The Artful Mind artzine July 2023 edition

The Fine Art of Printing Fine Art.

· Giclée and Photo

· Digital Reproduction of

· Photo Restoration and Repair

Playa Santa 22 — Virginia Bradley

THE ARTFUL MIND

JULY 2023

Art is too important in the Berkshires not to share

GAIL DOWNEY At the Becket Arts Center

INTERVIEW BY H CANDEE 10

MOLLIE KELLOGG Artist

INTERVIEW BY H CANDEE

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY AND INSIDE SHOTS BY T. COLLINS LOGAN 18

ERIKA LARSKAYA

Abstract Visual Artist UPDATE 7.23

INTERVIEW BY H HANDEE ...30

THE ARTFUL MIND VIRTUAL GALLERY / JULY...34

ASTROLOGY FOR CREATIVES

With Deanna Musgrave - July 2023 45

RICHARD BRITELL | FICTION

THE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE PT. 2 ...47

Publisher Harryet Candee

Copy Editor Marguerite Bride

Third Eye Jeff Bynack

Helping Hand Ruby Aver

Contributing Writers

Richard Britell

Deanna Musgrave

Jeannette Fintz

Contributing Fine Art Photographers

Edward Acker

Tasja Keetman

Bobby Miller

Williamstown Artists Open Studios

John MacDonald

Stephen Dankner

Ellen Joffe-Halpern

Ghetta Hirsch

Marilyn Cavallari

Saturday July 15, 2023 10am - 4pm

Sunday, July 16, 2023 11am - 4 pm

Rain or Shine!

Marilyn Cavallari 56 Bridge Rd

John MacDonald 1021 Hancock Rd.

Stephen Dankner 8 Windflower Way

Ghetta Hirsch 30 Church St.

Ellen Joffe-Halpern Suite102a Norad Mill, 60 Roberts Drive

ELLEN KAIDEN

PAINTER OF METAPHORS

This year was the year to go all in as an artist and invest in myself. It is difficult to put yourself out there, but I have reaped the benefits.

It's been a productive winter, and hopefully, it will be a successful summer. I am proud to announce that I was awarded BEST water media artist nationally for 2023 by ADC, Art Design Consultants, a Juried show, "Art Comes Alive".

My two-month show at Woodfield Fine Art in St Petersburg, Florida, opened a whole new world for me by putting me face-to-face with other artists and potential clients that knew nothing about me. I had good sales and was well received by a vibrant and young arts community, and I am happy to say I have a Florida gallery home.

In the Berkshires, I am represented by the Wit Gallery in Lenox and will participate in the June Art Walk June 10th and 11th.

My paintings are more than just pretty flowers. They tell stories about the world, politics, and women.

Last year I changed the way I approached my paintings. I started to work in series and better communicate my work's Metaphorical nature. To date, my series include "Lady Paints the Blues," the war in Ukraine, “Women's Voices”, and “The secret life of Sun”. "Flowers and just plain Happiness." This has proved to be successful for me.

My husband and I will be traveling to Asia this spring, and I anticipate being inspired by this experience; perhaps a Zen series will follow. I welcome visitors to my Lee, Massachusetts studio and enjoy painting commissions.

You can view my work virtually @www.Ellenkaiden.com, www.thewitgallery.com

RICHARD ALAN COHEN

FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

I create landscape images to highlight my reverential relationship with the environment through which I walk daily. My process begins with the discovery and exploration of a subject, and then moves on to imagining what the image could become. I see landscape as an invitation to the viewer to enter imaginary worlds, ones which may suggest past or future visions, offshoots of the moment that the shutter clicked. I take natural details of streams, waterfalls, moss rocks, and decaying tree trunks and put them in new contexts building imagined landscapes and new worlds. These provide a larger perspective that emphasizes the importance of climate change to even the smallest niches within nature. I give my images an otherworldly appearance to impart distance from the ordinary reality in which these spaces are threatened by global warming and to pay them respect as places of beauty.

I use perspective and scale to magnify tree stumps into craggy cliffs and small waterfalls and streams into mountain cascades. I pause at natural wonders to make images of them to preserve their existence and enlarge their importance as records of what natural beauty can be. I wish to set apart their beauty from threats of climate change by keeping their settings pristine, their surroundings otherworldly, their scale majestic.

As I have unbound myself from representing reality, I have freely expanded the time of the image far beyond the duration of one shutter click, compositing pieces of the landscape with satellite views, stars, and galaxies. A great advantage of making art is the ability to recapitulate reality. A photograph is an opportunity not to copy nature, but to allow the imagination to take one to new places.

I print my own images using archival methods to last, with technical excellence, and in limited editions to increase its value.

My work is exhibited in national and international galleries and has been acquired by noted collectors.

BECKET ARTS CENTER SUMMER SCHEDULE

The Becket Arts Center (BAC) has announced its 2023 summer schedule filled with art exhibits, lectures and workshops, music, theater, storytelling, and so much more for art enthusiasts of all kinds, young and old, near and far.

The highlights include: five juried art shows, four special exhibits, and a BAC member show (all free and open to the public); Music Brings Communities Together - free, live, outdoor music on select Saturdays through September ; Monthly Speaker Series lectures (free for BAC members; $5 for non-members); Live Art Demonstrations every Monday (in-person and livestreamed on Facebook); Art classes, storytelling, theater, yoga, and dance workshops (discounts available to members). For full schedule, dates, and complete details, the website.

The Becket Arts Center gallery and gift shop are open to the public Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, 12:00-4:00 pm. The BAC gift shop, featuring carefully crafted items by local artisans, can be accessed online - www.becketartscenter.org/shop or in person during open hours.

Programs are supported by grants from the following: Mass Cultural, Berkshire Bank; Central Berkshire Fund, a fund of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation; Feigenbaum Foundation, towns of Becket, Blandford, Chester, Hinsdale-Peru, Lee, Otis, Sandisfield, Tolland, Tyringham, and Washington, local agencies which are supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. Many thanks to our BAC members and business sponsors for their enthusiastic support of arts in our communities.

For more than 50 years, the Becket Arts Center (BAC) has been a mainstay of culture and art in the Berkshires. The Becket Arts Center’s mission is to ensure that creative expression is a vital and vibrant part of the everyday lives of the regional community. As a membership organization that supports the cultural and artistic needs of the Hilltowns, the Center offers diverse experiences that serve the full spectrum of artists, from the professional to the avocational, and arts appreciators, to inspire, educate, and enrich their lives.

Becket Arts Center –

Richard

Alan Cohen

Richard@richardalancohen.com www.richardalancohen.com

Instagram: @richardalancohen

7 Brooker Hill Road, Becket; email: office@becketartscenter.org 413-623-6635.

To become a BAC member and support community arts visitwww.becketartscenter.org/membership

CLIMATE FALLS #13

WOMENS VOICES, 40” X 50” PART OF MY WOMEN'S SERIES

WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS 40”X 50”

Martine Kaczynski

TURLEY GALLERY Threshold

July 1 - July 30, 2023

Opening reception Saturday, July 1, 3—5 PM

Martine Kaczynski, Split, 2023, colored pencil on paper, 25.5 x 19.5 inches

Photographed by Alon Koppel

Stamped Abstract Series #9

FRONT ST. GALLERY

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

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

Classes at Front Street are for those wishing to learn, those who want to be involved in the pure enjoyment of art, and those with some experience.

Front Street, Housatonic, MA. Gallery open by appointment or chance anytime. 413-528-9546 at home or 413-429-7141 (cell) www.kateknappartist.com

Ghetta Hirsch

This new oil painting can be seen in my Art Studio at 30 Church St, Williamstown, MA

OPEN STUDIO

SATURDAY JULY 15 and

JEAN NOEL CHAZELLE

Jean Noel Chazelle is a French Artist living in PARIS France. He works on multiple supports (Paintings, Sculptures, Performances, Installations) and various media (Photos, Movies, Sound). After 7 years of performances in Cledalique Gallery created by Salvador Dali and Miette in Cadaques in the north of Spain, and encouraged by Teeny Duchamp, he returned to painting and begun to experiment the acrylic paint on plexiglass in 1997. He went to the United States after his first exhibition at Sacha Tarassof who associated him with Support Surface. Jean Noel has a museum in Massachussetts, Noama, located in front of MassMoca. His first poetry book «StarBlood» sold out now was edited by Poet Republik in California.. In October 2019, he exhibited in Berlin and read his poems in front of the William s Burroughs Estate, the Allen Ginsberg Trust and the Henry Miller Foundation At Sprechsaal Gallery. The second Poetry Book «pearl eye Medium» is now available. Jean-Noel Chazelle received the Award of Merit during the Fiac 2021 in the Senate in the presence of Mrs Elisabeth Moreno Minister for Equality between Women and Men, Diversity and Equal Opportunities. Next projects are the Museum of the civilisation of the water in Marrakesh, Maroco and Boa Gallery in Montreal, Canada.

RUBY AVER Street Zen

Growing up on the Southside 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 from my youth.

Movement, shape, and color dominate.

My recent series, The City Series, is inspired by the happily haunting memories of the atmospheres, rather than maps or architecture of cities. So, although location specific, these are not literal depictions. The abstract memory of the mood evoked by each city is revealed.

