THE ARTFUL MIND
OCTOBER 2014 MONTHLY BERKSHIRE ARTZINE
Artist MAGGIE MAILER
Photographed by Jane Feldman
THE SOURCE FOR PROMOTING ART SINCE 1994
FRONT STREET GALLERY
The Manhattan Paintings Kate Knapp, Calder at 57th St, 30 x 40”, Oil
K AT E K NA P P
510 Warren Street Gallery Hudson, New York
November 1 - 31
Opening Reception November 1, 3 - 6pm
Kate Knapp, 3 Madison & 35th, 30 x40”, Oil
ALL WELCOME!
Kate Knapp, Sunset 125th St, 24 x 30”, Oil
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
Vault Gallery 413-854-7744
BEAUTIFUL MINDS
Marilyn Kalish marilynkalish.com
Isabeth Hardy
JOY
October 4 - December 14
Reception: Saturday, October 4, 2 - 4pm
SanDiSfielD art Center
1 • OCTOBER 2014 THE ARTFUL MIND
5 Hammertown road, Sandisfield, Ma isabeth.art@gmail.com www.isabethhardy.com
2 • OCTOBER 2014 ThE ARTful Mind
museums & galleries
Calendar of Events
510 WARREN STREET GALLERY hudson, nY • 518-822-0510 nina lipkowitz, Poppies & Pixels, month of October, reception Oct 11, 3-6pm
ART ON MAIN, THE GALLERY AT BARNBROOK REALTY 271 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA "flora After frost: Photograghs by Marc Goldstein", Sept 5 - Oct 31. Opening reception: friday, September 5, 5-7 pm
BACKYARD HEIRLOOMS 525 South Main St, Gt Barrington, MA • 413 528-3095 Architectural Sculpture for the home and garden. featuring custom birdhouses, tree houses, kid scapes & natural functional art
BERKSHIRE ART GALLERY 80 Railroad St., Gt. BArrington, MA • 413-528-2690 / www.berkshireartgallery.com The Berkshire Art Gallery is exhibiting paintings by American artists Edwin Burrage Child (1886-1937), Samuel W. Griggs (1827-1898), Marion huse (1896-1967) and Alexander C. Stuart (1831-1898), and others. European artists include Robert laroche (1895-c.1960), Claudio Simonetti (B. 1929) and Silvio Marchesan (B. 1930).
CHAIWALLA TEA HOUSE 1 Main St, Salisbury, CT Marguerite Bride’s paintings from her winter scenes, and those from her trip to ireland will be in the gallery to be enjoyed the month of november 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 Jennifer Pazienza, un-Earthed Selected Works, Oct 2 - nov 17. Opening with live music, fri. Oct 10, 5-7pm.
JANET COOPER www.janetcooperdesigns.com Sept 5 - Oct 16: Janet’s Bricolage Assemblage dresses, fine Craft Show at the Albany Center Gallery, 39 Columbia St, Albany, nY; Also fabric sculpture “Waiting for Judah” on display, Sept 27nov 8, Barrett Art Gallery, Poughkeepie, nY
KNOX GALLERY at MONTEREY LIBRARY Jean Germain, Photographer: “Before Photoshop” a retrospective exhibition of 35mm film photography using a range of special effects to create uncommon images. Show runs Sept 26–October 25 (Mon 7pm–9 pm, Tues 9am– 12:30 pm, Wed 2pm–5 pm, Thurs 4pm–6 pm, fri 4pm–8 pm, Sat 9:30am–12:30pm & 7pm– 9pm
LAUREN CLARK FINE ART 25 Railroad Street, Great Barrington, MA • 413-528-0432 / www.laurenClarkfineArt.com; lauren@laurenClarkfineArt.com
MARGUERITE BRIDE nuarts Studios, Studio #9, 311 north St., Pittsfield, MA margebride-paintings.com • 413-841-1659 Original Watercolors, house portraits, commissions, lessons
THE MORRISON GALLERY 208 Old Barn Road near the inters. Rts 7 & 341 in Kent, CT. • 860-927-4501 / wm@morrisongallery.com / www.morrisongallery.com George-Ann Gowan, reception from 5–7pm on Sat=, Oct 18 and will be on display until nov 16.
NO. SIX DEPOT ROASTERY AND CAFÉ 6 depot Street in West Stockbridge, MA • www.sixdepot.com James napoleon, paintings and drawings. Oct 1 - 31, reception Oct 5, 3-5pm. NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUM Rte 183, Stockbridge, MA 413-298-4100 American Masters: Rockwell and hopper, thru Oct 26
SAMUEL DORSKY MUSEUM OF ART State university of new York at new Paltz 1 hawk drive, new Paltz, nY • 845-257-3844 hours: Wednesday-Sunday: 11 am - 5 pm dick Polich: Transforming Metal into Art. Curated by daniel Belasco. Morgan Anderson Gallery, howard Greenberg family Gallery, and Corridor, August 27 - december 14, 2014 SANDISFIELD ART CENTER 5 hammertown Rd, Sandisfield, MA isabeth hardy, “Joy”, Oct 4 - dec 14. Reception Oct 4, 2-4pm.
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) ST. FRANCIS GALLERY Rt 102, South lee, MA (2 mi. east from the Red lion inn) “About face” Sept 12 - Oct 19
RENAISSANCE ARTS CENTER STUDENT ART EXHIBITION
Renaissance Arts Center announces the third Student Art Exhibition in their beautiful new gallery September 15- October 15. The exhibit features artwork by students enrolled in the Summer Arts Programs: Mask Making, Printmaking, Photography, Short Stop Motion films and Clay. The upcoming October 17 exhibition will feature painting, drawing, collage and photography by instructors: Karen dolmanisth, dana Ehninger, Michael lavin flower, John lawson, Patricia navarino, danny Odell also video dance performances by Ruslan Sprague, Olivia Wilber. Renaissance Gallery is located at Renaissance Arts Center, 420 Jenifer House Commons, Great Barrington, MA. 01230. 413-528-9600. Our gallery is open to the public Monday through Friday from 12 pm - 6 pm. Weekends from 11 am – 4 pm and always by appointment. www.renaissanceartscenter.org. Send in your calendar submissions by 10th of the month prior to publication ...
see us on ISSUU.COM
THE OXBOW GALLERY 273 Pleasant St., northampton, MA oxbowgallery.org • 413-586-6300 (Thur-Sun 12-5) Ongoing exhibit
music/theatre
HUDOST AND ELIZABETH & THE CATAPULT'S BERKSHIRE RETURN CONCERT Whitney Center, Pittsfield, MA. Sat, Oct 11 at 7:30pm
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH MUSIC The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Gt. Barrington, MA • 413-528-0100 / www.cewm.org Opens 23rd season with “Mozart: Rejoice/Exult!”, Sat. Oct 25, 6pm. Roman Rabinovich, piano and celesta; Tara helen O’Connor, flute; James Austin Smith, oboe; daniel Phillips, violin; Xiao-dong Wang, viola; Yehuda hanani, cello
events
20Th AnnuAl PARADISE CITY ARTS FESTIVAL www.paradisecityarts.com / 800-511-9725 October 11, 12 and 13 at the Three County fairgrounds in northampton, MA. One of America’s top-ranked shows of fine crafts, paintings and sculpture, Paradise City features 275 outstanding artists in four buildings, sensational cuisine, live music, creative activities, demonstrations and an outdoor sculpture garden.
