The Artful Mind January 2023

THE ARTFUL MIND

HIDEYO OKAMURA

Photography By Edward Acker

The Fine Art of Printing Fine Art.

Books by Roselle Kline Chartock

The Jewish World of Elvis Presley “Roselle Chartock’s book is a jewel - a deeply informed account of Elvis’ relationships with Judaism and the Jewish world.”

— Larry Geller, close friend of Elvis’ and one of the Jewish members of his “Memphis Mafia”

Windsor Mountain School

A Beloved Institution

“Windsor Mountain School holds important lessons for schools today… [including] the importance of honoring every student’s individuality.”

—Deval Patrick, Former Governor of Massachusetts

About the Author:

Roselle Kline Chartock is a Professor Emerita of Education and a full-time artist and writer.

Books available from Amazon.com and local bookstores.

Books also available from and signed by author. Contact at: 413 446-0859 or roselle.chartock@gmail.com

Ghetta Hirsch

Home Studio Visits by appointment: 413. 597. 1716

ghetta-hirsch.squarespace.com

Erika Larskaya

Holding Cell 2 Confinement 2

From the Confinement Series 36 x 24 inches

Charcoal, Acrylic Wash, Colored Pencil on Paper

Escape Route

"As an abstract artist, I search for ways to represent the invisible, subtle, and unexpressed. I am driven to lay out fleeting and intangible experiences on physical surfaces".

Erika Larskaya Studio at 79 Main St. Torrington, CT www.erikalarskaya.art

Sally Tiska Rice

BERKSHIRE ROLLING HILLS ART Clock Tower Studio 302, 3rd floor 75 South Church St, Pittsfield, MA

(413)-446-8469 sallytiskarice@verizon.net www.sallytiskarice.com

Deborah H Carter

Upcycled Sustainable Wearable Art

Instagram: @deborah_h_carter debhcarter@yahoo.com 413-441-3220

Clock Tower Artists. Studio 315. 3rd floor. 75 South Church Street Pittsfield, MA Ogden Gigli Photography Model: @shondaevette_ Represented by The WIT Gallery

RUBY AVER

STREET ZEN

Growing up on the South Side of Chicago in the 60s was a history rich and troubled time. As a youth, playing in the streets demanded grit.

Teaching Tai Chi for the last 30 years requires a Zen state of mind. My paintings come from this quiet place yet exhibit the rich grit of my youth. Movement, shape and color dominate.

Ruby Aver - rdaver2@gmail.com, 413-854-7007, Instagram: rdaver2

GHETTA HIRSCH

It is sometimes necessary to use large canvases to express the power of the Berkshires mountains around me. For “Nature Streaks”, the 36” x 48” size was even extended by the sides of the canvas. I painted a continuation of the landscape on the extra 1 1/4 inches thickness all around, this way as you move around the painting the view is not interrupted. This painting represents the west side of Williamstown Mount Greylock. You have a restful abstract realism interpretation of our winter snow!

This painting is exhibited right now in Manchester at the Southern Vermont Arts Center until the end of February. I was also honored to see my painting on their Winter cover brochure. I encourage you to visit this Arts Center, experience the beauty of Vermont, explore the Wilson Museum and exhibits, and even make it a shopping and dining day in this lovely city.

I will continue to paint in my studio this winter and you are welcome to visit and view my work.

Ghetta Hirsch - ghetta-hirsch.squarespace.com, ghettagh@gmail.com, Instagram: @ghettahirschpaintings or by appointment at 413-597-1716

ERIKA LARSKAYA

My work is fueled by experimentation, which has been essential to my development and growth as an artist; I explore shape, texture, and color with a variety of media. There is a synergy between creativity and chance that is authentic to my process. I may find inspiration from a rusted piece of metal or a collection of beach junk. I may work with coal from a fireplace, tissue paper, eggshells, needle and thread, or a heat gun to create interesting textures.

Quick drying acrylics and latex house paints allow for spontaneity while, stylistically, I include aspects of conceptualism, minimalism, and abstract expressionism. All these elements reflect impermanence, unconventional beauty, and the dynamic way in which opposites can complement each other.

And while the result might appear chaotic, what is represented on the canvas is the externalization of the process of my mind coming to a state of calm, transitioning from the “rigid” or “contrived” to an open state, free of expectations, plans, or regrets. It is from this open state that I strive to capture that fleeting, ephemeral moment before things take a familiar shape; before the brain begins to engage, qualify, and sort.

Erika Larskayahttps://www.erikalarskaya.art/

DIAGONAL FLYING ACRYLIC ON CANVAS,

40”X 30”

ELLEN KAIDEN

“I am drawn to watercolor as a medium because it is spontaneous and uncontrollable. The thought that you can capture motion and color in water adds to the medium’s excitement. My paintings are metaphors and are full of life and movement.”

I create watercolors that have an architectural but vitreous quality. Kathleen Bernhardt of Corporate Art Source, Chicago, and Kathleen Bernhardt Gallery, Sarasota, FL said that “I am to watercolor what Dale Chihuly is to glass blowing, that by taking a small object and giving it scale and attitude, create something uniquely my own.”

Every time I pick a subject to paint, I enjoy finding its form and ultimately its sensuality. I think I would call my style “Idealized Realism”. My paintings are life affirming and joyful and reflect my never-ending awe and interest in nature and the miracles that surround me every day.

My paintings are Metaphors, NOT JUST PRETTY FLOWERS. I recently have been painting in series, Lady Paints the Blues, Environment, The Secret Lives of Sunflowers and my Ukrainian series.

I work in a technique called “Wet on Wet”. Little by little, layer on layer I create a sense of depth and mystery, carefully directing the viewer’s eye to where I want it to go. I believe watercolor is an underrated and complex medium and it is my form of mediation, as I paint, I become a conduit for good karma.

I have Studios in Delray Beach, FL and in the Berkshires in MA. I am represented by the Wit Gallery, Lenox, MA.

Ellen Kaiden - www.Ellenkaiden.com, ellenkaiden@gmail.com, www.thewitgallery.com

NINA LIPKOWITZ

“The process of making art is mysterious. Whether painting on paper or canvas or mixing media or using the touch screen of an iPad, carving stone or working in clay, my art is always work of inspiration and improvisation. The first thing I have to do is get out of my own way. I sit quietly, pick up my materials, take a breath, let go and see where the moment takes me. I am always surprised and often amazed.”

Nina Lipkowitz was born and spent most of her adult life in New York City, where she earned a degree in art history and later studied almost everything offered at the Art Students League.

Fueled by her endless curiosity and deep belief in the power of spirit Nina has been a sculptor, a potter, a painter, an educator-guide at the American Museum of Natural History and a yoga teacher. Today, living in Great Barrington, MA, in the Berkshires, she has found the freedom to explore her many voices.

Nina and her husband, photographer and master printer John Lipkowitz are founding members of the artist-owned 510 Warren Street Gallery in Hudson, NY. She is a member of the Guild of Berkshire Artists, and a lifetime member of the Art Students League of New York. Her work has been exhibited in both group and onewoman shows throughout the United States and can be found in private collections in North America and Europe. Please contact the artist for information on purchasing and exhibiting her work.

Nina Lipkowitz - Ninalipkowitz.com, ninalipkowitz@gmail.com

JANE HUDSON

TORUS SERIES

“I have been thinking about the shape of the magnetosphere, whether as an individual being’s magnetic energy signature or the magnetic profile of the Earth itself. The shape of this dynamic is that of a torus, a geometric ‘donut’ of sorts. It is within this space where the orb acts as a surrogate and finds a slippery ground, the potential for rupture.

These pieces have come out of a pre-election anxiety as well as some personal transformations. I have also been exploring the demands of color relationships, what kind of energy they express, and an almost mannerist distortion of the geometric grid.”

This work will be exhibited at the Spring St. Market Café in Williamstown April-June.

Jane Hudson- http://janehudsonpaintings.com Email: Jane.video@gmail.com @antiquergirl on Instagram

ARTFULMIND@YAHOO

TOP: RIFT BELOW: RED STAR

LONNY JARRETT

My initial memory of awakening to the creative impulse was hearing the first chord of the Beatle’s, Hard Day’s Night when I was six years old. At that moment I knew something big was happening and I had to get on board! I began studying at the Guitar Workshop, the first guitar school in America. I’ve performed music most of my life and currently play jazz fusion with my band Redshift.

My interest in photography blossomed as an electron-microscopist publishing neuro- and molecular- biological research out of UMASS/Amherst and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx in my early 20s.

As a life-long meditator, martial artist, musician, and photographer everything I engage with comes from the same unified intention toward engendering the true, the good, and the beautiful. In my landscape and nature photography I endeavor to capture the light that seeps through everything.

Lonny JarrettCommunity: Nourishingdestiny.com Books: Spiritpathpress.com Art: Berkshirescenicphotography.com Teaching: Lonnyjarrett.com

CAROLYN NEWBERGER

Watercolor painting, mixed media, and a practice of drawing from life form the body of Carolyn Newberger’s work, with an emphasis on human connections and experience.

Whether working in the performance hall, the studio, or a café table, Carolyn captures personal character and the spark, rhythm and flow of our human endeavors.

An avid and award-winning artist in her youth, Carolyn returned to art after an academic career in psychology at Harvard Medical School. Her work has received many awards, including from the Danforth Museum of Art, the Cambridge Art Association, Watercolor Magazine, and the New England Watercolor Society, of which she is a signature member.

Many of Carolyn’s performance drawings and plein air paintings accompany reviews and essays she writes, often in collaboration with her husband, Eli, for “The Berkshire Edge,” a publication of news, arts and ideas in Western Massachusetts.

Carolyn Newberger -617-877-5672, www.carolynnewberger.com cnewberger@me.com

nyuk-nyuk

MARY ANN YARMOSKY

From the moment we are born we long for a way to be heard. For some words suffice, for others there needs to be a deeper form of expression.

That is how artists are born. Where one might send their message through an instrument in the form of music, another might write poetry or prose. Still others speak in something more tangible through painting, photography, pottery, or sculpting. Words only bring us so far…art is the language of longing…a longing that is never fulfilled.

I have always found expression through art. At the age of five I began speaking through the piano that sat waiting expectantly in our den, an instrument that brought me peace throughout the years. Later I took to creating through fashion design, dreaming up and constructing costumes for the Boston Opera Company and outfits for the fashionable elite of Newport, Rhode Island. From there my path took many twists and turns as I lived a life as a wife, mother, caretaker and pursuant of a professional career.

It was when my youngest son passed away unexpectedly several years ago that my longing to be heard returned with a vengeance. Words did not suffice. There are no words to express that kind of grief and longing for what is lost. On that journey of anguish, I met other women who had or were experiencing their own kind of pain. I marveled at their resilience and ability to go on despite different kinds of loss or simply dealing with the uphill complexities of life’s challenges. Through paint and a bit of canvas I began to recover my voice, but it’s not just my voice. The women I create in paint are a composite of the many amazing women I have met and continue to meet. I paint their humor, their joy and their hidden heartbreak and longing. These women do not exist except on canvas and their stories are yours to imagine. Hear them.

Mary Ann Yarmoskymaryannyarmoskyart.com

DANCING WITH THE ANCESTORS

PLAYING THE VIOLIN ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, 12”X12”

“The emotions are sometimes so strong that I work without knowing it. The strokes come like speech.”

