Ashland Gallery & Stu's Studio is one of the newest art venues in Broad Ripple Village featuring the work of Stu Johnson, John McKee and other local artists.

Stu Johnson's photography reveals his daily perspective of Indiana's natural scenic beauty. His photographs are available as giclée prints on fine art paper, canvas and ceramics. Giclée (pronounced zhee-clay) is an individually produced, high resolution, high fidelity image on a special large format printer. Stu's work appears locally in the new Flatwater Restaurant and is now on permanent display at his gallery, which includes Monon train pictures and a nature scene reproduced on a glass transom.

One of Stu's favorite areas to visit is Brown County. Its photographic inspiration is in many pictures seen in his studio. He and other Ashland Gallery artists also enjoy walking around the grounds of the Butler University campus. Its tranquil setting provides them new sources of artistic creativity.

John described his own initial interest in art: "When my older brother demonstrated planar perspective to me as an eight year old, I was hooked. Then, I got some encouragement in junior high and high school from my art teacher, Mike Still. I grew up in Bunker Hill, Indiana, where, as a kid, I performed in the (Peru) circus as a tumbler. My dad, one brother, one sister and some relatives were also in the circus. It was a different way of life in terms of growing up as a kid in Indiana. We always had a youth circus that at times was used as a springboard to perform professionally. Peru is the home of The International Circus Hall of Fame," he added. Their "Greatest Amateur Show on Earth" (www.perucircus.com) is July 17-24.

John and Stu's friendship goes back many years. "I first met Stu when he was a sixth grader at Northview Middle School and was his job coach at North Central High School. Stu is a young man with Down syndrome who uses many modes of communication. He had a tracheotomy as a child, so he has difficulty pronouncing spoken language. Visual communication and learning have offered him a wonderful format for expressing himself. Consequently, much of his schooling revolved around visual learning. Pictures are a major vehicle for Stu's communication," John explained.

In addition to managing Ashland Gallery, John is also a teacher. "I teach beginning and intermediate black and white photography in a dark room format to youth and teenagers as well as cartoon art at the Indianapolis Art Center. At Ashland, we started offering private art and photography lessons for young adults with disabilities. Some students at Ashland are more interested in photography, others in drawing while one student is interested in sculpture. I like to develop a relationship with students and help them prepare their work professionally in cutting mattes and cleaning glass. They have begun helping with the displays for shows. I ask them what art should go where and they provide input. In our current show, Kelley (Schreiner) helped with the organization and placement of the photographs. We show the work of established local artists and artists with special needs. It's a lot of fun. The most rewarding part for me is seeing the pride the students show in their work. It is very special and that is outstanding," John noted.

John earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Herron School of Art and has been showing art locally for 15 years. He has taught photography, drawing and painting at the Children's Museum and papermaking at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

"At Ashland, we also offer digital restoration and custom digital printing. I like to work with a client when they bring a photo. I've done restorations of old photos with scratches or discolorations and have helped restore children's art done on construction paper. Our archival materials help the product last longer. Giclée prints are available for artists who need reproductions of their original artwork. I scan or photograph the item to create an identical image to work with. The prints are done on fine art paper, canvas and high-end photo paper. Images are kept on file and additional copies can be ordered for any occasion," John explained. Their price list, which includes digital restoration and design prints, is available at www.ashlandgallery.com and inquiries can be answered by calling 525-1287.

John's vintage photographic restoration of an early 1900s family picture and 1996 Peru circus photo that he took and transferred onto wood can be seen in the gallery. He also transformed a 1800s Old World map containing small print to a larger size and an original 1880s charcoal drawing of a client's grandparents damaged in a fire by scanning and creating a digital copy. His archival restoration work can last over 150-200 years if properly cared for, preserving treasured family memories. In addition to drawing and graphic design, John is a talented painter. A scenic landscape picture of his appears at Big Hat Books, located at 6510 Cornell Avenue in Broad Ripple.

Ashland Gallery's current spring show continues to June 16 exclusively featuring artists with special needs. Photography from Stu Johnson, Kelly Schreiner and Sarah Strouse, drawing by Tony Kleinschmidt and Joel Persinger with ceramic items by Cody Feldman can be seen at 6537 Carrollton Avenue, one block east of College Avenue or about 511 steps south from the IAC. Sarah also has an interest in television and fashion that she incorporates into her work. One-third of proceeds from art sales support Ashland Gallery while the other two-thirds support the artists' work.

According to their website, Ashland Gallery and Stu's Studio is in one of Broad Ripple Village's oldest homes. Built in 1897 by the Coil family, it has had only four owners in its history. Jacob Coil named the area for ripples appearing in the widest part of the White River.

Stu's family restored the home's original woodwork, floors and windows, preserving its structure. The gallery is named for the former name of Carrollton Avenue, Ashland. Their hours are Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday by appointment.

"Our next show will be in the fall and will be featured in the Broad Ripple Fall Gallery Tour. Mike Bowman, the photography department chair at IAC, will show current photographs from Utah. We're working with Sean Gray, a student at IAC with autism who makes ceramics that include wall hangings, to have his work up with Mike's," John said.

Recently a show by Lois Main Templeton appeared at the Gallery. "It was a real honor for Ashland Gallery to host a show featuring Lois' paintings. To say she is respected in the local art community would be obviously understated. I have long been an admirer of her large scale, mostly non-representational oil paintings. With Ashland Gallery being a more intimate setting, we were able to show some smaller scale pieces. Her work was shown with her studio partner, Phil O'Malley, as well as Stu's work and some of my own new work," John added.

As his brother inspired his artistic interests while growing up, local artist and graphic designer John McKee inspires artists like Stu Johnson and others as a mentor and teacher. Their creative works can be seen exclusively at Ashland Gallery & Stu's Studio in the vibrant art community of Broad Ripple Village.