Hello readers! Fall is officially here and with it comes fresh ideas and inspiration. Fall flowers and colors are warm and comforting. Quite the opposite of the season coming next. Capture the kaleidoscope before it fades away. Pack up the colored pencils to add color notes to your sketches in the field. Pictures can stand alone or serve as visual notes for working when you return home or to the studio. The morning dew invites macro photography. Each season in Ohio gives a fresh look at the world. Inspiration is just around the corner, a local park or garden, or waiting by the lake shore. I could go on, but I think you get the idea. Go find yours. Are you planning to create gifts from the heart this year? Tick. Tock. Have you gotten the idea out of your head yet?  I have found taking a class to be a great way to jumpstart my motivation. And to make great friends. Try it. I often mention various places to view art in addition to the usual galleries and museums. One I have not mentioned in a while is the hospital. I had the unfortunate need to spend much of last week with my husband at UH Geauga Medical Center. He’s home but frustrated by a slow recovery. Thank you to each member of the staff for their kind and efficient care. But I digress. My point is that original art often fills the would-be empty walls of hospital corridors. Take a moment to stop and look. Mentor Arts Commission Jennifer (Hall) Overholser (Submitted) The Mentor Arts Commission’s goal is to “plan and coordinate a community-wide cultural program which will encourage and expand cultural activities and enrichment opportunities throughout and into the community.” The [unveiled] Art Contest was launched in 1993 in memory of local artist Dorothy McNamara Maloney. It promotes the work of emerging artists living in Lake County. The contest attracts over 60 entries annually in variety of media. MAC is inviting the community to an artist’s reception for Jennifer (Hall) Overholser’s new exhibit, “Reflections of Light,” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Sept.  27 at the Mentor Municipal Building, 8500 Civic Center Blvd., Mentor. The event is free and open to the public. “Reflections of Light” captures fleeting moments in the artist’s life, freezing them in time for others to enjoy as beautiful paintings. Her work includes landscapes, still life and floral arrangements, all of which will remain on display and for sale from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays through the end of October. Overholser is the artistic director of Visual Arts at Darke County Center for the Arts and is represented by PennyJane Art Gallery in Coldwater, Ohio. Learn more at jennifer-overholser.com. Stella’s Art Gallery “Photographer’s Only” is on display in the main gallery of Stella’s Art Gallery, 38033 Euclid Ave., Willoughby. “Awesome show!” gallery owner Dani Klein said, “The best comment I heard was ‘Gee, I feel like I just took a trip around the world’ and I have to agree. The photos were taken from all over. It’s a very pleasing and beautiful show to view.” Here are the winners of the eighth annual photography show. David Shockey won Best of Show. The winners in Architecture: Becky Grasser, first place; James Mosman, second place; and Luanne Bole-Becker, third place. The winners in Wildlife: Dwight Boyer, first place and second place; and Tricia Galvin, third place. The winners in Macro: Joseph John, first place; Lori Diemer, second place; and Natalia Souza, third place. The winners in Landscape: Carol Agnew, first place; and David Shockey, second place and third place. The winners in Portraiture: Dwight Boyer, first place; Chris Koval, second place; and Joseph John, third place. The show was juried by photographers Keith Marchand and Vic Weizer. There was a third juror scheduled to join them that day, Joseph J. Bojc. The trio frequently worked together. Unfortunately, Bojc passed away just prior to judging. In his honor, Stella’s is auctioning one of his recent photos, “Sunset on Lake Erie,” to raise money for Lifebanc of Northeast Ohio, an organization he proudly supported. Through Lifebanc, his death was transformed into life for others needing organ transplants. The auction closes Oct. 14. Feeling far from ordinary? This next show is for you. All media welcome. Entries for the eighth Annual Odd Ball Show will be accepted from 12:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 3 and 4, and from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 5.  Artist and curator Mary Urbas will jury the show. Stella’s is working with the Willoughby Arts Collaborative on a special project for October — a life-size skeleton-decorating contest. Twenty skeletons are available for $40 each with proceeds going toward grave markers for Potter’s Field. Creative individuals/artists may decorate them as their inspiration guides them, just be sure to deliver back to Stella’s by Oct. 7 so they may be displayed throughout Downtown Willoughby. For more information visit StellasArtGallery.com or call 440-266-9111. Valley Art Center Last call for artists to enter Valley Art Center’s 53rd Annual Juried Art Exhibition. The invitation is open to artists living within a 250-mile radius of Chagrin Falls. Up to three pieces in any art medium may be entered, but only one piece per artist may be accepted. VAC is at 155 Bell St., Chagrin Falls. Over $3,500 in cash is awarded for Best of Show, First, Second and Third Place, and several community-sponsored awards. Artwork must be available for sale. VAC keeps 40% commission on the selling price of all artwork that is sold. Jurors for this year’s exhibit are Liz Burgess, artist and former owner/manager of Ginko Gallery; Christy Davis, curator of Exhibitions, Canton Museum of Art; and Aaron D. Williams, aka Aawful Aaron, artist and entrepreneur. Remember to check out the VAC gift ship for one-of-a-kind items for holiday giving. Learn more about how to enter shows and classes at valleyartcenter.org or call 440-247-7507. Geauga Hospital I feel like I have come full circle today. I mentioned UH Geauga Medical Center, 13207 Ravenna Road, Chardon, about a thousand words ago. Just a week before my unscheduled visit, I received a press release about an artist displaying her work there. So of course I made a point to see it. Madison photographer J (Joan) Pogalies has a 13-piece series of large-scale (three by five feet) photo panels along the first-floor south corridor. Predominantly black and white, and distinctly different. Her images are not manipulated, but enlarged by up to 600% then flipped, flopped and layered becoming an imagination playground, revealing a different perspective of our environment. Learn more at www.jpgraphicsinc.com or give her a call at 614-218-0888