Jennifer Carlson of Austintown, a colorful abstract artist, shows her fiance, Ben Mansour, a piece of tapestry she designed based on one of her paintings. Carlson is among the more than 70 vendors at the 24th annual Summer Festival of the Arts, which continues 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today in Wean Park in downtown Youngstown....Correspondent photo / Sean Barron

YOUNGSTOWN — If you plan to visit Alex Stoll’s gardens, don’t expect to find the usual tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, annuals or perennials, but instead, additions that are weatherproof and rustproof.

“I draw things by hand, and with my free hand, I cut them with a hand-held plasma cutter,” Stoll, of Norwalk, said Saturday in describing the first steps he takes to create a variety of animal- and plant-shaped stainless steel figures. “They complement the gardens.”

Afterward, he grinds the materials, then adds color, a process he calls “painting by fire.”

Stoll, who worked about 25 years as a welding instructor, has about 1.5 acres of gardens on his property in which his creations are the centerpieces, he said.

He also is among the estimated 71 local, regional and national artists and artisans selling original and hand-crafted items as part of Youngstown State University’s 24th annual Summer Festival of the Arts in Wean Park, downtown.

The free, family-oriented gathering kicked off Saturday and continues 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today in the park.

Stoll said he sets out to create stainless steel artwork that neither will rust nor require maintenance. Depictions of plants and animals served as the initial inspiration for his works, Stoll continued.

Items being sold at the festival include a wide array of paintings, glass, sculptures, sketches and prints, wooden pieces, T-shirts and other textiles and jewelry.

Perhaps as many descriptions accurately capture Jennifer Carlson’s paintings as bright colors used to make them, but being short on colors isn’t one of them.

“I try to put myself in my art as much as I can,” Carlson, of Austintown, explained, referring to the primary approach she uses to create sharply colored abstract paintings of lines, shapes and forms. “I’m a little messy and chaotic.”

Carlson, who earned a degree in graphic design and runs Jennifer Lin Studio, said she doesn’t follow traditional art conventions or rules. Instead, she bases many of her works on how she feels at the moment and uses art for therapeutic purposes — especially in the last two years since the COVID-19 pandemic started, she explained.

Carlson, who worked about a year in a print shop and keeps a daily journal, said she often begins with shapes she sketches before applying a variety of mediums. Unlike her works, Carlson’s approach is a bit straightforward.

“I trust the process and go with the flow,” she added.

“I’m mostly self-taught, and I do it part time now, but I want to do it full time,” Frederick Boyer of Austintown said. He’s a fourth-generation carpenter who runs FMB Custom Woodworks in Austintown.

He was referring to bowls, cutting boards, plates, decorative pieces and other works he creates from about 260 species of common and exotic kinds of wood, often added with blue epoxy. His materials include hickory, cherry, walnut, American mahogany and a type of wood called cocobolo, which comes from a small to medium-sized tree native mainly to Central America.

Cocobolo also produces natural oils that give the wood a waterproof polish.

“I made it more to show off the wood than for functionality,” he said about a shallow bowl from cocobolo.

Accompanying Boyer was his wife, Anastasia.

The Summer Festival of the Arts continues to spotlight the best of the region’s artists and culture. It also reflects the vibrant relationship between YSU and JAC Management, which runs the nearby Covelli Centre and Youngstown Foundation Amphitheater, Lori A. Factor, event director, explained.

“The vibe is really fun,” she said, noting that the fest also includes 26 area organizations showcasing their information and resources, including the Squeaky Wheel Theater Group in Columbiana, which is new to the yearly event.

Another new piece is The Wishing Flag Project, which encourages amateur and professional artists to express their wishes on 216-square-inch pieces of vinyl paper that are being flown during the fest, Factor said.

news@vindy.com