workshops
SABINE VOLLMER VON FALKEN PhOTOGRAPhiC WORKShOPS • 413-298-4933 www.sabinephotoart.com, info@sabinephotoart.com View light with a Critical Eye - explore the beautiful light of the Berkshires by taking a weekend photography workshop. dates: October 11,12 2014
THE ARTFUL MIND OCTOBER 2014 •3
About Face SEPTEMBER 12 THRU OCTOBER 19, 2014
TROY YULFO
Saint Francis Gallery
1370 Pleasant street. route 102 LEE. MA (next to fire dept.) complete schedule: www.saintfrancisgallery.com 413.717. 5199 open fri-mon 10-5 pm
BERKShiRE ART GAllERY
ROBERT lAROChE, 1895-1960, Red Sails, O/C, 25 X 30”, fREnCh
525 SOuTh MAin STREET, GREAT BARRinGTOn, MA 4 • OCTOBER 2014
413. 528. 3095 WWW.BACKYARdhEiRlOOMS.COM And fOund On hOuRS: SAT. & Sun. 10 - 5PM & BY APPOinTMEnT ThE ARTful Mind
80 RAilROAd STREET, GREAT BARRinGTOn, MA 413. 528. 2690
OPEn SATuRdAYS And SundAYS, OR BY APPOinTMEnT OR ChAnCE
www.berkshireartgallery.com
ART ON MAIN
MARC GOldSTEin, MilKWEEd #2, PhOTOGRAPh
JAMES NAPOLEON JAMES nAPOlEOn, nOn BlOndES GRAndE
PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS
nO. SiX dEPOT GAllERY
James napoleon lives and paints in Kent CT, and on long island’s north fork. James studied painting at School of Visual Arts in new York City. his works are in private and corporate art collections, and have been shown in solo and group exhibitions, including the Parrish Art Museum (Southampton nY), and the Westport Arts Center. This exhibition at no. Six depot Gallery combines a series of “Obsession” drawings as well as a series of fantasy paintings and will be on display October 131. An artist reception will be held on Sunday, October 5, 3-5 pm. The Obsession drawings are based on a performance of composer Gino Paoli’s il Cielo in una Stanza, by italian vocalist Mina Mazzini. The artist has construed Obsession as a single work, essentially an extended drawing on 18 panels. Obsession is about watching, and fixation, and drawing—in which the experience of two artists is expressed. The fantasy paintings recognize that we are here for whatever reason. “And how we and the things we create – clothing, tools, furniture, roads, boats, dwellings, and so on –interact in ways that find a resonance in us that will not be silenced,” napoleon explains. “i use art materials and tools and techniques to ponder these resonances as refracted through the generations and experiences that formed me. These paintings are essentially a language about my experience of painting.” No. Six Depot Gallery is located in historic train station in West Stockbridge, adjoining No. Six Depot Roastery & Café, serving house-roasted coffee, breakfast and lunch and hosting Friday night events. www.sixdepot.com
FLORA AFTER FROST PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARC GOLDSTEIN
This show, flora after frost, examines the somewhat neglected formal beauty of plant life as full bloom wanes and seeds ready for their next cycle. The photographs will be on view until October 31. Thus, the images in the gallery will correspond to the seasonal changes occurring outside. The opening reception is on friday, September 5 from 5 to 7 pm. Goldstein himself confesses that he was (and is) a bit surprised by his sudden interest in the subject of the weathered forms of late fall. having been an active photographer throughout his many trips to exotic destinations where landscapes are seductive and photography something of a mission, the flora after frost images began as nothing more than the unexpected results of testing a new camera. “After fall foliage has passed,” he explained, “there’s not that much out there to aim a lens at except for seed pods and dried flower heads. So, that’s what i shot. fortunately, their muted colors, their lines and textures made every moment spent in snow and freezing rain well worth the trouble.” Author, retired professor, department chair at Massachusetts College of liberal Arts, Goldstein found within the narrow rage of his subject what turns out to be a visually rich and rewarding world. This is a world where photography can invite contemplation of the profundity of nature, its natural cycles of growth and decay reminding us of our own transience. Art On Main The Gallery at Barnbrook Realty is located at 271 Main St., Gt. Barrington, MA. www.artonmain.blogspot.com
FRONT STREET GALLERY KATE KNAPP KATE KnAPP, nYC
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).
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ThE ARTful Mind OCTOBER 2014 •5
THE ARTFUL MIND ARTZINE OCTOBER 2014
“The Long and WInding Road... that leads me to your door..” -The BEATLES
THE MUSIC STORE
Maggie Mailer, Artist Photographs and interview by Jane feldman Page 16 Planet Waves for OCTOBER Eric Francis.....14 Artist Maggie Mailer Jane Feldman...16 The Tree Fort Richard Britell ... 20 Simply Sasha ...20
Contributing Writers and Monthly Columnists Eunice Agar, Richard Britell, Jane Feldman, Eric Francis, Sasha Seymour, Amy Tanner Photographers Cassandra Sohn, Jane Feldman Sabine Vollmer von Falken Publisher Harryet Candee
Copy Editor Marguerite Bride
Advertising and Graphic Design Harryet Candee
Box 985, Great Barrington, MA 01230 artfulmind@yahoo.com
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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.
6 • OCTOBER 2014 ThE ARTful Mind
Why Music? Why local? Why play? Because it matters. in October The Music Store begins its fifteenth Year in business in Great Barrington! helping the community, near and far, make music 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. Some of the fun . . . • Composite Acoustic guitars and the peerless travel guitar, the Cargo, the forever Guitar made of carbon graphite and impervious to most changes of temperature and humidity • 50+ diffEREnT models of ukulele: Soprano, Concert, Tenor and Baritone, acoustic and acoustic/electric, six string, Resonator and the remarkable u-Bass! • how about a Cordoba Cuatro? Or a West African djembe? • Try Takamine for a guitar to suit almost any budget (limited Editions and GREAT SAlES, too)! And so many more brands and types from $150-$5000 . . . . • Ever heard of dr. Easy’s Sonic Boxes? Acoustic/electric cigar box guitars which bring the past into the present with a delightful punch! • harmonicas, in every key • Picks (exotic, too!), strings (!!), sticks and reeds • Violins, Mandolins, Banjos • handmade and international Percussion • native American and locally made bamboo and wooden flutes 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 have something you haven’t seen before (an acoustic/electric Kalimba, perhaps?). We match (or BEAT) most 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! Cheers! The Music Store, located at 87 Railroad Street in Great Barrington, is open Wednesdays through Sundays and by appointment. Call us at 413-528-2460, or visit us on line at www.themusicstoreplus.com. Happy playing!!!
BEFORE PHOTOSHOP JEAn GERMAin, lEnOX ChuRCh GATE
JEAN GERMAIN FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER
no matter the subject - people, nature, architecture or events, this photographer brings an imaginative perspective to her art. A retrospective exhibition of Jean Germain’s 35 mm film photography will be in The Knox Gallery at the Monterey library September 26 through October 25. The show highlights a wide range of photographs taken by Germain using a variety of manual techniques and pushing film beyond normal tolerances to create uncommon images. She employs special filters, Polaroid transfers, timed night exposures, multiple images and other ways to manipulate the photographs without using Photoshop. While living in new York City, Germain spent hours in museums fascinated by renowned impressionist and abstract painters. She describes, “how the legendary painters dealt with light, shadow, soft focus and even grainy images, led to much of my photographic style. Those influences are reflected in how i see through my lens, often blurring the line between reality and fantasy.” using filters and an assortment of 35mm film Germain experiments with her camera producing images that are sometimes dramatic, ethereal, or conceptual. Also in this show are Jean Germain’s celebrated photographs of legendary jazz musicians which have been selected from her book, Jazz From Row Six. using filters on her camera and highspeed film, Germain was able to capture the energy of the performances even when she could only use existing stage lighting. The book won a 2014 Paris Book festival award which is now added to the list of other awards it has earned. “i am not opposed to technology like Photoshop,” Germain explains, “i just continue to be intrigued by what can be created using actual film.” Knox Gallery at Monterey Library, 452 Main Road, Monterey, Massachusetts; 413-528-3795. Gallery hours: Monday 7 pm – 9 pm; Tuesday 9 am – 12:30 pm; Wednesday 2 pm – 5 pm; Thursday 4 pm – 6 pm; Friday 4 pm – 8 pm; Saturday 9:30 am – 12:30 pm & 7 pm – 9 pm.
CEWM OPENS 23rd SEASON MOZART: REJOICE/EXULT! JAMES AuSTin SMiTh, OBOE
JENNIFER PAZIENZA
JEnnifER PAziEnzA, BRAMOSiA, 2009, 96X72 in, Oil On CAnVAS
GOOD PURPOSE GALLERY
The 2014-15 Close Encounters With Music season opens at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center on Saturday, October 25, 6 PM with an all-Mozart program. no composer has survived the shifting tides of ideas, styles and fashion more assuredly than Mozart. The celestial blend of strings and winds in major works (Oboe Quartet in f, flute Quartet in d) will affirm his status as incomparable master of the lighthearted as well as the profound. Stars of the chamber music world gather to showcase works written for wind virtuosos of his age—plus the Piano Quartet in Eflat and rarely heard Quintet for Glass harmonica, the instrument invented by Benjamin franklin—and his incandescent Rondo in A minor for solo piano. The “Mozartiana” program introduces oboist James Austin Smith, already inducted into lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Society (“virtuosic” and “brilliant’ performances— The new York Times) in his Berkshire debut. Artistic director Yehuda hanani is also joined by violinist daniel Phillips, first of the noted Orion String Quartet; violist Xiao-dong Wang; and flutist Tara helen O’Connor. Pianist Roman Rabinovich, winner of the 2008 Arthur Rubinstein international Piano Master Competition in Tel Aviv, performs on both piano and celesta. Tickets, $45 (Orchestra and Mezzanine) and $25 (Balcony), are available at The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center box office, 413-528-0100. Subscriptions are $225 ($195 for seniors) for a series of 6 series concerts PluS one subscriber-only concert. Visit our website at www.cewm.org. Close Encounters With Music - Post Office Box 34, Great Barrington, MA 01230, 800-843-0778. Web: www.cewm.org Email: cewmusic@aol.com
