jason

I am an artist living in the greater Youngstown, Ohio area. My studio is next to Mill Creek Park, which features 2,500 acres of old growth forest, lakes, streams, waterfalls, trails, historic structures, a library, art gallery and visitors center. Much of the inspiration and subject matter of my work stems from this fine park. I have been working as a professional artist for 15 years, having shown my work in galleries in Cleveland, New York City and a variety of other venues in the Notheastern US. Currently my work centers around the landscapes of Ohio and Pennsylvania, and I work primarily in oil on canvas. In previous years I have created whimsically themed paintings involving animals and stylized people. These were done primarily with acrylic on panel. My family roots stretch back 400 years or more in America and this has lead me to a deep interest in North American History and Archeology. In the spring of 2006 I traveled by single engine aircraft (from Youngstown) to the Bahamas to search for a 200 year old plantation that was lost to the jungle. Archeologists spent nearly 20 years searching for this plantation, and the group that I worked with (all from Youngstown) found it in a mere 5 days. There were a total of 7 structures made from limestone blocks, several of which were 2 stories. Most were completely intact minus the roofs and windows. There was a great deal of hard work in this endeavor, and most of it involved cutting trails with machetes through the dense undergrowth in 80+ degree weather. Much of my liesure time is spent fishing. Here in Eastern Ohio I am surrounded by many lakes and rivers and some of my relatives own lakes and ponds in the area. There is nothing like taking a boat out on my uncle Marty's lake outside of Kinsman on a warm spring or fall evening to fish for largemouth bass. I make it a point to only use vintage tackle, and many of the lures I use are considered collectible items. Paranormal research and writing also interest me. In 2006 some of my research was published in Linda Godfrey's new book "Hunting the American Werewolf" and I had several articles published in other media.