Is there a way to insert a vertex with a user defined image icon from a local folder ? (Jgraphx)

Question

I want to use a user defined icon as vertex. It works if the png file is saved in the resource folder, however i want to get the png file from a local folder

Actions.directory.toString() - folder location as String - working

the vertex appears without any shape

BufferedImage img = ImageIO.read(new File(Actions.directory.toString() + "/" + Actions.hm.get(key)));  

icon = new ImageIcon(img);  
System.out.println("icon " +icon);  

mxStylesheet stylesheet1 =  ShowGraphEditor.graph.getStylesheet();  
Hashtable<String, Object> attributestyle = new Hashtable<String, Object>();  
attributestyle.put(mxConstants.STYLE_SHAPE, mxConstants.SHAPE_IMAGE);  
attributestyle.put(mxConstants.STYLE_IMAGE, getClass().getResource(Actions.directory.toString() + "/" + Actions.hm.get(key)) );  
attributestyle.put(mxConstants.STYLE_VERTICAL_LABEL_POSITION, mxConstants.ALIGN_CENTER);  

stylesheet1.putCellStyle(eventName, attributestyle);  

GraphMenu.getGraph().insertVertex(null, instance.getID().toString(), instance, GraphMenu.x,GraphMenu.y, 80, 30, eventName);

I've tried:

attributestyle.put(mxConstants.STYLE_IMAGE, icon)