Tam march 2015

THE ARTFUL MIND MARCH 2015 MONTHLY BERKSHIRE ARTZINE

THE SOURCE FOR PROMOTING ART SINCE 1994

MUSICIAN & VOCALIST DAVID REED photography by Sabine Vollmer von Falken

WENDY A. RABINOWITZ UP AND COMING SOLO EXHIBIT

LAuReN CLARk FINe ARt Join us

“YAHI OR: LET THERE BE LIGHT”

Sunday, March 22 from Noon - 3pm for a one day Ikebana Workshop with Brian Mikesell.

And the Creator said:

"Let there be light", and there was light and the Creator saw that the light was good.

To register for the class please call the gallery

Genesis 1: 3-4

A series of Weaving/Mixed-Media Assemblages by Judaic Artist Wendy A. Rabinowitz based on the concepts of light in Torah, Psalms and other Jewish mystical texts

July 17 - August 13, 2015 Opening Reception: Thursday, July 23, 3 - 5pm THE WELLES GALLERY AT THE LENOX LIBRARY 18 MAIN ST., LENOX, MA

argazzi art

LAUREN CLARK FINE ART

25 Railroad Street, Great Barrington, MA 413. 528. 0432 LaurenClarkFineArt.com

JENNIFER PAZIENZA

Winter Dreams CARRIE PEARCE LULLABY OIL ON PANEL 33”H 45”W

A ROTATING EXHIBITION OF NEW WORKS BY GALLERY ARTISTS

22

THROUGH APRIL 6 2015

44 LAKEVILLE CT 860.435.8222 ARGAZZIART.COM INFO@ARGAZZIART.COM MILLERTON ROAD RTE

Early Spring Oil on Canvas 72 X 54 in.

jennpazienza@gmail.com

http://jenniferpazienza.com/

1 • MARCH 2015 THE ARTFUL MIND

THE ARTFUL MIND ARTZINE March 2015

HELLO SPRING...don’t want to rush you, but....

Musician and Vocalist, David Reed Photographs by Sabine Vollmer von Falken ...10

CATA :A talk with Executive Director Margaret Keller A Collaborative interview...7 Planet Waves for MARCH 2015 Eric Francis.....14 Artists Travel with Missy... Thirty-Five years later Edward J. Bride ... 16 The Trip to The Museum Part I Richard Britell 18

Fiction Sampler from The Virgin of Hopeless Causes GOAT GOD Amy Tanner ...19 Simply Sasha Recipe for MARCH Sasha Seymour...19

Contributing Writers and Monthly Columnists Eunice Agar, Edward J. Bride, Richard Britell, Eric Francis, Sasha Seymour, Amy Tanner

Photographers Edward Acker, Cassandra Sohn, Jane Feldman Sabine Vollmer von Falken, Alison Wedd Publisher Harryet Candee

Copy Editor Marguerite Bride

Advertising and Graphic Design Harryet Candee

Box 985, Great Barrington, MA 01230

artfulmind@yahoo.com 413 854 4400 ALL MATERIAL due the 10th of the month prior to publication

FYI: ©Copyright laws in effect throughout The Artful Mind for logo & all graphics including text material. Copyright laws for photographers and writers throughout The Artful Mind. Permission to reprint is required in all instances. In any case the issue does not appear on the stands as planned due to unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, advertisers will be compensated on a one to one basis. Disclaimer rights available upon request. Serving the Art community with the intention of enhancing communication and sharing positive creativity in all aspects of our lives. We at The Artful Mind are not responsible for any copyrights of the artists, we only interview them about the art they create.

2 • MARCH 2015 THe ARTful Mind

THE MUSIC STORE

it warms the heart in winter to give the gift of music, to those you love and to yourself.

The Music Store’s fifteenth Year in business in Great Barrington has proven many things. We enjoy helping the community, near and far to make music which has been an enjoyable and productive enterprise for us. And we look forward to continuing this mission into the second half of our second decade.

We offer wonderful musical instruments and accessories at competitive pricing.

And our musical family are a varied and wonderful group, including this month’s Artful Mind cover guy, the incomparable dr. easy, AKA david Reed. founding member of Max Creek, classically trained trumpeter, guitar player, banjo and ukulele wielder, percussionist and drummer, and Cigar Box Guitar maker and player par excellence, the good doctor can often cure what ails you.

You can visit him at tambouraproductions.com or often find him in the store.

We have a good time serving our community, her musicians and music lovers. Come see . . . ~ Composite Acoustic guitars (the forever guitar!) and their peerless travel guitar, the Cargo, a favorite of david Reed’s, made of carbon graphite and impervious to most changes of temperature and humidity ~ Guild Guitars - light, powerful, affordable. ~ ukuleles - 50+ different models: Soprano, Concert, Tenor and Baritone, acoustic and acoustic/electric, six string, resonator and the remarkable u-Bass! You might even hear dr. easy play a banuke!

~ How about a Cordoba Cuatro? ~ Or a West African djembe with a carry bag? Or another dr. easy favorite, the Klong Yaw! ~ Try Takamine for a guitar to suit almost any budget (limited editions and great sales, too)! dr. easy can tell you about his.

And so many more brands and types from $150-$5000 . ~ ever heard of dr. easy’s drunk Bay Cigar Boxes?

Acoustic/electric cigar box guitars, exquisitely made, which bring the past into the present with a delightful punch, acoustically and plugged in! ~ Harmonicas, in (almost) every key (try a Suzuki Hammond ‘Mouth Organ’). ~ Picks, strings, sticks and reeds ~ Violins, Mandolins, dulcimers, Banjos, and Banjo ukes. ~ Handmade and international percussion instruments! ~ dreamy native American and locally made bamboo and wooden flutes and walking stick flutes!

And there is more to delight the eyes, intrigue the ears and bring warm joy to the heart.

We remain your neighborhood music store, where advice and help are free and music is the universal language. Working with local luthiers and repairmen we offer stringed and band instrument repair. And we just may have something you haven’t seen before (have you heard the electric Cigar Box Guitars?). We match (or beat) many on-line prices for the merchandise that we sell, and do so in person, for the most part cheerfully (though we reserve the right to glower a little when asked if we can ‘do better’ on the price of a pick!)!

Come and see us soon and help us celebrate our 15th year!!!

Your patronage helps the community and makes it a more tuneful and happy place!

The Music Store, 87 Railroad Street, Great Barrington, open Wednesdays through Saturdays and by appointment. Call us at 413-528-2460, or visit us on line at www.themusicstoreplus.com

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Things to do & People to see...

MARCH 2015 “Can You Hear Me, Baby? Stories of Sex, love and OMG Birth!” a performance directed by Jayne Atkinson (3/27 & 3/28); and so much more!

museums & galleries

CCCA 209 Warren Street, Hudson, nY On & Off the Wall: A 3-d feast for the eyes!

Thru March 21, 2015

SABINE VOLLMER VON FALKEN PHOTOGRAPHiC WORKSHOPS • 413-298-4933 www.sabinephotoart.com, info@sabinephotoart.com Photographic one on one workshops, scheduled throughout the winter months: BeHind THe CAMeRA - Sabine’s eye for detail provides the students with everlasting creative tools. explore the beauty of patterns, textures, layers, depth of detail in the real. Participants learn how natural light can create dramatic or lyrical images. designed for the serious learner who is interested in improving her/his skills. The hope is to concentrate on the artistic and critical eye. You are asked to bring a digital SlR camera. March 1, 2015 – May 31, 2015

FRONT STREET GALLERY 129 front St., Housatonic, MA • 413-274-6607 / 413-528-9546, or cell at 413-429-7141 Housatonic Gallery for students and artists. featuring watercolors by Kate Knapp (Saturday and Sunday 12-5pm or by appointment)

GOOD PURPOSE GALLERY 40 Main St., lee, MA elements of life. Photographers include Michael McManmon, Pamela Crimmins, diane firtell, douglass Truth, and high school photographers Hannah flynn and Sina Zabian. Moho designs will be exhibiting prints. The show runs through April 6.

IS 183 ART SCHOOL OF THE BERKSHIRES Citizens’ Hall, Stockbridge, MA • 413 298-5252 Offerings include: At Citizens' Hall in Stockbridge courses range from Painting Studio with Yura Adams, Nancy Ghitman "Brahmin Cow" oil on canvas 24"x30" 2015 six fridays March 27 to May 8 to Handbuilding with 510 Warren Street Gallery Paula Shalan, eight Tuesdays March 31 to May 26 and March 7, 4-6pm, Opening: Nancy Ghitman, “Cow Portraits” LAUREN CLARK FINE ART fiber Studio with Angel Heffernan, five fridays April 25 Railroad Street, Great Barrington, MA 2 to May 8. in Williamstown, at the Williams inn, • 413-528-0432 / www.laurenClarkfineArt.com; classes include an after-school program for ages 11 to Canal historian Carl Walter returns to Historic northampton for lauren@laurenClarkfineArt.com 15, drawing and the Book with Kathline Carr, five Tuesdays an encore presentation of his public lecture, "The History of the Japanese flower Arranging and lecture with local ikebana MasApril 7 to May 12 and for adults, explore Writing with Chris Hampshire and Hampden Canal," on Saturday, March 7, 2 pm ter, Brian Mikesell. Saturday, March 7, 1-4pm. “freestyle” ikenewbound over six fridays April 10 to May 22. And at PittsWAM THEATRE bana workshop with Brian at the gallery, Sun, Mar 22, noon-3pm. field's lichtenstein Center for the Arts consider learning to draw in March, WAM Theatre will be a beneficiary of Jayne Atkinson’s with Wednesday Sorokin, five Wednesdays April 8 to May 13 special event, Can You Hear Me Baby? Stories of Sex, love and MARGUERITE BRIDE among other possibilities!