Un-Earthed: Selected Works will be on display October 2november 17 at Good Purpose Gallery, 40 Main Street in lee. Originally from new Jersey, Jennifer is an established artist and retired university professor living in new Brunswick, Canada. She returns to the uS for her first show in the Berkshires. “i am delighted to finally have my work here. Becket has been my home away from home for the twenty-five years i’ve been in Canada. i’m so pleased!“ Canadian Curator Tom Smart has written, “Jennifer Pazienza’s paintings are born from a perceptual process where she works through the landscapes to explore her own myths and histories, the intuitive process, and an emotional connection to the world around her that is direct and intense; subjective and expressive; painterly, ephemeral yet profoundly human. Her aesthetic perceptions transcend material and place to lift the viewer to consider the relationship between matter and spirit, mind and the land. In her hands the land becomes more than the particular and the objective. It is a gloss through which reality is renewed and the eternal might be glimpsed.” for Pazienza, he explains that, “the landscape of her beloved Keswick Ridge is an increasingly complex gestalt through which she continually transcends the everyday and the familiar. As an artist she invites us to explore this epic narrative with her, and to consider the effects of such a perceptual process in our own lives.” About her current work of vegetables, Smart comments, “common root vegetables are transformed. They are startlingly fine paintings that have a strong sense of drawing in them as well as painterliness. The colour, line and gestures animate them, giving the subject matter real life This sense, set against allusive colourfield skies makes for almost metaphysical interpretations of the subjects. They dissolve before the Marc Goldstein, Inflorescence in Black #2 eyes in a wonderfully gestural signature and a radiant azure glow.” You can meet Jennifer Pazienza at an opening reception with live music and refreshments Friday October 10 5-7pm. She will be on hand at a special Gallery event, Photography Crepes & Creativity in conjunction with the Starving Artist Café. DeSeptember 5 - October 31, 2014 tails, date, and time to follow. Reception: Friday, September 5, 5-7 pm
VILMA MARE
SARTORIAL ARTS AND SERVICES GREAT BARRINGTON, MA
Vilma Mare channels an authentic female image that has hereditary connection with indigenous rites, worship of ancestral land and family values, and encourages harmonious dialogue between humankind and nature. Besides the usual body protection and adornment aspects of the apparel, she also maintains it’s spiritual content - protection against harm and the attraction of fertility and happiness. To stay original by nourishing one’s life with genuine rites and indigenous attitude by dressing a woman in natural healthy fabrics and comforting clothes while portraying her within serene, thoughtful semantics that are able to communicate the universal values of respect to Earth’s and woman’s fertility, and a devotion to one’s family and health. “I sew for customers with wishful thoughts towards them. I hardly ever fail to satisfy their sartorial needs. Observing the ancient wisdom of the Baltic Druids protects me from vanity, harmful ego and a fruitless existence.” -Vilma Mare Custom orders FOR ALL SIZES. 177 Main Street, Gt. Barrington, MA. www.vilmamare.com tel.: 917 992 4726
“Flora After Frost” Marc Goldstein
Art On Main
The Gallery at Barnbrook Realty 271 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA www.artonmain.blogspot.com
ThE ARTful Mind OCTOBER 2014 • 7
FOR SALE
BEAUTIFUL SECOND EMPIRE
This beautiful historic home and carriage house are located in a very nice neighborhood in north Adams, MA. The home has many potential uses especially for: artists (home/studio and gallery), craftsman, business professionals (doctor, lawyer, accountant, realtor) or simply as a grand personal residence. Some of the main features of the home are: hardwood floors throughout, high ceilings, 3-story spiral staircase, large pantry and storage, 4+ bedrooms, (1) full bath, (1) ¾ bath, (2) half baths, large front and side wide covered porches, a 2-story carriage house and off-street parking for 6 vehicles. We currently use half the house as a home and the other as office. There is an additional finished room and unfinished storage in the attic. The home is well insulated and the heating system was upgraded to an Energy Star boiler in 2005. located just a block from the new K-7 Grade School, 2 blocks from Main Street and Mass College of liberal Arts, 3 blocks from MASS MoCA, all within an easy walk. The 2-story carriage house is 1,600 Sf (800sf per floor) and the 1st floor is wide open with 9’6” ceiling. This space has many potential uses especially for artists or craftsman. See more about this home including a Google Inside walkthru at: www.Living-Well.Info/PleasantStreet. To schedule a viewing call or email Jay at (413) 329-1755, jaywalsh@usa.net.
GEORGE-Ann GOWAn, OPTi PARAllElOSCOPE, 2013, MiXEd MEdiA, 8.5 X 12 X 7.25 inChES
MORRISON GALLERY GEORGE-ANN GOWAN
The Morrison Gallery announces Coming Attractions, an exhibition featuring new works by George-Ann Gowan. The exhibition will open with a reception from 5 – 7 PM on Saturday, October 18 and will be on display until november 16. George-Ann deVilbiss Gowan was born in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1948. her initial art training was at William and Mary, from which she graduated magna cum laude with a degree in fine Art. in Connecticut, her residence since 1970, she pursued further studies with watercolorist Edgar Whitney and egg tempera artist Richard Carroll. She has also worked extensively with Russian artist Yuri Vaschenko since 1995. until it closed in 2010 she was represented by the Bachelier Cardonsky Gallery, Kent, CT. She has shown her work at The howland Cultural Center in Beacon, nY and the Akin free library and Museums in Pawling, nY. She has also been a featured artist at Tree’s Place Gallery, Orleans, MA. Most of her work has been primarily in egg tempera and graphite, but recently her focus is turned to bricolage. her painting won first prize at Silvermine’s 49th Annual Art of the northeast uSA Competition, among numerous other awards. Several of her works are included in Charles Ewing’s book, The new Scratchboard, Clay-Surface Techniques for Today’s Artists (Watson Guptill, 2001) and her work has been reviewed in Art new England. Two of her graphite drawings were selected by the united States department of State ART in Embassies Program to hang in the official residence of the uS Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan. George-Ann lives and works in Kent, CT. Morrison Gallery - 8 Old Barn Road, Kent, Connecticut. 860-927-4501, www.morrisongallery.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.
OBER GALLERY
6 nORTh MAin ST. KEnT, CT obergallery.com
Maggie Mailer
Palace Revolutions new paintings
nOVEMBER 1 - nOVEMBER 30, 2014
8• OCTOBER 2014 ThE ARTful Mind
OPEninG RECEPTiOn: nOVEMBER 1, 5 - 7 PM
MARGUERITE BRIDE MARGuERiTE BRidE, SlEiGh RAllY in STOCKBRidGE
CHAIWALLA TEA HOUSE GALLERY
Marguerite Bride will be exhibiting new watercolors at the Chaiwalla Tea house Gallery, 1 Main Street, Salisbury, Connecticut during the entire month of november. On display will be new winter scenes of the region plus some paintings inspired by a recent trip to ireland. in additional to original framed watercolors, there will also be bins of fine art reproductions for sale. however, you must stay for the food. Mary O’Brien, gallery owner and teahouse chef extraordinaire creates a wonderful variety of delicious breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes. Bride will also be exhibiting at the 6th annual holiday show in Pittsfield sponsored by Alchemy initiative. The handmade holiday festival will run Saturday, december 6 from 10am to 5pm and Sunday, december 7 from 10am to 3pm at the Paterson field house at BCC in Pittsfield, MA. You will find incredible foods, high end crafts and pottery, and of course, art, plus so much more. One-stop shopping for all those on your holiday gift list. Open studios continue thought 2014 as part of Pittsfield’s first friday Artswalk. Stop in at the nuarts Studios at 311 north Street on friday Oct 6, nov 7, and dec 5, 5-8 pm. Come on up and meet with the artists. There are 18 studios in this funky old building. Bride will be featuring paintings inspired by hancock Shaker Village during the Oct 6 Artswalk. And for an extra special discount, visit Bride’s facebook page “Marguerite Bride Watercolors” for the special offer of the week. Some items up to 40% off. The “special” lasts only one week and then expires! There’s something different every week. Take a look! Marguerite Bride, NUarts Studios, 311 North Street, Pittsfield, Studio #9, by appointment. Call 413-442-7718, or 413-8411659 (cell); website: margebride-paintings.com, email: margebride@aol.com
AMY TANNER
And WhAT ShE fOund ThERE…
