THE SOURCE AND SOUL FOR PROMOTING THE ARTS SINCE 1994
JULY 2022
THE ARTFUL MIND
ARTIST CAROL DIEHL
PHOTOGRAPH BY TASJA KEETMAN
THE ARTFUL MIND ANDREA JOYCE FELDMAN WATERCOLOR
JULY 2022
MAKE ART — NOT WAR ADRIANA ZABALA MEZZO SOPRANO INTERVIEW BY H. CANDEE ...13
TERREL BROUSSARD HERBALOGIST / BODYWORKER INTERVIEW BY H. CANDEE ...14
CAROL DIEHL PAINTER / ART CRITIC / AUTHOR INTERVIEW BY H. CANDEE PHOTOGRAPHY BY TASJA KEEETMAN ...26
THE VIRTUAL GALLERY SHOWCASE OF ARTISTS WORK FOR SALE Summer Window box, Watercolor / Ink on Paper, 8 1/2”x 11”
7.2022 ...34
Visit: andreajoycefeldmanart.com
STEPHEN G. DONALDSON PHOTOGRAPHER INTERVIEW BY H. CANDEE...40 RICHARD BRITELL | FICTION
MARY DAVIDSON
SOMETHING FOR OVER THE COUCH— THE INSANE ASYLUM & THE CAR WASH CHAPTER 12 ...48
Publisher Harryet Candee Copy Editor Marguerite Bride Third Eye Jeff Bynack Advertising and Graphic Design Harryet Candee Contributing Writers Richard Britell Liz Lorenz Photographers Edward Acker Tasja Keetman Bobby Miller
My New Hat Series # 9, Acrylic, 40x32 inches
My New Hat Series #9 will be on display June 4 - Sept. 11, 2022 ART OF THE HILLS Berkshire Museum, 39 South Street, Pittsfield, MA. __________ www.davidsondesigncompany.net Studio appointments, please call 413-528-6945 KEITH AND MARY ORIGINAL ARTWORK FOR SALE STUDIO/GALLERY, SOUTH EGREMONT, MA
2 • JULY 2022 THE ARTFUL MIND
ADVERTISING RATES 413 ‐ 645 ‐ 4114 artfulmind@yahoo.com issuu.com | Instagram FB Open Group: ART GALLERY for artful minds The Artful Mind Box 985 Great Barrington, MA 01230 YFI: ©Copyright laws in effect throughout The Artful Mind for logo & all graphics including text material. Copyright laws for photographers and writers throughout The Artful Mind. Permission to reprint is required in all instances. In any case the issue does not appear on the stands as planned due to unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, advertisers will be compensated on a one to one basis. All commentaries by writers are not necessarily the opinion of the publisher and take no responsibility for their facts and opinions. All photographs submitted for advertisers are the responsibility for advertiser to grant release permission before running image or photograph.
Be Moved
Gallery SGD Photographic Fine Art From The Berkshires and Beyond
198 Main St. Great Barrington MA 01230 413 854-1134 steve@sgdphoto.com www.sgdphoto.com
-Since 1995-
THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2022 • 3
THE ARTFUL MIND ARTS CALENDAR ART 510 WARREN STREET GALLERY 510 WARREN ST, HUDSON NY • 518-822-0510 July 1-31: Marilyn Orner: Seductive Nature
let Nepantla; July 14: Mina Nishimura / Kota Ya mazaki; July 15: Passion Fruit Dance Company with Baye & Asa
ART ON MAIN 1854 TOWN HALL, WEST STOCKBRIDGE, MA July 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 10-5pm: In door art show, 30 artists in all mediums
SHAKESPEARE & COMPANY 70 KEMBLE ST, LENOX, MA 413-637-3353 / SHAKESPEARE.ORG Much Ado About Nothing (see website for sched)
CARRIE HADDAD GALLERY 622 WARREN ST, HUDSON, NY • 518-828-1915 July 10-31: My Own Backyard: a group exhibit featuring paintings by David Konigsberg, Ragellah Rourke and Frank DePietro; encaustics by Allyson Levy and photography by Jeri Eisenberg.
