Meet Sandy Taraba from Visions by Sandy...
Photography brings me closer to nature and my "Vision" can capture your forever memories.
My love of photography came from my Dad. I can't remember a time when he didn't have a camera in is hands. My own photography journey started with just taking pictures of my kids. They started calling me "The Momma Razzi".
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After sharing Cheer pictures of my daughter, in 2015, I was asked to take the Berkshire Rec Cheer and Volleyball pictures, which I have done for the past eight years. My portrait photography took off from there and my husband bought me my first professional camera. I now do Portrait photography along with Sports. I get super excited when I get to capture forever moments and memories, especially Senior year pics. I enjoy finding their inner beauty and learning about their dreams for the future. I am honored to capture their final High School picture. 
I also absolutely love to capture this beautiful world we live in. There is Mystery and beauty all around us and I enjoy sharing my "Vision" of it, through my lens. Nature and Birds are my passion. In 2017 I entered my first photo contest and actually won first place.. It was of a Female Cardinal that I took through my sliding glass door. She was looking right at me with an expression of "Who Me"?
Then in 2018 I submitted a Pelican (named him Oscar) to a Smithsonian magazine contest and got "Honorable Mention". At that point, many of my family and friends had encouraged me to sell my images. I didn't even know where to begin. Then a dear friend literally bought me a website and "Visions by Sandy" was created. I sell my images online at Visionsbysandy.zenfolio.com as well as Craft and Art shows.
I am passionate about capturing God's Artwork. I feel in my heart that since it's His Artwork I'm going to put His Word on it. 
"His Art, His Word". You will find some of my favorite images with my favorite scriptures on them. Will happily put yours on as well!
I am self-taught and still have a lot to learn. I have definitely stubbled and failed miserably along the way. My failures in photography haven't been a dead end, but a stepping stone towards my true destination. They have guided me, shaped me and revealed hidden paths that have lead to my growth and purpose. I stumble but gain wisdom and know that my failures have put me directly on the path where I'm supposed to be.
I love this Photographers poem:
"Life is like a camera. Just focus on what's important and capture the good times. Develop from the negatives and if things don't work out just take another shot". I look forward to seeing where my next shot will take me and what beauty I can capture.
The "Vision" in my Images are personal. You'll find a piece of my heart in every single one.
Meet Eva Zala from Zara Designs & Services...
What inspires me to create.. My hungarian heritage inspired the use of materials showcasing the matyo and kalocsa fabrics from Hungary. I started sewing market bags and kept learning new things to sew. The rest is history!
I come from a family of artists. Some in fine arts, jewelry making, woodworking and culinary arts.
My creative process... I see something that speaks to me, whether it's something to sew, or something to draw or paint. I feel fear and trepidation sometimes to try something new. I let that drive my creative process. There is nothing more fulfilling than to face your fears and see the end result that others appreciate too. Whether it's something they purchase, or even just give a compliment when they stop at my booth!
Meet Rourke Stubna from Art by Rourke....
I am a Kent based artist, currently working in the environmental industry at a Greenhouse.
I've been into art ever since grade school. I started to get more into my artwork in high school, thanks to my school's many art classes, I took every art class available. These classes included drawing, painting, sculpting, ceramics, and other art fundamentals. After high school, I started taking commissions, mainly doing pet portraits. In 2017, I joined an art group, The Novelty Collective, located in Avalon, Pennsylvania (https://www.
While I'm not longer interested in an environmental career, my work allows me to be in nature and that is shown in a lot of my work. The beautiful plants I work with, I found painting the plants to be a lot more fulfilling. The various birds I see are perfect subjects for an afternoon painting (and they're my most popular artworks). The landscapes I see inspire my simplistic watercolor landscapes.
My inspirations don't stop there. I am greatly influenced my popculture and music. Often times a song will influence what I create next. The song "Autumn Leaves", or "Les Feuilles mortes", inspired my painting "The Autumn Goddess" (attached), a tree woman, also inspired by the Walt Disney Silly Symphony "Flowers and Trees."
My fantastic art teachers in high school got me into art, and my art community, family, friends, and partner continue to support my art journey.
Years of practice is how I discovered and continue to discover my talents. I enjoy trying new things and learning new techniques. My work is constantly evolving. I'd say my talents are making connections with people through my art. Even if it's as simple as "I like birds, and I Iike your bird artwork."
My creative process is pretty simple: I see it/think it, I like it, I create it. On top of that, I'm always thinking of ways to improve my following pieces or utilize different techniques to keep my art interesting.
My five year goal... I see myself working for myself and making a career with my art. I'll be doing art events all around the country. I also see myself working with other great artists, collaborating on projects.
The message behind my artwork is making connections. Pop-culture is really a unique thing that allows a sense of community, connection, and relatability. In all my art there is some form of pop-culture reference. Such as my Lemon oil paintings are directly inspired by Beyoncé's visual album "Lemonade." My "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rihanna" stickers is a quote from the show Broad City. My Blue Bird painting is inspired by Bestrice from Over the Garden Wall. I think there is a deeper connection someone might feel with a piece, not just because they think it looks cool, but also because they connect with my inspiration behind it.
Meet Logan Carmichael from Red's Custom Woodworking...
I am a medically retired veteran that started woodworking about seven years ago. I was a medic in the United States Army with two deployments to Iraq and six months in Kuwait. I moved here to Ohio about 5 years ago from Minnesota when I met my girlfriend on one of my motorcycle trips.
Chagrin Falls will be my 4th Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show as I just started getting into the craft show scene!
My inspiration to create wooden works of art comes from both my imagination and the mind of those that I create it for. People give me an idea of what they are looking for, and from there, I just start making sawdust. No blue prints, no Auto-CAD, no drawings, just a visualization in my mind and I start creating. 
Both my dad and my grandfather are amazing wood working artists, both in their own style, so I take what I learned from them, and add my own little flair to it. In five years, I see myself still creating works of wooden art.
I use wood working as a therapy for my PTSD. I know alot of Veterans out there that suffer from it and I guess my message behind my work, is to find a hobby you love and run with it. It's helped me out immensely and I have made many connections along the way!! 
I just recently created a linktree to my social media accounts that have a few works I've created over the past few years. I can only hope that the recipients of my work enjoy them as much as I enjoy making them!! So when you're at the next craft show, if you see the big sign that says, "Red's Custom WoodWerx", stop by and say hello, I love to chit chat!!
2024 Chagrin Falls Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