OMG Birth!, which is concluding this year’s Berkshire festival nuarts Studios, Studio #9, 311 north St., Pittsfield, MA of Women Writers. Adapted from true stories that come from the margebride-paintings.com • 413-841-1659 Please send us your calendar listings no later than hearts of mothers and fathers, this event brings together birth stoOriginal Watercolors, house portraits, commissions, lessons. the 10th of the month prior to publication ries and original music to dramatize the joy, challenges, personal “Travels with Missie - the Artists’ View”, Mar 14-April 13; recourage, and profundity of birth. Can You Hear Me Baby? takes ception Mar 14, 2-6pm @ St francis Gallery, South lee, MA. Read our the stage at the Berkshire Theatre Group’s unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge, MA on March 27 at 7pm and March 28 at 2 and 7 collection of OBER GALLERY pm. Proceeds will benefit the national Perinatal Association, 6 north Main St, Kent, CT • 860-927-5030 Berkshire festival of Women Writers, and WAM Theatre.

50 issues on-line at obergallery@yahoo.com / www.obergallery.com ISSUU.COM Russian Winter Series WHITNEY CENTER FOR THE ARTS 42 Wendell Ave., Pittsfield, MA • 917-674-4963 Thank you for 21 years of wonderful OXBOW GALLERY liVe WiReS, an original new music concert for electric guitars communication in the arts!

Pleasant Street, northampton, MA and electric cello, featuring e-cellist Jeffrey Krieger, guitarist Matt "Junk drawer" by B.Z. Reily, March 5-29.

Sargent, Saturday, March 7, 7:30 p.m. Seating begins @ 6:45. light dinner fare and drinks are available to purchase.

MORRISON GALLERY 208 Old Barn Road near the inters. Rts 7 & 341 in Kent, CT. • 860-927-4501 / wm@morrisongallery.com / www.morrisongallery.com OTIS ARTS FESTIVAL Vincent inconiglios, paintings from the donut Series, feb 7 - Mar Saturday, July 25, 2015, indoors at the farmington River elemen29. tary School, 9am to 3pm. for application, go to www.townofotisma.com/culturalcouncil NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUM

Call for artists

Rte 183, Stockbridge, MA • 413-298-4100 Mort Künstler: The Art of Adventure: nov 8 - March 8, 2015.

SCHANTZ GALLERIES 3 elm St, Stockbridge, MA • 413-298-3044 www.schantzgalleries.com A destination for those seeking premier artists working in glass.

(11 - 5 daily)

music/theatre

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH MUSIC The Mahaiwe, Gt. Barrrington, MA • 413-528-0100 www.mahaiwe.org Sergei Rachmaninoff & Russia Orientalia, Sat. Mar 21, 6pm

HISTORIC NORTHAMPTON 48 Bridge St., northampton, MA

Workshops/classes

BERKSHIRE FESTIVAL OF WOMEN WRITERS Berkshirewomenwriters.org / info@berkshirewomenwriters.org The March 2015 festival will include the first Annual Berkshire festival of Women Writers Book expo, March 29, a book fair for regional writers, publishers and other vendors. The expo will feature special guest Mary Pope Osborne, who will discuss her successful career as a best-selling children’s book author. Table reservations for the Book expo will be accepted through March 15; see the festival website for more information. The 14th Annual international Women’s day observance, with a screening of the new film diSRuPTiOn, by Pamela Yates (3/8); the Gutsy Gals inspire Me® film Awards Ceremony and screening featuring Karen Allen, Cathryn Michon and deborah Hutchison (3/21);

THE ARTFUL MIND MARCH 2015 •3

4 • MARCH 2015 THe ARTful Mind

MARGARET BUCHTE

Cows are enjoying the mild Spring air, resting and relaxing near the river in Ashley Falls

413. 528. 2846 margaretbuchte@gmail.com Margaret-Buchte.fineartamerica.com on facebook Margaret's Originals P.O. Box 79, Sheffield, MA 01257

FRONt StReet

Painting Classes on Monday and Wednesday mornings 10 - 1pm at the Studio and Thursday mornings 10am - 1pm out in the field.

Open to all.

413-274-6607 413-429-7141 (cell) 413-528-9546 Gallery Hours: Saturday and Sunday 12-5 or by appointment

FRONT STREET, downtown HOUSATONIC, MA THE ARTFUL MIND MARCH

2015

•5

LIVE WIRES

WHITNEY CENTER FOR THE ARTS

liVe WiReS, an original new music concert for electric guitars and electric cello, featuring e-cellist Jeffrey Krieger, guitarist Matt Sargent, will perform at the Whitney Center for the Arts, on Saturday, March 7, 2015 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Seating begins @ 6:45. light dinner fare and drinks are available to purchase.

Award-winning performer Jeffrey Krieger, chamber musician, solo recitalist and specialist in the performance of new music, plays the more conventional-looking cello as principal cellist of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. for two decades he has been among the new generation of solo recitalists who have incorporated technology – the computer and video – as well as an electric cello built by Vermont craftsman Tucker Barrett into performance.

Mr. Krieger has also performed as e-cello soloist with the orchestras of Anchorage (Alaska), the Hartford Symphony and the Hartt Symphony. His own interactive video improvisation, VideOCellO, was chosen by American Composers forum to be included on their touring program, Sonic Circuits. This resulted in a performance of VideOCellO on the Millenium Stage at the Kennedy Center. in 2005, he was commissioned along with composer, Ken Steen and media artist, Gene Gort to create a new work to celebrate the opening of the new Britain Museum of American Art’s new galleries. “Reliquary of labor”, a parallel media performance for e-cello, percussion, multiple video screens and monitors and sound was premiered in the fall of 2006.

Matt Sargent is a musician based in Buffalo, nY. His music grows out of an appreciation of natural resonances, acoustic spaces, field recording, and outdoor listening. His work has been described as “so simple and so natural, and yet sets up a complex set of interactions.” (Sound expanse) He is currently a visiting professor of electronic music at Bard College.

Matt is a Presidential fellow at SunY Buffalo, where he is a doctoral candidate in music composition and also works as technical director for the Center for 21st Century Music. He is a graduate of the Hartt School of Music and St. Mary’s College of Maryland. He has studied composition with david felder, Cort lippe, Robert Carl, ingram Marshall, Ken Steen, david Behrman, and david from.

Whitney Center for the Arts, 42 Wendell Ave.; Pittsfield, MA; 917-674-4963. Tickets are $20.00, reservations can be made via email to: Tix@thewhit.com or via phone call to 413-443-0289.

Reservations are recommended.

LAUREN CLARK FINE ART

THE ART OF JAPANESE FLOWER ARRANGING

Join us at lauren Clark fine Art Sunday, March 22 from noon3pm for a one day ikebana Workshop with Brian Mikesell. The cost of the class is approximately $95 which includes a beautiful hand-made bowl for your arrangement, a pin frog, the flowers, light refreshments, and the teacher’s fee. for more workshop details and to register for the class (a must!), please call the gallery at 413-528-0432 or email lauren Clark at lauren@laurenClarkfineArt.com. not satisfied with merely appreciating flowers in a traditional vase, Japanese people in the early 16th century endeavored to give deeper meaning to the thoughts accompanying the process of arranging flowers. in other words, they wished to arrange flowers (tateru, to arrange stems in an upright or standing manner), rather than simply placing them in the vase. An early attitude of passive appreciation gradually developed into a more deeply considered approach. This approach forms the basis of what we call ikebana. We arrange plants cut and removed from nature so that they are filled with new beauty when placed in a new environment. Rather than simply re-create the shape a plant had in nature, we create with branches, leaves, and flowers a new form which holds our impression of a plant’s beauty as well as the mark of our own spirit. ikebana should also suggest the forces of nature with which plants live in harmony-branches bent by winter winds, a partially unfurled petal, a leaf half-eaten by insects.

About the instructor: Brian Mikesell has achieved the rank of Kakan (Assistant Professor, 2nd degree) in the ikenobo School of ikebana under the instruction of Toshiko Shindo Alden (Sokatoku rank) and Michiko Baribeau (Junkatoku rank). He has taught ikebana workshops for adults at the new York Tachibana chapter of ikenobo as well as lessons for high school students.

As an artist, Brian Mikesell works primarily in photography, artist books, and ikebana. Much of his work is rooted in the landscape and natural world, with an emphasis on details that may normally be overlooked. He is also interested in the ways we experience the world as we travel through it and how we each make an effort to represent our journeys. He believes fundamentally that, while much artwork makes a necessarily serious contribution to the world, there should be balance and art should equally endeavor to lighten and lift the viewer. He makes his home in Mill River, Massachusetts.

Lauren Clark Fine Art, 25 Railroad Street, Gt. Barrington, MA. For more information call the gallery at 413-528-0432 or visit the website laurenClarkfineArt.com

“Great art picks up where nature ends.”

-Marc Chagall 6 • MARCH 2015 THe ARTful Mind

GOOD PURPOSE GALLERY diAne fiRTell, HOuSi ii

ELEMENTS OF LIFE: A PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW

Good Purpose Gallery presents the works of local photographers in its upcoming show, elements of life. Photographers include Michael McManmon, Pamela Crimmins, diane firtell, douglass Truth, and high school photographers Hannah flynn and Sina Zabian. Moho designs will be exhibiting prints.

The opening reception will take place on friday, february 20, from 5pm - 7pm at the Good Purpose Gallery in lee, MA. The show runs through April 6..

Michael McManmon’s photography is an eclectic mix of photos that reflect the organic nature of mostly landscape and light. He especially likes to capture the colors of trees and water from unique angles. He is very interested in textures, shapes, and forms that have a dream-like quality. Michael will also display glass art, which utilizes repurposed glass and materials from other artists and seaglass he has gathered from California, florida, Australia, and Greece. The glass depicts vines, buds, and flowers rising from the ground with a magical quality.

Michael resides on his organic farm in lanesboro, Mass and winters in florida.