Ruby Aver - Housatonic Studio open by appointment: 413-854-7007 rdaver2@gmail.com, Instagram: rdaver2

THE CITY SERIES AT BERKSHIRE COOP

READING WITH HERU SHABAKA RA MEMBER OF SUN RA ARKESTRA IN PARIS

GAIL DOWNEY at the BECKET ARTS CENTER

Interview by Harryet Candee

“I’ve always tried to communicate profound emotions in my work. I create a visual of what is elusive and hard to express verbally. That has always been my constant. Over the years, I have changed mediums and marking systems in an attempt to evolve as an artist and to express the unattainable.” –Gail Downey

Harryet Candee: Communicating emotion is the backdrop for many artists and fuels, inspires, and motivates them to be artmakers. Looking at your most recent body of work, can you describe how it has evolved and what were, if any, challenges you have confronted enabling you to move forward with your vision?

Gail Downey: My adventures, usually in nature, fuel my latest pieces. I’ve always liked to hike and explore. After all these years of hiking, bicycling, and exploring, I finally recognize that it should be an integral part of my work. The latest works are about the awe I feel when on these journeys.

The challenges come as I paint. I do not want to replicate beautiful natural images. I want to remember the adrenaline, the surprise, and the mystery I experienced. I come from a formal background steeped in non-objective painting, so every element, from the painting support, format, materials, plasticity of the paint, and my gestures,

are all my decisions. Since I want to evolve constantly, every decision I make comes into question. That involves not repeating what I became successful at.

We often combine auditory and visual sensory perceptions, allowing us a fuller, richer creative experience when a canvas is ready for us to work on. Out of our six senses, which of those do you find yourself working with the most? Please explain.

GD: At first thought, I would say my vision. Another sense is at play which is touch. The adrenaline I feel after I have climbed a rocky mountain and feel the mist surrounding the view is just as powerful and memorable as what I see. Another example is when my husband, Steven, and I biked to this hidden waterfall where the headwaters rushed over these smooth pot-holed rocks. I waded through the cold, cold water,

mesmerized by these rocks curved by time and water pressure, the sun piercing my eyes and fall colors reflected in the water. Many of my latest works are about that visceral experience.

Color combinations often trigger our mind to recall experiences from our past—some good, some not so good. What color combinations work for you, and what do you avoid putting together?

GD: I am drawn to greens and turquoises. The only things I try to avoid these days are using colors straight from the tube. I mix what I use.

The energy you put into your work is contagious and inspirational! Especially those paintings found under Unnatural Nature on your website. What techniques and processes do you incorporate into your work?

GD: I use sweeping gestures and the gravitational flow of paint to create visual energy. I also can

Rocks and Water, From Rocks and Water series, Acrylic, Pastel on paper, 50” x 36”

incorporate other materials like charcoal and gold leaf to change the sense of space and make a jarring “pop.” (Using gold leaf and other metallics is reminiscent of religious icons, thus conveying a reverence for my subject matter.) I will refer to my photographs if I want an image to be somewhat scientifically accurate. I also have a number of scientific books with amazing images of various sea creatures.

Please give us a little preview and introduce us to a few pieces of art you are showing at the Becket Art Center this summer.

GD: Most of the pieces at the Becket Arts Center are recent projects. They are all memory and adventure based. One is based on a magical kayaking trip. The light was so bright and the sky so blue; the sensations were electrifying as I was surrounded by rippling water.

Another piece is from a hike in the rain on Mount Greylock. I wanted to depict these old and unused campsites that looked so forgotten in the mist. They reminded me of picnics in obscure places with my family, with old picnic tables and rusty grates over fireplaces.

I also have a few pieces from my waterfall-curvey rocks adventure.

What is your Bullying Project body of work about?

GD: These pieces are older and are about my heavy emotional response to the repeated bullying of my child years ago. It was so bad we got the police involved. I was rendered mute with grief. And so I painted the crumpled-up police report, a brand new bathing suit covered with mud, and train tracks where perverse torture occurred. To this day, it is hard to speak about it.

When is it time to move from working in 2-D to 3D? What puts you in either direction?

GD: Sometimes you just need to leave the canvas. Sometimes the work continues beyond, either above with wire or flows via canvas to another neighboring canvas.

Tell us about your small sculptural work. An indepth explanation would be great.

GD: Most of the smaller pieces are studies or practices for grander future ideas. When working

small, I can be adventurous and take risks. The sculptural works are more about extending off the painted plane and continuing imagery with wire or canvas.

I like Small Flags; tell us about this work of art. GD: This was just play. I intended it to be a throwaway piece. (Those are often the art pieces that move me in new directions). I really was just goofing around, responding to these little masonite panels with oil paint. I hammered nails into it because it was a “throwaway” piece of junk. The nails became little flags with little canvas attachments. This started me on some new pieces, the “Hairy Ass” series…. Masonite with wire, nails, and fiber, all representing, well, you know.

“Visualization is a technique that allows you to set the parameters to make your future vision a reality. In creative visualization, you direct your brain to focus on what matters most. And to engage in a process called selective attention.” Many artists create their art for this purpose. Continued on next page...

Small Flags, 2011, Oil on Masonite with Canvas Collage, 7” x 7”

Untitled, Mixed media, Acrylic, Pastel, Pencil, 20” x 14”

You Are Going To Get Ticks, from Looking Up series, Acrylic on wood panel, 36” x 36”

Call and Response 1 Acrylic on paper with grape vines, Pastels, two panels, 23” x 10”

Red Worm Canvas collage, 30” x 30”

Bullying Project series: Incident Report 2011, Oil, Wax, Charcoal on canvas, 60” x 60”

Metallic Circle Acrylic on canvas with wire mesh, 10” x 10”

Cran’es Pond Acrylic on wood panel, 25” x 25”

Have you ever used visualization techniques in your art? How would that be the case?

GD: I sort of use visualization because I certainly want to paint emotions. And I sort of have a basic idea of what they may look like, i.e., shapes, color, and size. But from there, it ends as I let the process, including accidents, dictate what a painting will look like. I decide something is done when I am exhausted with the idea.

What are your five most valued principles in art?

Why are they essential to you as an artist?

GD: 1. Above all, it is about evolution. Not repeating, not resting on your successes.

2. Nothing will ever be perfect but always strive.

3. Extreme emotional responses are gifts that can be used to create and heal.

4. Failed projects are learning tools.

5. Reinvent! Be like Madonna or Picasso. Always learn new ways to depict what fascinates you.

What are you presently working on?

GD: I’m still playing with water reflections, using metallics and light. I have a number of large wooden panels waiting.

What are you entertained by outside of being an artist these days?

GD: Physical strenuous adventure. Going to new places and photographing. I love long-distance biking and hiking the higher peaks around New England.

How do you envision your summer in the Berkshires to be like?

GD: It is the great unknown. I want to find a

balance of adventure and art, but on a smaller scale, staying closer to home, as my husband has terminal cancer. My personal life, artwork, and adventures are less of a concern. Right now, his personal care is my main priority. However, we live in a beautiful area in the hilltowns surrounded by woods, gardens, family, and caring for him, and I can gain strength through love and my immediate surroundings.

Do you have any suggestions for visitors to the area where they can see art that you love? Any off the beaten track locations for galleries or open studios? Anything, in particular, would be great to know about.

GD: I am pleasantly inspired whenever there are open studios, especially in remote areas like the hilltowns. Mass MOCA has an open studios option for the artists in residence. Just outside of Chatham is a place called the “Circle Museum.”

It is large-scale sculpture and paintings by one artist.

Have you been lately to any artists’ showcases that will remain on your mind for a long time?

GD: I really like larger museums. (Smith College and Mt. Holyoke have magnificent shows). Years ago, El Anatsui exhibited large-scale pieces at Mt. Holyoke. His use of detritus and shiny found objects was reverent in so many ways for me.

“Beauty comes from the balance between two and three dimensions, between abstraction and representation - I seek the equilibrium behind changing appearances.” Can you guess who said

this? How would you put this thought into perspective?

GD: Matisse, I think. I think of his and my work and compare how we abstract what we see (and feel).

Can you find a quote that would answer to Henri Matisse, Gail?

GD: There is no equilibrium; just change from one dimension to the other.

And, yes, Gail... “Equilibrium is the state of an object in which all the forces acting upon it are balanced. In such cases, the net force is 0 Newton.”

GD: Why yes, you are correct in one regard. Newtonian equilibrium exists in a physical sense, but in art making, there is only movement. Emotional and intellectual change represent the disequilibrium that is part of the creative process.

What are the ways we can see your art?

GD: Right now, a studio visit by appointment or Becket Arts Center, Becket, MA. The show runs July 13 -31. Opening July 15, 2-4pm.

Website( older works) www.gaildowney.com

Gail Downey Art (on Facebook current works and works in progress)

(Instagram) gaildowneysparklepony

Thank you Gail!

Canjo, Part of Rocks and Water series, now in progress, Acrylic on canvas with Pastel, 60” x 85”

Erika Larskaya

"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

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

Escape #8, mixed media on 12” x 12" canvas

BERKSHIRE HIGH PEAKS MUSIC FESTIVAL

JULY 20-31

Close Encounters With Music presents Berkshire High Peaks Music Festival which mounts its 14th annual season on the bucolic campus of Berkshire School, in Sheffield, Massachusetts, welcoming back string players and pianists from around the globe and adding a vocal department. Performances, talks, masterclasses, and gifted students on the cusp of careers.

At the core of the festival are 50 international students of exceptional promise and demonstrated accomplishment who gather for intensive study, are coached as part of performing ensembles and enjoy discussions and workshops by prominent composers, renowned pedagogues, and notable figures in the music world as they prepare for professional lives.