— Van Gogh

JOHN LIPKOWITZ

It was nearly twenty-five years ago, in the summer of 1998, that my wife Nina and I were first introduced to travel in the Polar regions and, for both of us, the magic began. Only a year and a half before, on a trip to East Africa, practically on the Equator where daylight and darkness balanced equally year around, had my serious interest in nature and wildlife photography really begun. Now we were on a trip to the North Pole by icebreaker, where during summer daylight never ceased, and mind and body had to adapt to vastly different circumstances.

Since that trip I have been to various parts of the Arctic nearly a dozen times (Nina several less) and we have been to Antarctica and various subAntarctic islands on the South American and Australian-New Zealand sides. I am, clearly, an addict. The combination of ice, perpetual daylight (in their respective summers) and wildlife (most especially for me, the polar bears), is at once both magical and compelling. My cameras have changed, I am health-challenged, but my curiosity remains intact and my addiction refuses to abate.

The covid period was a near photographic desert as my photography and travel have become seamlessly interlocked. One without the other a near impossibility for me, I struggled to find compelling subjects and dreamt often of future travel even as one trip after another was cancelled or deferred.

Finally as 2021 waned, Lindblad Expeditions, with a covid protocol in place, announced a resumption of their program. An Antarctic trip we had first booked in 2019 for travel in December of 2020 was finally going to go in February 2022. A trip I had booked for myself to Svalbard in Arctic Norway where I had already been six times, and was originally scheduled as the maiden voyage of a new polar class ship for April 2020 was finally to go in May 2022. As we were finishing our February Antarctica trip Russia invaded Ukraine and Lindblad had to rapidly revise its scheduled itineraries to avoid Russia and its proximity. One of those changes involved scheduling two very early season trips to Svalbard in late April with the expectation of polar bears on sea ice before the ever earlier summer melt. Nina, who was not coming on my already booked Svalbard trip six weeks later, offered to come if I booked both early trips - how could I refuse. This image is my favorite from that Svalbard trip.

John Lipkowitz - Jlipkowitz1@aol.com

ILENE RICHARD

Ilene Richard is an amazing artist who has been living in the Berkshires for the past 5 years. The artist has exhibited her work in various galleries from Florida to Vermont and is a member of Rockport Artist Association and the National Association of women artists.

Recently, she has decided to move her studio to the Clock Tower in Pittsfield, MA. This new studio will offer her more space and better lighting, which will allow her to create even more beautiful artwork. Ilene is looking forward to having a place where she can work undisturbed and share her art with others. She is also excited about being part of the Clock Tower community and getting to know the other artists who are working there. If you’re in the area, be sure to stop by and check out her studio.

Ilene Richard - 978-621-4986 www.ilenerichard.com, ilene.richard@gmail.com,

BRUCE PANOCK

The core of my work is landscape. But it is only the beginning. I use the landscape to help me share how I see what is around me. My work incorporates my dreams, how I see the social conflict that is part of our lives today, how I see what we are doing to our earth.

Though due to my health I am relegated to the digital darkroom, I refer to the photographers and methods used in the past, whether film photography, wet plate methods, or such other methods as were used. Among the photographers who have inspired me are Anne Brigman, John Gossage, Jerry Uelsmann, Dorothea Lange, and Sally Mann. I also refer heavily to Japanese Brush Painting, and the Abstract Expressionists.

Bruce Panock - 917-287-8589 www.panockphotography.com bruce@panockphotography.com

CONTRASTING IDEAS, PHOTOGRAPH

HIDEYO OKAMURA VISUAL ARTIST

“I feel my esthetics, being informed through living in two different cultures, is best expressed in abstraction. For me abstraction is liberating. It crosses all cultural barriers and is exhilarating in its freedom of interpretation no matter where you are from or what your life experience might be.” Hideyo’s drawings and paintings are abstract and executed with basic materials and simple marks. His photography and video work consist of images from visual experiences that he encounters in day-to-day living. Hideyo was born and raised in Japan and has lived his adult life in the United States.

Harryet Candee: When visual artists first start out, they often begin by interpreting art in a representational way. Was that true for you?

Hideyo Okamura: I didn’t start my work in any representational way. My work has always been non-representational from the beginning. Without having a recognizable representation something new, never before seen or experienced can be created, much the way music, no matter what its style, is organized sound. My visual experience with my surroundings is core to my art but I’m not interested in literal representation of it.

What mediums have you found to be most challenging and enjoyable to work with?

HO: I primarily paint in oil. I have always appreciated its transparency, flexibility, richness and unintended surprises that, in the right circumstances, lead to new methods and skills. I also draw using pens utilizing the same methods as

painting though it is an entirely different medium.

Would you say your visual sensibilities became stronger with age and experience? Were there any particular images you were drawn to that you remember early on that you now need to paint, draw or photograph?

HO: Since childhood, I have always been a very visual person. I don’t think my visual sensibilities become stronger as I age but rather my awareness of it and recognition of it is important for me to create. I do have an affinity for anything Japanese be it landscape, architecture, or just simple items you see in everyday life stemming from my childhood in Japan.

Working with a simpler plan can be more difficult than working out a complex plan on the canvas, do you think?

HO: Yes and no. I generally have little or no plan

when I start. When there is a plan, there is always a glitch you don’t expect to happen while you are making art, which propels you to do something that leads to something else new and positive. The way I work is similar to Jazz improvisation, though I’m not a musician, it is a call and response with what I put on canvas and what the material I’m using does on its own.

When did you first begin to realize you wanted to work as a full-time artist? Tell us about your artistic career?

HO: I went to art school, The School of Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts in Boston, and realized when I was there this is what I wanted to do with my life. I was fortunate to have support from the faculty and had received some early recognition. As a “day job” so to speak I was Manager of Exhibition Design and Planning/Chief Preparator at Williams College Museum of Art for 21 years.

Interview by Harryet Candee Photography of Artist by Edward Acker

This was more than a typical day job as I had the fortune of meeting a multitude of diverse artists and art professionals that I am friends with to this day.

What do you remember that was taught to you while formally studying art that you now apply to your principles and working ethics as an artist?

HO: To understand and be a visual artist you do need to see a lot of artwork, good and bad. Visual art requires visual literacy. Further, I think one of the biggest lessons is the honesty of one’s work. The goal should be to make the best artwork you can and not pander to a market or a fashion.

You were born in Japan and lived there until you were an adult. Was there a serious cultural shock for you? How did you react to the change from one country to another?

HO: There wasn’t any serious culture shock though I am aware of cultural differences. To this day I miss certain aspects of Japanese culture, but the same can be said of missing facets of my life in the US when I return to Japan. The best strategy for dealing with these issues is to rec-

11x11 11, Ink on paper, 17”x14”

Material World, Bernay Fine Art

ognize it and try understanding the difference and keep going. Basically, human beings are the same worldwide.

Where have you lived up to your move to North Adams in the Berkshires? Tell us about the changes you encountered along the way.

HO: I’ve lived in Oregon, Boston, Chicago, and the Berkshires. I Visit New York City as often as I can. One of the most enriching experiences was in Chicago. I lived in a neighborhood that was predominately Mexican and Mexican American. At the time I was co-founder of a small kind of co-operative gallery. I had the opportunity to meet several Mexican artists, some who were incredible muralists and printmakers. I had the opportunity to travel to Mexico, exhibit my work and invite artists back to Chicago to exhibit their work in this small gallery. I loved living all these different places. From big cities to rural areas, the changes in culture and scenery have enriched and nurtured my artwork.

Where have you lived that gave you the best of everything? Tell us with some details!

HO: Each place I lived gave me the best of everything. I have lived in North Adams, MA for several years and love it. The natural surroundings are incredibly beautiful, I have astoundingly great neighbors, I live less than a mile from MASS MoCA, and there is an ever-expanding art community. The city is also home to a number of public art pieces ranging from Martin Puryear’s Big Bling to several murals throughout the city that were commissioned a few years ago by MCLA as part of Downstreet Art.

What was the focus of your work that was in the recent group exhibit at Bernay Fine Art, in Great Barrington?

HO: The exhibition was called Material World My works are ink on paper drawings. I have been drawing using very fine point pens. Whether paint or ink I like the physical quality of materials. Basically, I like lines drawn with these fine point pens. I’m always fascinated by the lines you see in etching where be it a Rembrandt or Dürer the image consists of these fine lines only!

Continued on next page...

Whisper, 2014, Oil on canvas, 53"x51"

Fringe 034, digital drawing

Naturally, Oil on canvas, 80"x76"

“PATH NARROWS”, “END DETOUR”, and “Ride With It” interests me. There are three paintings of this particular nature. How did you choose the color palette for each painting?

HO: I usually start with a random selection of colors then I mix them with another to get a color that seems to fit to what I already have on the canvas. It’s my way of working where I stay away from having to have control over what I paint. I like to let things happen without having to dictate what happens on canvas.

What is the significance of Road Sign titles?

HO: Some of my paintings are titled with phrase taken from road signs. When these signs are taken out of context, they take on different meanings depending on what life situations one is faced with. It has no literal connection to my painting but I like how it adds a meaning the viewer associates with their own experience and the images they are viewing.

I see you bring together in your paintings, as in

“Whisper”, (oil on canvas, 53”x 51”), and “NOT EXIT”, (oil on panel, 12”x 12”), two elements of nature and one of architecturally rendered shapes and lines. What is the thinking process that leads you to bring these elements together, yet keep them apart?

HO: I work in an improvisational manner, brush strokes, taped lines, geometric shapes, drips, scraping, and thick application of paint, are components that I use to create each piece. Frequently there is a pressure to develop a similar body of work so that your art can be branded. To me that is the antipathy of becoming an artist. Each time I become interested in a new direction it enhances my understanding and leads to the next artwork.

“Naturally”, (oil on canvas, 80”x 76”), in my eyes, is a fun and chaotic painting. Tell us about this painting, please.

HO: I don’t see this painting as chaotic as such, but I have always loved painting on a large scale. My studio is in the attic of my house, and though it is a large space I cannot get a large work out of

the studio due to the narrow doors. Often, to create on a large scale I revert to triptychs and diptychs. I did have this blank canvas I stretched in Chicago where my wife and I lived before we moved to North Adams, and one day I just wanted to paint large, so I painted this in the barn one summer. I was working on paintings at the time and decided to use just brush, and have brush strokes only, rather than using tape to make lines and shapes.

Take us to your studio, and show us what you are working on, please. Are you excited about this work? How so, and why?

HO: I am always excited about the new piece I am working on. I always want this new work to be the best I have done. I don’t really think too clinically or analyze what I am doing too much. I do experiment not only with mediums, but with supports this includes working not only on canvas, but metal and wood. It’s very exciting to me to see and feel the differences.

Ride With It, Oil on canvas, 36”x 34

PATH NARROWS, Oil on canvas, 36”x 34

END DETOUR, Oil on canvas, 36”x 34”

Have you ever yet experienced an epiphany that truly moved you?

HO: Nothing in particular that I would call an epiphany or a one moment of enlightenment. For me those moments of critical understanding reveal themselves incrementally through day to day studio practice.

Can you tell us about the project, EL Lissitzky: Futurist Portfolios, please. “The space must be a kind of showcase, a stage, on which the pictures make their appearances as actors in a drama (or comedy).” How do you relate to this statement?