Pamela Crimmins’ work encompasses underwater photographs. One image, “Tree dance,” is a painterly photograph shot up through the surface of water. “Jessica” and “Virginia,” are underwater portraits commissioned through Splash Photography. Both bodies of work exploit and embrace the properties of water and light as they interact with her subjects and her interests. diane firtell is an artist who uses a camera to create art. Her work over the past few years has become more heavily and sometimes tediously process-oriented. But there is something she enjoys about each of the very different phases, beginning with mining though her vast photographic library for material, to revealing the unpredictable image transfer. douglass Truth is a writer, painter, and performer. He began using an iPhone to document images several years ago, and says having it with him at all times helps open his eyes to his surroundings. He lives in Prescott, Arizona and is currently on tour in California with his one-woman show “An intimate evening with death, Herself.”

Hannah flynn attends Monument Mountain Regional High School as a freshman; most of her photographs are from her travel experiences in South Africa. Sina Zabian has been studying with Michael lavin flower since 2014, working to develop her portfolio and refine her technical skills. The exhibition at CiP is Sina’s first show.

Molly and Aurélien de Saint André are Moho designs, a design studio and artistic duo that creates contemporary handmade and hand printed products. They will be showing a set of prints representing winter in the Berkshires.

Good Purpose Gallery and Spectrum Playhouse are professional venues that exist to offer students real-life training, experience and integration with the community. Both venues host professional artists and events on a regular basis throughout the year, including student events such as plays, performances, art exhibits, and more.

Good Purpose Gallery, 40 Main Street in Lee, Massachusetts. The gallery is open 9am - 4pm, Sunday - Saturday. For more information, visit www.goodpurpose.org

CATA! community access to the

arts

a talk with executive director Margaret Keller

interview by a collaboration of Very talented people.

CATA has been a vital part of the Berkshire arts community since its founding 22 years ago. What is CATA’s mission and how does it contribute to the community?

Our mission is to nurture and celebrate the creativity of people with disabilities through shared experiences in the visual and performing arts. in practice, this mission is twofold. We bring the arts to people with disabilities by offering workshops in settings across Berkshire County—residences, day programs, schools, elder care communities, and our own Studio—and across artistic genres—painting, singing, drumming, creative writing, yoga, acting, juggling, modern dance, tap, and movement. Then, we share the fruits of all that creative exploration with the public in art shows and performances throughout the year.

The public dimension of our mission is really important. We aim to draw the community into our work wherever possible— to shine a spotlight on the artistry of people with disabilities.

Through our programs, our CATA artists take their place in the Berkshires’ vibrant cultural life! And our community benefits too.

Many people who attend a CATA event tell us that it’s a transformative experience that changes their perception of disability and even of the arts.

March is National Developmental Disability Awareness Month, created by President Reagan in 1987 to recognize organizations that provide “encouragement and opportunities necessary for people with developmental disabilities to reach their potential.” How does CATA fit into the national conversation on disability?

CATA is all about encouragement and opportunity! At the heart of our work is the knowledge that there is great ability within all of us, disability or not. Our workshops help develop our CATA artists’ talents in a wide range of fields. They also give people with disabilities a way of sharing their voice and their perspective on the world. When, as a member of the public, you come to a CATA art show or poetry reading or performance, you are coming face to face with the expression of a unique individual that you might not have otherwise encountered.

What is CATA doing during the month of March to raise awareness about the talents of people with disabilities? from March 14 - 23, lauren Clark fine Arts in Great Barrington is exhibiting paintings created in CATA visual arts workshops, with an opening night reception on March 14 from 4-6 pm.

Curated by lauren herself, the show includes paintings with spring themes and landscapes. i think we all may need a little dose of spring come March!

CATA is also participating for the first time in the Berkshire festival of Women Writers. Our faculty Artists Janet Reich elsbach, Anamyn Turowski and emily Rechnitz will read work by CATA women writers in our Studio, 70 Railroad Street, on March 19 at 6:30 pm. entitled “How We look: Self/Reflection,” the reading includes CATA writers’ reflections on their appearance and how it is perceived by others. We are excited about this opportunity for CATA artists to join a public dialogue on gender and disability.

Willow Tree, CATA artist Eric Schumann

How did the exhibit at Lauren Clark Fine Arts come about, and what does this signify about CATA’s profile in the community? lauren’s gallery is close to our CATA office, and we’re grateful to her for embracing CATA’s vision and recognizing the quality of our artists’ work. Our partners in the community are crucial to our mission –we’ve also had exhibits at the Clark Art institute, Berkshire Museum, and the norman Rockwell Museum, and have ongoing partnerships with Berkshire South, Mass MoCA, Jacob’s Pillow, and others. The larger backdrop for this event and others includes our arts faculty. CATA employs 22 faculty Artists.

All are working artists themselves, and they maintain a high artistic standard for their students. The exhibit at lauren Clark is emblematic of that. it is gratifying to receive recognition from a prominent gallery, and we hope that the exhibit will also spark conversations among the community.

What does CATA have planned beyond March? in May, we present our annual performance at Shakespeare & Company, where our performing arts troupes take the stage for our gala evening on the 16th and then a matinee on the 17th. The culmination of more than 500 annual workshops, the performance is a powerful illustration of the abilities within disability—and a great show too! in July, our annual art show takes place at the lichtenstein Center for the Arts in Pittsfield, with an opening reception on July 9th and a poetry reading on July 24th. A celebration of our many CATA visual artists, the show will feature work in multiple media, all of which will be for sale.

What should someone do if they want to get involved in CATA? Join us for an upcoming event! You can also sign up for our mailing list or e-blasts on www.communityaccesstotheARTS.org. We’re also happy to hear from people by phone or in person.

If you had to sum up CATA in one word, what would it be? inspiration. We inspire our CATA artists with innovative arts programs and inspire our community by opening their eyes to our artists’ remarkable spirit and creativity.

CATA artist Teresa Thomas with volunteer Leslie Shatz in the CATA studio

www.communityaccesstothearts.org

THe ARTful Mind MARCH 2015 • 7

SABINE PHOTO ART

Photographic one on one workshops, scheduled throughout the winter and spring months: BeHind THe CAMeRA Sabine’s eye for detail provides the students with everlasting creative tools. explore the beauty of patterns, textures, layers, depth of detail in the real. Participants learn how natural light can create dramatic or lyrical images. designed for the serious learner who is interested in improving her/his skills. The hope is to concentrate on the artistic and critical eye. You are asked to bring a digital SlR camera. March 1– May 31, 2015 A published and collected fine art photographer, Sabine has a number of specialties. One of these is a focus on commercial and editorial portraiture, collaborating with professionals to provide their publishers / labels with an image portfolio. Her talent lies in both choosing the location and working with the subtleties of lighting. Her eye for the “Yes Moment” results in timeless imagery. She has the talent to bring introspection to the art of life style photography. She is the interviewer, catalyst and imagemaker. Her inSide and OuT studio is located in Stockbridge, MA. Signed books: “WOODLAND STYLE” and “ SHELL CHIC “, M. H. Marshall, published by Storey, all photography by sabine.

She is a member of ASMP, The international Center of Photography iCP, and the Wedding Photojournalist Association, WPJA. S abine Vollmer von Falken - For more detailed info please contact Sabine Vollmer von Falken Photography at info@sabinephotoart.com tel. 413-298-4933.

8• MARCH 2015 THe ARTful Mind

MARGUERITE BRIDE MARGueRiTe BRide, iRiSH BiKe, WATeRCOlOR

WATERCOLORS

Join Marguerite Bride, 3 fellow artist/travelers, one author and a donkey for the opening of the “Travels with Missie – the Artists’ View” show. Bride will be one of four artists exhibiting at the St. francis Gallery in South lee, MA March 14 – April 13. Other exhibiting artists are Scott Taylor, Susan edwards, and david King. Kevin O’Hara will also display some photographs and memorabilia of the trip.

The exhibit, “Travels with Missie – the Artists’ View” features new works with an irish theme, inspired by a magical trek along Missie’s path in ireland as documented in Kevin O’Hara’s book, “last of the donkey Pilgrims”. Artist reception March 14, 2-6 pm, complete with irish music, refreshments and readings by Kevin himself.

On Saturday, March 28, 4-6 pm, Marguerite Bride will be one of the artists speaking at the Red lion inn’s “Side Parlor” event to meet the local artists and authors. free and open to the public.

Visit Bride’s website “What’s new” page or her facebook “Marguerite Bride Watercolors” for the latest exhibit details and show schedules. lots will be happening this spring and summer.

Commissions for vacation and house portraits are welcome at any time. it’s not too soon to think about 2015 holiday gift giving…take photos now if you want a winter scene in the Berkshires.

Visit Bride’s studio by appointment. Marguerite Bride, NUarts Studios, Studio 9, 311 North Street, Pittsfield, by appointment. Call 413-442-7718, or 413-841-1659 (cell); website: margebride-paintings.com email: margebride@aol.com

COLLINS/EDITIONS formerly BERKSHIRE DIGITAL

After seven years of working for artists and photographers as Berkshire digital, we have changed our name to collins|editions. We are a fine art reproduction service that offers the highest quality digital photography & reproduction of paintings as well as Giclée printing on archival papers and canvas with sizes up to 42” x 90”. Artists & photographers use us to create limited editions of their images. Private collectors and galleries use us to document their collections. Whether the reproduction needs are for archiving, printing, books, magazines, postcards or internet use, Bd adheres to very strict color controls along with delivering stunning detail by using either a large format camera with a Better light™ digital scanning back for making giclee prints as well as the best dSlR cameras for publication & internet uses. in addition to the photography and printing services, collins|editions also offers graphic design, enabling clients to create show announcements, post cards and brochures.

The website, www.Collinseditions.com has a complete overview, lots of information and pricing.

The owner, fred Collins, has been a commercial photographer for over 30 years having had studios in Boston and Stamford. He offers 20 years of experience with Photoshop™ enabling retouching, restoration and enhancement.

The studio is located in Mt Washington but dropoff and Pu can be arranged at other locations.