After that things took a turn for the surreal. Take those headlights, for instance. instead of being content to obey the laws of physics and smash into the passenger door behind Miranda, they chose to detach themselves from their car, floating upward in a spiraling motion. At which Miranda decided she should follow them and see what they were up to. She didn’t register an impact. She registered a very pleasant, buoyant sensation as she left the confines of her Subaru and began to float up, toward the stars. in fact, the headlights were evidently composed of stars as well, because that’s what they started to break up into, millions of tiny, adamantly sparkling stars that were simultaneously more huge and vast than she could comprehend. her brain could tolerate such a paradox only so long. Soon she was wondering, exactly what was she doing, hovering among the stars? Was she supposed to even be there? What if somebody found out? Was this something that could get her in trouble? She entered a thick, foggy cloud. By impulse she opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue. The fog tasted like pea soup. She wondered if she should call for help. As soon as the word help formed in her mind, the scenery changed. She found herself in a sparsely populated, smoky cocktail lounge. Miranda squinted her eyes. The place seemed familiar. in fact, she was positive that this was the same cocktail lounge from the Rat Pack movie she’d watched in a fit of insomnia the previous night. it had just looked better in black and white. Miranda herself was wearing a snugly-fitting mauve sheath dress circa 1962 with a pouf-enveloped hemline. it was hideous. A full martini glass rested in her left hand, a lit cigarette in a scarlet holder in her right. This was very strange. Miranda didn’t
smoke. Or even drink. And she would never have picked out that dress. not even blindfolded. “Oh, don’t blame me!” a voice rang out. “You try covering this shift by yourself! Everyone else is on break!” Before Miranda could process this, the voice—a woman’s— called out again: “Mr. Stellenburg—your stew!” “no, no, no!” a man’s voice responded harshly. “That’s not it! Try again!” “Excuse me!” said Miranda. Perhaps she was having a dream. While driving. Yes, that was it. “Excuse me, but can someone help me?” “Yes?” Miranda jumped. A harassed-looking woman with screaming red hair, wearing a black waitress uniform and toting an empty drinks tray, had just appeared at Miranda’s right shoulder. The woman wrinkled her nose. “That dress is hideous,” she muttered. “i know. i thought the same thing. now—where am i, exactly?” The woman laughed, but not unkindly. “There’s no ‘exactly’ about it. You’re probably where you need to be, but possibly not. did you really want that dress?” “no!” Miranda said. “i didn’t!” “What were you thinking?” “What was i thinking? When?” “Yes! now that’s what i’m talking about!” the waitress exclaimed. “You’ve got to think clearly! You’ll find that ‘Where was i thinking,’ and ‘Why was i thinking it,’ also come in handy.” her eyes fell to the dingy moss-green carpeting littered with cigarette butts. “Obviously, before you showed up, your thinking was fuzzy.” now, Miranda thought the film she watched before she’d fallen asleep last night was more to blame for the dismal surroundings than she was, but she merely said, “i didn’t know.” The waitress heaved a sigh. “Apparently no one else does, either. Everyone i see—nearly every single person! fuzzy thinking! no one knows what they want.” She reflected a moment. “Except for the Buddhists, and they don’t want anything. it’s so annoying.” “i’m very confused,” Miranda offered timidly. “That’s what got us into this mess to begin with!” “Could you say something helpful, please?” Miranda was sure that was rude, but she was losing patience. her bearings were gone. Other things were bound to follow. Excerpted from The Virgin of Hopeless Causes by Amy Tanner, available in electronic and softcover versions on Amazon.com. Amy Tanner - www.amytanner.net
Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent. -Victor Hugo
ThE ARTful Mind OCTOBER 2014 • 9
ISABETH HARDY iSABETh hARdY
SANDISFIELD ART CENTER
The Sandisfield Art Center presents an exhibit of new art by isabeth hardy. her upcoming show “Joy” will run from October 4 thru december 14 at the Sandisfield Art Center, 5 hammertown Road in Sandisfield, Massachusetts, with an opening reception October 4 from 2-4pm. Says isabeth, “When i paint, i have an encounter with color and with the medium i am using at the moment. i bring with me all i love and want to have around, all i find problematical and want to understand, all i want to confront, and all i want to celebrate and even try to bring into a state of peace and joy. To do this, i begin usually with color and keep putting down color, often till i find out what it is all about at the time. My work is about seeing, listening, and bringing into awareness. it is also about joy, the joy of mark making, of swimming in and with color, of shape and space and just the amazingness of being here and being able to play or search with the material”. An artist and educator, isabeth Bakke hardy has a BA in American literature from Middlebury College, Vermont, and a Master’s degree in Cultural Education from Vermont College. She spent more than twenty years involved in the founding of and teaching at the Circle School, in San Antiono Texas. The Circle School, still in operation today, is a creative school for children ages 3-10. The school is based on the inspiration of the painter nicholas Roerich, who fostered the concept of peace through culture and building education on the arts. Within the last decade, hardy has been making monoprints, as well as continuing her exploration of oils and watercolors. hardy’s paintings and prints are in private collections and the Readers’ digest collection. Isabeth Hardy – email: Isabeth.art@gmail.com; website: www.isabethhardy.com.
ACTING PAT BOnAViTACOlA
FOR NON-ACTORS AND ACTORS
Patrick Bonavitacola is now offering classes and private coaching for non-actors and actors. Pat received his training at the lee Strasberg institute and the world famous Actors Studio. At the Actors Studio he worked under Strasberg’s guidance along with Elia Kazan, lee Grant, Shelley Winters, Mark Rydell, John lehne, and William Greaves. William Greaves, Pat’s mentor, described him as follows: “One of the most talented actors I’ve come across in years—He could very well become the next Pacino or DeNiro.” Pat teaches non-actors and actors the craft that was taught to him at the Studio—“Method Acting” techniques for relaxation, concentration, sensory exploration, affective memory, character development, and scene study, along with the mechanics of emotional expression. his students learn to get in touch with their feelings and to express them without inhibitions. Pat works with actors, therapists, people wishing to improve their presentation skills (lawyers, businessmen and women, sales and marketing executives, etc.), along with others whose main concern is personal development and growth. This work will benefit anyone wishing to understand human behavior and motivation as well those wishing to unlock their imagination and creativity. Those interested in classes, private coaching, or further information call 413-637-9913. pjb5@verizon.net
Artist
Eleanor Lord
One of many at...
510 WARREn STREET, hudSOn, nY
10 • OCTOBER 2014
ThE ARTful Mind
BuChAnAn, COllOGRAPh
WWW.510WARRENSTREETGALLERY.COM
518-822-0510
PARADISE CITY ARTS FESTIVAL fullOnE, WOOdEn 1934 fORd
The Paradise City Arts festival turns 20 years old this Columbus day Weekend! The reasons that Paradise City has reached its 20th anniversary at this level of success are because each event brings a new crop of emerging artists juried into the show for the first time, brand-new work by established artists, new menus from local chefs that take advantage of the freshest produce from our regional farms and new creative activities for families and children. AmericanStyle Magazine named Paradise City the #1 arts fair in America in 2008, writing that the festival is “innovative, always fresh and vibrant. This show allows artists to think outside the box and present work you won’t find anywhere else. ” 275 artists from every corner of America were juried into this milestone fair. They present an outstanding selection of fine handmade furniture and home furnishings, paintings, sculpture, jewelry and wearable art. The festival dining Tent provides mouthwatering food prepared by some of northampton’s finest chefs. On the Soundstage, local bands perform throughout: The O-Tones on Saturday; Roger Salloom on Sunday; and The Art Steele Blues Band on Columbus day. Got kids? The fuller Craft Museum makes their Paradise City debut with hands-on origami workshops in the Exhibition Building Café. Young children become princes and princesses in their very own hand-folded and colored crowns! Their older brothers and sisters can create butterflies and boxes, and learn more elaborate origami folding techniques from the fuller Craft Museum’s staff and docents. The young (and young at heart) can also try their hands at clay sculpture or non-digital-age printing on a 100year-old letterpress. Catch ceramic master and raconteur Tim Scull’s dynamic demonstrations on the potter’s wheel, as he shares the secrets of his studio. Stroll through the outdoor Sculpture Garden, and vote for your favorite outdoor art. A special themed exhibition, “face to face: from Portraits to Selfies, the Art and Craft of Making faces”, will explore inventive portraits from selected exhibitors in a range of media from jewelry to ceramics to painting. The festival’s Silent Art Auction features hundreds of beautiful and valuable pieces donated by the exhibiting artists, and 100% of the proceeds benefit WGBY Public Television for Western new England. At Northampton’s Three County Fairgrounds, 54 Old Ferry Road off Rt. 9. From the Mass Pike, take exit 4 to I-91 North to exit 19. For complete show and travel information as well as discount admission coupons, visit www.paradisecityarts.com or call 800-511-9725.