HO: El Lissitzky (1890-1941) was a Russian artist who greatly influenced the Bauhaus and constructivist movements and help develop suprematism with Kazimir Malevich. There was an exhibition of two print portfolios by him, Victory Over the Sun and Proun at Williams College Museum of Art in 2003 where I was asked to design the exhibit along the lines of Lissitzky’s artistic vision where his art practice included designing exhibitions. He also made art work that would be

called “installation art” today where the whole piece included not only gallery walls but the ceiling and floor. What I did was to paint the entire gallery walls with images, some taken from the prints and some with my interpretation of his other work.

The two portfolios were then installed over my response. Then The Phillips Collection in Washington D.C. made it into a traveling exhibition. After

The Phillips Collection it traveled to The Frail Museum of Art at the University of Virginia, Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas, and Timken Museum of Art in San Diego, CA. On each venue I painted the entire gallery differently according to the specifics of the size and architectural details. It was an eye opening experience for me to deal with not only large spaces but also with someone else’s art work installed in the space.

This experience gave me a more open point of view when creating my work. You can see some of installation images on my website: www.hideyookamura.com

Are you working alone, or do you have a partner that is equally involved in art?

HO: Yes, I work alone. My wife, Sara Farrell Okamura is an artist, but we don’t work together and our work is quite different.

In what way do you think your work in photography and video are different from painting and drawing?

HO: My photographs are more of recordings of what I see and find visually interesting. Same with videos I make. I have a few videos I made of trees being blown in wind which I always liked watching, so I decided to film it.

What is a typical day in your life all about?

HO: Many times, people assume artists just create artwork and that is it. To be a working artist requires quite a bit of work beyond the studio. Often it requires writing grants, proposals, and submissions, website development and social media. In addition, it is critical to me to see other artists work, visit galleries, museums and studios, and

All Ears, Oil on panel, 24” x 24", The Hyde Show

Night Road, 031616/06, digital photograph

EL Lissitzky: Futurist Portfolios

NOT EXIT, Oil on panel, 12” x 12”

have a community to discuss work critically. I try to maintain a studio practice where I can be in the studio 3 - 4 days a week and the rest of the week is left to the administration of tasks mentioned above. Besides art related tasks, I usually can be seen walking a large dog at least twice a day.

Tell us about the Annual 2019 Juried Exhibition at The Hyde? (“All Ears” oil on panel, 24”x 24”)

HO: I was in The Artists of the Mohawk-Hudson Region exhibition at The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, NY. It is an annual juried exhibition and one of the longest standing juried exhibitions in the country, with a history of over 80 years. Artists living and creating within a 100-mile radius of the Capital Region are invited each year to submit their artwork to the hosting museum. Victoria Palermo was a juror for that year.

Free time means what to you?

HO: I actually I have very little free time, but since being a working artist is not quite the same as going to an office or a day job I don’t really

look for a reprieve from what I do on a daily basis. I often go to New York and relish the opportunity to visit museums and galleries there, plus I just love cities and the change of scenery.

Can you define what art is?

HO: I don’t think art can be defined in simple sentences. Anything can be art but not everything is art.

Can you describe how you live life?

HO: I am a pretty pragmatic person. As humans we have little control over certain events both personal or on a broader scale, the universe. I think to sound a bit trite I want to live an ethical life and as the future, good or bad evolves, to address it one event at a time.

Giving to others through your art is a beautiful act of human-kindness. What do you wish viewers to understand and experience when they look upon your work?

HO: I am a strong believer that looking at art is

not a passive activity, but a vibrant intellectual, emotional, and communicative experience. When my work is exhibited I have no desire to dictate to the viewer what they should think or how they should relate to my work. They bring their own histories and experiences. I am always ecstatic when people have a strong response to my work, and sometimes I am shocked at their interpretation, but it is theirs and if they see it in my work, I couldn’t be happier. If my work gives someone a kind of peace, empathy and understanding I am happy.

Thank you, Hideyo!

www.hideyookamura.com

SHARON GUY

LUMINOUS LANDSCAPES

I am inspired by scenic areas that have beautiful light, especially early in the morning and later in the evening before dark. Once I find a place that inspires me, I visit often, and make small plein air studies, sketches and reference photos. Some of my outdoor paintings are finished works, and some will be used as studies for my studio paintings. My technique involves using a personal, expressive style, with vibrant colors and some abstraction. I look for big shapes and patterns in nature and I try not to cover them up with too many small details.

My nature art helps me feel more balanced and less stressed. There is something very healing about going out into the woods or walking barefoot on the beach. The paintings that come out of these experiences give my collectors a sense of serenity and help them remember their favorite outdoor places. I like to use my art to bring the beaches, mountains, and forests into people’s homes and offices.

Sharon Guy - www.sharonguyart.com, sharonguyart@gmail.com, 941-321-1218.

NANCI SHELHAMER

RAGS FROM BRITCHES

Nancie Shelhamer, a traditional quilter for many years and multiple, “Best of Show” award winner, found something in the fabric and technique she was using, that needed new life and excitement!!

The vintage fabric she now finds in various denim, WW2 Naval uniforms, African wax prints, batiks, pillow ticking, mid-century drapes..… the list is endless.

She uses these fabrics like paints to embellish, create and design, her improvisational quilts, jackets, pillows and throws. It’s always fun, when she’s commissioned to “Jazz up” a customer’s well-loved denim jacket.

Rags from Britches jackets are popping up all over the U.S.A, also worn by Heather Thomson on The Real House-Wives of New York, and now seen in Paris!

Nancie works out of her charming, “fairy tale cottage” studio in Lenox, Massachusetts.

NancieShelhamerragsfrombritches@gmail.com, Instagram @ragsfrombritches

MARGUERITE BRIDE BERKSHIRES IN WATERCOLOR

Painters who live in the Berkshires are really very lucky. There is always something inspiring to paint just by looking around outside. The inspiration never stops, no matter the season. I have painted nearly 200 paintings of the Berkshires and nearby region …. the iconic spots we all know and love, bucolic hillsides and landscapes, funky downtowns with their unique buildings, marketplaces, rivers, lakes….if it doesn’t move I have probably painted it. If you are interested in seeing these paintings, please visit the “Berkshires” gallery on my website. Many originals are still available and fine art reproductions can always be ordered. And sometime in the near future, my Berkshire paintings will be on display at 51 Park Tavern in Lee….stay tuned for more details on that.

Do you have special occasions in your future? Anniversary? Wedding? Graduation? Retirement? Selling a home and downsizing? A custom watercolor painting of a wedding venue, a home or other special location is a treasured gift.

Any time is a great time to commission a house portrait or favorite scene you would like captured in a watercolor. Paintings (or even a personalized gift certificate, then I work directly with the recipient) make a cherished and personal gift for weddings, retirement, new home, old home, anniversaries…..any occasion is special. Commission work is always welcome.

Marguerite Bride - Home Studio at 46 Glory Drive, Pittsfield, Massachusetts by appointment only. Call 413-841-1659 or 413-442-7718; margebride-paintings.com; margebride@aol.com; Facebook: Marguerite Bride Watercolors

LEY LINES, KING SIZE QUILT 101” X 122”

SALLY TISKA RICE

Sally Tiska Rice was born and raised in the beautiful Berkshires. She is the youngest of four children. Sally lives in a rural town with her husband, and pets, where she is inspired by her surroundings.

As a young girl she would sit with her father as he designed and drew many blueprints. This was the start of her love for art in all its forms. While painting and drawing she feels spiritually gratified and relaxed. She is a spine injury survivor that finds her creative nature healing.

Sally focuses on blending and layering to achieve depth and dimension. She also experiments with light and color to create a piece that will be enjoyed. Sally employs many different techniques into her paintings, using acrylic, watercolors, oil paints, pastels, as well as mixed media.

Her love to travel has given Sally opportunities to further her understanding of art in all its forms. She has been able to visit many areas in the Northeast, ranging from the majestic mountains to the scenic shores. Sally has enjoyed art abroad while in Italy, Greece, Spain and the Caribbean as well. These experiences have encouraged her knowledge and appreciation of the history of art throughout the world.

Sally uses spontaneity to compose artwork. She also creates many beautiful commission art pieces for customers internationally. Her commission pieces are usually created from one or more images that the customer has chosen to blend together to form a one of a kind piece of art. Sally also has many customers that have purchased fine art prints.

Call to set up a studio appointment at the Clock Tower Business Center, 75 South Church Street, 3rd floor, studio 302, Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Sally Tiska Rice - 413-446-8469 http://www.sallytiskarice.com, http://sallytiskarice.com/STR/The_Artist.html, https://www.facebook.com/sally.t.rice, https://mobile.twitter.com/RiceTiska, https://www.linkedin.com/in/sally-tiska-rice-cpo5230777a/, https://www.instagram.com/sallytiskarice/ https://pixels.com/profiles/sally-rice

DEBORAH CARTER

MULTI-MEDIA ARTIST

Deborah H. Carter is a multi-media artist from Lenox, MA who creates upcycled sustainable wearable art. Her couture pieces are constructed from post-consumer waste such as food packaging, wine corks, cardboard, books, wire, plastic and other discarded items and thrifted wares. She manipulates the color, shape and texture of her materials in a way that compels us to question our assumptions of beauty and worth, and ultimately reconsider our habits and attitudes about waste and consumerism.

A sewing enthusiast since the age of 8, Deborah first learned her craft by creating clothing with her mother and grandmothers. Her passion took hold as she began to design and sew apparel and accessories. After graduating with a degree in fashion design from Parsons School of Design in New York City, she worked as a women’s sportswear designer on Seventh Avenue.

Deborah’s art has been exhibited in galleries and art spaces around the US and she was one of 30 designers selected to showcase her work at the FS2020 Fashion Show that takes place annually at the University of Saint Andrews, Scotland.

Deborah Carter - Instagram: @deborah_h_carter debhcarter@yahoo.com, 413-441-3220 Clock Tower Artists. Studio 315. 3rd floor. 75 South Church Street Pittsfield, MA Ogden Gigli Photography Model: @brookmonzter Represented by The WIT Gallery

CHRISTIAN ECKART

TEXAS 2022

For almost 40 years I’ve been producing hybrid painting/sculpture objects either mechanically or, more recently, digitally. My goal has been to articulate a hyper-object relative to the arthistorical notion of The Sublime. Through the deployment of multiple series, I’ve attempted to approach and illuminate the contours of the ineffable while re-framing Western artistic praxis in general as proceeding from a Judeo-Christian heritage predicated upon the manufacture of sacred and ritual artifacts.

As much as possible I’ve attempted to prioritize the “presentational” over the “representational” to objectify and enhance the present and presence. It’s my belief that “art” is the product of an interaction between a viewer and some kind of construct, most often in a specified and/or rarefied context, that demands deeper than normal engagement and attention.

My practice is conceptual insofar as it is located at a point where “painting” intersects with the concept “art” although it’s based, ultimately, upon generating objects/experiences that project properties such as beauty, pleasure, grace, reverie, rigor, and solemnity.

Christian Eckart, www.christianeckart.com 713-373-1240, eckart.christian@gmail.com Instagram:@christian_eckart

BUCKETS OF SAP WATERCOLOR, 8” X 10”

LIMBUS DETAIL PAINTING #1, 2018. 28” X 27.5” X 2.5”.