Collins|editions studio, 220 East St, Mt Washington, Massachusetts; 413-644-9663, www.Collinseditions.com

BERKSHIRE FESTIVAL OF WOMEN WRITERS WOMEN’S CREATIVE EXPRESSION

nowhere else in the united States is Women’s History Month celebrated with a month-long calendar of events dedicated entirely to recognizing the creative force of women writers. now entering its fifth Anniversary season, the non-profit festival showcases the voices and visions of a wide range of women writers, from teens to seniors, with more than 50 workshops, readings, performances and screenings, most of them free. There is at least one event every day of the month of March, taking place at more than 30 venues throughout Berkshire County.

“The festival is designed to inspire, nourish and strengthen women’s creative endeavors by offering an intensive series of stimulating events that encourage women and girls to engage with one another and develop as writers,” said festival founding director Jennifer Browdy, a professor of literature at Bard College at Simon’s Rock.

The March 2015 festival will include the first Annual Berkshire festival of Women Writers Book expo on March 29, a book fair for regional writers, publishers and other vendors. The expo will feature special guest Mary Pope Osborne, who will discuss her successful career as a best-selling children’s book author. Table reservations for the Book expo will be accepted through March 15; see the festival website for more information.

Other highlights include the 14th Annual international Women’s day observance, with a screening of the new film diSRuPTiOn, by Pamela Yates (3/8); the Gutsy Gals inspire Me® film Awards Ceremony and screening featuring Karen Allen, Cathryn Michon and deborah Hutchison (3/21); “Can You Hear Me, Baby? Stories of Sex, love and OMG Birth!” a performance directed by Jayne Atkinson (3/27 & 3/28); and so much more!

The Fifth Anniversary Season of the Berkshire Festival of Women Writers runs from March 1 – 31, 2015. For a complete listing of Festival events visit orgwww.berkshirewomenwriters.org

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH MUSIC YeHudA HAnAni

RACHMAninOff And RuSSiAn ORienTAliA

Saturday, March 21, 6pm at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, MA. The mesmeric Russian pianist Vassily Primakov joins distinguished cellist Yehuda Hanani in a program that explores the many facets of this enigmatic and prodigious figure. The magnetic appeal of the mysterious east attracted Rachmaninoff’s artistic predecessors (Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade became the best-known example of Russian musical Orientalism), and he followed suit beginning with some of his earliest compositions. The sumptuousness and ecstatic expressivity of the Sonata for Piano and Cello and the early Prelude and Orientale organically entwine Orientalism around his thoroughly european palette. His Variations on a Theme of Corelli, miniature character pieces, is a pianistic tour de force, requiring the highest levels of piano performance.

Tickets, $45 (Orchestra and Mezzanine) and $25 (Balcony), are available at The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center box office, 413.528.0100. Subscriptions are $150 ($130 for seniors) for the remaining 4 concerts in the series. Visit our website at www.cewm.org.

FRONT STREET GALLERY KATe KnAPP

Pastels, oils, acrylics and watercolors…..abstract and representational…..landscapes, still lifes and portraits….a unique variety of painting technique and styles….you will be transported to another world and see things in a way you never have before…. join us and experience something different.

Painting classes continue on Monday and Wednesday mornings 10-1:30pm at the studio and Thursday mornings out in the field. These classes are open to all...come to one or come again if it works for you. All levels and materials welcome.

Classes at front Street are for those wishing to learn, those who just want to be involved in the pure enjoyment of art, and/or those who have some experience under their belt.

A teacher for many years, Kate Knapp has a keen sense of each student’s artistic needs to take a step beyond. Perfect setting for setting up still lifes; lighting and space are excellent.

Kate Knapp’s paintings are also on display at 510 Warren St. Gallery in Hudson, nY. Please stop by to see all the many works of art by exceptional artists.

Front Street Gallery – Front Street, Housatonic, MA. Gallery open by appointment or chance. 413-528-9546 or 413-429-7141 (cell).

Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling.

Eleanor Lord

~G.K. Chesterton

510 WARRen STReeT, HudSOn, nY 518-822-0510

WWW.510WARRENSTREETGALLERY.COM

THe ARTful Mind MARCH 2015 • 9

Musician & Vocalist

DAVID REED

Interview by Harryet Candee

Harryet Candee: David, tell me, who is Daktah Easy? david Reed: Ah, the good daktah! it seems he’s an amalgam of several things. Colleagues in my prior life as an eR psychiatric clinician got a kick out of my initials – dR – and took to calling me ‘doctor’ for no good reason other than that. i coined the ‘easy’ part as an ironic, tongue-in-cheek wink to the very difficult work we did. But daktah easy...he’s become my oft-reluctant muse, an alter-ego of sorts. i never know when he’ll present himself. He’ll show up unexpectedly, often at dinnertime, and offer his unsolicited two cent’s worth; but he’s as likely to disappear when two cents is just what’s needed...or the dinner dishes need washing! He’s almost always right, except when he’s not. He likes to tell me how to do things, like play the guitar or interpret a song, but if i choose to ignore him, he’ll sulk. He embodies the smooth, laid-back cool of several of my West indian friends, even speaking in their patois, but he can be a cantankerous old turd if he’s out of sorts. Or rum. (laughing) i suppose there’s therapy for that sort of thing, right?

I look forward to hearing you play at the Lion’s Den this coming April. But before then, you are scheduled to be on tour in St. John and St. Thomas. Tell me about this upcoming music venture. I know you travel every year on

10 • MARCH 2015

THe ARTful Mind

Photography by Sabine Vollmer von Falken

tour, I think that is great! david: Though a native new englander, i despise winter! The cold temperatures and near constant grey skies make me grumpy and want to hibernate. i’ve been so fortunate to play in the Virgin islands for a couple of months almost every winter since the mid-90s, and particularly enjoy being asked to return to many of the same venues like the re-known Miss lucy’s on St. John. Typically my shows are played solo, but from time to time musical friends from the Berkshires who also wish to escape the jaws of winter join me. Sometimes island musicians like my rastafarian drummer friend, ital, will sit in, adding some ‘roots and culture’ to my sound. i am fascinated by the indigenous music there: a style called quelbe, or scratch band music, played on simple, sometimes primitive, instruments like the fife, ‘squash’, triangle and drums. Of course there’s lots of wonderful contemporary reggae, calypso and soca as well and i find that all these genres have helped to inform my musical style.

Do you have your song list all prepared? david: nah, never use one. i have a fairly large repertoire i’ve collected over the years and choose my playlist spontaneously according to my mood or the needs of the moment.

Or whatever dr. easy wants (laughs).

Do you have musical influences beyond those you’ve discovered in the Caribbean? david: Absolutely. My first, and perhaps most important, influence was an older, retired gentleman from new Orleans Chuck McCoy. He was my neighbor and a dixieland jazz trumpeter. i recall being around four years old and going to his house and listening to him practice. He’d let me blow into that trumpet and lawd, what a noise i’d make! When i entered 2nd grade, i was given the opportunity to choose an instrument to play and i wanted to emulate Chuck. i brought that trumpet home and was told i needed to practice at least 15 minutes every day or it was going back! i continued to play all through high school, making district and all-state bands. i formed a Herb Alpert- inspired band that got asked to play for a week at the 1967 Montreal World’s fair! i decided to major in music at the Hartt College and got a rigorous education in the classics, while outside of school i was playing gigs that included a few shows with the ice Capades and even a stint playing for strippers in a vaudeville show! Hey, they paid the rent, but those gigs were exhausting...you never stopped playing! Around this time i also became enamored with traditional American roots music ranging from Appalachian ballads and fiddle tunes to the blues styles of Mississippi John Hurt, Rev. Gary davis and Robert Johnson, as well as the

British invasion and West Coast rock styles that were filling the airwaves. Together with an old high school chum and a Hartt colleague who shared these same interests, we formed a roots music based improvisational rock trio we named Max Creek that became a vehicle for our burgeoning songwriting and instrumental skills.

Now I am wondering, do you ever get stage fright going up and performing and knowing you are there to make people dance and feel happy, and enjoy your voice, guitar playing and overall presence. Do you remember your first time up there as a soloist? david: i don’t get stage fright per se. But for a couple hours prior to a show i might get a tad grouchy (shrugs). it’s really that i am very focused upon being on time, having my instruments and equipment in top shape, and getting psyched to do a good show. So until i’ve arrived at the venue, set-up and sound-checked, i can be somewhat distracted. it’s not a good time to try to engage me in chit-chat, that’s for certain! My first solo performance was a long time ago! i was in 7th grade and i played a trumpet solo (Al Hirt’s ‘Java’) accompanied by the uS Air force jazz band for my junior high school’s assembly. What a RuSH! i’ve been chasing moments like that ever since!

Tell me a story about the most embarrassing experience you had with playing music or singing. Did you learn something from this experience? david: every performing musician has had moments they’d wish hadn’t happened, but i’ve not had any mind-blowers.

More like minor annoyances such as temporary hoarseness, broken strings and pettifogging band mates. i had a truly frightening experience when Trio Tamboura was invited to play for the 2005 Bansko international Jazz and World Music festival in Bulgaria. My handmade Sauve guitar and band mate’s Trinidadian steel drum were missing for three days after we arrived in Sofia. We had real difficulty navigating the process of searching for the instruments due to language and cultural differences, and we missed several rehearsals and showcase opportunities. All i could imagine was somewhere in the Bulgarian hinterlands a Roma band was enjoying a beautiful guitar and cooking goulash in a steel drum over an open fire. But, three days later a very beefy gentleman with no neck and the longest Audi automobile i’ve ever seen showed up at our hotel with the guitar and the pan, unscathed. i’ve learned that i won’t fly with irreplaceable guitars!