This year’s theme is “Pathways.” At a time when the music business is fraught with uncertainties and career paths aren’t as prescribed and predictable as previously, faculty will give a series of talks about how they found their individual places in the music world. All concerts, master classes, and talks will be open and free to the public.

The ten-day festival, directed by internationally acclaimed cellist Yehuda Hanani, will continue to make its offerings of “Moonlight Sonatas” concerts (faculty and participants perform), lectures, and master classes open to the public. Hanani and his renowned colleagues infuse students with love and enthusiasm for their musical vocation, instilling them with an appreciation for past traditions and a spirit of adventure and discovery—as well as connecting them to the Berkshire community and beyond with daily events. Highlights include a faculty concert on Tuesday, July 25, and a wallto-wall farewell concert on July 30.

Close Encounters With Music - Post Office Box 34, Great Barrington, Massachusetts 01230; 800843-0778;

Web: cewm.org; e-mail: cewmusic@aol.com; Facebook: @closeencounterswithmusic; Instagram: @closeencounterswithmusic; Twitter: @CEWMusic.

CAROLYN NEWBERGER OUT OF THE GATE AND DRAWING DANCE

This summer see artist Carolyn Newberger’s art in two Berkshire venues, in Becket and North Adams.

FutureLab(s) Gallery in North Adams will feature Carolyn’s paintings in a group exhibition entitled Out of the Gate. The exhibit runs July 7 –30, 2023 with a First Friday Reception on July 7, 6-8pm and a closing reception on July 29, 8-9pm.

FutureLab(s) Gallery was conceived when three community minded Boston area artists decided they were ready to move away from Boston. And as so many had before them, they realized that this place was the Berkshires. Totally gorgeous! Overflowing with art and culture! After only one year FutureLab(s) Gallery is transitioning into a fully shared resource for 20 incredible member artists from this area. The gallery is located at 43 Eagle St., North Adams, MA Drawing Dance, at the Becket Art Center, 7 Brooker Hill Rd, Becket, Massachusetts runs from July 13-31, and features a sampling of Carolyn’s drawings, impelled and inspired by the passion and artistry of some of the best dancers, choreographers, and musicians in the world today.

“On many summer evenings you will find me, sketchbook on lap and pen in hand, in the front row of a darkened theater at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, Massachusetts. As the performance unfolds, my hand flies across the paper, tracing the arch of a dancer’s back, the tension and release of a pas de deux, or the collective energy of an ensemble. My husband Eli sits beside me, taking notes. Together we turn these images and observations into dance reviews in The Berkshire Edge, a publication of news, arts and ideas in Western Massachusetts.”

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

TW McCLELLAND JEWELRY MAKER

TW McClelland has been making jewelry for over fifty years. His work is known the world over by jewelry connoisseurs and those who seek out originality, beauty, and quality. Engagement rings from his Wildflower Collection are worn by editors of Vogue, Vanity Fair, W, Town & Country, Martha Stewart Weddings, and acclaimed by many more.

In addition, his original pieces have adorned the red carpets of the Oscars and Cannes. In his work Tim is inspired by nature, light, and humor, and traditional metalworking methods. He uses his jewelry to create a joyful expression in a tiny space.

Most importantly, Tim hopes to be of service to his community, his customers, and the world around him.

Please see the website and feel free to contact TWM directly in relation to all things jewelry.

TW McClelland - 413-645-3399 info@twmcclelland.com www.twmcclelland.com

“There’s a time for casting silver; a time for casting cannon. If that isn’t in the red, it should be!

—Paul Revere

Marion Grant

“A

Sally Tiska Rice

Circle of Serenity, Watercolor

Good Days Ahead, Mixed Media on paper

MOLLIE KELLOGG ARTIST

“Since 2009, my Incognito Witch Project has celebrated hidden magick through fine art, short film, dance, and music. My Incognito Witch mixed-media artwork reveals the subject’s hidden psyche, too often suppressed in order to meet society’s expectations. For me, the next phase of the project is creating an opportunity to see where my magickal beings will run off to play (or cause mischief) when given permission.”

—Mollie Kellogg

Harryet Candee: "Balance is not something you find; it's something you create." When you give this theory a moment to contemplate, Mollie, how does this statement reflect your life as an artist?

Mollie Kellogg: Are you asking me this question because every time we talk, I am harried? Ha ha. Balance is a luxury for those with means; otherwise, balance demands compromise. For me, successful balance is keeping multiple plates spinning. It comes at a price I’m willing to pay -like working an all-nighter on a commercial project to make space for new creative endeavors the next day, enjoying a healthy walk, watching a show with my husband, playing my banjo, or having an outing with friends. Ever since I was a child, I’ve always had what you might call a bucket list. What little kid has a bucket list? It started with “Please let me have a boyfriend before I die” and progressed from there, usually hav-

ing to do with romantic ideas…such silly, yet so earnest “before I die” requests. And now I’m older, and that voice is still in there; it’s a little more discerning about requests to the Universe, but it’s a constant internal pressure keeping an eye on the clock.

It's challenging to put art into words. Especially when we try to explain our artful world to people unfamiliar with what we do due to its uniqueness, we want them to understand and appreciate it fully, so we try to explain the best way we can. Do you find you present to people the same ideas of who you are and your vision differently, depending on what audience you are speaking to? How far of a range does your description go at times? MK: It is challenging to put art into words. My “All Witch” print is a good image to talk about. It combines the first seven 60”x30” series of paint-

ings between 2009-2010. How I present my message varies depending on whether it's a one-onone or group interaction. Seeing someone in person versus a phone conversation makes a big difference, as I rely on visual cues to gauge comprehension -- otherwise, I find myself rambling untethered. Assuming I am making eye contact with the listener, my elevator pitch is, “I'm currently working on a series called The Incognito Witch Project, celebrating hidden magick. It’s a series of figurative artwork and videos inspired by characters in the paintings.” If they're still with me and not looking at their phone, I go on to explain the concepts behind the Project: “We all have something we suppress to meet the expectations of others or ourselves; fears, insecurities, passions, dreams – and we hide our own power sometimes to survive. The hidden magick message of self-acceptance and love addresses this

Interview by Harryet Candee Photographs by T. Collins Logan

universal struggle...” Then I'll move on to talking about the visuals: “My magickal subjects are adorned with elements of nature, draped fabrics, with messy lipstick and signature color under the eyes -- evoking a Mother Nature archetype of strength and power yet also empathy and vulnerability. My textured mixed paintings are layered upon a metallic underpainting and embedded with hidden sparklies and stars. In my mind, the stars are a visual manifestation of the magickal realm.” If the listener sticks around long enough to get to the bit about the magickal realm, there’s a good chance it’s a love connection.

Can you match a visual piece of art you created to the words of a song you composed? Let's take a look as you explain.

MK: G, Ginger Anxiety, Incognito Marilyn, and Cousin Chris each talk about childhood memories in Don’t Put Me In A Box. After I started doing

short videos for birthdays and such with the characters from the Incognito Witch Project, I painted a “Selfie” of Ginger Anxiety, and my family really loved the piece, so I continued to do the selfies, including characters in this video. The song starts out with Incognito Marilyn: “As a little girl I would watch Miss America, at night I would sing and pray, someday I’d be on that stage. But Ma Nature made my bum too broad, other bits too small, and my face not right, so I packed my dreams up nice and tight, and I hid them out of view; I hid them from you.” G talks about hiding in the classroom to avoid bullies, Ginger talks about being told not to sing into a microphone, and cousin Chris talks about altering his appearance to fit in. These lyrics tap into experiences that inform these characters and my paintings.

The world of video is a beautiful fit for your expressiveness. You are not shy in front of the cam-

era. Tell us about your videos, films, on-camera, and around-the-camera experiences.

MK: There’s so much I could say about the short films/music videos. They've been a rewarding collaborative process creatively working with videographers, musicians, actors, and my wonderfully creative family. In Nobody Loves Fat G and A Lonely Heart in the Crowd, we had open calls for folks to participate in a dance sequence, which was fantastic. It was such a thrill when old and new friends showed up to get their “inner witch” on and play. Even my mom inhabited a role as “Mama Witch” in Lonely Heart, where the lyrics include some of her advice, “When someone you love is slippin’ away, do you let go or make a strong play? Mama, she told me to get up and fight; sometimes pushing and shoving is doing what’s right. So I’m coming back for you, yes I’m coming back for you….”

Continued on next page...

All Witch, 2010, 60” x 30” Giclee print

The drawing with stars and mice impresses me. Your drawing skills are outstanding; your imagination is elaborate and fun. I would want to own this piece. I do wonder, however, your thoughts on a fashion design drawing theory that comes to mind and goes as follows: You don't want to be specific with the facial features or body type because the woman buying the dress might feel she doesn't fit that type, and to leave it with fewer details is best for a sale. I learned that in fashion design. Your art is not fashion design, and quite contrary to this. What are your thoughts, and how would this piece reflect in your response?

MK: I’m not sure the fashion industry supermodel complex got that memo. I agree folks want to connect with their gut with the art, and my subject matter can work against me. I can’t complain about sales, I am blessed, but I want to be able to explore themes without worry that are rich with possibility and personal reward in addition to any monetary compensation. My pencil and watercolor paintings are a new phase of the Project and are more illustrative. My vision for this category is to travel further into the humor and mischief of the Incognito world. Because it tells a story, my hope is that the story will resonate. How many adult women read a story about a young wizard

with a lightning-bolt-shaped scar on his forehead? They resonate with the magick – it’s the magick that has legs. Thank you for your kind comments about this piece, A Little Help Goes A Long Way; I am happy you like her and her little critter friends.