PEARLESCENT ACRYLIC URETHANE WITH MATTE CLEAR COAT ON ALUMINUM PANEL AND UNIQUE ALUMINUM EXTRUSION OGDEN GIGLI PHOTOGRAPHY MODEL: @BROOKMONZTER

“There are no rules. That is how art is born, how breakthroughs happen. Go against the rules or ignore the rules. That is what invention is about.”

– Helen Frankenthaler

COLLEEN SURPRISE JONES

ARTIST IN PARIS

Interview by Harryet Candee Photographs Courtesy of the Artist

“I first came to Paris in 2017, just after my 40th birthday. It was for a four-day trip. I was terrified to be travelling to a foreign country alone, not knowing the language. Also, I had only been abroad twice before, to London and some parts of Ireland. What got me here was nothing short of tenacity, believing I could experience Paris, too. It wasn’t just for “other people”, whatever that even means in my own thoughts. Before my first trip to Paris, I decided to break things down in steps and gave myself permission to turn around at any point: If I can get in the car, I’ll at least make it to the airport. If I can get on the plane, I’ll at least touch the soil. If I get to the hotel, I can decide if I want to stay in or get out into the city, etc. Walking myself through it that way opened the door for many more experiences, such as coming to study at the Paris College of Art in 2021 for my MFA in Drawing.”

Harryet Candee: Colleen, how exciting it must be to be studying art in Paris. How is it going for you?

Colleen Surprise Jones: At this point, I can say that it is going very well. There have been highs and lows, as I suppose anything has. Being in school has been a challenge since I was in middle school when I started to have disruptive OCD symptoms which kept me stuck in worry instead of doing anything productive. For the first time, I decided to discuss it with the school in order to get accommodations and see if that would make a difference in my successful completion of the courses. I believe I have benefitted from that openness and am now about to begin my last semester in January. This will be quite an accomplishment considering that it took me almost 25

years to get my 4-year undergraduate degree due to that OCD struggle and the general static structure of schools’ expectations.

Why did you choose to go to art school in Paris?

CSJ: For years I had thought that I wanted to go to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I had applied directly after I finished my Bachelors in December of 2018 at Charter Oak, walking in the Spring ceremony in 2019. I got into SAIC’s Painting and Drawing program, but only with a $600 scholarship. So, I reapplied in the hopes for a scholarship that would make a dent in their price tag. This time though…I did not get into that program, and my only option for SAIC would be their Low-Residency program, meaning I would not need to move to Chicago to attend. Things

were changing at home, and my living situation was no longer viable. So, I really needed a school where I could plant myself in a new living environment. I needed a new home and at the same time, a new school. Prior to applying to SAIC, another table had caught my eye at the College Fair at MassArt where I went to meet with SAIC faculty for a portfolio review. It was the Paris College of Art. They did not even offer a painting program, only drawing. Something was different about it though because it was contemporary drawing. My work has always been deeply rooted in abstract drawing, and I kept PCA in the back of my mind as something to think about. Low and behold, here I am.

Tell us what you see when you look out your

Preparing for Danse de Bousculade opening, creating dance traces. Photo still I took from video courtesy of Verena Thompson, PCA employee, 2022

apartment window in Montmartre?

CSJ: Pure magic. I’m very much in a neighborhood. I’m right next to the Sacré Coeur, which I can see the peak of. I’m one level below the top of the steep, steep mountain that Montmartre is on, and my main view is looking up. There is a patch of grass and trees across the way between two homes for myself and my cat to look at, sometimes spotting another cat of Montmartre. It has a set of winding stairs going through it to the very top of the mountain, landing near the Place Du Tertre. There is a black iron streetlamp attached to my window, and at night it lights up my sitting room. I’m very, very fortunate. The other way, out my kitchenette, at night I can see the turning light from the top of the Eiffel Tower. With my view, one doesn’t need to use their imagination to override reality.

CSJ: I frequent the Palais Garnier. I’ll go into their shop, take advantage of their last minute, obstructed view tickets for about 25 euro or occa-

sionally plan a special night out with an orchestra seat. There is a large Chagall painted medallion around the chandelier and being in the deep red velvet box (which happens with the last-minute tickets) is a pleasure in and of itself. Viewing the audience as well as the performance there this way makes me understand Mary Cassatt’s perspective quite well now (referring to her painting A Woman in Black at the Opera). This landmark theater is about a 20-minute walk from my school and is the main theater of the Paris Opera Ballet. So, it was a dream to go there once in 2017. Now, I try to go a couple of times a semester for a performance. Currently, I’m using the architecture for one of my classes, so you can find me on the front steps crocheting golden wire to fuchsia tulle for some in situ work. I can also be a flâneur in Montmartre at bistros La Bohème, L’Artiste, or La Maison Rose relaxing after long days at the Paris College of Art. I’ve had my violin worked on by a luthier on Rue de Rome, a mesmerizing luthier covered street. My class has also taken us to Berlin, which further made me realize how easy travel is here and now I’m making my list of

places I want to see. I did go to Aix-en-Provence to see Bob Dylan’s iron sculpture Rail Car at Château la Coste before school started this semester, which was an awe-inspiring trip.

Can you tell us about the structure of the programming and in what ways they are set up to meet your specific needs as an American student with an already established background in art?

CSJ: The MFA in Drawing program is very workshop oriented. It offers a taste of many contemporary approaches to making art that, perhaps, I might not have investigated on my own. So, that’s interesting because I noticed most MFA programs promote fierce independence toward the goal of the degree, and do not offer classes as such. Normally, I’d say the latter is the route I would want. However, I had not been exposed to some of these techniques, like coding or bookmaking. My answer really addresses the structure of the programming portion of your question. I can’t really say anything is geared toward me as an American student so much as we the student body as interContinued on next page...

Do you have any favorite things you like to do in Paris that you cannot do in the states?

Black and red ink on Washi paper, an exercise in restraint, 2021

Palais Garnier, Paris

national students, who are among everyone else. I may even be in the minority as an American, though it is an American degree granting school. I think perhaps we are exposed to a more diverse roster of artists because the teachers are international as well. My already established background in art is acknowledged by getting into the MFA program, but it’s not a place to rest. I’m expected to experiment with things I would not normally do. For me, the goal in this is to add on to what I already do, not take away.

What classes have you taken that were exceptionally great, and why?

CSJ: I have always been a fan of electives. I think that is one way students can tweak their program to suit themselves. Due to this love, I received two Associate degrees from Berkshire Community College. I was going for the A.A. in Fine Art but found myself also with an A.A. in Liberal Arts. At Paris College of Art, I deeply enjoyed Performance as an elective because it got me back into my body (I have a dance background) which I then started using in my work, as I now make art with my feet as well. Creative Writing has been hands down an exceptional class. It was a poetry class at BCC that got me back into school, and now I am in this course in Paris with a teacher who has supported the publishing of my poetry. My textiles course has gotten me further into sculpture and lace, but also using fabric or metallic threads to draw with. I have also been able to learn silk-screening and intaglio techniques in printmaking. I submitted the intaglio prints to the Pinacothèque Luxembourg Art Prize 2022 and, though not receiving the prize, I did receive a certificate of merit and recognition. We also benefit from field trips in all our classes. We went to Chateau de Chantilly this semester to see an extraordinary Albrecht Dürer exhibition.

I am looking at your website, and need to tell you how much I love your art. There is one I would like to know more about. Sow, acrylic paint on canvas, 36”x 24”, 2018.

Sow was steered toward a certain juried exhibit that was held at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts called Showing Up, and is one of three in a series. The other two are Reap and Hunting for Utopia. The show had to do with community, and this made me think of community gardens, spirituality and aerial views expanding our line of vision.

I consider myself to be a “pure” abstractionist quite often so discussing narrative or creating it when working on abstractions is a strange place for me. I just observe it though. Let’s see what happens next.

How might this painting differ from that of which you are creating in school now?

CSJ: I think Sow would be categorized as a painting, though drawing is inevitable in a painting whether it’s with graphite or the paint itself, and the school really does have a conceptual bent, so often anything can be a drawing. Sow is colorful and juicy and has some apparent symbolism of

Printmaking en pointe

Made utilizing the bourrée movement in ballet over inked acetate on top of silk paper. 2022

Bittersweet Lavender Bouquet, acrylic paint on canvas, 2022

Colleen Surprise Jones | Artist in Paris

vegetation. I have painted flowers here while teaching at the École du Breuil which has beautiful student run gardens as an agricultural high school. But, I am definitely not painting vegetable type vegetation right now, nor using these juicier colors currently. There is a similarity though in the ethereal nature of the shapes.

In My Work Has Gotten Stronger, this could be a bit closer to what I’m doing now, but really I am not using paint or ink to completely saturate the canvas. Also, I am not using canvas at all currently. Also, these pieces were made using my hands to apply the pigment. Currently, my drawings are made with my feet, a tool, or another medium such as wire or fabric or even the computer.

What are some of your goals as an artist that you feel the need to soul search at this point in your life?

CSJ: I think life itself is such a huge question mark. I absolutely want to keep looking around. I need to stay actively opening up my experiences to more worldly views. I see where experiencing new lands, cultures and personalities can help do this. Being ready to say “yes” is a valuable lesson. I want to feel as prepared as I can be for opportunities that either I create or that come to me because I create.

Have you gained new insight into establishing goals and principles in your art making agenda?

CSJ: Certainly. I’ve learned that it can only be interesting to see the result of something I’ve tried. If I don’t try it, I may never know. I’m sure I have more confidence in experimenting and would consider that something to take with me, absolutely. Also, I had ideas in my head that I kept speaking about, slowly I see them unfolding into things I’m actually doing. I think low self-esteem has held me up along some of these lines in the sense that I have felt almost contained into the wall as a 2-dimensional artist not allowing for 3dimensional work where I may be present and active. So, when someone says, “Where’s that thing you wanted to try, haven’t you done it yet? Show me.” Well, I’m in the place to whip it up and dish it out.

In what ways have you seen your art making evolve so far since your studies began at the Paris College of Art?

CSJ: Aside from what else I had mentioned, I have embraced new gestures in my lines. For someone like me who has taken these lines very, very seriously for decades, this is an extraordinarily important development for me. I’m also using a lot of brush and ink which creates a calligraphy effect and evokes a sense of language. I had thought perhaps my goal at the school would be simply to make my work bigger, but I’m going in every direction, not just expanding the edges of a static structure. I am also respecting materials I may have considered garbage, such as cardboard. I’m finding these utilitarian items really speak to the necessity, impulsivity, and grit that I feel goes into my work.

Continued on next page...

Träume Noir Intaglio print, 2021. Graphic notation of classical music

Sow, acrylic paint on canvas, 2018. One of a series of three

In your most recent art opening at the school you did a project called, Danse de Bousculade. Can you go into some detail as to what this is all about for you, and what you have already learned from this body of work that you can apply to your artistic repertoire?

CSJ: Yes, I am combining my abstract, gestural drawing with a form of narrative, the danced-on floor. Through using my feet, I created multiple dance “floors” that are exhibited either on the ground or displaced on the wall as a 2 D piece of art. This has expanded into creating “almost” tutus. Tutus that cannot really be worn but may be tempting to touch or stand in. Looking at William Forsythe’s Choreographic Objects I decided to create “things”, objects. Ultimately, they’re sculpture and a continuation of making my 2-dimensional work 3-dimensional. Taking the line from the page has been one of my goals, and now I’m making it active as well. Some of my pieces now can be “activated” – touched, moved, manipulated. I of course take my sense of mental health and spirituality into my work, but that is not necessarily how I would discuss it. It is present with me and the art, influencing us, conversing with us always.