Would you kindly tell us the story of how you got gypsies from Bulgaria to dance to calypso music? david: it was at the aforementioned Bansko festival. We were the first American band to be invited to play the festival in this former Soviet-occupied country, so consequently we aroused a lot of curiosity. The festival’s open-air stage was in the old, cobblestoned town square and though seats for the concerts cost money, the perimeter of the square was ‘open territory’, free for the taking. While the cognoscenti and elite took up the concert’s prime real estate, the margins were filled with, well, the marginal: students, western-style hippie and hipster posers, street people and Roma (gypsies). lots of Roma. The musicians on the weeklong festival bill were jazzers from all over europe and every act was absolutely topnotch. And then there was Trio Tamboura...banging and clanging on a 6-string banjo, a steel pan drum and congas and singing Caribbean folk songs like “digby”and “Zombie Jamboree” and Bob Marley’s “One love”. That audience didn’t know what the hell to make of us! (laughs) This was further complicated by the unbeknownst to me fact that the tamboura – a six-string, cittern-like instrument – is the Bulgarian national instrument for crying out loud and while we had ‘tamboura’ in our name, there wasn’t a tamboura to be found! Our initial impact in the paying seats was one of mild confusion bordering on slight irritation and we feared this could go terribly wrong quite quickly, perhaps inspiring an international incident! (shrugs) But off in the perimeter of the town square, i noticed movement. dancing! So, during a percussion break,

One of David’s Handmade guitars photo: Sabine Volllmer von Falken

i jumped off the stage with my banjo and went out onto the edge, as it were, where i discovered several Roma joyfully dancing to our Caribe groove. They immediately joined with me and i led them, dancing all the while, back onto the skirt of the stage where they gathered more clan as they went and by the time we arrived back to the stage, there were 30 or 40 of ‘em gyrating and jubilating to some lively calypso! Their enthusiasm was contagious and several of the more free-spirited in the paying seats joined in. i think the gypsies actually saved us! (laughs)

Tamboura Productions is your child. Your band. Berkshire band, extremely popular. What is going on now with Tamboura? david: Tamboura began in 1988 as a duo with percussionist Zack Zanecchia and me. Because we featured a lot of percussion in our act, i sought a name that would suggest ‘drum’. i chose tamboura because the word had its roots in a medieval word meaning drum – ‘tambor’ - and a ‘tambora’ is the name of the drum used in merengue, a dance from dominica. Tamboura is also the name of an indonesian volcano that nearly

blew up that part of the world in the 19th century, but that’s another story. Over time, Tamboura collected various Berkshire musicians of all stripes and we typically performed with six or seven musicians. i’ve been very fortunate to have included in our line-up guitarists Steve ide and Rich Hommel; bassists dan Broad, Jon Suters and Mark Hejna; drummers Sam earnshaw, Jim Weber, Cos Poulos, Terry Hall, Conor Meehan, Rick leab and of course, Zack; steel drummers Morgan Rael, Mary Knysh and John Hilton; reedman Charlie Tokarz, and singers lee everett, Joanne Spies and elizabeth Petty. Since Tamboura’s inception, the musical marketplace has changed dramatically. fewer venues could afford to feature larger bands, and the ‘large format’ Tamboura went the way of the dodo. The original band’s members’ lives bifurcated in diverse directions making it increasingly difficult to coordinate the rare booking. But while we were in our prime, we made a very positive name for ourselves throughout the region...and way beyond. Our live recording made at the Red lion inn’s lions den in Stockbridge, MA sold over 2000 copies in less than a year! As i was the focal point of the band CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE...

THe ARTful Mind MARCH 2015 • 11

MUSICIAN DAVID REED

david Reed

and continued to play in smaller ensembles with various Tamboura members, i created Tamboura Productions to be the umbrella under which various musical collaborations were made manifest: i developed my solo career, formed the duo TuTu Much with drummer Sam earnshaw, Trio Tamboura with Sam and steel drummer/flautist/mandolinist Mary Knysh, and most recently, Trio Traumatica with Sam and keyboardist/saxophonist Mark Tuomenoksa.

Let’s talk about your guitars. Is there a favorite? One that was hand-made special for you? david: i have more guitars than brains (laughs)! My first guitar was a plastic, full-sized piece of crap from Sears & Roebuck that i purloined from my sister when i was 16. it had string action like a cheese slicer, but i was determined to play and bloodied my fingers learning dylan’s “like a Rolling Stone”...drove my parents nuts! Since then, my instruments have improved in quality, and i like to think my playing has as well (laughs). i still have and play a Guild 6-string that i bought new in 1970 when i was with Max Creek. i particularly enjoy my Berkshire-made 6-string that Steve Sauve made for me, the one that temporarily disappeared in Bulgaria causing three days of apoplexy. i once owned a couple of Martins, a pair of Gibsons and Takamines, a Taylor and a national, but for the past few years it has been a high-tech, carbon fibre/graphite Composite Acoustic guitar that has been my main axe. it is small but loud, easy to play, completely stable and nearly indestructible...and it readily fits into the overhead bin on an airplane. i don’t worry about it in the least. i like to fool about with my 6- and 5-string banjos, my 1930s 12 • MARCH 2015 THe ARTful Mind

banjo-uke (perfect for the early West indian scratch band music!) and a 6-string ukelele, too. Over the past four years, i’ve been building and performing with 3-string, cigar box slide guitars made from antique cigar boxes, recycled wood and other stuff. They are perfect for raw and primal blues, twangy country stuff and even a few reggae tunes! i’ve built 135 of ‘em so far and can’t seem to stop. it’s like a bleedin’ obsession! i recently had a show of my CBGs at the St. francis Gallery in lee, MA and they were a big hit. even sold a few.

What do you find essentially important in a guitar you will be using on stage? david: The instrument needs to be easy to play, project well and stay in tune. i have found it to be true that if you really listen, a guitar tells you what it wants to play. it’s not that any one guitar can’t play any style you choose, but it will have its preferences, an affinity towards one style or another. That’s why you will see performers like Ani difranco, Jackson Browne, Joe Bonamassa and John Hiatt with maybe 20 guitars on stage; different voices, different tunings, different applications.

I bet it has to match the sound of your voice, or am I totally wrong about that? i don’t think i ever thought of it in those terms. Good luck trying to find an instrument that matches my voice (laughs)!

David, what’s the difference between writing a poem, and writing a song?

photo: Sabine Vollmer von falken

never really considered this. i’ve written both, too. i suppose there may be more freedom and latitude regarding form, or lack of it, with poetry. i think songs tend to need more of a structure that can accommodate the verse/chorus/bridge sections. That is unless you’re laurie Anderson or John Cage then anything goes (laughs). i suppose this question would be better posed to one of Garrison Keillor’s english Majors.

Where was the best place you ever lived, and why? i would have to say that if longevity were considered as evidence, the Berkshires is my favorite...been here over 30 years.

This is one lovely corner of the universe, and it has a lot going for it. i have so enjoyed my episodic Caribbean life over the past 20 years, too, but am not convinced i’d want to reside there full time. Hurricane mash it up real bad, meh-son!

What do you think is the hardest thing you have to deal with in the music and performing world? How has it changed since you first began? david: i don’t like having to sell myself to new outlets. That goes against my nature, but it is a necessary component to the ‘business’ of music. As i’d said earlier in this interview, the musical marketplace has changed a lot over the past few decades. increasingly enforced dui laws - a good thing, mind you - did put a damper on live music venues. The number of neighborhood clubs featuring live music went into decline and fewer venues could support larger bands. Simultaneously, the pool of talent grew exponentially, thus making competition for gigs more intense. Professional, performing musicians needed to really believe in themselves, be determined to suc-

ceed and not become daunted by the odds that were stacking up against them. These odds were manifest in the increasing numbers of dJs, karaoke and open mic nights that now vied for, and booked, the same venues that had once featured live, paid bands. i have mixed feelings about the open mic phenomenon. On one hand it is a terrific incubator for novice musicians to get some stage time, ‘pay dues’ and to meet other performers. On the other hand, the venue gets a full evening of free entertainment and yet another stage is rendered unavailable for the working musician. it seems to me that it is incumbent upon musicians to re-think the usual performance paradigms and begin to think ‘outside the box’ for other opportunities. i am hearing more and more about non-traditional venues like house concerts and Concert Window, a new medium in which artists present their work via the internet onto a world-wide stage for pay-per-concert viewers, but i have no experience with this sort of thing. Yet.

David, lets get into your personal life a little, please… Tell me what a typical day is like for you? david: i seem to be a creature that prefers some structure and my own company, but is not afraid of social serendipity either. Regardless of how i may have spent my time, it is important to me that at the end of the day i can account for something productive, something meaningful. i am inclined to be a morning person, but that doesn’t always work out so well if one has been up late at a gig the night before or has to adhere to a hectic travel schedule! if i’m home, i prefer to spend my mornings either practicing, writing or making CBGs in my woodshop. Or i might fiddle around in my little recording studio sketching ideas for new songs. And like anyone else, ‘real world’ responsibilities like housework, making meals and paying bills routinely interrupt me (laughs). i still maintain a very small private therapy practice, so i might meet with a client or two. i often spend afternoons consulting at The Music Store in Gt. Barrington where i help with advertising, website, minor instrument repairs and store organization and might even assist a customer now and then. free evenings are spent either continuing on with the day’s projects, reading or socializing with friends. if i’m on the road, i have to recalibrate to the vicissitudes of the road and circumstance and roll with what is unfolding.

You’ve traveled quite extensively. Can you recall one of your favorite memories while in any of the European countries? david: Just one (laughs)? it’s all been so awesome in the literal sense of the word! Aside from playing my music in some pretty cool festivals and venues in europe, it was thrilling to experience magical places like Stonehenge and Arundel Castle; the grand St. Mark’s Plaza and Cathedral in Venice; driving our little car over the Swiss Alps into italy; visiting the remote, 10th century Bulgarian Rila Monestary; trout fishing in Bulgaria (there’s a book title, eh?); Bologna’s ancient walled city, and on, and on. And the museums! Whoa! And let’s not forget about the fOOd and wine, especially in italy, although Bulgaria’s cuisine was most excellent, too! it seems i gain a bit of weight in europe.