MUSIC
CLARK ART INSTITUTE 225 SOUTH ST, WILLIAMSTOWN, MA • 413-458-2303 June 18-Sept 18: Rodin in the United States: Confronting the Modern CUNNEEN-HACKET ARTS CENTER 12 Vassar St, Poughkeepise, NY • 845-4571 July-Aug: Ted Dixon: Ted Dixon’s painting explores the encounter between physical and mediative experience. HUDSON HALL 327 WARREN ST, HUDSON,NY WWW.HUDSONHALL.ORG June 25-Aug 28: Alan Coon, Annuals 1998-2022: For the past two decades, artist Alan Coon has created one selfie a day, each year documented on a single piece of paper; June 25-Aug 28: T. Klacsmann LAUREN CLARK FINE ART 684 MAIN ST, GT BARRINGTON, MA • 413-528-0432 / LaurenCLarkFineArt.com June 25-July 17: Consider the Landscape, four artists, featuring Richard Britell, Ann Getsinger, Karen Iglehart, Bob Watkins MASSMoCA 1040 MASS MoCA Way NORTH ADAMS, MA 413-622-2111 / INFO@MASSMOCA.ORG June 19-Oct 31: Kelli Rae Adams: Forever in Your Dept; June 19-Jan 1, 2023: Amy Hauft: 700,000:1 | + Luna+ Sol; June 19-Jan 1, 2023: Marc Swanson: A Memorial to Ice at the Dead Deer Disco NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUM 9 RTE 183, STOCKBRIDGE, MA / NRM.ORG JUNE 11-OCT 30: IMPRINTED: ILLUSTRATING RACE: Examines the role of published images in shaping attitudes toward race and culture.
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SCHANTZ GALLERIES CONTEMPORARY GLASS ART 3 ELM ST, STOCKBRIDGE, STOCKBRIDGE, MA • 413-298-3044 / SCHANTZGALLERIES.COM OPEN BY APPOINTMENT SOHN FINE ART 69 CHURCH ST, LENOX, MA 413-551-7353 / INFO@SOHNFINEART.COM July 15-Sept 5: Valda Bailey, Saskia Boelsums, Neil Burnell, Lee Jeong Lok, Cassandra Sohn SCULPTURENOW EXHIBITION 2022 THE MOUNT, 2 PLUNKETT ST, LENOX, MA • 413-551-5111 / WWW.EDITHWHARTON.ORG/ 30 outdoor sculptures, juried, large scale sculpture by regional, national and internationally recognized artists. TIVOLI ARTISTS GALLERY 60 BROADWAY, TIVOLI, NY • 845-757-2667 WWW.TIVOLIARTISTSGALLERY.COM Visit during weekend gallery hours, or make an appointment for a quiet personal weekday tour. Friday 1:00-8:30 PM, Saturday 12-8PM, Sunday 1-5 or by appointment. July 1-24: Exploring Paper DANCE A.P.E THE WORKROOM, 33 HAWLEY ST. NORTHAMPTON, MA • APE@HAWLEY Raveling / Reweaving: Three works of dance performance. July 15, 7pm: Program A:Rebecca Pappas and Lailye Weidman; July 167pm: Program B:Tatyana Tenenbaum, Rebecca Pappas, and Lailye Weidman; July 17, 2pm: Program C:Tatyana Tenenbaum JACOB’S PILLOW 358 GEORGE CARTER RD, BECKET, MA • 413-243-0745 / JACOBSPILLOW.ORG July 13-17: A.I.M by Kyle Abraham; July 13: Bal-
BERKSHIRE HIGH PEAKS MUSIC FESTIVAL July 20-30: Returning to the campus of Berkshire School in Sheffield, MA. Performances, talks, master classes and gifted musicians on the cusp of careers; events are free and open to the public. The ten-day festival, directed by internationally acclaimed cellist Yehuda Hanani, will continue to make its offerings of “Moonlight Sonatas” concerts, lectures and master classes open to the public – this year free to all. Highlights include a faculty concert on Wednesday, July 27 at 7:30 PM and a talk by Professor Timothy Sergay of SUNY Albany reassessing our relationship with Russian music and composers in a talk titled “Russian Art and Culture after Mariupol,” Saturday, July 23 at 4 PM KoFEST 2022 HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE CAMPUS, AMHERST, MA • 413-559-5351 / INFO@KOFEST.COM One final KoFest, July 18-31: Festival of Performance: Workshops and Story Slam after 3 decades, a farewell season on the theme of “Stepping Up / Stepping Back” PRINCE TRIBUTE BY DEAN FORD & THE BEAUTIFUL ONES