What rolled through your mind when a mentor once suggested that you find a specific niche with your art? What were you working on when asked to think about this?

MK: I had shown some nudes at MonkDogz in New York, and Bob Hogge was always kind and mentoring. His suggestion was to find some things that could be identifying elements in my work. He cited an example of one painter’s work where all the figures were bald. At that point, I had been creating what I was calling “figurative magical realism.” So, with his suggestion, I felt a little lost. I could randomly choose to make the left hand of all my figures green, but what would that represent? I was searching for more than a gimmick or a decorative doodad. I started doodling, leading to seven cartoony sketches that became the Incognito Witch G1 through G-7 series.

When do you find yourself needing to have com-

plete solitude to create?

MK: I am able to paint and block out whatever is going on -- I can ignore my phone and pretty much everything because a certain amount of obsession takes over. Upon reentry, I sometimes have a visceral reaction to having to reengage. However, my commercial art business is a hungry beast that won’t be ignored. And if I do ignore it, there will be consequences. So my solitude time tends to be late in the evening, working on commercial projects and fine art-related computer work because the emails and the calls calm down by then. Luckily, some of my commercial artists work late hours, which is handy sometimes.

How can you explain to us the connection you have with magick and witchery?

MK: This is always one of the hardest questions to answer. I know the answer inside, but when I wrap words around it, it is never a true representation of how I feel or what I believe. When I was in my 20s, I had some medical issues, and my business partner introduced me to reiki energy healing. Over the years, concepts that fall into categories of energy, healing, meditation, and mysticism have come into my life more and more. They feel right, and inevitably they influenced my

Mama Witch Photo credit: T. Collins Logan

Mollie Kellogg, A Little Magick Goes A Long Way Doodle by Mollie

art. I also attended some pagan group activities at First UU San Diego, and many of my models were from the group and the broader church community. My friend John Keesler and I coordinated the First UU church art guild for many years, and it became a hugely supportive and loving community.

Please break down the developmental stages from figurative, story-like illustrated art to the undertaking of your unique all-encompassing gathering of people art projects relating to selfies and empowerment. I am looking at Dark Desert, The Gift, and Incognito Witch Selfie: Amanda. MK: In order of creation, The Gift is first. I was painting about motherhood, using secondhand canvases, and donated house paint because that's all we could afford. This is one of my most popular images. Dark Desert was second and created the year I was going through a divorce. This was when I started evolving my technique to include the textured gesso and metallic underpainting, and in this phase, I used a lot of black in the pouring. I poured thinned acrylic colors over top of the metallic and let it do its thing, and then I painted the figure out of that. In the Incognito Witch Selfie phase, I continued the gesso and metallic under-

painting but have switched to a more colorful pouring. Paintings in the selfie series are created from references sent in by sister and brother Incognitos dressed in their fabulous Inner Witchwear. It is a lot of fun for participants and can be healing. Incognito Amanda from New Zealand wrote this to me: “There was no stigma, no judgment. I've never felt more safe and accepted.”

Of all the mastery and skills you own and use to create a pastel, drawing, or acrylic of yourself or someone else, what techniques would you say have the most power? It could be how you flick off the brush, a splatter of gold dust, a pouring process, or the combination of colors you choose. Which one holds the most visualization magic? Are they added as a final touch? Reveal to us one of your secret potions and its ingredients! MK: Ha ha ha. I actually visualize when I am in the pouring stage when the painting is lying flat on the ground and has water pooled on its surface. When I add the gold powder, glitter, and stars, and they’re floating around in the water trying to find their resting place, it's a magical conjuring or a potion of sorts, and I’m amused at that thought. I do use the description “Creative Sorceress” as my Continued on next page...

The Gift, 2004, Acrylic, 48” x 48”

Dark Desert, 2005, Acrylic, 36” x 60”

Incognito Witch Selfie: Amanda, 2015, Mixed media, 18” x 36”

Mollie pouring accent colors in California studio

Incognito Witch Selfie: Gollie G, 2015 Mixed media, 24” x 36”

Pouring paint technique by Mollie Kellogg

job title because we are creating something that didn’t exist before – the tagline for my business is “conjure a vision.” The stars are a huge component. But the most exciting is to see how the underpainting dries. It is totally something I can’t control.

Do the doodle line drawings you showed me you have come up with also hold as much potent magic?

MK: The “Doodlies” are trying to find their way. They are part of the realm. A couple of them have had concepts. They stem from my first steps in any painting. I’ve just not ever really shared them before. Definitely, my process is trying to take them to another level and see if they can stand on their own. They are like little bursts of energy thrown at the paper. I’d like to find a consistent level – and I need to do a lot more of them to see how it plays out. I enjoy them a lot.

You have a strong presence online. So much info about you and your art is offered honestly and candidly to the world. Some artists are more secretive. Why do you choose this direction of revealing yourself, yet, in your portrayals, you want to hide behind the physical of yourself?

MK: I have complete confidence in the work, my process, the concepts, and the people who care about this work and who’ve participated in the

Project. I care about them, and I am very grateful to them for sharing the vision, and we’re in this together. When presenting myself as an artist talking about art, I got this. Presenting myself as just Mollie is a bit harder. Everything I feel, my insecurities, and all the struggles can be shared as G and Ginger and the gang – with a good song especially – and I’m protected. It's now their story, their struggle. I am working towards presenting more of myself through music as well. I have a couple of songs that are not part of the Incognito Witch world, and I’m hoping to get a new one recorded soon that may reference some Incognito elements.

"The Incognito Witch goes to great lengths to hide her true identity. She feels imprisoned by societal pressures and is scared to let her true inner magick shine. Through difficult self-examination, she discovers the key to freedom.” Can you elaborate on this bit of writing that I came across?

MK: The lyrics for my songs are most often inspired by something I'm going through or an experience I have gone through that is still sticking with me. I can’t decide if it’s a form of therapy or a diary. The first song I wrote was Paint My Life with the lyrics, “in these clothes, in the car, in the mirror, what do I fear? It's not a reflection of me. In my head and my chest fingers chilled, the presContinued on next page...

Still: Paint My Life Photo credit: T. Collins Logan

Lonely Hearts in the Crowd poster

sure builds, my prisoner trying to break free. Am I wrong to want what I don’t have, or is it all in my head? Pains of the past are my prison, I'll take my magic brush and paint a life I recognize.” The video featured G – who again is a character styled after the first painting in my series titled G-1 for “Goddess 1.” In the story, she starts a new life as a painter. It won the LGBTQAI Track Award Nine Worlds Film Festival 2014 in London.

On the other end of the spectrum, but not too far away, I see the magic of a graphic designer! Is this your bread and butter? Did you start with paste-up and mechanicals?

MK: Yes! I started old school. Breathing spray mount and Bestine eight hours a day. Schooled in Colorado, I returned to begin my career in Phoenix ad agencies. I loved it. Wish it could’ve lasted longer. But there are no more Mad Men. I spent time at a large PR firm and boutique design firm in Seattle. In San Diego, I fell into the medical marketing space. Medical marketing is now my largest business segment, and we provide art and creative direction and design for ads, print, web, branding, and video. I have a great team and nice

clients, and we get to do thoughtful, creative things that can potentially improve patients' lives.

I would love to learn more about what made you fearless and impulsively take on other art forms, such as acting, composing music, and more. And, when does each venue have its place or merge with others? It does take a certain amount of confidence and empowerment to explore, challenge and create at will!

MK: Right now, acting, music, and art are pretty much all the components of the Project, including dance. I've always acted, I’ve always created art, I’ve always danced. Despite not having confidence, I was always singing and trying to make up songs. But it was a whim when my husband and I walked into Deering Banjo Company in San Diego, and I walked out with a banjo – I think mimosas at brunch were involved. I realized that, up until then, everything I did was with the goal of being what I did. I didn't have any hobbies; I just worked. So banjo became a hobby and a way for me to create more music on my own.

Where did you grow up, and what places did you

live? What reasons took you from one place to another? To the Berkshires?

MK: I grew up in Phoenix I have lived in the Southwest and West Coast my whole life. I left Phoenix for Seattle when relocating our theater company. That turned out to be really bad timing, and the dreams weren’t fully realized. We moved to San Diego because my then-husband got a professorship teaching theater at one of the universities. My current husband and I relocated to the Berkshires a couple of years ago. He is from Amherst, and his family lives nearby. We fell in love with Webster, New York, while caring for my aunt there, but as we searched for the right home, we ended up in Dalton, and we absolutely adore it. I have really been deeply moved by the beauty of the Berkshires.

The art community in the Berkshires is good. You are partly responsible for making it a whole lot stronger. What contributions have you been accountable for, and what plans do you see feasible down the line here?

MK: I am more than thrilled to find a community of artists here that is so welcoming. It’s surprising

Mollie dances for family at a young age Photo archives, Molly Kellogg

– and a little shocking – to find exactly what I was hoping for while not believing it existed. I hope I can be an asset to the community. Some contributions to date include a few shows in the area – at local businesses and through the local art guild –and I strive to contribute to our community. I want to support the effort of those trying to make all this happen, too. I’m a member of The Guild Berkshire Artists, and Susan Smith and I are assisting with coordinating First Friday artists at Hot Plate in Pittsfield this year.

Was it easy for you to break into the art communities here? For people who want to move to this area for many good reasons, what advice would you give them that you have learned?

