As you will soon learn, the humble pencil has quite a history that is far from humble. Today, there are hundreds of pencil collectors around the world. While doing my usual online morning auction scanning, I came across an upcoming Garth’s “Gentleman’s Auction” catalogue. Curious as to what it was all about, I scrolled down and saw items ranging from animal taxidermy trophies, hides and firearms to fishing lures and antique novelty pencils. The pencils not only were sometimes

Above: The Columbus-based artist crafted this piece using found objects. It is signed and dated 2003. Ohio’s tradition of self-taught artists is a long one, but there are more recent names that have gained recognition as well. Levent Isik is among them. Born in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1961, Isik grew up in Montreal, Canada, before moving to Ohio. He lived in Akron and Cleveland, then settled in Columbus in the late 1980s, leaving behind a job and friends. Art helped fill the voi