SUMMER STAGE AT BUTTERNUT 380 STATE RD. GT. BARRINGTON, MA • 413-330-9367 July 16, 7:30 pm • $24 PS21 CHATHAM, NY • INFO@PS21CHATHAM.ORG July 8: House Blend III: concludes the series with four works, including Matthew Aucoin’s Dual (2015) for bass and cello. Performed by bassist Lizzie Burns and cellist Joshua Roman, it anchors an evening of solo compositions for bass and cello and a selection from American Songbook, with John Musto at the piano and soprano Amy Burton. THEATRE BARRINGTON STAGE COMPANY PITTSFIELD, MA • 413-236-8888 info@barringtonstateco.org July 16-30: Anna In The Tropics; Aug 6-28: A little Night Music
ARTFULMIND@YAHOO.COM
SEARCHING, WONDERING
KATE KNAPP
FRONT ST. GALLERY Pastels, oils, acrylics and watercolors…abstract and representational…..landscapes, still lifes and portraits….a unique variety of painting technique and styles….you will be transported to another world and see things in a way you never have before…. join us and experience something different. Painting classes continue on Monday and Wednesday mornings 10-1:30pm at the studio and Thursday mornings out in the field. These classes are open to all...come to one or come again if it works for you. All levels and materials welcome. Private critiques available. Classes at Front Street are for those wishing to learn, those who just want to be involved in the pure enjoyment of art, and/or those who have some experience under their belt. Front Street, Housatonic, MA. Gallery open by appointment or chance anytime. 413-528-9546 at home or 413-429-7141 (cell) www.kateknappartist.com
BERKSHIRE OPERA FESTIVAL
BRUCE PANOCK
THREE DECEMBERS
I have been a student of photography for more than 20 years, though most intently for the last five years. I am primarily a landscape photographer. Recently my photographic voice has migrated to the creation of work with reference to other art forms, notably encaustic painting and ancient Chinese and Japanese brush painting and woodblock art. My intention is to create with viewer a moment of pause and reflection; a moment to digest the image and find their own story in the art. Each image is part of a limited edition. There are several sizes available. Each piece is priced according to size. Images are unframed and printed on Hahnemuhle archival papers. Bruce Panock - bruce@panockphotography.com
PHOTOGRAPHY
Berkshire Opera Festival is pleased to announce its second stage production “Three Decembers,” to be held on Thursday, July 21, and Saturday, July 23 at PS21 in Chatham, NY. With music by Jake Heggie, libretto by Gene Scheer and based on a Terrence McNally play, this is an intimate chamber work in one act. The story follows a family (a fading Broadway actress and her two adult children) through 3 decades — 1986, 1996, 2006 — as they grapple with AIDS, addiction, dysfunction, and deceit. Sung in English. Berkshire Opera Festival, 352 Main Street, Suite 211, Great Barrington, Massachusetts - 413-213-6622, www.berkshireoperafestival.org, https://www.instagram.com/berkshireoperafest/.
CAROLYN NEWBERGER
cnewberger@me.com www.carolynnewberger.com 617. 877.5672 Pleasant Valley Beaver Pond. Watercolor, 12 x 16 inches
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FRONT ST. GALLERY
Kate Knapp Painting classes on Monday and Wednesday mornings 10-1pm at the studio in Housatonic and Thursday mornings 10am - 1pm out in the field. Also available for private critiques. Open to all. Please come paint with us! Gallery hours: Open by chance and by appointment anytime 413. 274. 6607 (gallery) 413. 429. 7141 (cell) 413. 528. 9546 (home) www.kateknappartist.com
Front Street, Housatonic, MA 6 • JULY 2022 THE ARTFUL MIND
Mark Mellinger Paintings - Collage - Construction
Eagle Building 3rd floor 75 South Church St Pittsfield MA 914. 260. 7413 markmellinger680@gmail.com Sargasso. 2022 Steel and cast iron. 33" x 16" x 8"
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Ghetta Hirsch
“Renaissance” Oil on Canvas, 36 x 48 inches. 2021
Home Studio Visits by appointment: 413. 597. 1716
Artist
ELEANOR LORD
Front Street Gallery in the Berkshires where ongoing classes and Independent work study time take place for Eleanor.