What has been one of your biggest accomplishments in music so far? david: i’ve been proud of so many things: from being a founding member of Max Creek, one of the country’s most influential jam bands who are still creative and going strong more than 40 years later; recording and producing four recordings under the Tamboura Productions umbrella; being the bassist for Cape Verdean reggae artist Ras Moon; having an article about my music in Acoustic Guitar magazine; and having taught and influenced many bright, talented young players who have gone on to make successful musical careers of their

David Reed

own. But i suppose my greatest achievement has been to be able to make and perform music for most of my life, with no plans to stop anytime soon.

What in the world are you planning to do next with your life? david: next? Go grocery shopping (laughs)! Well, it’s been seven years since my last recording and i’ve been sketching out ideas for a new one that will highlight my cigar box guitars. i’ve also been contemplating a retrospective release...a compilation of older, previously released, long-forgotten

photo: Sabine Vollmer von Falken

songs interspersed with homemade recordings made in my Caribbean shack. My significant other is renovating her home and plans to refurbish a large space that was once a small barn and make it into a lovely music room where we hope to produce house concerts and make the occasional live recording.

Of course, i plan to continue to perform whenever and wherever anyone will have me, as long as i can hear the muse calling. is that you, daktah?

Thank you, David!

THe ARTful Mind MARCH 2015 • 13

Planet Waves

ARIES (March 20-April 19)

There's something unusually beautiful or momentous brewing, though you may not be able to focus on it well enough to predict. Plenty has been happening; you have been keeping busy and from the look of things, positive and involved with life. Yet there's something beyond all that, as if hiding off to the side of another dimension. if you listen carefully you will hear the movement backstage. if you go backstage and look around, you will gain both insight and influence. The way to guide this event is to envision it. imagine that you have been offered an opportunity to make one significant change in your life, yet something all-encompassing. You may know what you want to get away from, or what you want to replace, though the question is, with what? How would it look visually, and feel, viscerally? i know this is easier for some people than for others; and that most significantly, this involves giving yourself permission to exist in some form other than what you are now. That is the actual boundary that you stretch with a real experience of growth. You are not far from this now. There is some wild momentum moving in your life. The sensation is as if something you will thrive on is about to precipitate, seemingly out of nowhere. But it's definitely coming from somewhere, or rather someone, and that would be you.

TAURUS (April 19-May 20)

Your charts are blaring out for physical activity, just in time for the weather to ease off a bit. So get physical. But that is not enough; this is a means to an end, and that objective would be tapping your mental agility and a new crop of ideas that has been growing in your heart and soul. You have an imagination that is so assertive and so potent that it can indeed infuse your body with energy. That, by the way, is part of what makes you into the lover that you are, the fusion of bodylevel with psychic level into one reality, which is you. Your creative process works the same way. in fact it's the same process. At the moment, many desires and intentions are pushing their way through your consciousness, eagerly reaching for manifestation. There is so much brewing that you might find it slightly unsettling, which could, in turn, be an excuse to avoid it. i suggest you move toward yourself rather than away from yourself. Go in the direction of maximum heat. follow your curiosity; that is the seed of passion. if you get to the point where you know you're expressing passion, remember to follow the thread of your curiosity. The two are intimate and necessary elements of the same basic process.

Eric Francis

MARCH 2015

GEMINI (May 20-June 21)

You have found a focus of devotion and i suggest you trust that. devotion is profoundly important to human sanity. it may be the central organizing principle of consciousness, and you have it going on strong right now. it matters less what you are devoted to and more that you focus on that and experience it fully. it might be a person, a cause, a spiritual or religious concept or your creative fire. There's a moving quality to whatever this is, as if the experience transports you somewhere, or summons you from far away -- perhaps literally. Whatever it may be, focus the devotion and also the message that you're receiving, or offering. Concentrate your power, as if in a circle, and tend to it from all sides -- like a fire in a freestanding hearth. look into the flames. There is a vision there, and i think it involves your life calling.

True, you may have more than one of those, but this one stands above the others, its roots go deeper and it has withstood the tests of time.

Gradually your vision will morph into an aspiration, and that may come to a peak with a long-awaited decision later in the month. do not rush that. Allow the energy, your feelings and your reflections to percolate through your awareness. do not wait; rather, tend your flame with care and patience.

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

Your visions of the future may be flooding you right now, though it's essential that you work from the practical side of things. Stick to the matters at hand, and the methods you trust, and make progress in small ways. They are not as small as you think, because each gesture of progress will help you gather your momentum toward some much larger encounter. The key seems to be one thing at a time. One sentence, one line of code, one photograph, one conversation. let each of these be born with the sensation of contributing to the next. Be especially attentive to details, even if that takes a while. Those details might include color, feeling tone, precision in mathematics and the quality of what you say. use your senses. look and listen, and treat everything you touch with the care of a craftsman. As you do this, you may discover that you are working under the guidance of inspiration. Seemingly unrelated activities will emerge as part of a larger constellation. But don't look for the pattern! let it reveal itself to you.

You know you are edging in the direction of fulfilling some of your most significant goals, and embarking on some new ones. By its nature and the scenes depicted in the stars and planets, this is a mysterious process, and that is part of the fun.

PlanetWaves.net

LEO (July 22-Aug. 23)

This is a fine time to consider the nature of your agreements and commitments. This applies to agreement that involves an exchange of money, sex or conscious energy. These must be clear. You must be clear. Once you are, you will feel like you're under far less pressure, as will those you associate with. Begin with an inquiry. As you proceed with this, you're likely to discover where that clarity is lacking.

Pulling things into focus may take a few steps, which will be easy enough if you work through them consciously. note where boundaries are lacking, but necessary. notice where old agreements or things taken for granted need to be replaced by new understandings. notice how your beliefs are influencing what you perceive as reality. There is an accountability factor that will inevitably arise, and that is never an all-or-nothing thing. Accountability is a much healthier concept than fault or blame. it's subtler and easier to understand in specific ways. This will help you set the terms of your new agreements, which must be designed to accommodate a shared vision of the future. if that shared vision, and shared underlying values, are not present, then that particular encounter may be null. One last thing: having things in writing is the essence of being accountable, to yourself and to others, and them to you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)

You possess the truth you seek. Yet you may also not quite feel that way, and be pursuing a course of finding it outside yourself. That is certainly compelling enough; ancient sites, quests and journeys over the sea have been undertaken for millennia, for the purpose of discovering something that is ultimately about oneself. There is an illusion at work in your chart which may be blocking your sense of what you know, while at the same time projecting that very thing into your environment. it's not that they lack worth, or beauty, or intrigue. it's not that they don't possess some element of what you want. The value they seem to have is only the value you put on them. The wisdom they have, if you recognize it, is something that you match with your own vision and knowledge. Therefore, seek inwardly and you really will find what you're after. You might discover that the whole realm of existence that you see around you is a kind of explosion of your own mind. And thanks to that, you have the ability to go to the source. if you're going to do one experiment with the world around you, let that be with cause and effect. Trace every effect you observe to its point of origin. notice the results of every action taken. Those will reveal much that is currently hidden.

LIBRA (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)

You are being gently tugged to keep your focus on yourself. i say gently, though there's a persistence to this that has been present for a while; it's coming into focus now in a new way. As there are currently fireworks exploding in your house of relationships, that may be a challenge, though it's one that humans have faced persistently through the modern era. i would call this the 'all or nothing' issue. it involves an orientation on relating to others that results in a loss of inner focus. This creates the dual self -- the illusion of the 'relationship self' and the 'actual self', which i believe is the cause of most misery and instability in relationships. i think that the path out of this is to cultivate the mindfulness to be yourself at all times, attentive to your whole reality. if you find that your relationships dominate your existence to the point where you, or some central experience of yourself, is negated (rather than, say, enhanced), then i suggest you come back to yourself. You can do this before you have to break up with anyone or sign your life away. You can do this all the time, every minute, in the course of which you honor your reality and the reality that you share with someone else. it may feel awkward at first but it gets easier with practice.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)

14 • MARCH 2015 THe ARTful Mind

A Scorpio rising friend told me recently that men sniff her as she walks down the street, and that she finds this annoying. i just laughed and reminded her what a compliment this is -- that she personally inspires people to be in spontaneous contact with their primal, visceral nature.

That nature is overflowing in your charts right now, brimming and simmering and emanating all kinds of luscious, lusty steam. This influences everything. Whatever you do,

whatever you create, you're going to be doing it with more passion and devotion. it's as if your very presence ignites the colors and sensations of the world within the minds of those who are near you. Whoever you touch will feel the heat of your soul penetrating their skin. i might say you can trust this, though really it's just about the only thing you can trust. The dimension of you that is the most refined humanity and that which is the most elementally animal are fused into one right now. i suggest you perceive the world through all of your senses, and your instincts, and your intuition. This will, if you let it, allow you to try things you've never experienced; to take chances with people in ways you never have; to dare to touch the heart and soul of the art or artistry that is so essentially who you are.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 22)

You will go a long way to ease the internal pressure you're feeling by rolling up your sleeves and attending to the practical matters of your life. That might mean sorting out your accounting records for the past year, it might be writing a song, and it might be charging up your camera and doing a photo project. By practical, i mean actually hands-on, doing something that you want or need to do. This, rather than thinking about whatever that might be, or getting frustrated by seemingly competing priorities. if you're looking for a starting point, choose either thing you want to do the most, or the thing you need to do the most. Then do it for a while, and reassess your priorities. i'll remind you that as one born under a mutable sign, you are inherently a multi-tasker. So you will naturally shift from task to task, though what you can master is the art of focusing long enough to have a satisfying experience and move that particular project along. Then you can move onto other things, and return to the original project while it's still warm. The key is never allowing anything you care about to go cold. Return to things often enough to keep the embers burning.