MK: I was lucky to be in the right places at the right time and connect with the most generous of artists and coordinators right out of the gate. My advice is to show up and keep an open mind. You never know where you’ll make that connection.

Shany Porras and you have created an excellent title for your upcoming exhibit in an intimate setting gallery space in West Stockbridge this July.

What is the synopsis of this exhibit?

MK: Here’s how we describe it: Where does your imagination go when it wanders? Mollie Kellogg (figurative) and Shany Porras (abstract) step into new worlds of mist and magick in search of an answer in Where Our Minds Wander, a two-person exhibit at Art on Main Gallery, 38 Main St., West Stockbridge, MA, July 13-24, Thurs-Mon 11am4pm. Reception Sat, July 15, 2-4pm. Art Talk Sat, July 22, 2pm.

How much of a collaboration took place between you and your co-artist?

MK: Surprisingly a lot. We've had regular meetings throughout the process, conceptualizing and looking at each other’s work, then refining our message. Even the show cards and press releases were a collaboration. I’ve never had a relationship with another artist I’ve shown similar to this process.

How does the art mesh and contrast between each artist?

MK: From our first show together at the Guild, it was apparent that there was a natural conversation

when our work was hanging next to each other.

What words of wisdom do you want to share?

Teach us through words unspoken and written, treasured by you now and for a lifetime ahead.

MK: The words I live by: Better paranoid than sorry. The message I want to share with others: You are magick!

Thank you, Mollie!

www.molliekellogg.com www.incognitowitch.com www.gingeranxiety.com

www.creativespiritworks.com

Where-Mind-Wonders, 60” x 30” Art on Main

Mollie and T. Collins Logan after cover shoot

MARION GRANT

Artist Marion Grant is a member of Clock Tower Artists in Pittsfield, MA. Her current work in mixed media on canvas combines textural materials, hand-painted papers, acrylic paint, and fabric in abstract compositions that explore colors, patterns, and shapes.

About the work, Grant says, “My recent pieces reflect my ongoing interest in the interplay of geometric shapes, color relationships, and embellishments such as texture and drawing. Viewed as a whole, the paintings have unity; viewed up close, every element stands on its own as a unique passage.”

Grant’s studio will be open to the public the first Friday and Saturday of each month now through December. This summer, public hours are Saturday, July 1 (11-4), Friday, July 8 (5-8), Friday, August 4 (5-8), and Saturday, August 5 (114). Private visits to the studio can be arranged by contacting the artist directly.

Marion Grant - 413-446-7979; grants3@earthlink.net; www.mariongrantart.com; IG: @marion.hgrant.

GHETTA HIRSCH

When I go to Maine, I certainly enjoy a lobster or two, but tastebuds are not the only highlights of my stay. Look at these rocks at dusk. My sense of sight is challenged every minute of the day and I return with the memory, the sketches, the photos and a few rocks in the trunk of my car. I am stealing from Nature and keeping my creative memory alive. Look at the dying sun rays hitting the top of the rocky formation. I am so glad I was able to paint the Maine shore. I certainly welcome your visits in my art studio if you wish to study my painting more closely.

This new oil painting can be seen in my studio at 30 Church St, Williamstown, Massachusetts. OPEN STUDIO and refreshments Saturday July 15 and Sunday July 16 from 10am-4pm.

July is a busy month as my work is exhibited in two locations at Kimball Farms in Lenox, Massachusetts. One exhibit, The Sky’s the Limit, is at their Connector Gallery and is open every day 8-8. The other exhibit is the Conference Room Gallery and opens on July 6.

If you go to Vermont, I also have some pieces at The Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester. You can also reach me if you are driving to Williamstown for the wonderful E. Munch Show at the Clark Museum this summer. I will be happy to offer you some cool ice tea while you explore my studio.

Ghetta Hirsch - 413-597-1716, ghetta-hirsch.squarespace.com

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We are passionate about promoting your art.

Give us a call... 413-645-4114

It’s Virtually A New Beginning.

This spring, Schantz Galleries, the nationally renowned glass gallery in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, began the process of restructuring and moving towards a virtual format. After much consideration, owners Jim Schantz and Kim Saul decided to close their physical gallery space in September 2023 and thereafter continue to operate remotely via their website, social media platforms, and email outreach. Throughout 40 years representing artists working with glass, Schantz has established strong relationships and an international standing. This new era begins with the full support of the sixty artists represented. The gallery’s initial foray into virtual exhibitions is available for viewing now on their website, as Schantz and Saul created an online catalog of work by Dale Chihuly featuring the artist’s Venetian series.

Schantz and Saul will continue to consult with clients and maintain and build on the wonderful relationships they have created over the decades, while this change in format allows Schantz time to curate remote exhibitions. In addition to being gallerists, Saul and Schantz are working artists who have always understood the challenges of providing for a family while being makers. They have supported, encouraged, and promoted the artists they represent, as well as cared for the dedicated team of local people who have worked with them over the years. “We have placed works in museums, exhibited at art fairs around the country, and held special events here in the Berkshires, attracting new art patrons and enthusiasts from around the world to Stockbridge,” said Schantz in a recent interview.

Ideally, they would like to see another type of gallery business take over the physical space. The location has been an art destination in the Berkshires for more than 40 years, and there are people who visit every year, and now their adult children and grandchildren visit the gallery.

“We are truly grateful for so many good friends and their remarkable support. Working together to share art and educate the public about the medium of glass as an art form, all the while helping artists develop their careers, has been a great honor and blessing. We will continue to do so, just in a different format. We are looking forward with great enthusiasm to this new era.”

Located at 3 Elm St. in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Schantz Galleries is a leading contemporary art glass gallery. Its final summer of regularly scheduled hours will be this July and August, Thursdays through Sundays, 11am to 5:30pm.

www.schantzgalleries.com

Instagram: @schantz_galleries

Facebook: SchantzGalleries

CUT WITH THE GRAIN STAINED ROCKS, 2023, 10” X 10”

ERIKA LARSKAYA ABSTRACT VISUAL ARTIST UPDATE 7.23

“When people ask why I make art, I often don’t know what to say. It’s very innate for me, like breathing. There isn’t a big and important message behind my work, but it has always been natural for me to express the cerebral and emotional parts of myself by creating artwork.” —Erika

Harryet Candee: How's life since our last interview? How is your art coming along?

Erika Larskaya: A lot has changed! Some unexpected family-related stuff inspired some new work. There are more works on paper and more paper in my paintings. Lots of paper! I’ve been working on a few new series. “Confinement” is the one that started the use of architectural drawing paper. That series is related to feeling imprisoned and trapped, both physically and by feelings and emotions. It led to the next series, “Breakaway,” where resilience and overcoming obstacles become the focus.

I love what you wrote in your last interview in 2021..." Weakness is a great thing, and strength is nothing. When a man is just born, he is weak and flexible. When he dies, he is hard and insensitive. When a tree is growing, it's tender and pliant. But when it's dry and complex, it dies.

Hardness and strength are death's companions. Pliancy and weakness are expressions of the freshness of being. Because what has hardened will never win." How is this relevant to your creative process? Can you show us an example of your art so that we can understand why this statement from the film Stalker has a connection?

EL: Every moment in life is a practice in learning to be more adaptable to various circumstances and experiences, including the creative process. It’s simply more painful otherwise to repress or avoid facing the world and ourselves. It is also unproductive; if we are too set in our beliefs, we don’t learn anything new and can’t see the possibilities. The understated elements in my work express the vulnerable side of life, with the delicacy of some materials, such as paper with holes and wrinkles or the spontaneous scribbled writing and marks with colored pencils. If you zoom in on any work from the “Confinement,” “Breakaway,” or “Por-

Larskaya

tals'' series, you will see the imperfections that speak to our experiences in life and of being human.

"Portals" is your most recent art exhibit at Five Points Annex in Torrington, CT. Tell us about the title, the space, and the selected body of work.

EL: I’m very excited to show up at Five Points Annex, and it’s such a great space to have here in downtown Torrington. This show is a collection of selected works from various series I’ve painted over the past two years. The title represents being open to alternate spaces, parts of reality in parallel existence to this moment. Each painting is its invitation to explore beyond the surface appearance of things and enter into more subtle and possibly uncharted territory, where complexity, impermanence, and emotional balance can be explored.

In our last interview before COVID, you defined

Interview by Harryet Candee Photographs Courtesy of Artist

yourself as an artist with this statement, "The abstract result allows for flexibility in how viewers relate to and interpret the artwork. I explore new ways of representing experiences through my artwork by experimenting with various mediums and supports." Do you still believe in this, and has anything changed or evolved with your work since then?

EL: I would say yes, I believe in this, and it definitely has evolved. While I always play with some representational style and sometimes enjoy drawing figurative work, I still feel that the abstract and non-representational way of communicating with the viewer is my preferred language. You can see it in all my latest works, including “Brooklyn 89,” which has a nice combo of my earlier and latest methods.

I still use acrylics, charcoal, markers, and anything that can make a mark on the surface, and now I have my architectural drawings. I have a

great source for it from a friend’s construction business, so I go nuts tearing them apart and making holes, not thinking about the potential results. It’s fun; it’s liberating and also therapeutic! As soon as my method becomes too familiar, comfortable, and safe, I have to do something new. Using architectural drawing paper has given me a new perspective on the process. So far, it’s still challenging and fun.

One direction of exploration in your work has been working with and incorporating into your art crushed paper. Where are you now with that? What other materials have you found exciting and challenging to work with?