ThE ARTful Mind OCTOBER 2014 • 11
CHICAGO ALBUMEN WORKS
Since the invention of photography in the 1830’s, photographs have served a vital purpose in preserving memories, conveying information, and moving viewers with their beauty and imagery. At Chicago Albumen Works, we are trusted experts in the photographic processes of the past and present, and are leaders in preserving and digitizing photographs, manuscripts, and two-dimensional art for future generations. Among the specialized services that we provide are scanning and photographing works of art to produce digital files, digitally restoring damaged or deteriorated photographs, rehousing collections in archival storage materials, and digital printing using archival inks and papers. in addition to these services, we are also experts in handmade nineteenth century or “alternative” processes including albumen and platinum/palladium printing. Since 1976, we have provided photography, exhibition printing, and preservation services for institutions with rigorous standards including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, Guggenheim, library of Congress, and the Smithsonian institution. We have also provided services for many local institutions including the Berkshire Athenaeum, Jacob’s Pillow, Berkshire historical Society, and the norman Rockwell Museum. Allow us to bring our many years of experience to your project or collection. founded in Chicago, our studio has been located in housatonic’s Monument Mills for 32 years. Pick-up and dropoff within 150 miles is frequently available. Members of the American institute for Conservation – Photographic Materials
SilViO MARChESAn, CAORlE, O/C, 23 1/2 X 19 3/4, SlR. BORn 1930, iTAliAn
BERKSHIRE ART GALLERY
The Berkshire Art Gallery is exhibiting paintings by American artists Edwin Burrage Child (1886-1937), Samuel W. Griggs (1827-1898), Marion huse (1896-1967) and Alexander C. Stuart (1831-1898), and others. European artists include Robert laroche (1895-c.1960), Claudio Simonetti (B. 1929) and Silvio Marchesan (B. 1930). Child, a protégé of John lafarge (1835-1910), was a landscape medalist at the louisiana Purchase Exhibition in 1904 with a fluent style that combined elements of realism and impressionism. his paintings, like Dorset Mountain, painted in 1926, relate to Vermont and can be found in the national Gallery of Art and other museums. White Mountain School artist Samuel Griggs painted New Hampshire Vista (probably north Conway) in 1883. A founding member of the Boston Art Club, his works are in the Butler institute of American Art, etc. Marion huse, a Massachusetts regionalist and teacher, won awards from the Springfield (MA) Art league, Connecticut Academy of fine Arts and the Albany institute. The glowing colors and bold brushstrokes of her Autumn Landscape show why she is receiving renewed attention today. Another regionalist painter, Alexander Stuart worked mostly along the delaware River Bay area. Figures On a Beach at sunset, with a distant steam vessel, depicts a delaware locale. his works are found in several public collections. french artist Robert laroche is best known for his paintings of Brittany and its tuna fleet. The striking Red Sails of tuna boats at Concarneau, shows him at his best. Marchesan’s Adriatic seaport is marked by resonant colors and strong forms; whereas Simonetti’s Venetian boats are in a post-impressionist style. Other works available include Jun dobashi of School of Paris fame and italian modernist lucio Ranucci. The Berkshire Art Gallery - 80 Railroad Street, Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Parking for patrons is available in front of the Gallery. Hours are noon to 5PM, Saturdays and Sundays, or by appointment or chance. For information, (413) 528-2690 or www.berkshireartgallery.com
ST. FRANCIS GALLERY STAinEd GlASS BY dEBORAh COOMBS
ABOUT FACE
St. francis Gallery believes that art possesses a capacity to create a vision that goes beyond logic and our patterned understanding. it is an unfolding like evolution part here and now but also transcending like a prophet. ironically the less clear the message appears to be or the more removed from the familiar the greater the metaphor reveals and the closer it seems to come to what is true. it leads us to more freeing questions about life itself and the spirit of the universe, but never giving definite answers. Our artists seem to be these explorers as is proven by our current show “About face”. These talented individuals appear to see more as they create from the “ordinary”. They are odd fellows, living in harmony with what is but transcending at the same time. They are alive in their work and show us how our rigid knowledge prevents us from seeing more. They help us to see that each one of us and the world itself is more of a fool than we know - more weird, more strange, more crazy, more amazing. The metaphors that emanate form their work become a constant reminder of this and the need to be more daring, reckless, outrageous, and absurd in our beliefs and at the same time more familiar with what is sacred and fragile. Sharing this vision with visitors to the gallery multiples the meaning and proves that art is for and by everyone and needed in our lives. Art is a protection from rigid predicting, forecasting, and fundamentalism. it breaks all the rules even at the moment they are established by the artists themselves. Art constantly restores the dignity of the simple and good art has a surplus of meaning and begs to be revisited and explored. Since art is a process it is always carried with us. it is an amazement and a caring for what is before us that we cannot quite see. We must not however make “sacred” its products, its wonderful creations but we must show respect and give them a place to be seen. Show your respect by visiting our gallery and enjoying our artists and their work. As this show ends in October a new one is close on its heels and promises to deliver new insights and new illuminations. St. Francis Gallery - Rt 102, South Lee just 2 miles east from the Red Lion Inn, open from 11am to 5pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
ACTING
For Non-Actors... and Actors Patrick Bonavitacola is now offering classes and private coaching
12 • OCTOBER 2014 ThE ARTful Mind
413. 637. 9913
pjb5@verizon.net
NINA LIPKOWITZ RAKu TuliPS BY ninA liPKOWiTz
510 WARREN ST. GALLERY
nina lipkowitz will be the featured artist at 510 Warren Street Gallery in hudson, nY for the month of October with her exhibit of watercolor and iPad paintings entitled “Poppies & Pixels”. Opening reception is October 11, 3 to 6pm. nina’s art always explodes with unrestrained line, movement, and luminous color in whatever medium she is working. She is a peripatetic artist: a sculptor, a potter, and now a painter. She is never content to work in only one medium; her curiosity and energy keep her exploring and expanding the boundaries of what it means to have an artistic relationship with the world around her. “i’ve been working with pen, ink and watercolor for the last seven or eight years. in the summer i paint flowers, grown for my paintings in my Berkshire garden. About three years ago, after reading about david hockney’s experiments with making art on different, new, high tech devices, i bought an iPad. With its back-lit screen and a drawing app, i have the ability to draw and paint in any location at any time, day or night. With no additional materials or supplies, i have painted and drawn on an 18-hour non-stop airplane flight, while listening to live music outdoors on a beautiful night at Tanglewood and on many early mornings while watching the sun rise. i create these “paintings” in light with the touch of my index finger, using the iPad as combination of endless sheets of drawing paper painted with infinite marks, brushes and colors. After painting, they are upsized on my computer and transformed into exquisite limited edition archival pigment prints.” nina’s work is inspired by a variety of artists: Paul Klee for his humor and playfulness, Matisse for his line, color and patterns, Kandinsky for his musicality, Elsworth Kelly for his colorfield paintings and elegant black and white line drawings, Picasso for his voracious appetite for creativity, Calder for his runaway lines, Miro for being Miro and many, many more. Nina Lipkowitz – contact through Ninalipkowitz.com. See her work at 510 Warren St. Gallery, Hudson, NY. Also read recent featured article at: http://issuu.com/theartfulmindartzine/docs/the_artful_mind._may_issue__nina_20.
BACKYARD HEIRLOOMS AllEn TiMMOnS
Backyard heirlooms is just what the name implies...original, one of a kind, museum quality architectural replicas of clients homes, business or historical structures, that are primarily designed as center pieces for their gardens. Although, most of the work never makes it outside, they are built for the elements and to withstand the test of time. “They are not models, but, true structures in every detail.” Backyard heirlooms, also, designs and builds custom, one of a kind, birdhouses and bird feeder replicas, as well as treehouses and kidscapes for clients properties and estates. With over 50 years passionately invested into his craft, Allen Timmons has become one of the most refined artists in his medium anywhere in America. All his work is collectable, signed and dated. Although Allen began his craft at the age of 6, in 1964, it wasn’t until the birth of he and his wife, nancy’s daughter, Emilie Jewel, in 1992, in no. Conway, nh, that Backyard heirlooms was established. Overflowing with inspiration and a new found purpose in life, Allen set out to make a name for himself. in 1993 he became the first and only state juried member in his medium, in The league of nh Craftsman’s 65 year history. he has been featured in the Boston Globe, Country living and nh home Magazines, and The Craft digest. his work has been shown at The nassau County Museum of Art, The Boston and Worcester flower Shows and the 2000 Philadelphia flower Show. his work has appeared in several shops in new York City, Boston’s newbury St. as well as many high end galleries and shops throughout new England. After a 14 year hiatus from his work, Allen has returned with a greater passion than ever. You can meet Allen, in person, along with his wife, nancy and their lovely daughter, Emilie Jewel, at Backyard heirlooms new gallery in Great Barrington. Backyard Heirlooms - 525 So Main St, Great Barrington – open on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 to 5 or by calling 413-528 -3095 for an appointment.
SABINE PHOTO ART
Sabine Vollmer von falken, a published and collected fine art photographer, has a number of specialties. One of these is her collaboration and focus on commercial and editorial portraiture with professionals to provide them with project portfolios. Sabine’s 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 image-maker. her inSidE and OuT studio is located in Stockbridge, MA. Photographic workshops are scheduled for October: ViEW liGhT WiTh A CRiTiCAl EYE Sabine’s eye for detail provides students with everlasting creative tools. Explore the beautiful Berkshires by taking a weekend photography workshop. in this workshop participants learn how natural light can create dramatic or lyrical images. designed for serious learners who are interested in improving their skills. All participants are asked to bring a digital SlR camera. The hope is to concentrate on the artistic and critical eye. dates: October 11,12 2014 Sabine is a member of The American Society of Media Photographers asmp. The International Center of Photography ICP,and the Wedding Photojournalist Association, WPJA. Fine Art Prints are directly available through sabine’s studio. For more detailed info please contact Sabine Vollmer von Falken Photography Studio at www.sabinephotoart.com, info@sabinephotoart.com tel. 413 298 4933
ThE ARTful Mind OCTOBER 2014 • 13
Planet Waves
Eric Francis
October 2014
In October there are two eclipses and a Mercury retrograde -- many people will feel put through the paces, but if you psych yourself up, you can put the intensity to good use. Mercury retrograde says review, rethink and revise. Eclipses say transition. So the combination is to resolve unfinished business of the past and get ready to move forward into new territory. The two are related. You know how people, maybe even you, want to go forward without having paid proper attention to what happened in the past. Now is the time to do both at once.
GEMINI (May 20-June 21) When most people hear the word healing, they think of a doctor's office, or maybe if they have gone beyond that model of treatment, the massage table with immaculate sheets in the room and a hint of burned sage. for you over the next few weeks, healing is about pleasure, it's about adventure, and it's about the kind of activity you feel organically good doing. You can think of this as pleasure therapy, which may come with remembering some things you loved to do in the past but forgot about. now would be an awesome time to remember, and to use any break in your routine or your schedule to get yourself back into those activities. This will feel good, you may wonder what took you so long, and the effect will be what you might think of as pleasure therapy.
You will have impact this month, more than you know. Yet you must stay grounded in reality, which means in communication with the people around you. You may have questions; others may have questions; it will be necessary to focus on internal and interpersonal matters rather than pumping out energy and ideas into the world. i am saying keep your humanity. i am saying remember who you are, even as you discover some new and potentially shocking aspect of who you are. That will indeed be a discovery. One focal point is that it will help shift your reality from a one-on-one concept of relationships to a group/network concept of relationships. While you're there, remember that every human encounter is one-to-one.
