Artistry 'Inherently' Runs in this Family

 was standing room only last Saturday as a mother and three of her daughters filled the gallery walls with unique paintings, photographs and fiber art for .

"I learned to embroider at 4, " Kathryn Musselman Tobasko of Wooster said when I asked her where she got her start as an artist. Tobasko is the mother of fellow artists Aleata Illusion, 24, Raven Shaffter, 20 and Tiara Schaffter, 18.

Each of these women is very accomplished in her own right. They each ooze with excitement about their own creative focus, yet seem to admire each other's work as well. The sisters recall drawing and painting together when they were young, but as time went on they moved to different cities and now work individually. 

Tiara remembers being captivated by the fairies and women that her mother drew when she was younger. This inspired her to explore her own portraits of women and has since become a dominant theme in her work. Tiara likes to use bright colors to create women who are playful and imaginative. Even though the woman in one particular painting is carrying a baby devil in her belly, the bright yellow color of her skin makes every thing feel A-OK. 

This contrasts with her two sisters, who prefer the darker side of things. "She (Raven) is more of a nighttime person and I am more of a daytime person," Tiara said. 

Raven is a painter as well as a special effects makeup artist. It seems that she uses three tubes of paint in her paintings: black, white, and maroonish red. She doesn't sit down to paint with any particular idea in mind, but rather lets the work evolve stroke by stroke. Even though these paintings are dark, they seem strangely connected to Tiara's. There is a similar fantastical wonder about the two sisters' work that is captivating. 

If Raven can paint your face to look like a bullet has just gone through it, Aleata will snap a photo of it. And add extra blood. Aleata Illusion is a photographer and writer who specializes in anything macabre, bloody or scary. In addition to studying at for photojournalism, she writes and produces films, blogs about horror movies and models. These talents amass in this show. In between well-composed photos of friends and beer glasses pops a striking self-portrait taken by Aleata. I only know it is a self-portrait because I asked. All you can see in the frame are bloody legs emerging from a blood-splattered bathtub. 

Tobasko has one other daughter who, unfortunately,  could not be a part of the show. But then again, the walls were so packed I don't know where they could have put any more work. 

Tobasko must be proud of her creative and driven children ... if she can find the time to reflect on it. Tobasko teaches fashion design at Kent State as well as designs her own custom clothing line, deals and collects vintage fashions and is writing a book about redesigning and recycling materials into new creations.

For this show she filled one wall with handbags that feature fabric prints of paintings by well-known local artist Vince Packard. Packard's nostalgic paintings of women resonate with Tobasko's vintage style and make for eye-catching and beautifully crafted handbags. The collage feel that these bags have ties into the amalgamation of work presented in the show quite nicely. She also showed some felt hats and a few examples of garments she has redesigned. One little black dress has been transformed with green vines and red flowers. Another wrap-style blouse has been sewn from a tablecloth and dyed with indigo. 

Maybe this show is proof that we can adjust that age old adage to include "a family that creates together stays together?"

This heartwarming show that celebrates Mother's Day will be on view at until June 4th. The gallery is open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 1-5 p.m.