EL: I still have projects in progress with crushed paper, but the new obsession with architectural paper took over my mind and my entire studio. It’s everywhere, but I love it! I love the lines, the patterns, and the quality of paper itself. It tears and

separates in layers just the way I like it.

Getting out to see other artists' work, have you found any new and inspirational female artists who share your interests in facing adversity and social restraints? What other artists in and around your community can you relate to and why?

EL: Everyone unafraid to break the rules and standards in the art scene inspires me. Some female artists who inspire me are Jen Abbott-Tillou, Shona Curtis, Karen Bonanno, Copper Curtis, and Sarah Conklin. All of them are fearless in expressing their perspectives on social issues. It’s not hard for me to relate to those artists, and our experiences of the world are very similar.

"I would redesign the nature of human behavior. I would make it so that compassion always overContinued on next page...

Brooklyn89, Mixed media on canvas,36” x 36”

Pointless Fears, Mixed media on canvas, 36” x 36”

A Million Reasons, Mixed media on canvas, 26” x 36”

rides fear, and the health of our environment is a priority before immediate comfort." Now, both of us reading your statement, what thoughts can you add to this that reinforce or alter your thinking today?

EL: I still think that way, in an idealistic sense, but I can also see that it might be impossible; it’s mostly wishful thinking. I think it would take a significant collaborative approach for us to make significant changes and alter the trajectory of our species toward a less destructive future.

Erika, tell us about your background. What took place in your life that led you to become an artist?

EL: I was always an artist, but living in Soviet Russia had its limitations. After moving to the US, I got serious about my art sometime in my 30s. I finally realized that I don’t need anyone’s permission to do what I want, so I just went for it and learned a lot of things along the way.

Do you find that things from your personal life tend to surface upon your canvas, even if it was not intended and a part of the original idea? Whether you plan to have them there or not, do you find they exist? It is funny how we have our secret symbols in our paintings, secret communication that may be viewed by the public but has a meaning only the artist understands and wants to keep to themselves. Can you give us a key to some of your secret symbolism, if any?

EL: There is really no secret. I write some thoughts and words that make sense at the moment. I like to add initials of people I know and various symbols representing things we deal with on a daily basis. I come up with it as I go through the process, and it depends on the painting. And yes, things come to the surface, and the symbols and words reflect that. I love working with my current choice of materials. It’s a perfect playground for all the subtle messages and expressions.

How will you be enjoying the summer?

The usual stuff for me is spending time at the beach by the ocean, hiking, and enjoying live music outdoors. I wish summer were nine months long; it’s truly my favorite time of year.

Website and other connections for viewing your art?

Website: www.erikalarskaya.art

Instagram: erika_larskaya_studio

Thank you, Erika!

If Bridges Could Talk, mixed media on canvas, 36” x 36”

"The Berkshires provided me with a natural backdrop for my paintings. I would look for areas of solitude and enjoy the natural colors of the seasons wherever I was. These images were memories I had a young boy, growing up in Lee. I will always remember them as some of my fondest days there."

Barns, 12 x 24 inches

THE ARTFUL MIND VIRTUAL GALLERY 7.2023

RUBY AVER

Ruby Aver 413 854 7007

Housatonic Studio open by appointment rdaver2@gmail.com Instagram and Facebook

The City Series no. 8 :Bangkok aka The Big Mango Acrylic on canvas 16”x 20”

Carolyn Newberger: 617-877-5672

cnewberger@me.com

www.carolynnewberger.com

Catharsis, Ink and Watercolor, 12” x 17”

Crossing the Rubicom, Ink and Pastel, 12” x 17”

The Jazz Continuum, Watercolor, 12” x 9”

“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

Overlooking the City Acrylic on Canvas 16” x 20”

The Poser Acrylic on Canvas 11”x 14”

Lady Sings the Blues Acrylic on Canvas 16” x 20”

Farmstand, Watercolor, 30” x 40

Into the Light, Watercolor, 30” x 40”

PEGGY REEVES AN ORGY OF SACCHARINE BEAUTY

“This new series of botanical paintings were initially inspired by the ferns in my garden, hence, the titles of the works are “Fernature #1, 2, 3” etc. The misspelling is intentional. The show at 510 Warren Street Gallery in Hudson, NY, August 427, will feature the series of gouache paintings on paper title “An Orgy of Saccharine Beauty.”

My intention is to lead the viewer over the lush threshold of abstraction and representation. Within the span from edge to edge of these imaginary gardens, there are contortions of vegetation that seems to be at play, in conversation, or neighborly interactions. The growth may bolster or support each other.

I see the plant life as a powerful, forceful agent and the title of the series “An Orgy of Saccharine Beauty” is meant to negate the normally held concept of a sweet or passive nature and delicate existence that the subject of flowers in art brings to mind. The plants are coming together in a connectiveness that also speaks of the energy, as Dylan Thomas wrote, “the force that through the green fuse drives the flower, drives my green age…” of the garden as a metaphor for the human condition. In most cases, what is immediately seen may shift, becoming richer over time with negative and positive spaces and shapes revealing themselves. The experience of sustained seeing may lead to new recognitions maintaining the sense of a liminal space and a story unfolding.”

Works by Peggy Reeves are also on exhibit at The Meeting House Gallery in New Marlborough in a show titled “Coming Together,” June 23 –July 23, 2023. See nmmeetinghouse.org

510 Warren Street Gallery, 510 Warren St., Hudson, New York, August 4 – August 27, 2023. See 510warrenstreetgallery.com

JANE HUDSON WATER

The light of the Universe is ever present. It falls upon the Earth as potential energy, as heat, as creative force. It touches the the magnetic energy field of Earth creating great vortexes that generate storms and water. This quintessential substance carries the memory of every living being falling as it does to form all bodies. It fills and forms according to genetic principles that adhere to climates and landscapes, families and cultures. Humans have sought to control water, to domesticate it for convenience, the consequence being that it is deadened, lacking the vitality of its origins. We must now acknowledge its brilliance, exalt and praise it, spin it back into its heightened properties and recognize its partnership with life.

Jane.video@gmail.com Http:://janehudsonpaintings.com

IN THE ABSTRACT KIMBALL FARMS CONNECTOR GALLERY

In the Abstract opens July 22 with a reception from 2-4 in the Kimball Farms Connector Gallery. The show features an eclectic range of abstracts and includes lively, interesting work by several artists including husband and wife Keith and Mary Davidson, Ruby Aver, former Berkshire-ite Don Longo, and Caroline Kelly.

Also on view are three newly installed sculptures by Binney Meigs.

All are welcome to celebrate the pleasure of unexpected discoveries any day through September 5.

The Connector Gallery - 235 Walker St, Lenox, Massachusetts.

FERNATURE 3, 24” X 30" ACRYLIC, GOUACHE

KEITH DAVIDSON, DECONSTRUCTED LANDSCAPE

LIGHT BECOMES WATER

LONNY JARRETT FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY STOCKBRIDGE LIBRARY

JULY 1 - 31

RECEPTION JULY 7, 5-7PM

My initial memory of awakening to the creative impulse was hearing the first chord of the Beatles, Hard Day’s Night, when I was six years old. I knew something big was happening at that moment, 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 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 lifelong 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. I endeavor to capture the light that seeps through everything in landscape and nature photography.

Lonny Jarrett

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Community: Nourishingdestiny.com

Books: Spiritpathpress.com

Art: Berkshirescenicphotography.com

Teaching: Lonnyjarrett.com

MARGUERITE BRIDE 7TH ANNUAL HOME ART SALE

On Saturday, July 22, 2023, from 10am – 3pm, I will be holding my 7th Annual Art Sale…and this year it will be a MONSTER SALE!

There will be over 100 of my framed originals…some quite old, some pretty new and many never even seen before. Original watercolors on paper, canvas, all sizes from my Irish, Italian, Seacoast, Berkshires, New England, Shaker Village, Animals, and Bicycle series and more will be for sale. There will also be many unframed pieces as well.

These days I find my focus is more on commission work and teaching, with far fewer shows and exhibits. I have decided it is time to seriously decrease my inventory and offer my art to you at significantly reduced prices. I will put out basically all the original works I have (framed and unframed) that are not ear-marked for gallery exhibitions in the near future.

This sale will be held in my backyard, at 46 Glory Drive in Pittsfield. The gateway entrance is just to the right of the garage. There will be plenty of signage. Cash of course is always welcome, but I will also accept credit cards and Venmo.

For more details, previews, and rain date information, please see my website or Facebook page for new dates.

Marguerite Bride – 46 Glory Drive, Pittsfield, Massachusetts; margebride-paintings.com; margebride@aol.com; Facebook: Marguerite Bride Watercolors.

MARY ANN YARMOSKY

We long for a way to be heard from the moment we are born. 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 never fulfilled.

I have always found expression through art. At age 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 as a wife, mother, caretaker, and professional career.

We offer private olfactory consultations in order to find a fragrance that best suits you.

Perfumes

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Reach us at (413) 717‐2498 Shop at scentsbyskanda.com and etsy.com/shop/scentsbyskanda

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

Mary Ann Yarmosky-maryannyarmoskyart.com

Scents by Skanda creates fragrances using only the rarest and finest ingredients.