See more art by Eleanor— www.eleanorlord.com 8 • JULY 2022 THE ARTFUL MIND
ghetta-hirsch.squarespace.com
WILLIAM CASPER
CAMEL POSE IN RESIN CAST’ 16”X5.5”X10”
casperassociates@gmail.com williamcaspersculptures.com
Pet Portraits by Sharon Guy
Visit my website to order a colorful portrait of your beloved pet www.sharonguyart.com
Ellen Kaiden Painter of Metaphors Watercolor Artist Featured artist at The Open Air Gallery July 16 & 17th The Wit Gallery, 27 Lenox, MA.
Webpage- www.Ellenkaiden.com EllenKaiden@gmail.com 941-685-9900 Artist excepts commissions Ellen Kaiden, Strength, Watercolor, 40 x 30 inches (From The Ukrainian Series)
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JACQUELINE SHATZ, SERIES OF CERAMICS: MIST; OTHER MINDS; EIDOLON; SMALL EVE
REEDS, MIXED MEDIA ON ARCHES PAPER, 6"X9"
GHETTA HIRSCH
ASHLEY NORWOOD COOPER, “BEES” SERIES, 2022, FOUND OBJECTS, PLASTER, ENCAUSTIC, TWINE IMAGES COURTESY THE ARTIST
EARTHEN ENERGIES ANCIENT ROOTS ASHLEY NORWOOD COOPER & JACQUELINE SHATZ Susan Eley Fine Art, Hudson presents Earthen Energies, Ancient Roots: a two-person exhibition featuring new work by Ashley Norwood Cooper and Jacqueline Shatz, on view June 23—July 31, 2022. Norwood Cooper and Shatz are grounded in nature for both their subjects and their materials. They produce ceramics, multi-media sculptures and oil paintings that reflect their surrounding environments and capture the lyrical movements of humans and animals residing within. Thematically, they confront fragility and anxiety; joy and rejuvenation. The artists often conjure ancient energies and mythologies in their visual motifs and contextual references. Earthen Energies, Ancient Roots will highlight sculpture, dynamically arranged in SEFA's unique architecture: Norwood Cooper's wax bees suspended in the windows and Schatz's lyrical biomorphic figures as ceramics hung on the walls. Both artists are based in New York State, and this exhibition marks their first presentation with SEFA. Susan Eley Fine Art - 433 Warren Street, Hudson, NY, 12534. Gallery hours: Thursday—Monday, 11-5pm / susaneleyfineart.com
Today I have something different for you. ... Artists love to experiment. In 2022 we had three art exhibits on Japanese art around western New England. One at the Clark Museum in Williamstown, one at the Southern Vermont Arts Center and one at the Hancock Shaker Village, with visiting Japanese artists working with crushed stone pigments. You should know that I really love Japanese prints and the way they link nature elements and a meditative observation of lines and color. Since I teach a painting class for seniors at the Williamstown Council on Aging and wanted to inspire my students a little with Japanese art, I offered an oil painting demonstration. For that lesson I had brought many flowers, branches and cuttings from my garden: a perfect opportunity to remind them of the inspirational power of foliage and flowers. I also incorporated black ink and gold as often seen in Japanese art. I suggested that landscapes highlighted with black and gold bring to us the power of light and contrast in composition, and I used some of the sticks I had brought in the bouquet like paint brushes to incorporate lines here and there. The demonstration was very spontaneous in style as I used oil paint on Arches paper. I verbalized my creative thoughts as I went and encouraged the students to look at nature in a different way. They compared the placement of branches, stems, and reeds on this painting to how flowers are carefully arranged in a vase. They saw the interaction of different heights or textures to invite the viewer inside the composition, and they realized that fewer colors could suggest a restful setting for our eyes and mind. Much was gained from the morning exploration. You are welcome to see this oil painting in my studio either by appointment or when I will have Open Studio on September 18 from 10:30 a.m. to 5pm. Mark your calendars. Ghetta Hirsch - Ghettahirsch.squarespace.com. Text or call at 413597-1716 to let me know if you wish to visit earlier.
