron.
“It’s always nice to work in a small, tight-knit art community,” Dagostino said.
Sumiko came to the U.S. from Nagoya, Japan, which is known for its ceramics. Drawing inspiration from her homeland, she combines traditional Japanese techniques and motifs with ideas from her everyday life.
Fifteen years ago, she started sculpting with white clays but has since moved on to brown, pink and blue.
Her ceramic pots are decorated with rounded, petal-like patterns, traced onto the pot using hand-drawn stencils.
She draws the most inspiration from “things she finds beautiful,” said her husband, Kaname Takada.
Sitting meekly in the corner of her booth in a light-beige overall dress, Takada, who speaks a small amount of English, let her husband interact with festival goers.
Despite moving across the world, her desire to create hasn’t diminished, Kaname Takada said.