Then when you're moved to do so, cast all else aside and dive into something for as long as you want. needing to keep your life interesting is an asset.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)

This month brings a sublime shift in the momentum of your life, which looks a little like this. Your emotional confidence is beginning to exceed the many changes you've had to make over the past few years. it's as if you're finally catching up with yourself. The whole journey of improving, repairing, renovating and healing can be a distraction from actually taking the chance and living in some way that you want to live. The process of constant adjustment, evolution and

enforced changes can come with setbacks in confidence, or delays. now your confidence begins to pull ahead of the work that you've done. This will facilitate your taking bigger risks, greater spontaneity and overall a greater sense of freedom. looked at one way, you're becoming your own inner leader rather than your own inner follower.

You've been working up to this for a long time. There was likely some event in 2010 or early 2011 that sparked the process, though this kind of psychic or emotional momentum can take a while to gather. You've now reached a point where you can no longer live on the same emotional or intellectual scale that you had for many years before. You are pressing open from the inside. in the most ordinary terms, you have the feeling that you know who you are, though this is more than a hunch. We're talking about actual confidence.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)

Be sure you have identified the center of your life, then tend to that center. This may be something requiring you to offer yourself fully to the service of someone or something. it may seem to distract you from other goals, though those goals are alive and well and simmering along. There is a higher purpose involved to what you're experiencing, and in that you can have faith. You're likely to be feeling this on some level. it may be subtle, and you may go through having faith in this service you're providing, then forgetting that you have it, then remembering again. That is natural enough, though you would benefit greatly from focusing on this thing, what i am calling your centerfocus. The process you're going through is putting you in contact with an aspect of your nature that has always been present, always been part of who you are, but which has not always been accessible in lived reality. The part of this experience that's really serving your growth is precisely gaining that access to one of your most valuable inner resources. i can see from your chart that you have big plans that go beyond this particular scenario. notice that you may actually have the space and time to nudge those along. There is a lot you can get done with little more than a notebook and pencil.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

ultimately you can, must and will do what you want, and that may make some people around you nervous. You are naturally susceptible to the viewpoints and opinions of others, and you must not allow yourself to be blown off course by those with strong opinions. it is, however, in your self-interest to have others allied with you and in service of your goals -- and self-interest is potentially a sticky topic for a Pisces. i suggest you wash that off and get real about what serves your agenda. The necessary second step is to figure out how to get others thinking on your frequency. i would remind you how persuasive you can be, which in part accounts for others feeling destabilized by your drive and your intensity. for some, persuasion will involve appealing to their altruism. for others, you may need to appeal to what would be profitable for them. Others will best understand the language of mutual benefit. You are blessed with the gift of insight, as long as you can get some distance on any situation or any person.

You have this gift for a reason. Tune in and you will be guided what to do, what to say and how to make the best decisions. Your options remain wide open, and there are people who are eager to assist you. ~ Read Eric Francis daily at PlanetWaves.net

“What is my identity? This question produces a kind of crisis in my thinking about my painting and myself.�

-Gunther Gerzso

Come see the new styles!

Known for their shock absorption and support

THe ARTful Mind MARCH 2015 • 15

Artists travel with Missie

THIRTY-FIVE YEARS LATER SCOTT TAYlOR, PASTURELAND, ACRYliC

By edward J. Bride

SuSAn edWARdS, MISSIE

Take 50 random travelers: what are the odds that 5 of them –fully 10 percent—will turn out to be artists?

Too long to bet on, one would surmise, unless the travelers are from the Berkshires, which boasts a high percentage of creative minds. Admittedly, it helps improve the odds if they each have something in common with one of the artists.

OK...they’re not so “random.” even so, an unlikely scenario played-out last year, when a vacation turned into something much more. last May, a group of about 50 mostly Berkshire County vacationers –48, to be precise— visited ireland on a guided tour organized by Kevin O’Hara, the contemporary raconteur, photographer, and author.

Although most of the travelers had some sort of relationship with O’Hara –either as readers of his books, co-workers or friends— no one knew that there were four other artists in the group. When the plane departed Boston, only two were acquainted with each other; but soon after arriving at their destination, they all met and, as artists will do, discussed the paintings they each envisioned creating once they returned home.

The work that resulted from the mostly chance encounter

ON

CAROUSEL, Oil

PHOTO Of KeVin O'HARA WiTH MiSSie THe dOnKeY TAKen in 1979 AT THe end Of THe TReK AROund iRelAnd, WHiCH inSPiRed THiS TRiP And exHiBiT.

now comprises an accidental, or at least unplanned, show called “Travels with Missie – the Artists’ View.”

With all due logic, it is important to note that none of the artists is named Missie; indeed, nobody on the tour was named Missie, either. That’s the name of a donkey that accompanied O’Hara on his legendary 1,600-mile walk around ireland in 1979, an otherwise solitary walk that helped clear the postVietnam head of the army veteran.

“Travels with Missie” presents paintings by four artists from Berkshire County —Marguerite Bride, Susan edwards, david King, and Scott Taylor— along with O’Hara’s photographs and writings. The group followed the trail set by O’Hara 35 years ago, as documented in his first book “last of the donkey Pilgrims.”

As to the art, the emerald isle can speak for itself, and often does. Over the centuries, ireland has inspired countless works of poetry, prose, and hanging art. And now, the four painters and photographer/writer O’Hara have assembled the fruits of their 2014 travel into a body of work. The memories and views captured in their paintings will be seen for the first time in “Travels with Missie,” March 14 – April 12 at St. francis Gallery in lee, Mass. Adding historical context, some of O’Hara’s photographs and memorabilia from the 1979 walk around ireland will also be on display.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!! 16 • THE ARTFUL MIND MARCH 2015

There probably could not be a more disparate group of artists displaying their work in this exhibit, which will feature many different sizes, styles and mediums, from watercolors to oils to acrylics, plus sculpture and photography. There will be 25-30 irish-themed original works, along with a limited number of fine art reproductions.

And one remarkable sculpture.

Marguerite Bride, a Berkshire resident for the past 20 years, paints primarily in watercolor, but with a twist: many of her new pieces are on canvas, quite different from her usual paintings on paper. A lover of all things architectural, her works include buildings and bicycles, and maybe a sheep or two. Bride has a studio on north Street in Pittsfield.

A resident of Windsor for 42 years, Susan edwards, who is “semi-retired,” is a fine artist and graphic designer who worked in the publishing and printing fields for 20 years; she creates art from Windrush Studio located at her home. edwards’ mediums include oil, pastel, watercolor, and acrylic with a concentration in oil and pastel.

Pittsfield resident david King has been painting in both oils and watercolors as a hobby for over 40 years. He majored in fine Arts at Berkshire Community College for two and a half years, changing careers after serving four and a half years in the Air force. He currently works for Guardian life insur-

MARGueRiTe BRide, IRISH BIKE, WATeRCOlOR On CAnVAS

dAVid KinG, CLIFFS OF MOHER, Oil

ance, and spends much of his free time painting.

A lifelong Pittsfield resident with a newly relocated studio in dalton, Scott Taylor paints in acrylic, with vivid colors bringing emotion and contemplation to his paintings. “The landscape and old structures of the emerald isle provided me with more than enough creative opportunities for this show,” says Taylor. “The difficulty came when selecting just what to include. i could paint ireland ‘til my dying days and still have leftovers.”

As to the namesake of the show: Missie and her cantankerous personality –sometimes, she reportedly behaved like an ass— became a focus of attention on last year’s guided tour of a segment of O’Hara’s original itinerary. The artists painted their works without the influence of one another, which makes it a varied and personal show. in addition to their own personal scenes, each artist created one work based upon a specific scene that O’Hara provided, and which he will discuss at the opening.

The works, as was the tour itself, were all inspired by O’Hara’s walk of self-discovery —and their 2014 vacation which commemorated it. According to a plan that was hatched about mid-tour, they assembled the pieces into an art show that features dozens of new works.

The show opens on Saturday March 14, at the St. francis Gallery in South lee, Mass. The gallery is located on Rt 102, two miles east from the Red lion inn. Gallery hours: friday through Monday 10am – 5 pm. An opening reception will be held at the gallery on March 14 from 2–6pm, complete with irish refreshments and music. during the

“The universe is real but you can’t see it.

You have to imagine it. Once you imagine it, you can be realistic about reproducing it.”

-Alexander Calder

opening, O’Hara will read from his book and share some stories of his adventures with Missie —and also with the artists last May. Three of the artists have one other chance connection, The Berkshire Carousel: Bride and King both provided rounding boards that will be reproduced on the merry-go-round. And, a stunning wood carving of the Missie by Susan edwards, which will also become part of the Berkshire Carousel, will preside at the opening.

T

JOHn ClARKe

“Orrin’s ladder”

A collection of abstract drawings

february 18 - March 30

Six depot Cafe and Gallery 6 depot Street, West Stockbridge, MA

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!! THE ARTFUL MIND MARCH 2015 • 17

THE TRIP TO THE MUSEUM RiCHARd BRiTell

PART 1

Agnes remembered her first visit to the museum all her life. it was a school trip, and her class arrived by bus. Her first impression was that it was a big building devoted to important things, and that the important things had special boxes, frames, or pedestals. All of the objects seemed to be in constant danger of being touched and needed special protection, especially from children.

There were some rooms that had been locked up containing things children were perhaps never allowed to see. Why these things were so important was unclear to Agnes when she was eight years old. Some of the things were obviously complicated and framed with golden frames, but then there were dusty broken stone objects that looked like they had been removed from some cemetery.

She had the greatest curiosity about a certain locked room. As the group of children mounted the stairs to the second floor one of the staff went on ahead and closed and locked the double doors leading to that room. Just before the doors were closed, Agnes saw that the room contained very large, extremely dark looking paintings, mostly of people and animals. She did not get a good look at those paintings, but her impression was they must be religious pictures because they were similar to the paintings hanging in some of the rooms of the church next door to her parochial school.