Join us in August ! be seen on these pages...
ARTFULMIND@YAHOO.COM 10 • JULY 2022 THE ARTFUL MIND
VIRGINIA BRADLEY CORALLIUM 3
The new Corallium Series is a celebration of the rejuvenated coral reefs in the Playa Santa Bay, in southwest Puerto Rico, where my winter studio is located. Fifteen years ago, the reefs were almost completely dead due to pollution from raw sewage and boat traffic. In 2011 the Obama administration undertook a federal project to build a pumping station and a 5- mile sewer line from Ensenada to Playa Santa. Today the coral reefs are thriving. I swim and snorkel in them several times a day while I am in residence at my winter studio and am in awe of their beauty and miraculous nature every time. Coral reefs are some of the most diverse and valuable ecosystems on Earth. Coral reefs support more species per unit area than any other marine environment, including about 4,000 species of fish, 800 species of hard corals and hundreds of other species. Scientists estimate that there may be millions of undiscovered species of organisms living in and around reefs. This biodiversity is considered key to finding new medicines for the 21st century. Coral reef structures also buffer shorelines against 97 percent of the energy from waves, storms, and floods, helping to prevent loss of life, property damage, and erosion. When reefs are damaged or destroyed, the absence of this natural barrier can increase the damage to coastal communities from normal wave action and violent storms. The coral reefs protected Playa Santa during Hurricane Maria and there was minimal damage to the village. The Corallium series continues my exploration of alchemy utilizing oil paint and seawater on archival transparent film. The 95-degree Caribbean sun acts as catalyst to the ingredients and which then creates unusual surfaces reminiscent of coral. The images are composed of many thin layers of poured paint which are then edited by adding and subtracting into the surfaces. You are welcome to visit my Great Barrington studio in person or virtually. Virginia Bradley - www.virginiabradley.com, virginiabradleyart@gmail.com, 302-540-3565.
BERKSHIRE DIGITAL Since opening in 2005, Berkshire Digital has done fine art printing for artists and photographers. Giclée prints can be made in many different sizes from 5”x7” to 42”x 80” on a variety of archival paper choices. Berkshire Digital was featured in PDN magazine in an article about fine art printing. See the entire article on the BerkshireDigital.com website. Berkshire Digital does accurate hi-res photo-reproductions of paintings and illustrations that can be used for Giclée prints, books, magazines, brochures, cards and websites. “Fred Collins couldn’t have been more professional or more enjoyable to work with. He did a beautiful job in photographing paintings carefully, efficiently, and so accurately. It’s such a great feeling to know I have these beautiful, useful files on hand anytime I need them. I wish I’d called Fred years ago.” - Ann Getsinger We also offer restoration and repair of damaged or faded photographs. A complete overview of services offered, along with pricing, can be seen on the web at BerkshireDigital.com The owner, Fred Collins, has been a commercial and fine art photographer for over 30 years having had studios in Boston, Stamford and the Berkshires. He offers over 25 years of experience with Photoshop, enabling retouching, restoration and enhancement to prints and digital files. The studio is located in Mt. Washington, but drop-off and pick-up is available through Frames On Wheels, 84 Railroad Street in Great Barrington, MA (413) 528-0997 and Gilded Moon Framing, 17 John Street in Millerton, NY (518) 789-3428. Berkshire Digital - 413 644-9663, www.BerkshireDigital.com.
