The Ohio Artist Registry (OAR) is an exciting opportunity for artists to share their work, connect with the creative community, and establish an online presence—all on a free, virtual platform! The OAR encourages artists working in all art forms, throughout Ohio and beyond, to create a profile, which allows them to better promote themselves and their work. Being listed in the OAR provides artists with new opportunities to share their work with clients, galleries, patrons, and audiences. A listing in the OAR does not confer an endorsement, approval, or verification by the Ohio Arts Council.
For more information, contact Kathy Signorino, artist programs director, at kathy.signorino@oac.ohio.gov or 614-728-6140.
2024 Ohio Artist Registry Juried Exhibition
Scott Simler
ArtistBio
Scott creates paintings that have been coined “Masters Mash Ups”. The colloquial term “mash up” refers to something created by combining elements from two or more sources. For a “Master’s Mash Up”, Scott combines elements inspired by artworks created by master artists, and then he adds his own creativity, resulting in a unique and original artwork. Sometimes he “mashes up” images from a single artwork, and sometimes he draws from a variety of different sources.
Scott begins each painting by poring over a stack of art history books, looking for pictures of artworks that inspire a creative idea for him. He diligently makes small sketches of the things that inspires him, then he moves on to other pictures. After making a number of small drawings, he organizes them into a design that he transfers onto a canvas or piece of wood. He then paints them with bright, fanciful colors.
Colorful, playful and entertaining, his paintings reveal a magical mashed up world that bursts onto the surface with unique fervor. Sometimes Scott’s “Master’s Mash Ups” pay clever homage to the artworks that brought him inspiration, and sometimes you can barely see any tangential references. Regardless of his approach, however, the unique character of his own creativity emerges and makes the artwork clearly his own.
Scott lives in Massillon, OH. He creates his artwork in the art studio at the Just Imagine Gift Gallery, a unique art program offered by TWi, that empowers individuals with developmental disabilities to focus on their art as a vocation.
Artist Statement
When I am drawing or painting a picture, I like to make my art fun and enjoyable. I start by making drawings and sketches from different things I see in art books. I look for something interesting – lots of color, interesting landscaping or scene, shapes and patterns. Then I cut the drawings out and rearrange them into my own design. I like to have a story and I add humor. When I see a painting by Picasso or Van Gogh that looks sad, I like to turn it around and make it happy. It takes a long time to finish the whole process, but that isn’t what is important. What is important is that the painting brings people joy.
