My name is Angie Ulrich. I’m a passionate teacher, a loyal friend, and an enthusiastic
artist. I teach and coordinate the
gifted program at Walnut Township Local School District. I work with gifted and talented
students in grades 3-6 as well as in after school programs for gifted seventh
and eighth graders. My goal is to
keep my students challenged and interested in learning. I extend their grade level curriculum
and provide high interest learning opportunities. Among other things, we have researched unsolved mysteries,
practiced leadership skills, studied Latin and Greek language, and painted a
school mural. Outside of my job, I
love playing softball and kickball, jogging, ziplining, cheering on the Ohio
State Buckeyes, shopping, and doing any and all things creative.
Where I get my creativity is still the mystery in our family… where do my brother and I get
our creativity from? We haven’t
determined that. While my parents
are both incredibly intelligent and loving people, they would be the first to
tell you that they are not overly creative-minded. Despite this, my younger brother and I have been highly
creative individuals since birth. Both of us won awards and art contests in grade school, and paint in our
free time as adults. While our
styles are very different, our love for creative endeavors is shared.
How I got into my craft.. As I mentioned, my brother is very creative. He got into painting in high school
after he had already covered every drawing surface he could find. He made it look effortless and fun- so
when the opportunity arose I knew I wanted to give it a try. The opportunity came in my masters
program at Ashland University. I
was in a course called “Creative Studies for Teachers of the Gifted and
Talented” and our final project was presented as a challenge to ourselves to do
something creative which we had wanted to do and never done. I guess we all need that extra push
sometimes. I bought the materials
that I would need and got some advice from my brother before I began a series
of three paintings all of which represented the idea of “potential.” It was a power word that held
significance in the world of gifted education and I wanted to create a visual
interpretation of that. I painted a
rose surrounded by larger trees that had moved aside to provide light from the
sun, a caterpillar on a blossoming tree, and a baby giraffe not quite tall
enough to reach his meal. Through this experience I immediately fell in love
with painting. It was
calming. I found myself losing
track of time and becoming so immersed in what I was painting that stresses
from the day seemed to just dissolve. Once I received positive feedback from my class and my professor, I knew
I was going to need a lot more materials.
I am fortunate to have many loving family and friends that encouraged me to sell my artwork. It was originally an idea I was pretty resistant to. It is truly a hobby. I don’t do it for money, I paint because I love to paint. But, as my paintings began to pile up in my apartment and my friends and family continued to encourage me, I finally gave in. Today I have a shop on Etsy called Brite Eyed and Bushy Tailed, have done several art shows, and work with TOMS shoes and their vendors for Style Your Sole events around Ohio. I have been painting for the last four years and plan to continue for many, many years to come!
My favorite piece is probably either one of the first pieces I did, the baby giraffe, or the painting of a hermit crab. I can’t even explain why I love the hermit crab, except to say that he has an ornery look about him and he reminds me of a beach vacation.
My paintings usually begin in my sketchbook. Whatever inspires me finds its way into
my sketchbook. There are magazine
cut outs, quotes, photos, drawings, music lyrics, and even clothing tags taped
inside. Creative ideas are
everywhere, if you’re looking carefully. From there my concepts for a painting emerge over a few hours, a few
days, or even after several weeks. It’s like a brewing coffee pot that doesn’t seem to have any concept of
time constraints. Ideas will often
come to me at the most inopportune times.
My profession seems to guide my style of painting. It is typically very whimsical,
friendly, and child-like. I try to
portray the innocence and zest for life that I adore in my students in the
characters and images that I paint. I suppose my message is to value and hold on to that childhood
innocence, that zest for absorbing all that is new and different and
exciting. As adults, we often
don’t stop to truly enjoy life. We
rush around from one duty to the next. Children are wonderful reminders that there is so much to be
enjoyed. I suppose I want my
paintings to serve as a reminder too.
Meet Annie Stipek from Heart Ohio Art...
My name is Annie - I am originally from the Cleveland area (Rocky River), went to school at Ohio University in Athens and currently reside in Columbus. I have always had a passion for photography, and love to freestyle with my photos. I do offer portrait, family and wedding photography as well, but really have my heart in my artistic pics.
I currently work as a toddler teacher with 2-3 year olds. I have always worked with people of all ages in different stages of care. I also have a wonderful husband who I have been with for 7 1/2 years and just wed last October. We have a German Shepherd and love taking on home projects! I also just completed my first half marathon!
Art of all forms has always been an outlet for me. In my younger years I wrote poetry, did ceramics, drawing, painting and photography. The one that really stuck with me is the photography. I also have an eye for decorating (even if its just picking things out on Pinterest!)
I developed my first role of film in a dark room about 12 years ago in high school, but had been snapping away long before that. I also took photography classes in college. I always saw it as a fun activity that only I appreciated, but I started seriously selling my work a couple years ago.
How I got started.. I actually used to attend craft fairs when I was younger with my grandpa. He would see baseball cards at a table and at the end he would save me some space to sell whatever I was crafting on that moment. I loved having the people around, being interested in my creations and talking to people about what they are passionate about!
I started doing photography shoots for friends when they started having kids. From there I have grown to family portraits, baby pics and weddings. I started selling my OHIO themed pictures on etsy.com after people starting showing an interest in the pictures I had in my home. I saw that there wasn't a store like mine on Esty.com and wanted to put it out there so people could find my products.
My creative process... Sometimes I see something that I would like to have a picture of on my wall - or I think of photos that might collage well together. I know a lot of people are loyal to their hometowns and colleges and I like to think that I provide some memories for them in some way. I like to try to capture things that other people might overlook on a daily basis!
One of my favorite items is in my house. I have a series of photographs that I love from each city that is important to me. Each frame has a series of 3 photos in it.
My goal with my work is that I just want people to look at my work and feel something. Maybe relive a memory from the past. Or have a link to a place they loved!
The message behind my works is that it's fun, and Ohio loyalty. We are really proud of our state and we have a lot of great stuff happening in our cities.
Check out these featured vendors at the 2012 Columbus Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show. This eclectic show will feature over 125 of the area's most talented artisans and crafters. A portion of the show's proceeds will be donated to Columbus Ohio's Local Matters, a non-profit that teaches kids and families about healthy Ohio-grown foods, provides access to wholesome foods in local area communities, and advocates for fair food policies.
2012 Columbus Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Sunday, August 19, 2012, 1:30pm-6:30pm
The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral
555 N. High St
Columbus, OH 43215
For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator at info@avantgardeshows.com
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