You are the creator of movement and art. Tell us about your work involving holding a paint stick behind your back?

CSJ: This piece began as a type of drawing restraint while also utilizing dance and a new way to work for me. I value aesthetics in art and I was playing with that. So, I didn’t want to see the piece

as I was making it, which made the way I made it more important. I wanted to stand while making it, and had to create an instrument to use. I put a paintbrush in the end of a tube used for a shelving structure. This worked exceptionally well. Like a dance, I came up with a protocol for how I would move: repetitions, changing pigment, turning my body, and finally the fact that this brush would be held behind my back. Then I wrote down the directions for how to achieve this without showing the result for reference.

How are you finding the art supply stores to be? Are you finding what you need easily?

CSJ: I have been able to find art supplies very, very easily. There is no shortage of products, and some things are much cheaper here, to my surprise. I will sometimes go to Magasin Sennelier across from the Louvre to get back to my pastel roots. The Sennelier family invented the oil pastel for Picasso and the shop is still family run. The history is quite fascinating. I also live near the St. Pierre Marché fabric market which I frequent. But, honestly, some of my supplies come from found objects, such as wooden pallets and brokendown cardboard. Many of us are now expert at going through things that have been scheduled for garbage pick-up. We get some really great results.

Do you find you are able to take to the streets and absorb the goings-on, then bring fresh ideas back to the canvas and drawing table? Would they be shown in class or would you keep them private?

CSJ: I do find the architecture to continuously in-

spire me every day. I never forget where I am or take it for granted. I do go out and experience happenings, but often it’s when I am surprised that I feel the most moved, such as finding the playground at Les Halles with sculpture balloons. I used this space to set my tutus free. As much as I express, I keep a lot of things to myself. Though, there would be a balance between what I share and what I keep, I will let my experiences seep into my work without explanation, if that makes any sense. I don’t feel I always have to expose my most inner workings. I also have no dire need to be understood. That last sentiment can cause a stir sometimes.

Tell us about your passion for creating Poetry. Is there a painting that goes a long with it?

CSJ: I have always been drawn to what I consider to be the word equivalent of abstract art. To me that is Shakespeare, Bob Dylan, Emily Dickenson, and Cab Calloway. I first really started writing in a journal in grade school and it quickly became poetry. I also put images to it as well. There is often a musical element of course, the meter. Sometimes the images came first and then one line per page. I feel writing has become my new abstract painting because of the emphasis placed on some sort of concept behind our work at school. I’m always going to find a way to not allow an outside force to have a say in what I do creatively. Luckily, I am able to find that freedom in writing, and it was a poetry class that got me to pursue school again years ago. There is an exhibit I want to see here in Paris at Fondation Louis

During installation of Danse de Bousculade - Here I am placing flying "tutus" on the wall that I created with tulle and wire. Photo courtesy of Megan Bowyer.

Colleen Surprise Jones | Artist in Paris

Vuitton. It is Joan Mitchell and Monet. The exhibit includes Joan Mitchell’s poetry with her paintings. Also, there is a Patti Smith poetry exhibit at Centre Pompidou. Both of these I plan to see when finals are over.

How are you artistically influenced by the art and culture you are surrounded by in Paris? How does it differ from your inspirations back in the Berkshires?

CSJ: I am taking in both the old and brand new. I certainly feel like I can approach my art in any way here and there would be some audience for it somewhere. Also, there is no escaping the Haussmann architecture which gives Paris its signature creamy stone facade with decorative iron. The design of the city itself is inspiring; it is comforting and something I’ve come to expect like the rolling Berkshire Hills from every direction I look. In the Berkshires I look to Jacob’s Pillow and Tanglewood, which are quite intimate, as opposed to this city’s sizable cultural institutions which may be overwhelming at first.

Curious to know if you have you detected any eyeopening trends in Parisian art and culture that

would be interesting to know about? What would you write home about?

CSJ: That’s an interesting question because I cannot say that I have been specifically parsing out contemporary art (and culture) trends that are Parisian, per se. This is because of what I’ve been studying and focusing on, which is contemporary and experimental drawing. That is not particular to Paris. Within that is a research and process based focus (not necessarily impulsive/intuitive), which I do not always subscribe to, but am interested in the process based portion in consideration to drawing and dance/music, notation, time-based art, etc. There are certainly many references to Parisian artists throughout our school which has many Parisian artist professors, but the scope of influences is broader than that. I can say the exhibitions of current artists I’ve attended are much more European than Parisian and I have been looking at things more collectively this way. Being multilingual and from multiple (European) countries is very, very common here. I greatly notice this influence, especially when attending art events. I have met many people in creative fields here who at least speak French and German very well. I’m exceptionally interested in learning

more about the relationship between France and Germany pertaining to contemporary art in drawing and what’s coming out of expressionism as well as drawing’s relationship to calligraphy and language, broadening my scope to Arabic and Asian influences, for example. It is also very common to see the “artist book” in galleries alongside exhibitions and be able to read through some form of book the artist has made. I recently went to a very large artist book fair in Romainville. It was called “MAD” or “Multiple Art Days” specializing in artist editions. Again, this is an international event. Making the artist book has been an integral part of many courses at school and my thesis exhibition will include a Creative Workbook. Both “drawing” and “book” have fairly loose definitions.

I want to learn more about your thinking process, in your painting,“My Work Has Gotten Stronger”.

CSJ: I really started to let go. I had the unstretched canvas on the floor and started to walk around the piece so as to let the top and bottom figure themselves out. I didn’t want to dictate where that Continued on next page...

Drawing Back Dance Circle (front) on craft paper, Slash Box (back) on moving box. Both with Sumi ink and white gouache, 2022

Dance Cloth made with "dance stick" and pointe shoes. Sumi ink, acrylic paint, and graphite on fabric, 2022

Mystery is raveled in words transfixed to hear sound mind

ravel the un Travel the one way which is in is out doubt stops time is just motion of some kind Revealing solves the maze of resolving admissions already Known what once was wasn’t wondering —Poem and Drawing by Colleen Surprise 11/30/22

would be or if it needed to be. I think this is where I really started to experiment with a different gestural aesthetic and see how it felt. I understand that the series is what galleries often expect, so much so that artists often never move beyond it. I have to wonder how many artists stick within the same series for a lifetime in order to adhere to this rule rather than stay true to their own vision or growth. I need more stimulation than that kind of repetition.

Tell us about your life growing up. Have any of those years remain with you in your art making?

CSJ: Dance, music, nature, imagination, spirituality – those are all with me. But grief especially so. For most of my life, I had a brother. He died by suicide brought on by failures in the mental health system. That is in my work. Much of my work is sentimental, especially if I am making it around a holiday like a birthday or death anniversary. I often bring dead flowers of special bouquets (that may have become bittersweet) back to life through painting. I did this at the École Du Breuil. These feelings of grief move through me, and I allow it. When I deal with symbolism it is not always in the most obvious sense. Repeated imagery that follows me pertaining to family

Pas de Deux, or twists. These pieces are made with wire and tulle and are depictions of movement or dance. 3-dimensional and autonomous

members gets used in my work as a way of tracing synchronicity.

If you can introduce something to the Parisiennes that is from the Berkshires, what would that be?

CSJ: I think that students in the Berkshires are used to a more liberal approach to school in the sense of student autonomy. As an American, I’m not used to what comes across as a certain strictness. I’m much more used to it now because we all get to share our experiences of what we expected when coming here and what met that and what didn’t, etc. It’s perhaps a culture shock that now I can say is more or less an experience that I would not have had if I stayed in the Berkshires. I also have not found sourdough pizza yet or bagels that taste like bagels. I’ll be ok, though. We have croissants and baguettes, and Paris’ first place award winning croissant boulangerie is across from the college.

With so much art to see in Paris, you must be influenced to paint like the old masters?

CSJ: I would love to spend some time doing that, but I would have to take it after the program is over. It could be a way to catch my breath. I’ve always wanted to make my own pastels. I feel so

much more in the present moment here in Paris than I had in the Berkshires, that I am focusing on my own growth really. This means more experiments for me now, working toward my vision.

Describe the gallery scene in Paris, and what direct experiences have influenced have maybe altered your way of approaching the artist market?

CSJ: I’ve been attending contemporary drawing specific places and events more than any other, and it is very liberating. It seems that honing in on this niche market has allowed for more intimate contact within the world of contemporary drawing. The Drawing Now Art Fair was one such event. It represents international contemporary drawing artists and their galleries. I happened upon a professor of mine from Germany who was a part of the Hyperdrawing portion of the event (performative drawing). I was able see his work in situ and discuss the nature of it and the event. I think that being so close to the performative aspect also helped me to create some things that I wanted to accomplish as well, and I started experimenting more this way. There is a thin line between performative drawing and dance if any at all. The following semester I created the piece behind my back, Drawing Back Dance Circle, with

Colleen Surprise Jones | Artist in Paris

The dog doesn’t plan. If I give everything I have, would it fix something?

the paint brush drawing tool I created. Another German professor had me initiate contact with a gallery in Berlin. So, I cannot really say I have been looking specifically at Parisian galleries, more so the galleries that may recognize my work.

What do you wish to bring back to the states when you have finished your time in Paris? How would you like to see things unravel for you as an artist?

CSJ: I don’t know that my time in Paris is done when I graduate. I’ll actually be extending my stay with an internship. That being said, I’d like to take a renewed sense of direction back when I visit. Learning about the depth and breadth that is in contemporary and experimental drawing is invigorating to me. I was not really aware of this movement, and I believe it suits me well in many ways. I know I can put my gestural drawings out there and have them taken very seriously.

How much of your past do you presently bring into your wonderful artistic life? It’s all there, I’m sure. Perhaps even a past life or two.

Thank you, Colleen!

colleen@colleensurprisejones.com

Strangulation Piece - made of red satin, red chiffon, and wire. Satin fabric is twisted and holding a chiffon scarf as an acknowledgement of the tragic death of Isadora Duncan. Wire creates a haunting face-like frame. Often displayed on the wall, this image has the piece displayed on the floor as many of the "dance floors" I have made are viewed.

Black and red ink on Washi paper, an exercise in restraint, and this one, freedom, 2021

My Work Has Gotten Stronger Graphite, acrylic paint, and ink on unprimed canvas, 2020

Each image is part of a limited edition. There are several sizes available. Each piece is priced according to size. Images are unframed and printed on Hahnemuhle archival papers.

“It’s up to you to decide who my ladies are and what they are thinking. They only came to me with the first stroke of a brush and a little paint. I don’t know their stories or where they hale from. I only know that they now exist, and some will love them, and some will not. Such is the life of a woman.”