She was content with her assumption that the secret dark paintings were of a special religious nature. in her mind she connected whatever was in that room with the ceremonies of the church, like confirmation, or confession, where things were covered with embroidered cloth, taken out of special compartments, hidden away in ornamental decorated boxes and talked about with a special language nobody could understand.

Her pleasant notion about the holy room of dark paintings was contradicted by the other children on the bus returning to school.

On the return trip they were engrossed in a conversation about the very same subject. All the children had their theories about what it contained. The most popular notion was that all the things in the locked room were especially expensive and therefore apt to be stolen by thieves.

Others thought the paintings in the room were very fragile, old and falling apart and so could only be looked at once in a while. This idea produced a discussion of the question: could looking at art things wear them out? everyone thought this unlikely, but one boy said he knew for a fact that looking at things wore them out and you could tell because very old things were always worn down on the edges because they have been looked at so much. it turned out that there was one student who had accurate definite knowledge about the paintings in the locked room. All along he said nothing, saving up what he had to say for the best possible dramatic moment. in the middle of the argument about if looking at things wore them out he made his pronouncement. “i’ve been in the locked room,” he said. “i went in there with my Mom; it contains paintings of naked ladies.”

Then after a long silence he elaborated. “it has pictures of naked ladies, naked men where you can see the parts, and in the corner there is a marble statue of a man, and you can see his thing. His thing is very small and goes to a funny point. it was carved in Greece thousands of years ago. His thing got broken off and later the museum people glued it back on, and you can see the crack where they had to fix it. That is why we didn’t get to go into that room, because of the naked ladies and the broken thing on the statue. The nuns phoned ahead to ask them to lock it up, but they didn’t get to it ‘til we arrived. You can go in there any day of the week and see all the naked ladies and men you want, but there aren’t any real naked pictures like photographs, just made up stuff done with paint. Some of the ladies are even fat looking.”

Agnes wondered about this for a long time and finally decided to ask her parents about it. Agnes asked, “is it true that if you look at a thing a long time it will get worn out, and that is why things in museums are kept locked up?” The answer to this question turned out to be negative, and so, by obvious logical deduction she concluded that the explanation of the naked ladies was the correct one. it was not ‘til a year later that Agnes got to tour the room of the naked ladies. Her mother had a doctor’s appointment and dropped Agnes off at the museum so she would have something to do for an hour rather than wait in the office. Alone in the museum, Agnes did not go directly to the mysterious room. She walked past its open doors without even looking in, and went instead to the egyptian collection to look at the mummy. from the egyptian collection she went to a big room which had an exhibit of local artists held every year at the same time in the summer.

Years later Agnes would submit paintings to this exhibit. Almost all of the pictures in this room were watercolors of landscapes and flowers. Most had an unfinished look about them, and were framed in gold frames with various color mats. none of these pictures had prizes or ribbons.

Agnes was especially interested in the prize-winning paintings, but she was mystified as to why the pictures with prizes had been singled out. first prize went to a gigantic painting almost six feet square. it was painted entirely one shade of light gray with very thick paint. She looked at the first prize painting for a while and was able to discover that down in the left hand corner there were some bumps in the paint, as if breadcrumbs had been painted over. Although it won first prize, it did not have any frame and the edges were splotched. next Agnes went through the entire room again and looked at the titles and prices of all the pictures.

All of the watercolors in the gold frames had prices like two hundred dollars, or four hundred dollars, but the big gray first prize picture cost ten thousand dollars, and had won a five thousand dollar prize. As she stood there looking at the price of the gray painting two older women came up and looked at the same painting. One said to the other, “This painting was submitted to the show last year and the year before and was rejected both times.

This is his third attempt to get into this show, and now it has won the first prize.”

Having finished with the annual exhibit, Agnes returned again to the egyptian room to look at jewelry that some egyptians were supposed to have worn in their pyramids, and finally she worked up the nerve to have a look at the naked ladies. Agnes was shocked and disappointed with what she found in the formerly locked room. There is a category of paintings found in great abundance in small American museums. if Raphael painted a Madonna, there are a million Madonnas painted in Raphael’s style. if Rubens painted some paintings full of half draped overweight women, others produced thousand of canvases that attempted to achieve the same effect.

Continued next issue!

Here’s to 21 more great years! jeangermainphotography.com

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY you are 21!!!!18 • THe ARTful Mind MARCH 2015

If people want to make war they should make a color war, and paint each others’ cities up in the night in pinks and greens. ~Yoko Ono

Goat God

in her dream Miranda was walking through a garden maze, the gravel crunching beneath her feet as she followed turn after turn through the meticulously trimmed boxwood hedges.

At the center she was surprised by a malfunctioning fountain which sprayed red soda pop everywhere, making her and the shrubbery profoundly sticky.

But actually, she was strolling down a sunlit beach that stretched on endlessly beneath rippling pink sand dunes. A herd of sea lions stormed out of the ocean and surrounded her, demanding autographs and food. “But i don’t have any potato salad with me!” she cried as their demeanor grew threatening, just before they turned into a flock of seagulls. no, really she was standing in a field. A field populated by masses of singing flowers. Miranda stood and watched a rhinoceros pick its way around the yodeling daffodils, the folksinging poppies and the operatic hyacinths, carefully lifting its hooves so as not to trample any blossoms. When it saw Miranda, it asked for directions to the nearest train station. “i honestly couldn’t tell you,” she said.

Then she was in a forest. A forest bestrewn with ferns. no, they were thistles.

Thistles?

“Could ya go back to the ferns or flowers, darlin’? i’m not

all that fond of thistles. Prickly buggers.”

Without knowing who had just addressed her, and, in that dream way, not really caring because it’s all perfectly normal anyway, Miranda blinked, and the forest floor was instantly carpeted with a winning mix of colorful wildflowers and sinuous, arching ferns that hugged the trees attractively.

“Ah, much better,” the voice said, approving. She could see him now. A man. no, a goat. no, a man-goat. Walking toward her.

A man-goat? She pulled back a step or two, wondering if she should run. The dappled sunlight struck his—flanks—burnishing his body up to the tousled black hair that coiled from his magnificently bearded head. from the waist up, he was definitely a man, his skin a deep bronze looking almost metallic. She was seized with an urge to touch it, then wondered where that urge had come from. He wasn’t exactly her type. from the waist down, he was most certainly...goat. The hair covering his haunches down to the tops of his cloven feet was a tangled and matted honey brown generously marbled with white. She wondered how old he was.

“Old enough to be your grandfather, oh, i’d say a thousand times infinity over. Hasn’t stopped me yet.”

He stood before her, taller than she was, but not by much.

He could not be called handsome (as if He would care!), but there was humor and wildness in his dark eyes. To Miranda, he radiated an overwhelming sense of primal power, as if he were one of the pillars that Time, that existence itself, were built upon.

He reached down to scratch his crotch. Spit. “don’t go all moony-eyed on me now, child. There’s more than one way to skin a goat. Or create a universe.” He winked at her, and she realized he looked awfully familiar. “do i know you?” He just grinned at her. Maybe, she thought, that’s not the right question. “Who are you?” “i have many names, but you’ll probably want to call me Pan.” “Pan?” “Aye. Pan.”

f

iC “Pan, the Greek god Pan? from Ti On Greece?”

Sa “Yes,” he answered, a bit testy. “The mp Greek goddamn god Pan. from Greece.” ler “Then why do you sound—Scottish?”

He rolled his great black eyes. “And just what were you watching before you went to bed?”

She thought for a moment. “Rob Roy was on cable. i think i fell asleep just when he comes home after slicing Tim Roth in half.”

“Great. Well, that’s why i sound like a friggin’ Scot to you.”

She hemmed for a moment. Scratched her upper lip. Then ventured, “excuse me, but why don’t you look like liam neeson then?”

Pan guffawed. “Oh, think you’d like that?”

“Well yes, i think i would.”

“Well, the part of your subconscious that called me in is still enough in charge to know what i’m supposed to look like, which is half man, half goat.” He narrowed his eyes. “You got a problem with that?”

“Well, uh—” “You scared of me?”

“Yes, i am!” she blurted out, then clapped her hands over her mouth. She shouldn’t have said that.

A smile snaked across his lips. “Good. You’re supposed to be scared.”

Excerpted from The Virgin of Hopeless Causes by Amy Tanner, available in electronic and softcover versions on A mazon.com & coming soon to an independent bookstore near ryou! Visit www.amytanner.net for news and unfounded umors.

Simply Sasha

by Sasha Seymour

Early Spring Artichoke Frittata!

Happy month of March, Art Lovers! Did you know that March 16th is National Artichoke Day? Neither did I! When I found out that little tidbit of information, I went searching for a warm and comforting recipe to honor the spirit of the artichoke! This frittata can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner and it tastes fantastic cold (try it out on a sandwich!). We are all very fortunate to live in an area where local, fresh eggs are so plentiful. That being said, the eggs in this recipe should come from happy chickens! It makes all the difference.

10 inch cast iron skillet 1 can artichoke hearts, chopped 1 small bunch of kale (one cup chopped) 3/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated 9 local eggs from happy chickens 2 Tbsp milk salt and pepper to taste 1 Tbsp olive oil

1. Whisk together eggs, milk and a dash of salt until thoroughly combined. Stir in artichokes, cheese and pepper.

2. Place skillet over medium heat and when it is hot, add kale and sprinkle with a little salt. Saute with 1/4 cup of H2O until tender, about 2 minutes.

3. Remove kale from skillet and add to the egg mixture 4. Turn down the heat to low and add the olive oil to coat the pan. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and shake it a bit to even out the veggies and the egg.

5. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes until the underside is set but the top is still a little runny.

6. To finish it off, place the pan in a pre-heated broiler for about 2 to 3 minutes. You are done!

Enjoy!

THe ARTful Mind MARCH 2015 • 19

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