LADY WITH AN ORANGE HAT, 17.5” X 21.5” FRAMED, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS

RICHARD ALAN COHEN

Fine Art Photography in Limited Editions

“Stare at a boat hull with its worn paint, scratches and rust long enough and you can start to dream of a landscape.”

www.RichardAlanCohen.com

Richard@RichardAlanCohen.com

Instagram: @richardalancohen

Waterline 5

Overboard

“Light Storm on the Water” Jane.video@gmail.com janehudsonpaintings.com

Ruby Aver

What is Your Footprint ?

rdaver2@gmail.com

Instagram: rdaver2. Housatonic Studio open by appointment: 413-854-7007

Landscape, Pastel

MARK MELLINGER

Practicing art for 60 years and psychoanalysis for 40, Dr. Mark Mellinger’s careers concern what can be spoken of and what transcends language. In painting, collage and constructions of wood and iron he is drawn to the physicality of materials.

Avoiding predictability of style, Mellinger explores the possibilities of matter and media. Our lives and our world are transient. We must seek meaning in truth, creativity and connectedness.

Mark V. Mellinger, Ph.D.- 914-260-7413, 71 S Church St, Pittsfield MA

Mary Davidson has been painting regularly for the last 16 years. Davidson’s paintings are a twodimensional decorative visualization of line, color, design, shape, patterns, and stamping. As you begin to study the paintings, you will find that 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 consists 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

DON LONGO

When I begin a new painting, my end result would be one where there is texture, atmosphere, and feeling. Many are based on my background of growing up in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts where the natural beauty of the land and the serenity of quiet places gave me the daily energy I loved.

My first paintings started with a more realistic design. I wanted to capture the light and the quietness of the environments, such as walking to the lake through pastureland, dreaming of my future, or driving the backroads by myself, looking for that solitary area to listen to the sounds of the wind, the leaves, birds and babbling streams.

Today, I concentrate more on semi-abstract versions of those places with some similarity of realism. I use colors of the season I want to represent with smooth and rough textures. I sometimes use close-up images to bring you into the painting, then make you travel around the scenery just like I did as a young man being there. Other times I like the viewer to be far away, looking at the solitude of the distant landscape.

Once I decide my viewpoint, I begin manipulating the canvas with textural pastes, acrylic paint, oil stains, water, mineral spirits, and spray paint until I get the final desired result.

I loved to explore as a kid, and I now continue to explore as an adult. But now I do it on my canvases.

Don Longo - www.donlongoart.com

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MY NEW HAT SERIES #5 MARY DAVIDSON

GHOST DANCE. ACRYLIC ON CANVAS 48" X 30" 2023

CRIMSON FALL, 20” X 20”

The whole world is an art gallery when you’re mindful.

- Charles Tart

Astrology for Creators July

2023

“Fill Your Cup”

(Western Tropical Astrology. Time Zone EST/EDT)

Deanna Musgrave

July has the potential to support creativity with fiery passion and delight however, there is also the opposite polarity of destructive anger. My advice is to be aware of the conflict of the world but, to take advantage of the positive energies July has to offer.

For those who celebrate Independence and Canada Day in early July, the energy will be mixed. The month starts off on July 1st with an almost conjunction between Mars and Venus (within a 34 degree orb) in Leo that is also making a tense aspect of squaring Uranus in Taurus. Mars and Venus can be a fiery romance or passion however, with the square over to Uranus it likely has an aspect of rebellion, shock, or innovation. With the Mars and Venus coming close in Leo, this could be about passionate leadership in the collective. With the square over to Uranus in Taurus, it could involve a tense exchange with humanitarian protest. For the individual creator this could be a struggle with expressing a new creative idea. Squares can become a positive aspect if the tension is overcome so if you are struggling on that day with a creative project know that this friction has the potential to create a pearl. On this day there are also a lot of positive aspects in the sky that could assist to overcome this square angle. As one example, we have a Sun to Mercury conjunction in Cancer making a positive sextile to Jupiter in Taurus. This feels like bright (Sun) and big communications (Mercury) of a nurturing tone (Cancer) of something big and jubilant (Jupiter). To paint a picture of the entire first week of July, it’s like a party where nurturing Cancer is in sparkling attire ready to communicate love while luxurious Taurus showed up with a big feast. It will be these two characters of Cancer and Taurus who can save the tone of a celebration which has gotten out of hand due to a passionate Leo having an intense debate with a rebellious innovator. So, if you find yourself in that situation during the first week of July, channel that nurturing Cancer and abundant Taurus to focus intense people towards delicious food (at least that is what I would do…). Quickly after on July 3rd we have a Full Moon in Capricorn which increases these energies with a focus on and/or a closure event in the areas

of government leadership and institution. This is why I consider the early July celebrations to be mostly joyful however, there is likely going to be something tense for leadership to deal with.

Following the early July celebrations we have a series of positive aspects between July 9th – 14th that artists should take advantage of. July 9-10th is a positive day for creators as Mercury in Cancer is making a trine to Neptune in Pisces. When Mercury and Neptune get along, it makes for great expressions of dreamy ideas. This would be an ideal day to work in the studio! Also on July 10th Mars will shift into Virgo which might change the flavour of everyone’s passions and anger. You might feel a fire (Mars) chasing you to organize (Virgo) your studio! The day after on July 11th Mercury enters Leo which allows for more communication of creative Leo-like ideas. On July 13-14th the Sun in Cancer will sextile Uranus in Taurus bringing forth the possibility of an enlightening an innovative idea.

The major feature of July 2023 will be the North Node shifting out of Taurus and into Aries in midJuly. If you go by the True North Node, the first ingress into Aries is on July 17th at 6:00pm EST however, if you look at the basic North Node it is on July 12th at around 2:52pm EST. In my own practice, I consider both and will be noting events around those dates. What I will be looking for is to see if there is a final event to mark the lessons of the Taurus North Node while also something that points to what the Aries North Node themes are going to be until January 2025. The North Node moved into Taurus back in January 2022 which, according to astrology, would bring a collective focus to food, housing, money, the environment, land, art, and beauty. With the North Node shifting out of Taurus, I’m hoping to see some solutions coming forward to resolve these issues however, I am aware that the Taurus Eclipse in the fall and Uranus in Taurus until 2026 will likely continue to carry on some of these themes. My hope is that the shift of the North Node into a different sign, while Uranus remains in Taurus, will bring more of the focus into innovative solutions that will resolve by the end of 2026.

With that shift of the North Node into Aries the collective focus is going to be moving towards the axis of Aries/Libra which will bring about a lot of anger, passion, protests, conflict, and an increased possibility of war. Aries the goat is very much about “I am” statements and claiming one’s boundaries. Aries also rules the first house in astrology which has everything to do with appearance and body. During this time, I expect to see a collective focus on identity, sovereignty, body modification and gender politics. Given Aries’s association with sports, we will likely see debates and a restructuring as to how sport leagues work. Aries also has a lot to do with entrepreneurship which I anticipate a growing focus on in response to AI advancement. Given that Aries is associated

with military and war, I do have concerns when I look at the writing on the wall with global events. On the opposite end of the Aries North Lunar Node will be Libra having to do with justice, law, partnership, harmony, and aesthetics. Many astrologers might see this time with the North Node pointing to Aries and the South node pointing to Libra as an increase of Aries energy and a decrease of Libra. Considering the former, this might look like a loss of the ability for the collective to find common ground and make peace. As creators, with this transit it is a good idea to be aware of how anger or passion impacts our practice. For some, getting angry about the injustices of the world can ignite a series of artworks or passionate musical compositions however, it could go the other way with the frustration fizzling out all creative energy. This is an energy that will be in play until early 2025 so, please take some time to feel into the Aries energy and utilize it in a way that serves your creative practice.

On the same day as the True North Node shifts into Aries on July 17th we have a New Moon in Cancer. In my opinion, this is a great day to plant seeds for what is to come during the Aries North Node transit and to focus on adding entrepreneurial fire to your creative career. The most positive manifestation of the Aries North Node for artists is a fiery push in your business and combining this intention with this creative Cancer New Moon is a potent mix.

There are a few aspects during the latter half of July that will deeply impact creators. On July 1920th the Sun in Cancer will Trine Neptune in Pisces which is a great energy for intuitive and dreamy artistry. July 23rd is an important date to note for creators as Venus will go Retrograde in Leo on the same day that the Sun enters this sign of the sunny lion. The Sun moving into Leo brings bright energy to creative passions and play however, with the Venus Retrograde you might find you are more introspective with your studio practice. Venus Retrograde is the best time to self-reflect on how you outwardly express Venusian energy in your art form. We finish off the month on July 27th with Mercury conjunct Venus in Leo which might bring forward new ways to express yourself.

In conclusion, we are going to need the joy offered within months like this July to build capacity for what is coming. To speak intuitively, I don’t see the highs and lows we have come to see as our “new normal” settling down until 2032. So, when I see a month like this July, that mostly offers positive aspects, I take advantage to fill my cup.

Deanna Musgrave is an artist, energy worker, channel, and hypnotherapist. You can contact her through her websites at: www.deannamusgrave.com www.artisthehealer.com

ILENE RICHARD ILLUSTRATOR / PAINTER

Ilene is an established fine art figurative painter. She is known for her expressive and colorful paintings and her use of lines, which has become a signature style of her work. Ilene’s work is highly consistent and recognizable. Working as a published children’s book illustrator for many years has helped Ilene create a narrative with her work, which often features people in whimsical and fantastical situations.

Ilene is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Women Artists and an artist member of the Rockport Artist Association and Museum.