-Mary Ann Yarmosky

Woman shapely as a Swan Mixed Media on Board 12” X 16"

Angel Mixed Media on Board (with Resin) 16’ X 16” Circles

508—237—9585

Let’s have fun

KEITH DAVIDSON

Blue

www.davidsondesigncompany.net Studio appointments, please call 413-528-6945

The Little Gallery at CPC / 137 Front St, Housatonic, MA In-Person Event

In this six-part drawing workshop, participants will learn a wide range of visual, technical, and expressive drawing techniques to take their drawing to the next level regardless of prior experience. Learn or revisit fundamentals and usher in advanced methods in a supportive setting. Each session will have a specific area of focus and instruction, and end with a constructive critique by the instructor. By the end of the full series students will have developed sharper observational skills and improved technical drawing abilities.

At the end of each 6-session series there will be an open invitation to the public to view created artwork.

To fully benefit from this drawing workshop, committing to the full 6-session series is strongly encouraged. Sessions will cycle throughout the year so if you miss one you will have an opportunity to make it up at a later date. In addition, participants can join at any time throughout the program cycle.

About the instructor:

cpccommunity.org/events

SEAN HUTCHEON PHOTOGRAPHY

I’m a fine-art and product photographer based in the Hudson Valley and New York City, NY.

My imagery stems from a background in filmmaking, writing and music. I got my start in the early 2000’s and have numerous awards for my short films and my photography has been showcased in numerous group and solo shows throughout the years.

In 2005, I relocated from Bucks County, PA to NYC where I have thrived in the photo industry as a product and on-figure photographer for numerous clients such as: Amazon Fashion, Tumi Luggage, New York and Company, Bloomingdales, Macy’s, Target, Ralph Lauren, Fairway Markets and Labucq.

At the end of 2021, I started a new venture as a fine-art and furniture photographer who has shot a variety of mediums for Christie’s in NYC, Stair Galleries and Naga Antiques in Hudson, NY. In my spare time I enjoy working on my personal photography, playing guitar, spending time at my house with my partner, and going on hikes with my Border Collie.

Please contact me directly for projects or to inquire about purchasing my work. Sean Hutcheon - sean.hutcheon@gmail.com

BERKSHIRE DIGITAL

Since opening in 2005, Berkshire Digital has done fine art printing for artists and photographers. Giclée prints can be made in many different sizes from 5”x7” to 42”x 80” on a variety of archival paper choices. Berkshire Digital was featured in PDN magazine in an article about fine art printing. See the entire article on the BerkshireDigital.com website.

Berkshire Digital does accurate hi-res photo-reproductions of paintings and illustrations that can be used for Giclée prints, books, magazines, brochures, cards and websites.

“Fred Collins couldn’t have been more professional or more enjoyable to work with. He did a beautiful job in photographing paintings carefully, efficiently, and so accurately. It’s such a great feeling to know I have these beautiful, useful files on hand anytime I need them. I wish I’d called Fred years ago.” - Ann Getsinger

We also offer restoration and repair of damaged or faded photographs. A complete overview of services offered, along with pricing, can be seen on the web at BerkshireDigital.com

The owner, Fred Collins, has been a commercial and fine art photographer for over 30 years having had studios in Boston, Stamford and the Berkshires. He offers over 25 years of experience with Photoshop, enabling retouching, restoration and enhancement to prints and digital files. The studio is located in Mt. Washington, but drop-off and pick-up is available through Frames On Wheels, 84 Railroad Street in Great Barrington, MA (413) 528-0997 and Gilded Moon Framing, 17 John Street in Millerton, NY (518) 789-3428.

Berkshire Digital - 413 644-9663, www.BerkshireDigital.com

MARY DAVIDSON

Mary Davidson has been painting on a regular basis for the last 16 years. Davidson’s paintings are a two-dimensional decorative visualization of line, color, design, shape, patterns, and stamping. As you begin to study the paintings, you will find the foreground and background tend to merge, with overlaid patterns. “I love the intense complexity and ambiguity of space and dimension.”. The effect can be startling: the longer you look at the piece, the more you see.

Davidson’s New Hat series consist of 70 paintings. “I start with a basic drawing, building with color and shape, coming to life with gesture and flow. As the title suggests, the hats are important, and the millinery designs emerge. There is much joy in their creation and my passion for playful designs is reinforced by their bright colors, linear rhythms and patterns leading our eyes around and through the painting. My newest series is even more abstract, with an even stronger emphasis on design. I do like to use stamping, along with painting, because I love the result. When I finish with a painting, I adhere the canvas with mat gel to gator board, creating a nice tight surface. My paintings are always framed.”

Mary Davidson - PO Box 697, South Egremont, Massachusetts; 413-528-6945 / 413-717-2332; mdavidsongio@aol.com, marydavidson83155@gmail.com www.davidsondesigncompany.net

ARTIST UPDATE

MARK MELLINGER

Interview by Harryet Candee

Photographs Courtesy of Artist

Harryet Candee: One of the new and exciting things in your life is the relocation of your art studio. Once upon a time on North Street, and now, you are at the Clock Tower Artists’ studios in the Eagle building in Pittsfield, MA. How has this move been for you?

Mark Mellinger: A colossal change. As the only artist working in the old Agricultural Bank Building, I was invisible. Joining the Clock Tower Artists, an ever-growing hub of Berkshire art, currently including 11 outstanding artists, is an honor and a delight. In the first month that we were open I had more visitors than in all 8 years on North St. Everyone needs to see this beautiful space on the 3rd floor at 75 S. Church St.

The Clock Tower Artist’s individual studios are beautiful. Have you changed gears in any way that has made a difference in the way you are creating new work?

MM: The space and camaraderie there are very

stimulating. I want to be working there every free minute. Not only is there cross-fertilization of aesthetics, but also exchange of knowledge of materials and art technology. I’m learning gilding now and using fabrics in my artwork. There’s some danger in experimentation. One can get too expansive and neglect honing ones’ skill in a central practice. For me painting is central.

We are all hoping for a brilliant year ahead of us. What do you have planned as we move into the year of 2023?

MM: I’m looking to expand my Clock Tower space into a proposed “Maker Space” that would allow me to do welding and woodworking for more of my “Constructions”. Wouldn’t printmaking equipment for etching and lithography be great there too? I’d like to continue exploring the combination of painting and assemblage a la Rauschenberg.

“My work has been all over the place this past year, painting, welding and assemblage.

I'm enjoying trying to stretch out and take chances.”

Chromosome. 2022. . Acrylic, nails, rust and cardboard on plywood. 48" x 32"

Over the past decade, what were some strong outside influences that you became aware of and applied into your art?

MM: There’s nothing like seeing people’s art to refocus your own. Artists are always stealing elements from their predecessors and contemporaries. There’s really nothing new. Just original recombinations. Paintings by Max Gimblett and Frank Bowling have pushed the limits for me. In 3D work, there are few who can match Isamu Noguchi, Xu Bing and Martin Puryear as inspirations.

Mark, you attended Cooper Union Art School in NYC. I wonder, what were some top hit list important principles in the concepts and theories in art that you were given and still apply now to creating art?

MM: There are two modes for learning in any field. The most important is working in the presence of other students and teachers. The second is

the formal study of the principals, theories and methods employed by masters. I found this to be true both in learning to be an artist and a psychoanalyst. In painting, Cooper Union offered a lot of the former but not enough of the latter. In the wood and metal workshops it was just the opposite. Sixty years later I’m still learning from my mistakes with the chemistry of mixed media.

I know history has a strong influence in your art and process, whether it’s obvious to see, or just below the surface. Can you tell us about what parts of history most interest you; who in history has a significant meaning for you, and what piece of artwork best describes your connection to our ancestors, great and small, in art, or not in art at all?

MM: The Nazi holocaust that immediately preceded my birth left its’ mark on me. My mother Lucy lost her parents and a sister while living safely in New York. Her admiration for Eleanor

Roosevelt, Albert Schweitzer and Marian Anderson taught me that compassion can heal trauma. In psychoanalytic work the idea of trans-generational transmission of trauma is a powerful tool for understanding the individual. Picasso’s Guernica embodies that transcendence of horror. A more recent event, the attempted overthrow of our democracy provided all of us with a sense of living within history. Being gripped with despair and anxiety necessarily distracted me from creative efforts.

Are you still making collages? I have seen some being very detailed, (a lot of work), almost like you decipher a mystery-puzzle in each one. Fascinating to me, because of the layers and mind boggling, ‘how-does-he-come-up-with-that?’ aspect I find in these works.

MM: I seem to require an outside inspiration to liberate my ideas. You’re providing that with your good questions. Continued on next page...

Mark Mellinger, Flight Path. 2020. Acrylic and collage.20" x 20" (sold)

Flag Day. 2022. Fabric and acrylic on plywood. 32" x 48"

THE ARTFUL MIND

Pandemic. 2018. From a 1918 photo. Acrylic on canvas 16" x 20"

Umbilicus. 2019. Oak, telephone wire, nest and eggs

Mark Mellinger, Lysis. 12x12. 2021. Acrylic on board

The Christian Mother Exhorting her Daughter to Martyrdom. " Destroyed Print series". 2018. Vintage rotogravure, acrylic and collage

Gates of Perception. 2022. Acrylic on canvas. 20" x 20"

I have a series of “Destroyed Prints” that start with old rotogravure prints of classical art, which I proceed to “destroy” with paint and photomontaged images. They’re strange and make many people just scratch their heads. I integrate collaged material into some of my paintings to complicate the surface and the perception.

I am always amused and thoroughly appreciate the titles you give to your finished artwork. How do you reach that final title? Have you ever changed titles? What comes first? The art or the title?

MM: A title is the last step. I gaze at the piece until I have an association, usually obscure, sometimes whimsical. I love words almost as much as patterns.

Through COVID times, how was life for you as an artist? In what ways have you seen COVID make a difference in the ways we live and survive? In what ways do you think the art world, culture and younger generation have reacted and changed their tune as a result of COVID? Do you have any art that you made that reflects this time period? MM: Art got Barbara and me through the past years. We went to museums as often as possible with our masks on. It wasn’t just the virus itself that was so hard to bear. It was the barrage of news mixed with lies and antagonism to which art offered a respite. The only piece of mine that addressed the events literally was painted from a photo of masked scientists during the 1918 pandemic. A lot of black and red in my recent work may well have reflected life under COVID. Lately

I’ve tried to return to pastel tones, maybe reflecting recuperation.

At this point in your life, what do you find you are more relaxed and enjoying?

MM: At 77 one can’t help but notice the looming exit door from life. I don’t crave relaxation as much as fulfillment. But relaxation is a necessary complement to work. Walks in nature are ideal. TV will sometimes have to do.

What is so interesting about Arshile Gorky to you? How does he influence you? Who else do you love that comes out of the pages in history, and why?

MM: I’ve long been in awe of Gorky’s shapes, his textured surfaces, his color palette and of course his mind-bending titles (like; “How my Mother’s Embroidered Apron Unfolds in my Life”.

Bill Traylor is another historical influence. Born into slavery on a plantation in Alabama, his paintings rival Matisse’s late works.

Tell us a little about your family, and where you grew up and the cultural and social surroundings you were a part of?

MM: I grew up in Manhattan. My parents, Jews who quite fortuitously had left Germany prior to Nazism and met in NYC. Shortly after I was born at the end of the war my father returned to Germany with the US Army as “Berlin Theater Officer”, charged with spying on Communist actors (mostly his friends who he failed to report).

