Artists' Stories Collide in the Little Art Gallery's 69th Annual May Show

Ask Fredlee Votaw about his years submitting artwork in the , and he'll likely bring the conversation back to the other artists.

"I really enjoy seeing the breadth and quality of the art in the show and getting to know the artists through the works they enter," Votaw said. "Because I have entered for so many years, I have had the privilege of seeing artists grow and evolve over the years."

Votaw, who's participated nearly every year since 1970, is just one of many artists in the show that opened this week. He took home both "best in show" for his piece "Thinking about Iraq" and first place in the Mixed Media category for "Thinking about the Holocaust."

North Canton Patch profiled Votaw and artists Frank Dale and Judi Krew to kick off the Annual May Show. At Sunday's opening reception, the artists won awards for best works in the show, which included a variety of art styles such as oil and acrylic, drawing and original prints, watercolor, three-dimensional and multimedia.

The exhibit, which was curated by Elizabeth Blakemore, runs through May 31 at in the . 

Votaw said each year he challenges himself to enter a work in a different category, medium and subject matter. While he is constantly thinking about his carbon footprint, the artist in him is also wondering about his “artist's footprint.”

“Being an artist gives me opportunities to not only create, imagine, dream and envision but also the challenge that is always there to grow and leave ‘an artist's footprint’ for the future,” he said.

Artist: Frank Dale

Dale has participated in the North Canton competition for several years now. He took home the first-place prize in the oil and acrylic section for his work titled "Sarah."

He enjoys entering work in the annual May show because the judging is a bit broader than other events in the area and it allows him to grow as an artist, he said.

"I like this show because the judging is not as skewed toward abstract art as some of the other local shows," Dale said. "The greatest benefit to being an artist is it demands you learn to see the world around you and it naturally follows that you then appreciate life more fully."

Artist: Judi Krew

Krew, who has been doing the show for nearly two decades, was also a favorite of the judges, taking home first place in the drawing and original prints category.

For Krew, art was always something that was in the cards for her.

"I did not have to figure out what to be in life, I always knew what I wanted to do and could do," she said. "I can’t play sports, sing or do stuff that others can do naturally, so art is my gift that I admire and remain in awe of its power on a daily basis."