Ilene Richard – 978-621-4986, www.ilenerichard.com, ilene.richard@gmail.com, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ilene-Richard-IllustratorPainter/109216825770985

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 photoreproductions 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

SALLY TISKA RICE

Sally Tiska Rice was born and raised in the Berkshires and is a multi-media artist who employs many different techniques into her paintings, using acrylic, watercolors, oil paints, pastels, as well as mixed media pieces. Sally is inspired by her surroundings in the rural town where she lives with her husband and pets.

Sally uses spontaneity to compose artwork, but she also creates personal commission paintings, including people, pets, homes, and churches. Sally hand painted stationery for Crane Co. where she was employed for 25 years. Her work has won awards nationally and internationally, and she is a member of the Clock Tower Artists of Pittsfield, The Guild of Berkshire Artists, Berkshire Art Association and Becket Arts Center.

You can find more about Sally Tiska Rice’s artwork on her website. And to see more of Sally’s work in person, visit the following venues:

The gallery walls of the Clock Tower, Open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm for self-guided tours, Open Studio Saturday, July 1, 11am-4pm; Open Studio Friday, July 7, 5pm-8pm; Open Studio Saturday, August 5, 11am-1pm; or call to set up a studio appointment at the Clocktower Business Center, 75 South Church St., third floor, studio #302, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, 413–446–8469.

Soma’s Aroma’s, 81 East Street, Pittsfield.

Good Purpose Gallery at the Starving Artist Creperie & Cafe, May 16 to July 11, Monday-Saturday 9am-3pm and Sunday 10am-3pm with live music for Sunday brunch, 40 Main St Lee, Massachusetts.

Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio, Artist Demonstration, Friday, August 4, 11am -2pm, 92 Hawthorne Street, Lenox, Massachusetts.

Hot Plate Brewery Featured Artist, 1 School Street, Pittsfield, MA, August 1-30 with a reception August 4, 5pm-8pm.

Becket Arts Center, Members Show, August 3-21 with the reception Saturday, August 5, 2pm4pm.

Sally Tiska Rice - https://sallytiskarice.com. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Find quality affordable prints of Sally’s work at https://pixels.com/profiles/sally-rice

EAT, DRINK AND ENJOY THE GOOD VIBE PAINTINGS BY ILENE RICHARD AT DISTRICT KITCHEN AND BAR, 40 WEST STREET, PITTSFIELD, MA

TORTUGA, WATERCOLOR

The Chocolate Cupcake PART

2

Last month we left Albert, the elderly museum guard, standing in the woods with his head against a birch tree. In his simplicity, he was testing the idea that doing so would grow hair on his head.

As he stood there a bluejay flew down out of that very tree and landed on Albert’s bald spot and pecked him with her beak right in the middle of his head, making a small hole, in which a spot of blood appeared.

Albert shook violently and felt moved to the depths of the essence that is his soul, and he said to himself, “This has nothing to do with hair or bald spots, but something to do with magic, and magical things.” And as if in response to this thought, thousands of crows began to crow all around, and then all of them, like one living thing, flew up into the sky in a big black cloud and flew away, cawing and cawing, into the distance. Albert staggered home, more dead than alive.

He opened the door to his cottage, and went inside, and his wife, whose name by the way was Bertha, said to him, “And how did Sarah like her cupcake then?”

When Albert’s wife asked him about Sarah’s cupcake, he did not answer her right away, because he had to lie about it, and everybody knows it always takes a moment to make up a lie, especially when you are not expecting it. So when Albert didn’t answer right away, she knew that the selfish old man had eaten Sarah’s cupcake, which she had made specially for her, because she had grown fond of the saucy child, and thought she was a good influence on her grumpy husband. Finally, Albert said, “Oh, she loved the cupcake very much and hopes you might make her another.” Hearing this obvious falsehood, Bertha stopped washing the dishes, sighed to herself, and then resumed her work. And so Albert saw that his lie was found out, but nevertheless his wife did not bother to criticize him, because she thought to herself, “What’s the use?”

The very next day Albert opened his lunch pail just a few minutes before ten, so that he could gobble up Sarah’s cupcake without her knowing about it, but he discovered that his wife had played a trick on him. Sarah’s cupcake had an S on the top of it, in frosting, and his had an A on it. His first impulse was to gobble up the S cupcake right away, but he thought to himself three things. One, he had lied about the cupcake. Two, his wife knew he lied, and although she said nothing she had marked this one with an S on purpose. And three, he felt ashamed

of himself, not because he lied, but because his wife did not scold him. He looked down into his lunch pail and said to himself, “Oh dear me, apparently she thinks I am just a hopeless case.”

Just then, Sarah came up beside him and said, “So, it looks like I am going to get to eat my cupcake myself today. From then on, at ten o’clock, the two of them ate their cupcakes together every day, and Sarah brought the milk in a jug from her farm. The cupcake hour became a time when they talked about various things, because Albert had never gone to any school, and did not even know how to read. But Sarah, because of her hours spent in the queen’s library, was becoming highly educated in her own way. She would sit next to Albert and explain the world to him, but she was devilish and could never avoid the temptation to tell him outlandish, untrue things, just to test his incredulity, until at times he would cry out, “Now stop it Sarah! What do you take me for, an ignoramus?”

Meanwhile, some very strange things began to happen. First of all, the bluejay that had landed on Albert’s head began following him to work in the morning. At first it did not seem possible, and he assumed that it had to be a different bird each time. But finally, when it began to land on the museum window ledge in the very room Albert had to guard, he could see that he had acquired a pet bird that insisted on following him around. That was not the only odd thing. The guard in the museum room next to Albert’s began to listen in on their conversations. And the more he listened, the more upset he became, because he felt that their words - especially Sarah’s - showed a kind of disrespect of the museum and its collection, particularly when she made fun of and changed the words of the tags on the paintings. He was so upset about it that he almost complained to the king himself.

This other guard, whose name was Max, was not the only one unhappy with things in the museum. Poor Rex, whom we have hardly even mentioned, became jealous of Albert, and would sometimes even bark at him, because he missed all the attention he used to get from Sarah. Sarah would often sit on the floor with Rex and talk to him at length about what a wonderful dog he was, and how he was perfect and “just like Plato’s ideal, a perfect dog.” But Sarah found a simple solution one day that solved everything. She opened the window and let the bluejay into the room. The bluejay instantly flew over to Albert, pecked his head three times, and then immediately made friends with Rex, who welcomed this new playmate with open paws.

Now, while Sarah and Albert engaged in their interesting conversations, the bird and the dog would engage in various antics. I know it is probably difficult to believe that a dog and a bird might engage in the games these two engaged in, but you will simply have to believe me, and I will give you some examples. Sarah named the bird Toot, and Toot loved to ride around the museum on Rex’s back, as if Rex was a horse. To make him run faster, she would gently peck at his head, and to make him slow down, she poked him twice with her claw. To make him stop, she would hop up and down. That does not sound so unbelievable, but would you believe me when I tell you that they would pretend to fight? Toot would attack Rex, flying around him in circles and pecking him, and Rex would pretend to be afraid of the little bird.

Albert was constantly asking questions about the royal court. He wanted to know what kind of meals they had, and about their cakes and pastries. “What kind of coats and pants does the king wear, and is he fat or is he thin?” he might ask, and Sarah, who often had supper with the royal couple and even sat in on important meetings, would answer all his questions. These questions of Albert’s are not surprising, because it is an absolute fact that in a monarchy, the common people are fascinated with the habits and goings on of the king and the queen, and even of the members of the court. It is a thing very similar to our society, where ordinary people always want to know what famous people and celebrities are doing.

It is an odd custom when you consider that famous people and celebrities do not care one fig about what the common people happen to be doing. In a monarchy it is different because the royalty has to show some interest in the common people, since their survival depends on it. God forbid there should be a revolution, because in a revolution the royal people often end up as commoners. Or even worse, they end up no longer in this world.

And so she explained to Albert the strange fact that the king and the queen would pretend to argue, even in front of guests, and she would give examples, saying, “For the queen it is often a three-part insult, such as, ‘You’re fat, lazy and stupid!’”

“Fat, lazy and stupid,” said Albert, wondering.“A three-part insult. How interesting. I got a two-part insult once.”

“How so?”

“She said I was an ignorant simpleton.”

“Does the king do the three-part insult?” he asked.

“No, the king is more direct and uses fewer words. After the queen says something he doesn’t like, he takes a deep breath, and shouts out, ‘WRONG!’ at the top of his lungs. And then he smacks his hand with his fist, or stamps his foot.”

“Does the queen stamp her foot?”

“Never, but she folds her arms and then taps her foot, as if keeping time to music, and while tapping her foot she will roll her eyes and have a look at the ceiling.”

“Now, for example, I will be the queen, and you will be the king, so listen to this. ‘You're a selfish, stingy glutton!’” she shouted.

“WRONG,” yelled Albert, and he banged his fist on the table. From then on, imitating the arguments of the king and the queen became a part of the cupcake hour, and Sarah would set the theme, because she was learning about government and its concerns.

“You are destroying the finances of the realm because you are careless, lazy and don’t even know how to add.” she might say, and Albert would scream out, “INCORRECT! It is your dresses and shoes that will lead the realm into bankruptcy.”

Sarah was proud to see that Albert could improvise, because he had substituted “incorrect” for “wrong” But she didn’t mention it, being unsure if it was inventiveness or just his simplicity.

But to mock and to ridicule a Queen's behavior is not without its dangers, and finally Max, the guard who had been spying on them, decided to lodge a complaint with the King.

—Richard Britell