My mother trimmed cashmere cardigans for Saks Fifth Avenue, sewing ribbons and pearls with tiny

stitches. Bette Davis wore some of them. She raised me alone. We lived for a long while in a shabby rooming house on 86th St and Park Ave (if you can believe such a thing existed). She moved there so I could go to PS6, the best public school in NY. We shared the room with cockroaches, and the shared bathroom was down the hall. My friend Bernie lived down the block in a luxury suite at the Croydon Hotel. They had a silver Ronson table lighter under which his mom left hundred-dollar bills for the maid. This disparity in class seemed unremarkable to me.

Ok, daring moment: Share a secret you have kept. … Do you put secret messages into your art? How?

MM: OK. My father was a scoundrel. He tried acting, writing, directing and briefly running a theater in Hamburg. But he was also a mystic, a major figure in Aleister Crowley’s London cult. Dad translated his writings into German. I, on the other hand, prefer de-mystifying. I don’t intentionally put messages in my artwork and am not fond of “messagy” art. Visual art offers an alternative to the avalanche of words we wade through every day. I love the sensual materiality of paint, wood, fabric, and rusty iron. It’s a great counter to my other work as a psychoanalyst.

Thank you, Mark!

71 S Church St, Pittsfield MA 914 260-7413

American Sunset. 2022. Acrylic on canvas 36" x 24"

Astrology for Creators JANUARY 2023

With Deanna Musgrave

General New Year’s Overview:

You will recall from my December 2022 column that I mentioned that I pulled the tarot card of Death Reversed for January 2023. I feel this to be aligned with what I see in the astrology and feel within my body. The Death card showcases a grim reaper sort of character riding on top a white horse welcomed by children on the journey. While the Death Card is often falsely depicted as a feared outcome, it is about transformation. The children and sunrise welcome Death to symbolize the light coming on the new path. This card embodies the energy of a phoenix rising out of the ashes. When it is reversed (meaning it is pulled upsidedown out of the deck) it means that the transformation may be sluggish, difficult, there is resistance to change, internal transformation and/or emotional purging.

When I consider this in context of the astrology for January 2023, the meaning of Death Reversed lines up. The entire month will be flavored with both Mars and Mercury in Retrograde which would indicate internal reflections upon passions, thoughts, and communications. I’ve written extensively about these Retrogrades in the October, November, and December 2022 columns. I mentioned in these columns that the best use of your creative efforts will be internal work within your studio. I would recommend going back to see what has been happening for you during these periods as we will be coming out of the Mars Retrograde on January 12, 2023 (with a shadow period until March 16, 2023). Mercury will come out of Retrograde on January 17th, 2023 (with a two-week post-shadow period until January 31st, 2023). What this translates into is a month of confused communication, passionate debates going nowhere, confusion and a feeling of lethargy. The Mars and Mercury Retrograde will add even more emotions to the Full Moon in Cancer on January 6th 2023. Full moons are endings, closure, and culmination points. With this being in the sign of Cancer, this may bring up emotional topics, creativity, intuition, the home, family issues, or aspects around motherhood.

Intuitively, I feel what is most significant about this month is on January 1st, 2023, when we have a Conjunction of Venus meeting Pluto in the sign of Capricorn. Venus is the planet of love, money, abundance, relationships, beauty, aesthetics, and pleasure. It is meeting Pluto the planet of death/rebirth, transformation, and power. This conjunction feels like it is setting the tone for 2023, as it will bring up deep, and maybe unknown, emotions when it comes to Venusian themes for the purpose of transformation into the next phase. The next day on January 2nd, 2023, Venus quickly moves into Aquarius which feels to me like a hint at a new way forward after what came up on New Year’s Day. I raise an eyebrow when I realize that this processing of Venus Conjunct Pluto is happening alongside the Mars and Mercury Retrogrades for the entire month which spells out a lot of deep processing and internal reflection. Perhaps now you can see why Death Reversed is such an appropriate Tarot card for this month? Don’t be surprized if emotions are a bit more intense on New Year’s Day. It may bring something up that you will be processing throughout the year, as Pluto makes very important shifts this year. For creatives, pay attention to anything happening on this day that transforms your perspectives on your creative practice given that Venus rules the arts and Pluto is here to bring something unseen up to be acknowledged.

I feel that whatever came into awareness around January 1-2nd 2023 with the Venus-Pluto Conjunction in Capricorn, as well as, Venus’ quick movement into Aquarius afterward, will be revisited in some way on the New Moon in Aquarius on January 21st. New Moons are about planting seeds and new direction. It may simply be that you have an idea of where you want to go with this new knowledge brought forth by Venus and Pluto. The next day on January 22nd, 2023, Uranus goes Direct after being Retrograde since August 24, 2022. Uranus, which is associated with Aquarius, is also about new ideas and moving forward in shocking ways. I feel that with it combined with that Aquarius New Moon there is a lot of power to give insight and direction as to what to do with that deep Plutonic awareness that is coming in for January. You may even want to do some New Moon Rituals around that theme to assist you to discover how to process it.

Pluto in 2023 and beyond:

Pluto is one of the planets I am paying the most attention to for 2023. It is a slow-moving planet and when it changes signs it heralds new generational shifts. From 2023 – 2024 it will begin shifting back and forth between Capricorn (where it has been since 2008) into Aquarius. The period to watch out for is when Pluto will make the first shift into Aquarius on March 23, 2023 – June 11, 2023, and then afterward it will shift back into Capricorn for the remainder of the year. Pluto will shift back into Aquarius on January 20, 2024- September 1, 2024. Be aware that while these times are peaks of the energy, the intense Plutonic energy shifts might be already starting for you. I can speak that from personal experiencing, I am journaling the changes according to my Natal Chart and already seeing Pluto’s new influence coming into my life as I write this article in November 2022. With big changes like Pluto shifting signs, the groundwork is already happening.

When Pluto finally settles into Aquarius to stay on November 19th, 2024, it will be there for 20 years! When I think of what this means for the collective, a shift from Capricorn to Aquarius might mean a shift in power from top-down control to more “from the ground up” and local movements. Capricorn repre-

sents institution, government, authority, and Capitalism whereas Aquarius is associated with humanitarian causes, visionary action, and the people. As we approach this two-decade transit, be prepared for Pluto to give that final birthing death push on that for the collective. We will likely witness many moments where power is shifting to that which is associated with Aquarius. This will not be without a struggle and will play out over this 20-year period. This matters to creatives as the way the institution of the “art world” works will be collapsing and rebirthing too.

It is also important to mention that Aquarius has to do with advancements in technology and that this 20-year period will likely see extreme developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI). Last year we already witnessed an AI winning first place at the Colorado State Fair’s fine arts competition. Be prepared for more debates around AI’s place in the art world. It will be a time, for everyone, to be questioning what it means to be human and what a human can do that a robot cannot. What will define human made art versus robotically made? You may want to start thinking about how this impacts your art practice now. On the positive side, the loss of jobs to AI will mean that the population will turn towards exploring their creativity which is good news for creatives.

This 20-year transit of Pluto will also be working with you on a personal level. For the next few months, be prepared to have Pluto bring up lessons, if you haven’t learned them yet, within the natal house Pluto has been sitting in for the past 14-15 years. If you haven’t fully transformed that area of your life, Pluto is going to give you a final kick in the pants. While it may not be fun, it is an action that is for the purpose of your growth into an empowered being. Knowing where Pluto will be transiting back and forth between 20232024 can bring context and purpose to the changes you will be experiencing. For my creatives reading this, it may even be a good idea to intentionally create around the themes of your Pluto transits for the purpose of integration. Speaking on personal experience, I am already working on my future Plutonic transformations in hopes to soften the extreme rebalancing that could occur if I am not already developed in those areas in my life.

Rising Sign Forecast for Pluto in 2023-2024:

So now I would like to get a bit more specific as to how Pluto may affect you in 2023 – 2024 based on your RISING SIGN. Please DO NOT read your Sun Sign for this forecast! When someone says “I’m an Aries” most people are talking about their Sun Sign. This is not what you want and you should always look at your Rising Sign for forecasting. To find out your Rising Sign you need your exact time and location of birth. There are many free online Rising Sign calculators that can give this information to you.

Aries Rising

I invite you to reflect on the past 14–15 year period and what transformational moments were connected to your career, public image or legacy. Be aware that in the next two years Pluto might make a final intense transformation in these areas of your life. In a more dramatic manifestations this could look like a complete career change or change of status in the public eye. Become open to how new experiences are coming into your life that involve groups of people, your community, future dreams, or humanitarian projects. As an example, you may have noticed how Pluto has transformed your career and public image in such a way that you are ready to move that power into humanitarian causes.

Taurus Rising

I invite you to reflect on the past 14-15 year period and what transformational moments were connected to your beliefs, philosophy of life, higher learning, long distance travel, foreign lands or teachers. Be aware that in the next two years Pluto might make a final intense transformation in these areas of your life. In its more dramatic manifestations this might take the shape of a new shift in perspective in belief systems, new study in education, or a sudden long-distance trip of significance. Become open to how new experiences are coming into your life that involve your legacy, career or how you are perceived by the public. As an example, Pluto may have transformed your belief systems in such a way that you are very clear as to the public image and career path you wish to create moving forward.

Gemini Rising

I invite you to reflect on the past 14-15 year period and what transformational moments were connected to the way you share with others, intimacy, sexuality, inheritance, psychic experiences or mysterious happenings that could be described as connected to the occult. Be aware that in the next two years Pluto might make a final intense transformation in these areas of your life. In its more dramatic manifestations this might take the shape of a new level of intimacy achieved with a partner, receiving an inheritance, or an insatiable interest in all things mysterious. Become open to how new experiences are coming into your life that involve your belief system, higher learning, long distance travel or foreign lands. As an example, Pluto may have transformed your interest in the occult in such a way that you are ready to take it on in the form of serious study. Another example could be that your intimacy and shared resources have been solidified with a partner and this allows for you to now travel or take up a new educational pursuit.

Cancer Rising

I invite you to reflect on the past 14-15 year period and what transformational moments were connected to your relationships and partnerships. Be aware that in the next two years Pluto might make a final intense transformation in these areas of your life. In its more dramatic manifestations this might take the shape of a new romance, divorce, creation of a business partnership or awareness of your enemies. Become open to how new experiences are coming into your life that involve how you share resources, are intimate with others and/or are psychic or occult in nature. As an example, Pluto may have shown you who to trust and, as a result, you are ready to invest and share resources with the right business partner. This could also apply to romantic relationships. Maybe you have had a rough series of transformation when it comes to romance but, this journey will all pay off with the perfect life partner to begin building a life together.

Leo

Rising

I invite you to reflect on the past 14-15 year period and what transformational moments were connected to your health, daily routine, job, organization, coworkers or pets. Be aware that in the next two years Pluto might make a final intense transformation in these areas of your life. In its more dramatic manifestations this might take the shape of a health issue coming into closure or a realization that you are better off as your own boss given conflicts that occur with coworkers. Become open to how new experiences are coming into your life that involve your relationships and partnerships. As an example, Pluto may have transformed your perspectives on coworkers in such a way that you now know who is best to partner with in terms of work. Another example might be a transformation in your

health routine that somehow connects you with meeting a romantic partner.