The unusual breakthrough in your career will be a mix of all the effort you've invested and something that seems like pure luck, or a bolt from the blue. Most success is some combination of the two. This reminds me of my first Theory of Great Photography -- charge your battery, and show up. lots of different things may happen after that, but unless you charge your battery and show up with your camera, you're not going to get photos. Therefore, take any preparatory steps you can, including being especially attentive to email, voicemail, and initiating communication when you feel moved to do so. One way to work with your situation is to make sure you remove as many obstacles as possible, and to take affirmative steps as soon as you feel called to do so. With Mercury retrograde for most of October, that means focusing on communication and taking nothing for granted.
ARIES (March 20-April 19)
TAURUS (April 19-May 20)
imagine a door opening in your relationships, one that you have no idea where it will lead. That possibility is one thing now, and it will be another thing after some kind of development or discovery in your life that makes you want to enter the unknown with some gusto. The idea to focus on is the way in which every experience of discovery with another person is really about self-discovery, though in the context of a human encounter. Relationships are not the only way to get to know ourselves, and it's not an especially safe or stable path without devotion to self-knowledge. for the next few weeks, even as some unusual or high-intensity experiences come your way, you seem to be poised to strike the perfect balance.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
LEO (July 22-Aug. 23) You may be dealing with some sensitive matters of family history this month. Remember that these things are made more challenging by lack of conversation, and lack of closure. indeed they would not even be issues if open dialog were encouraged, and if people really understood what it means to address and resolve something. if you proceed in that spirit, you will help make things easier for yourself and for everyone else. You may be able to tip the balance into what is actually creative and productive. it's true that in American culture (in particular) there seems to be open disdain for the past, though this is ridiculous. We all depend on the past for many reasons, including teaching us what mistakes not to make again. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
it's amazing what passes for thinking. Most of it could generously be called rationalization. Plenty else could be called emoting. The rest usually amounts to doing what one is told, by an intimate partner or an authority figure. This month it's incumbent on you to think for yourself. One aversion to doing this is not wanting to take responsibility when things go wrong. Yet more is at stake than that. This is not a matter of pride. it's a matter of taking your destiny into your hands, and doing your part to make sure that the events of your life flow in a way that you will want to live with. So on one level it's about taking full responsibility, or rather authority, and not letting anyone con you out of your right to make your own choices -- and to be fully responsible in any event, whatever may happen.
14 • OCTOBER 2014 ThE ARTful Mind
LIBRA (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) Venus is in your sign, which is offering encouragement to use charm instead of force, and an even deeper challenge -- to use authenticity rather than any form of pretense. That means all truth, all the time. instead of sugarcoating reality in some way, present the facts instead of your emotional reaction to it, or concealing it. The direct statement of 'what is so' is influential in ways that you may not be used to. You might, for example, discover that you don't need to resort to convincing anyone of anything. You may be surprised how it can guide the conversation toward a fair outcome. There is one element to the truth that you might be less inclined to get involved with -- admitting when you're wrong. it's good practice, it'll build goodwill and make you care about getting it right the first time.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) Mars, the planet associated with your sign, is pushing you to get serious, and creative about money. At the same time you may be realizing how many issues you have with the whole concept, and what this says about how you feel about yourself. The common ground is the subject of worth, or worthiness. These days we think of this as an emotional reward, like a dog getting a treat. Yet the semantic origins of 'worth' relate to honor, excellence, capability and actual value. Think of worth as a real thing and it will be real to you. Think of it as an emotional abstraction and you will reduce it to that. in lived reality, worthiness is often something you must demonstrate, practice, exhibit and develop.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) You may feel driven to be yourself, or to assert yourself, yet at the same time you may keep encountering pitfalls or profound doubts. if you think of this time in your life as an opportunity to tap your strength and overcome those doubts, you will make the most of a rare moment. There seems to be some discovery waiting for you about the true nature of spiritual power. it's something that you access from within yourself, but a strength that may not feel like it's entirely about you, or coming from you. it has a way of affirming your existence and being a positive influence on others, while denying the existence of nobody else. And the more you tap into this source of strength, the more natural it seems, and the more you become like it. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
Your path to success is through collaboration, cooperation and contribution. it's true that in recent years you have learned to take on something of a lone wolf quality, which has helped you let go of some codependent tendencies that followed you around for quite a while. now it's time to foster a new kind of connection, what you might think of as healthy interdependency. You don't have to worry about lapsing back into any of your own ways -- the evolutionary forces that have propelled you this far from your past are still at work, and are working in your favor. One significant element of progress is that you now have the strength to assert yourself and to initiate the conversation, rather than following along as if pulled by an emotional tugboat. You are now driving your own life.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) You may think you're doing something that's impossible. What you're really doing is proving that something perceived to be impossible can actually be done. You are not merely trying to do so - you are succeeding. What may not be obvious are the ways in which you are doing so. Your visible achievements may not match up to your vision or expectation of what is possible, though you are building the foundation for that very thing. it will take some time for what you are doing now to rise above its foundations, which is the reason to keep going, to not hesitate, to remain in a position of authorship and therefore authority over your own life.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) leadership means creating an idea, and taking action on that idea. in other words, it's about not waiting around for something to 'come to you', nor is it about waiting for someone else to do something. Another word for this is initiative, which means being the one who initiates. What you initiate now is picking up the momentum of much that you've done in the past, and adding to that momentum. So you're neither starting from scratch, nor from a stuck place. But neither are you bound to what you did in the past. indeed, the very point of this time in your personal history is making contact with your determination to enter new territory, to embrace a new vision for yourself and for your concept of accomplishment. This is a vision that will arise in the doing. don't worry if it's not fully formed. Just keep going. ~ Read Eric Francis daily at PlanetWaves.net
ThE ARTful Mind SEPTEMBER 2014 • 15
MAGGIE MAILER interview by Jane Feldman photography by Jane Feldman
I recently visited Maggie Mailer at her studio in New Lebanon, NY, where she was getting ready for a solo show opening at Ober Gallery in Kent, Connecticut, November 1-30. After receiving her B.A. from Columbia University in 1993, Maggie, a New York/Berkshires native and the daughter of author Norman Mailer and jazz singer Carol Stevens, came to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where she opened a studio in a vacant storefront downtown. When a variety of other artists embraced the idea, she formed the Storefront Artist Project, a residence program that tore down the walls between artists and the creative process, and a key organization in the revival of the city. I first met Maggie Mailer at Ferrin Gallery some years back in Lenox. I brought students from the School of Visual Arts’ Summer Artists Institute – a summer program I helped start in the Berkshires at Darrow School. Both Maggie and Leslie were so generous with the Artists we brought to the gallery. Maggie’s work exhibited at that time explored concepts of impermanence & memory – and I was fascinated. Gratefully, we have since become friends & colleagues. Like many fellow Artists, Maggie and I both need solo time to create work, but also crave the community of fellow artists. I’ve craved that ever since experiencing such a community with SVA in Morocco decades ago! We were a group of painters, photographers, filmmakers and writers. We critiqued work over breakfast, lunch & dinner. Paul Bowles taught the writers. It was a magical time. Maggie and I have spent many hours doing just that – talking about Art, philosophy, spirituality, politics, fears, dreams, and so much more. I think we would’ve both enjoyed being around in Paris during the Salon era! Whenever we meet in the Berkshires, New York City and beyond, we create our own little Salon environment. I often feel reenergized and renewed after critiquing work or discussing our perspectives. It’s fun thinking about now sharing one of our discussions with the larger community – in the form of this interview. Enjoy. Jane Feldman: I’m so honored and excited to be doing this interview with you, Maggie and to be sharing it with The Artful Mind readers and beyond! Both of us 16 • ThE ARTful Mind OCTOBER 2014
Maggie Mailer, Palace Revolutions, Oil on Canvas
have in common the experience of growing up here in the Berkshires and in New York City. So, that seems like a good place to begin by discussing where your life’s journey began. Maggie Mailer: Thank you Jane, i feel the same and always look forward to our talks. And that’s a great place to start. i spent a pretty idyllic childhood in the Berkshires. My parents moved to Stockbridge in the early 70’s when i was born, and then from the age of five i stayed here with my mother, making regular visits to see my dad in Brooklyn. We were always back and forth to the city. Growing up here i spent a lot of time playing outdoors, and developed a deep connection to the landscape. i lived in new York while attending Columbia and later on the lES, but always carried the Berkshires with me. now new York is like the subtext to my life here. Always in two places at once! And i’m continually trying to reconnect to that childhood -- it's one of the reasons i paint.
In many of our studio conversations you’ve spoken a lot about memory in relation to painting. Can you talk a bit about this? Maggie: Well, all that’s really left of experience is our memory of it -- and yet i feel that moments gets embedded in paint as i work, as if paint is some kind of spooky recording device. i can look at a painting and get a visceral sense of the time i made a mark, like Proust’s Madeleines. i see painting as a kind of architecture which compresses memories into a single moment, and makes them apprehensible all at once. i’ve developed a habit of sanding down paintings, working in reverse. And as i retrieve layers they seem to release the moment they were made, as that layer hits the air. i then repaint what i’ve found, using revealed marks as starting points for new work. it’s a back and forth process -- maybe like those early childhood travels -- and the by-product is that the paintings develop a volume of space that advances and recedes. i like the idea that i’m creating space that wasn’t there before.
