Downtown Canton art shows: Emily Orsich at Strauss, 'grace' at BZTAT, Thom Glick at Patina

CANTON − Thom Glick stood in front of his horror movie-inspired artwork with an edge on Friday night during the opening of his exhibition at Patina Arts Centre.

Dressed as the mythical Ohio grassman, the Columbus-based artist was in the Halloween spirit, matching the fun, colorful and outside-the-norm quality of his paintings.

But such playfulness quickly faded when he was asked about the inspiration for his artwork, his expression and the tone of his voice becoming both earnest and serious.

"I got into art partly to tell stories … growing up in a newspaper household where I was introduced to telling stories a little bit through the art department at a newspaper," Glick said. "And one of my dreams was to do illustrations for magazines (and) for newspapers and help tell stories, and over the years it jumped off the page from magazines and newspapers to being on canvases."

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Glick's exhibition, "Dreadfully Adorable," will again be on display 5 to 9 p.m. Friday at Patina, 324 Cleveland Ave. NW in downtown Canton. The gallery is also open noon to 8 p.m. Thursday and noon to 9 p.m. Saturday.

The exhibit explores and reframes classic characters and scenes in a series of colorful, illustrative paintings with inspiration taken from movies like "Christine," "Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2," " The Thing," "They Live" and "My Bloody Valentine."

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Glick attended the Columbus College of Art & Design, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in illustration.

Glick is a full-time studio artist while splitting his time between commercial projects and gallery work; he also teaches illustration courses part-time at the Columbus College of Art & Design.

The West Milton Ohio native is also a muralist.

Glick also attended graduate school, where he studied animation, which he said enhances his ability to tell stories through imagery while adding "movement and giving characters a little more life to them."

New art shows at Strauss and BZTAT studios

Exciting artwork is also being unveiled 6 to 9 p.m. Friday in the Upstairs Gallery of Strauss Studios, 236 Walnut Ave. NE. Stark County artist Emily Orsich is holding her first solo exhibition at Strauss, which also will feature Cody J. Martin singing and performing on acoustic guitar.

One of Orsich's art pieces will be raffled during Friday's exhibition, with all proceeds donated to The Trevor Project to help with the organization's efforts to build a safer, more inclusive world and to end suicide among LGBTQ+ young people.

BZTAT Studios, 209 Sixth St. NW, is also hosting the exhibition, "grace," showcasing the work of multiple artists, including Tim Carmany, Sarah Shumaker, David Kuntzman, David Sherrill, Christopher Triner, Chris Wurst, Scott Simler, Aimee Lambes, Nikki Bartel, David Dingwell, Alaska Thompson, and BZTAT (Vicki Boatright).

BZTAT's show opens 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday and continues Friday night during First Friday activities in downtown Canton. "Grace" continues through Nov. 25 during the gallery hours of noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday.

'The universal language that we see through art'

Orsich, of North Canton, began dabbling in abstract painting about five years ago before committing to it more intensively about a year ago. She also has been utilizing more color in her paintings as a way to explore positive emotions.

"The growth that I have experienced in just under a year still captivates me," said Orsich, who works out of a studio at Kolp's Attic in downtown Canton. "To think that I obtained my studio a few months into this year, re-established my artistic roots, and to now have a solo show is very humbling."

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Orsich graduated from Hoover High School, where she learned art techniques from teacher Christopher Triner before earning a bachelor's degree in psychology at Kent State University while minoring in fine arts. She took painting classes from the late professor Jack McWhorter.

Employed at the headquarters of the National Inventors Hall of Fame in North Canton, the 28-year-old Orsich is currently studying art therapy at Ursuline College.

Orsich's paintings have been featured in various art shows in the past, including at The Hub Art Factory in downtown Canton. Two of her pieces will be on display in the Stark County Artists' Exhibition at the Massillon Museum from Dec. 1 to Jan. 15.

Strauss Studios approached Orsich about a solo show, which she had been contemplating.

“This collection of work is an examination of my emotional processing through visual mapping," Orsich said in a news release from Strauss Studios. "With these pieces, I have formed designated spaces to explore the relationship between my body and my mind.”

"My hope is that those who view the work can see their own life experiences by tapping into the universal language that we see through art," she wrote in an email.

Gallery co-owner John Strauss said Orsich's paintings are "evocative of many emotional states."

He added: "People will find themselves responding to the work in a very personal way."

Strauss Studios is resuming gallery exhibitions following a two-month break. Orsich's artwork is the first in a series of shows planned over the next year.

John Strauss curates the shows with Carisa Marie Strauss while focusing on local artists. However, future shows will include works by an artist residing in France, and another two exhibitions from artists out of state.

Upcoming solo exhibitions by Stark County artists include Christopher Triner, Clare Murray Adams and Katrina Polhamus.

Art with a 'simple elegance of movement'

Twelve artists will be presenting their work at the "grace" exhibition at BZTAT Studios, the art outlet's first group invitational.

Boatright, who operates the studio, entitled the exhibit “grace” to express her gratitude "for her creative friends’ willingness to share their work in the season of thanks and giving."

"The art of each of these artists has a simple elegance of movement, whether it is the delicate yet architectural play of composition and color of Christopher Triner; the deeply personal images of Nikki Bartel; or the impulsive 'in the moment' street art of David Sherrill," Boatwright wrote in a news release. "Each artist featured here has a unique movement that graces a surface with artistic perfection.”

“I think it is a unique collection of artwork that demonstrates the amazing creativity that we have in our community."

Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and ebalint@gannett.com.

On Twitter: @ebalintREP.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: New art opens at Strauss, BZTAT, Patina galleries in downtown Canton