Virgo Rising

I invite you to reflect on the past 14-15 year period and what transformational moments were connected to your creativity, children, romance, pleasure and fun. Be aware that in the next two years Pluto might make a final intense transformation in these areas of your life. In its more dramatic manifestations this might take the shape of a new shift in how you create, the birth of a child, a new perspective on romance or how you find pleasure/fun. Become open to how new experiences are coming into your life that involve your health, routine, daily job, coworkers and/or pets. As an example, Pluto may have transformed your creative style and, as a result, you are transitioning into a selfemployed artist! Another example is that you have discovered something about yourself through your creativity and are ready for a change of job. Another example may be that you are starting to experience health related issues and must make wellbeing a daily routine to support your creativity and fun.

Libra Rising

I invite you to reflect on the past 14-15 year period and what transformational moments were connected to your home, private life, family, mother and ancestry. Be aware that in the next two years Pluto might make a final intense transformation in these areas of your life. In its more dramatic manifestations this might take the shape of a move into a new home or something significant happening within your family. Become open to how new experiences are coming into your life that involve your creativity, fun, pleasure, romance, and/or children. As an example, Pluto may have transformed you into a new home for the purpose of growing a family. Another example might be processing childhood trauma having to do with your mother, family, or ancestry. This processing of trauma might impact the way you create, your children or how you have fun.

Scorpio Rising

I invite you to reflect on the past 14-15 year period and what transformational moments were connected to your siblings, neighbours, communication style, learning and thinking. Be aware that in the next two years Pluto might make a final intense dramatic transformation in these areas of your life. In its more dramatic manifestations this might take the shape of a new shift in your relationships with your siblings or neighbors. As another example, you could be transforming the way you communicate or think! Become open to how new experiences are coming into your life that involve your home, private life, mother, family, or ancestry. As an example, Pluto may have transformed your relationships with your siblings, and you are ready to move into a home to be closer with family. Another manifestation could be you’ve been working to improve how you communicate and, as a result, your relationships with your family and local community improve.

Sagittarius Rising

I invite you to reflect on the past 14-15 year period and what transformational moments were connected to your values, how you earn money, what you own and how you enjoy the sweetness of life. Be aware that in the next two years Pluto might make a final intense transformation in these areas of your life. In its more dramatic manifestations this might take the shape of a new awareness as to what you value or how you make money. Become open to how new experiences are coming into your life that involve your siblings, neighbors, education, local community, communication and/or thinking process. As an example, Pluto may

have transformed your values in such a way that you come to a deep realization around your siblings or neighbors. You may also come into a great insight about your relationship with money and this could affect the way you think about things or communicate.

Capricorn Rising

I invite you to reflect on the past 14–15 year period and what transformational moments were connected to who you are, your identity, your appearance, your attitude and approach to life. Be aware that in the next two years Pluto might make a final intense transformation in these areas of your life. In its more dramatic manifestations this might take the shape of a completely new look, identity, or life philosophy. Become open to how new experiences are coming into your life that involve your values, how you make money and what you own. As an example, Pluto may have transformed you at such a core level that you realize you have a completely different perspective on what money is or what you value in life.

Aquarius Rising

I invite you to reflect on the past 14-15 year period and what transformational moments were connected to your spirituality, the unseen, mental health, subconscious or anything associated with a locational retreat (from the spa to prisons). Be aware that in the next two years Pluto might make a final intense transformation in these areas of your life. In its more dramatic manifestations this might take the shape of a spiritual awakening or transformational crisis around your mental health. Become open to how new experiences are coming into your life that involve who you are at your core, your identity or appearance. As an example, Pluto may have transformed your spiritual beliefs in such a way that you are a new person. As another example, you may have made great strides with your mental health which have shifted the way you interact with the world.

Pisces Rising

I invite you to reflect on the past 14-15 year period and what transformational moments were connected to your relationships with groups, community, humanitarian causes or future dreams. Be aware that in the next two years Pluto might make a final intense transformation in these areas of your life. In its more dramatic manifestations this might take the shape of becoming part of a new community, becoming involved in a humanitarian cause or a big shift in what your goals are. Become open to how new experiences are coming into your life that involve your spirituality or mental health. As an example, Pluto may have transformed you in such a way that you have shifted your community into a more spiritual one. Another example is that your future goals have changed in such a way that it has affected your mental health.

Deanna Musgrave is an artist, astrologer, hypnotist, energy worker and intuitive guide. You can contact her through her websites at: www.deannamusgrave.com www.artisthehealer.com

It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.

—Henry David Thoreau

Something For Over The Couch

PART 18 “Nena”

Finally, I could stand it no longer. My curiosity got the better of me and I made a decision to do something I had put off for three years. I made up my mind to pay a visit to the little bar and restaurant, the bar and restaurant that was under the apartment where my father met his end. It was not that I was apprehensive of what I might or might not find out. The reason for my hesitation was the fear of a person, and that person was the owner of the bar, whose name was Nena.

There was something frightening about this woman. She was tall, with a full figure, impatient, almost always angry, and abrupt. I am sure three decades and seventy pounds separated her from the petite Judith, the waitress of Hanna’s stories, a person I had never seen, but they certainly were a product of the same mold. Perhaps it’s something about serving people food and drink all day that leads a person to gradually develop a deep hatred for the human race. Servitude, abrupt and dismissive, leads them eventually to contempt. This, combined with a liquid and inventive tongue, is an apt description of the career waitress. But Nena was not a waitress. She was the owner of her establishment.

That she was the proprietor was obvious at a glance, simply by the way she posed with her hands on her hips and her stomach, under her food-stained apron, thrust out.

Her establishment was in the Italian section, and only a few blocks from the train station, very near to my grandfather’s house on Lansing Street. You could have passed it a dozen times and not noticed it. Only an unpainted piece of wood with the name Nena’s carved into it announced its existence. It was at the intersection of two acute streets, so it was one of those buildings known as a flatiron. Because of this, the big room of the establishment could only be described as crooked and ill proportioned.

Because of my art teacher, I had developed the habit of making a mental note of the art collection adorning any interior I happened to encounter, and Nena’s had a collection of two pictures. One was a print of the Andrea Doria, in a black oak frame and missing its glass. There was also a sepia photograph of a man in uniform. I supposed it was a photo from World War I, but it was impossible to tell because mold had spread over the image, obscuring the details. This art collection at the restaurant would never have caught the attention of any astute garbage man, if the two works of art happened to find their way to the side of a trash can by a curb in the morning.As for furniture, nothing matched, and all the chairs and tables were or-

phaned from some different life, most likely a life lived during the Depression.

I entered, and there was nobody in the room. I had imagined that if I entered in the mid-afternoon I would not be conspicuous, but I could not have been more conspicuous. I called out, “Are you open?” and for an answer received only the sound of meat being turned in a frying pan coming from an adjacent room, which I surmised was the kitchen. I sat down at a corner table, took out a stub of a pencil and began to doodle on the back of one of two place mats on the slightly sticky table top.

I had heard there were people who could “draw like Michelangelo.” I did not know if this was true, but my own drawings were a demonstration of my complete ignorance. Men with mutant heads were my speciality. I assumed that with time I would improve, but if anyone approached me while absorbed in my doodles I would place my arm across my work to hide what I was doing. Hanna described my drawing with these words: “You draw with a pencil in one hand and an eraser in the other, quick to rub out your chicken scratchings as soon as you put them on the paper.”

While I waited for the proprietress to enter the room and perhaps wait on me, I took another placemat from their holder and began another drawing. I attempted to draw the image of the Andrea Doria, the wall it was hanging on and the little photo of the moldy soldier next to it. It was an easy subject, but nevertheless I could not get the proportions right. While I was absorbed in this endeavor, the door opened and someone came in, sat at a table across from me and began to look intently at me from across the room.

It was Marmeladov himself, coming to see me right out of the pages of Crime And Punishment. I had only recently read that famous book, and when the eloquent old drunk Marmeladov was described, I wondered to myself if such characters could actually exist in the world in flesh and blood. But this gentleman, as soon as he spoke to me, left no doubt about the existence of this archetype.

“An artist or a student studying the fine arts, I presume,” he said to me. “I want you to know I myself am an artist of sorts. A musician, to be exact.” And having said this, he took out a harmonica and began to play two notes, breathing in and out of the thing with all his might until he interrupted himself with a fit of coughing.

The noise brought Nena out of her kitchen, a spatula in her hand. Not looking at the coughing old man, she said to me, “Just ignore him. He’s out of his mind.” She started to return to her kitchen, but something seemed to catch in her mind and she stood still for a long moment, her back to me, seemingly lost in thought.

The harmonica player, seeing her standing there, began to exclaim, “He’s an artist, Nena. Probably the next VanGogh!” Having given me this extravagant compliment even though he had not seen my drawing, he got up from his chair and came over to my table, took up my drawing without asking, and began examining it. “Look at this, Nena. What talent, what expression.”

Suddenly Nena came out of her reverie, sat down in front of me at the table and demanded, “Well then, if you are an artist, draw my portrait.”

“I don’t do portraits. I’ve never tried,” I offered. She took another placemat from the holder and, ignoring my refusal, pushed it across the table to me and seemed to strike a pose. Seeing no way out I looked at her carefully, put the pencil to the paper and began to draw the shape of her left eye, but before I even could look up from the paper for a careful look, she got up from the table and went back into the kitchen. The harmonica man, still standing next to me,

laughed out loud at me and then sat down in the chair Nena had abandoned. “You think she was serious, VanGoGo? She is never serious, ever.”

I was being made fun of, and it was only just dawning on me, “Please don’t call me VanGoGo,” I said to him, repressing my irritation.

“Why not? Why not?” he replied. And then winding himself up to deliver some sort of dissertation, he said, “In this life, you will be no Michangelo, and you are no DaVinci. You are a VanGoGo, the earless one….” He was searching for words to go on trying to insult me, but again he began coughing so violently I had to step back to avoid flecks of spit.

What was I to do? The old man was so disgusting and irritating, but I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. Our conversation apparently over, he walked away and entered the kitchen as if somehow he had the run of the place. Nena said something under her breath to him I could not make out, and he came back out of the kitchen with a broom and began sweeping the floor. He must have been a regular, perhaps even a relative, what did I know?

As no attempt was made to ask me for an order, and I was left just sitting there, I decided to attempt a portrait of Nena from memory. I was simply unable to walk away from such a strange situation. I did a drawing, as best I could. It looked like roadkill, but nevertheless there was something stupidly charming about it. At the bottom, I signed my name. Just my first name, as a matter of fact, and for some unknown reason I used my childhood diminutive, “Dicky.”

I was sixteen that afternoon, three years had elapsed since I had last been in this restaurant, three years since I had sat beside my father while he bantered with this woman as I sat waiting, an impatient child anxious to depart. Now I was sixteen, a changed person with only a vague instinct of what I might be like.

I went into the kitchen. Nena had finished frying sausage, and was stirring one of those huge black of pots you cook down soup stock in. I did not say anything to her, but I showed her my drawing. She looked at it carefully. Seeing my signature she said, “And your last name is?” To this question I made no reply. She took hold of the two handles of the soup pot, as if to lift it off the stove, but she did not move.

I was looking at her profile, her double chin. It was hot in the kitchen, sweat was dripping from her nose, tears were running down her face and dripping into the soup. I put the drawing on the table next to the stove. I left the restaurant, got on my bicycle and rode home.

— Richard Britell

PARTS 1 THROUGH 18, AT SPAZIFINEART COM (SHORT STORIES)