I have to say that at first glance one might not understand any of this. A lot of the paintings look like beautiful, sumptuous landscapes, but I might miss the connection to time and memory -- can you elucidate further? Maggie: i know! Sometimes the conceptual elements might be there for me alone. My last body of work employed a narrative in which an amnesiac architect constructs a palace to house his lost memories, like that mnemonic device in which you envision a building and mentally place information in rooms. i relate to painting as that mnemonic form. for the new show opening at Ober Gallery i’ve started extending this idea to the landscape. i’m thinking about the landscape behind the landscape, where the hispallettory of marks in a painting stands in for the histories
Maggie is carving channels in a painting made on the surface of glycerin soap. Eventually, Maggie will run water through the channels and the entire block will desolve, including the painting on it.
we can’t see. i’m interested in visionary painters-- Burchfield, Redon. What we perceive when we look at the landscape is only part of what’s visible, and i’m trying to paint that-- the meaning hidden by form -as if form is just a mask for something else. it’s a bit like that Kenneth Koch poem, One Train May Hide Another.
I love it! So... I’m looking around the studio, and it looks like you are collecting & “creatively recycling” some of the materials that go into making your paintings. Are these often incorporated back into your work? Maggie: Right, i make drawings on sheet rock, wet/dry sandpaper, soap...
Maggie Mailer, Pallet bucket made of soap where dried paint is collected from Maggie’s palette. She refers to it in jest as an offering to the gods of paint.
The first time I visited your studio you were playing with glycerin soap, using it as a painting surface. It’s now an even larger presence in the studio, along with a new body of paintings. Would you talk about how these are all connected? Maggie: Well, after painting for several years using traditional materials, i felt i was just adding to an already image-laden world, and needed to back up and create a kind of
negative space to hold the material i was putting out. To make a kind of “anti-painting”. Melt-and-pour glycerine soap is like this ‘antimatter’ for me. The soap is an agent of it’s own undoing. it has transparency, mass, form, and yet it’s a material on the verge of dissolution-- like the moment, and like our lives as they unfold in time. And the painting process is one of constant change, where the ground shifts every moment, and what you had before is gone. i imagine the soap as a kind of anti-historical material, because nothing permanently sticks to it. it looks like the embodiment of Shunyata, the Buddhist concept of emptiness. it’s also the opposite of making a painting, where you’re building up surfaces...As a pure material the soap speaks to the effort of keeping the moment alive, and unstuck. no attachments to the thing you just did. friction free. And are you using this material in your paintings? Maggie: That will come next, right now it’s part of my studio setup for making paintings. You could say it’s an invisible element in the paintings. i hollow out 25 lb. blocks and use them as buckets to keep my scraped palette paint. Many painters keep a palette bucket in their studio, and they tend to accumulate mounds of paint over time, maybe like a mock offering to the gods of paint. That’s amazing. It does look magical, as if those blocks are glowing? Is that intentional?
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ThE ARTful Mind OCTOBER 2014 • 17
MAGGIE MAILER
Maggie: i’ve been blessed to have someone in my life like my mother who knows when i’m being authentic, and when i’m not. from the earliest age, she fueled an interest in art, bringing home books, supplies, articles, found objects. Being a mother now myself, i really understand for the first time just how present she’s always been, and how totally supportive of anything i wanted to try. i’m incredibly lucky to have that. Many artists, especially artists who are also mothers, admit to a conflict between their creative life and their family life. Is this something you can relate to? Maggie: i think everyone can. i tend to have a continual sense of being behind, and painting helps with that -- i think i paint to punctuate the passage of time. When i find those hidden layers from a previous painting session, it gives me the sense of regaining time, of looping the present to the past. it’s a kind of time travel. it makes me feel i’ve gained ground.
Yes, I was thinking your paintings have the quality of time capsules! Is that deliberate on your part? Maggie: i’m so glad that gets across. i just found some notes i wrote referring to ‘Time Release Thinking’-- the notion that the random thoughts or ideas i have while painting are there for someone else to absorb later on while they stand in front of the work. it’s like subliminal information that’s part of the painting, even though it might have nothing to do with the image on the surface. So what you’re looking at is not really what you’re looking at. i like that kind of subtlety, or subterfuge.
Maggie Mailer, Castle-Building, oil on canvas
Maggie: Yes, it’s a reference to transparent glazes in painting. Early on i studied with the painter Jim Peters, who explained how light gets trapped momentarily inside a glaze. Rembrandt figures glowed like that because light bounces around inside the glaze before it travels back to your eye. These blocks of transparent soap hold light the same way. So the soap paint bucket is a reversal: instead of paint holding light, you have light holding paint.
I have million of questions! One of the things that comes up for me -- is things & people that have influenced you over your lifetime. You mentioned Proust, Kenneth Koch -- I'm curious about your connection to literature. I wonder how growing up with your father Norman Mailer influenced your work? Maggie: for years i’d begin my studio time not by drawing or mixing color like many trained painters, but by reading. i geared up to paint by observing text. it didn’t matter the genre -- fiction, non-fiction, poetry -- because it woke up my imagination in the right way. i often wondered if i was exercising the wrong muscles, but i would always feel fueled enough to paint, so it became a kind of practice. And i imagined that whatever text i had absorbed also became part of the painting.
acting, film-making, and painting. Growing up most of us lived with our mothers, but would spend summers together with our father in Maine and in Provincetown, MA. That time really bonded us as a family. now every summer we get together with our own children and spend a few weeks in Provincetown. Before my father died he told my oldest sister Susan, “Make sure you keep the tapestry together.” So we really make sure to keep that time reserved for each other--and our nine families get together each August. it’s pretty special. That’s intense Maggie! Really beautiful! And people probably don’t hear as much about your mother Carol Stevens, who is a legend as a jazz singer. What kind of influence has she been on your work? I know you are incredibly close.
Very cool! In some of our studio conversations you’ve referred to friction and flow as “themes” in your work. Can you speak a bit more about that? Maggie: Well, there’s a moment of resistance that happens during the painting process, and in everyday life as well, which is like encountering the friction of experience. You’re working away freely, unselfconsciously, and all of a sudden you remember yourself, or run out of energy, and everything halts. it can be the kiss of death to hit that wall. So i started developing painting techniques to address this moment, and to accommodate it.
This makes me think about issues of environmental sustainability. How we are all starting to realize that we don’t have an endless supply of resources - but act as if we do. We’re understandably worried about the day when all our resources run out! Is this part of your thinking? Maggie: Yes, there are so many parallels there, and i think about this constantly. in painting you think about the lifespan of your materials, and your attention. it’s the main reason i began sanding down my surfaces. i’d given up solvents, and wanted the brushstrokes to travel freely, without the obstacle of texture. i
What were some of your influences, what were you reading? Maggie: Well, it’s a pretty sprawling range of material. Chekov, flannery O’Connor, haruki Murakami, Tibetan Buddhism, books on architecture, my father’s work -- but in some ways those reading sessions were less about the specific influence and more for the excitement i felt about the written word.
So did your father ever directly influence your work? What effect has it had on you as an artist? Maggie: My father encouraged a kind of existential bravery, and few topics were off limits sitting around the dinner table. i was lucky enough to grow up with the assumption that being an artist was a viable way to move through life. i didn’t really question it as a possibility, the way so many people are taught to do. This has been a real blessing, and is one of my father’s legacies to his children. There are actually nine of us from six marriages, and all of us are in the arts in some way -- writing, 18 • OCTOBER 2014 ThE ARTful Mind
Maggie working in her studio
I’m so glad you mentioned this--the idea of keeping an “open view of the creative process.” Many people still know you from this time, and I’d love you to talk a bit about the Storefront Artist Project, which you founded in Pittsfield in 2002 and which made a big impact there. At the same time, people’s understanding of the project may have differed from your intentions for it. Do you miss it? Is it still relevant to your work? Maggie: My reason for starting Storefront was to take away the fourth wall of the studio, treat the studio like a theater space, in which every action, profound or mundane, becomes an ongoing performance. it was about blurring the boundary between life and art, in a very literal way, and putting the artists in the position of directly observing the world. Placing the studio right in the middle of everyday life, at street level, with nothing but a glass wall between you and the world offers an incredible vantage point on both sides, and removes the built in isolation of a private studio. for Pittsfield residents i hoped it would be a breath of fresh air, and make art relevant in a way that seeing work in a gallery, or seeing pubic art, cannot. The proximity to art in the making, including all the failures and false starts that are part of the process, was the real point.
was looking to give the paint perpetual motion, because i didn’t want to encounter that moment that feels like the end of something, like a death. in the same way we’re all looking for immortality, for endless resources. But lately i’ve turned a corner, in that i’ve realized flow is not something i have to build into the painting; really, it’s a state of mind. if i can relax enough to get into this state of mind, i can paint in whatever way works at the moment. And now i’ve fallen completely in love with the drag of the paint, with that feeling of resistance. it’s a big shift in my whole approach.
My Native American teachers and friends remind me that the root of the word ‘Creative’ is ‘Creator’. When we’re really in a creative flow, we just get out of our own way. Easier said then done, however. Maggie: Yeah! That’s great, and it’s pretty much where i’ve landed lately. i’m suspending the rules i’d set up for myself over the last few years, and letting the paint tell me what to do. Before i was going after specific ideas and trying to translate them into paint-- now the process comes first.
