By MARLY KOSINSKI
Tribune Chronicle
CANFIELD - Jeffrey Puccini said he usually has a distaste for artwork depicting political views, but he made an exception this year with two paintings he submitted for judging at the Canfield Fair.
He didn't win any ribbons, but he said winning was not the point.
''I wanted to make a statement and start a conversation,'' the Boardman artist said Thursday.
Last year, Puccini, 46, was banned from the Canfield Fairgrounds for one year after fair security intervened in a dispute he had with a parent over photos he took of a young girl without permission on Sept. 6, 2009.
At the time, Puccini said he had been at the fair every day taking random photographs - an activity encouraged on the Canfield Fair's website. The photographs in question were deleted from his camera, and he was told not to return to the fairgrounds or he would be arrested.
Several months ago, Puccini said he met with fair officials and was given permission to return this year on the condition he did not take photos without telling the person first.
Puccini said he has attended every day of the Canfield Fair for the past several years. He said he has taken thousands of random photos and sometimes uses them to create photorealistic paintings, which are his specialty.
A painting on display this year depicts a young girl on a horse with a zipper over her mouth and a pair of goggles to disguise her identity. It contains the quote ''What legitimate reason would someone have for photographing a child that wasn't their own at the Canfield Fair?'' and attributes the quote to John Vogrin, assistant security chief at the Canfield Fair. He says Vogrin raised the question to him last year.
Vogrin declined to comment for this story.
The other painting he submitted is a photorealistic image of a woman and a young girl riding horses. An American flag provides the background.
Puccini said he created the paintings because he felt Vogrin violated his First Amendment rights by detaining and questioning him last year. He said privacy laws allow people to take photographs of other people if the subjects are in a public setting.
The Canfield Fair website still has a link asking people to send their photos and videos to be put on the fair's Facebook page and also has a place to upload videos to YouTube.
Mary Farragher, a friend of Puccini's who is manning the Fine Arts building display where his paintings are, said a lot of people have given positive feedback and are intrigued by the paintings.
''They are impressed with his capabilities and realism. If they ask what the paintings are about, I tell them what happened,'' Farragher said.
Bev Fisher, fair manager, said she did not know about Puccini's paintings, but there was no problem with Puccini being at the fair. Kathy Bennett, director of the Arts and Crafts and Fine Arts exhibits, said the judges allowed Puccini's paintings.
''Some of them remarked they had forgotten what a good artist he is,'' Bennett said.
"I didn't win any ribbons, but at least they let me submit them. And I got my point across," Puccini said.
The Canfield Fair continues through Monday.