What’s awesome in your process that I don’t find with just every artist is that it’s an “unfolding”, and you have a willingness to be vulnerable. You put things out there and some people will get it, some won’t, and you do it anyway. You do this knowing it means your work is hard to put into a box. Unfortunately, the way the world works, and the especially the way art critics like to encapsulate our understanding of someone must make this difficult. There’s a side of your work that’s grounded in traditional painting and realism, and then there’s also this incredible abstraction that goes on. You have a range of styles, attitudes, approaches to paintings. Is this tricky for you as an artist? Maggie: Yes. But i’ve been really lucky with finding dealers who accommodate this process. leslie ferrin represented my work for the last eight years or so, and was incredible this way. She gave me free reign, while getting me to deliver on a regular basis. Rob Ober, who owns Ober Gallery is that rare kind of dealer who loves taking chances, and getting artists to push their limits. Working with him has been encouragement to go out on a limb and show work that’s a bit of a stretch from what i’ve presented up til now. So you feel the new work is a departure for you? Maggie: Well it might look like a departure, but it’s more like coming full circle--some of it’s closer to my early work, when i was relatively fearless. i’m not using an arsenal of techniques to cover things up. There’s beauty for sure, but i’m not trying to civilize myself or the work anymore. That’s a big change for me.
What are some examples of how your process has changed? Maggie: for years i’ve been focused on controlling my mark making. i’d developed a brushstroke which formed perfect circles, by twisting the brush in place on canvas. By doing this i believed i was circumscribing the moment and all that it contained--news of the world, weather, the way light was falling on a tree outside--and i believed this information would be contained in the mark, and readable to the viewer. The problem, i had to admit, was that the marks felt forced, and tight. They weren’t really describing the moment. it’s only recently that i’ve let go of this habit: now when i paint i just follow the paint. My marks are looser, wilder, more free.
But this wildness has always an element in your work, no? Maggie: Yes, there’s always been that element, but i used to sublimate it, pairing a kind of bacchanalian expression with a more controlled one. for years i’ve had these two tendencies which go in opposite directions, and have been attempting to reconcile or sandwich them together. So if i had a painting session where
Maggie Mailer, Palace Revolutions, Oil on Canvas
i’d really let go, i’d later look at the work and have that feeling of embarrassment you can get waking up after a wild night! i got in the habit of sanding down these layers, and dressing them with a beautiful Corot-like landscape to make them palatable. i was accommodating the viewer’s--and my--comfort level. now i’m not trying to make the paintings safe for consumption, i just let the marks be. i’m not trying to keep everything quite so orderly. i think having a child can do that!
That makes a lot of sense, and I’ve wanted to ask, how you do balance having a young child-- Nicholas is almost five now, right? A husband, and a painting life? Maggie: Well, the balance comes from being inspired by them. i marvel at my son’s sense of freedom, his spontaneity and wild exuberance. i mean all children have this and then we civilize it out of them. That’s the cliché, at least, and i suppose artists are always trying to inhabit that sense of freedom. Watching nicholas is like permission to liberate my work habits, shake them up. i feel the new work is that much more alive. I’m sitting here in your beautiful studio that was built by you and your husband, John Wendling. I’m struck by the way architectural components are very much a part of your work, and you’re married to this extraordinary builder. It seems there’s sort of a subliminal influence going on with each other? Maggie: John and i designed and built the house while i was pregnant with nicholas. One interesting thing is that John wanted to coat all the walls with plaster, rather than paint them. it was a funny twist, since i begin my paintings with a plaster like ground, and when the walls of the house were complete, it was like walking around inside one of my paintings! The walls reflect light the same way the paintings do.
That’s amazing... I also noticed you don’t have a door to your studio; it just flows right into the house, even though it’s a separate structure. Is that ever difficult? Do you crave privacy? Can your son come in here any time you are working? Maggie: Actually it’s great--you can look into the studio from the front door of the house, and it allows all of us to move freely between spaces. no separation between work and self! But that’s been an ongoing theme in my life, something i’ve tried to cultivate, going back to the Storefront Artist Project.
Yes, I like the point you make that in this day of reality television, this was not meant to be some kind of semi-real, semi-scripted thing, but really about artists at work. Maggie: i never conceived the idea to put artists on display, as if they were in a zoo, but really to let the studio be a kind of engine, a vitality producing engine. A lot of energy can flow out of an artist’s studio. Pittsfield at the time was struggling and had over twenty-five empty storefronts along north Street. The city really embraced the project, and it became a focal point for building community, which is exactly what i’d hoped for. There was such great generosity on the part of the all landlords we worked with. i’m hugely grateful that we had such a good run. The idea of transparency is still an ongoing theme for me. The beauty of working in the storefront studio was that the whole world became part of your experience -- there was no sharp division between your interior world and what was happening outside. i’m still trying to keep that kind of open attention, that feeling of not shutting the world out. it’s something i’ve taken with me from those days -- letting my attention be transparent, so i can be alive to the moment. JANE FELDMAN: Award-winning photojournalist & Author Jane Feldman is the co-author/photographer of Jefferson’s Children: The Story of One American Family (Random House) as well as 4 children books in the Young Dreamers Series. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, the Boston Globe, TIME, PBS’s Frontline, CBS Sunday Morning, the History Channel, and Berkshire & YES! Magazines. Her work as a human rights activist has her working with some of the world’s most beloved leaders including: Archbishop Desmond Tutu, The Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela & Maya Angelou. Feldman has also worked with Indigenous leaders from the Onondaga and Tuscarora Nations in Northern New York State (on the US/Canadian boarder), as well as Native Peoples in New Mexico and Arizona. She also works closely with the Grafton Peace Pagoda – which brings together Native American and Buddhist philosophies and practices. She currently divides her time between the Berkshires and NYC. janefeldmanphoto@gmail.com www.janefeldman.com n
ThE ARTful Mind OCTOBER 2014 • 19
Apple Tree, Oil on Copper, 10” x 18”Richard Britell
The Tree Fort
Short Story in Two Parts “NO CURE FOR THE MEDIEVAL MIND” RiChARd BRiTEll
There has never been a time in my life that i have not been in love. i suppose it is part and parcel of an artistic temperament. Some of my earliest memories are of being in love, and of suffering over it beginning when i was five years old. i was in love with a blond girl named Cynthia. Blond is the best description i can give you because i never saw her close up. She sat in a seat the farthest from me, diagonally across the room in kindergarten. Once, at a great distance, i followed her home, but not all the way to her door. After getting several blocks away from my usual path home i began to feel a rising panic and gave it up, but i was only five. That same night i had a vivid dream about my new love. i dreamt that we were married and that we lived in a tree fort in the back yard of my house. When i awoke it was with a distinctly absurd feeling and i wondered to myself, how could i think that people could be married and live in a tree fort? i felt that the dream indicated a certain level of stupidity on my part. But the feeling of contented marital bliss, as i now know it is called, would not leave me.
20 • OCTOBER 2014 ThE ARTful Mind
When i recall that dream i still can feel that delicious feeling of being in love with someone who i really do not yet know – set apart in some wild and strange place. We were like shipwrecked survivors on a deserted tropical island, for whom courtship, inquiry, fascination and consummation take place without the least possibility of interruption or competition and where even memory and fantasy are silent. The very next morning i set about building a tree fort with the restricted means of a five year old. Our back yard, however, presented a dismal prospect: a piece of dirt perhaps 30 feet square with a few strands of crab grass here and there. it was bordered with cinder block walls on three sides. One of these walls was the back part of a funeral parlor which had one window, its curtain always closed. Another wall was the back of an establishment that rented tuxedos. in the corner of this yard grew a lone sumac tree about seven feet tall with spindly branches and those long leaves that look like the remaining unkempt hair of some balding old man like myself. -Richard Britell (COnTinuEd in nEXT iSSuE Of ThE ARTful Mind)
AGLET THEATRE COMPANY And dEWEY hAll PRESEnT
THE LAST ROMANCE
October 18, 2014 – 7:00 dewey hall, 91 Main St. (Route 7) Sheffield, MA $25.00
doors open at 7:00 for complimentary wine and refreshments; a discussion follows the performance. $25.00Cash or check
For reservations call 860-435-6928 or go to aglettheatre@comcast.net
Simply Sasha by Sasha Seymour
Butternut Squash Explosion!
Butternut squash is one of the vegetables that define the season. Who thinks of Autumn and doesn't think of butternut squash? Nobody! I found this recipe online, and I tweaked it a little bit. The awesome thing about dishes like this one is the tweak-ability! You don't like olive tapenade? Use guacamole instead! Craving some garlic? Throw it in the pan with the squash and onions! You could also throw on some spicy shrimp for a kick. This recipe is super easy and super good. Enjoy! 1 tbsp oil of choice (I use coconut) 1 cup diced onion 1 tsp chipotle powder or chili powder 2 cups diced butternut squash 1/2 cup vegetable broth corn tortillas crumbled queso fresco, feta or goat cheese (whichever you prefer) pickled jalapenos 1 diced avocado Black olive tapenade
1. heat oil in a pan and add the onion and spice for a few minutes 2. Add squash and broth and cook for about 10 minutes, or until it is knife tender 3. Assemble tortillas by spreading the olive tapenade on each one and filling it with the squash mixture, and all the other ingredients 4. Sprinkle cheese on top and you're done!
Yay!