MIDNIGHT POPPIES, 40 X 50”
AFTERNOON AT CANDY’S, WATERCOLOR, 30 X 40”
ELLEN KAIDEN I often hear “Oh, flowers”….sometimes in a naive and condescending way. I choose to paint flowers because they are a perfect vehicle for me to convey my emotions and tell a story. While I was trained in all mediums of painting, I chose watercolor because of its uncontrollable vitreous nature. I love being able to capture movement in water and am able to get extraordinary depth and color saturation. I work in a technique called “wet on wet” in a style that I call “Idealized Realism”. Katharine Bernhardt, from CAS in Chicago said “Ellen Kaiden is to watercolor what Chihuly is to blown glass.” My favorite subjects are flowers, sunflowers and roses especially, oh well, maybe poppies too. I love the architecture, geometry, and innate sensuality of my chosen subjects. To me, watercolor is vastly underestimated as a medium because of its unforgiving nature. I could probably make twice as much money painting in oils or acrylics but for the last 30 years I have painted exclusively with watercolors. Flowers, like sunflowers and roses, I believe can show every emotion possible. In my painting “Strength “the bloom is defiant, proud and strong. The rose, because of its spiral geometry, is the perfect metaphor for the world. At the beginning of the war in Ukraine I was painting “The Perfect Rose”. As I progressed in the work, seeing what was happening in the Ukrainian war, my sadness grew.
My painting “Weeping World” reflects a world spinning out of control leaving a shadow on us all. What followed was black and white, simple, elegant and powerful. In my “Lady Paints the Blues” series I am digging deep. I feel the world and my feelings about it in particular have changed. I have grown as an artist; I have taken new risks. I am usually known for my large paintings of brightly colored, metaphorical flowers. “The Blues” are off roading for me. I have gotten a great response from them. I am focusing on value, strength, vulnerability and the feelings that these emotions give you. I don’t just paint pretty flowers. My paintings are metaphors. I hope they touch you the way they were intended to. For the last two pandemic years, and the death of a husband, painting is truly my meditation. If you want to learn more about me as an artist please go to my website or visit my studio in Lee, MA. I will be present at the Lenox Art Walk on June 11 and 12 and hope to meet you there. In her work the “final flower”, Patti Smith the Rocker, wrote about Robert Mapplethorpe’s photos…. “He came in time, to embrace the flower as the embodiment of all the contradictions reveling within. Their sleekness. Humble Narcissus. Passionate Zen” Ellen Kaiden - ellenkaiden@gmail.com ,www.Ellenkaiden.com.
Learn Conversational Spanish Learn the fundamentals and conversational Spanish the fun way! All levels. Via: Zoom, Skype, Whatsapp video call, & Facebook Messenger: Esteban Valdés Experienced Mexican Teacher. References available. 15 dollars per hour. Contact Esteban for information on how you can begin!
estedelfin@yahoo.com.mx THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2022 • 11
On the island of Tenerife, Spain, on a break from rehearsing Florencia en el Amazonas Photo taken by friend and colleague, José Julián Frontal
ADRIANA ZABALA MEZZO SOPRANO Associate Professor Adjunct of Voice at Yale School of Music Living a life full of music and family and teaching, Adriana is perpetually busy, but makes it all seem wonderful! We’re happy she could take the time for The Artful Mind. As the teaching year at Yale comes to pause for summer break, she will be back in the Berkshires and taking on the role of Madeline in Berkshire Opera Festival’s 2022 production of Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers, July 21 and 23, in Chatham, NY @ PS 21. We welcome Adriana and her beautiful mezzo-soprano voice. Harryet Candee: How did you first become affiliated with The Berkshire Opera Festival? Jonathon and Brian are quite ambitious and driven with ideas and talent,—very masterful. Adriana Zabala: I joined the company five years ago in the role of The Composer in Adriadne auf Naxos, which was beautiful production and a great experience all around. It was a pleasure to enjoy the freedom Jonathon gives while making his vision clear with precision and kindness. This, in addition to a positive collaborative energy from both Jonathon and Brian is key to the masterfulness you refer to, a balance of freedom, structure, and joy…the show was really special, and I’m thrilled to be back with the company this summer for Three Decembers. What do you think are your strengths as a mezzo-soprano? What can you easily give an audience at the drop of a hat? AZ: What do you think is your strong points about your voice? When that hat drops, my imperative is clarity of meaning and expression, through color, resonance, and diction, and comprehensive integration of voice, gesture, pos12 • JULY 2022 THE ARTFUL MIND
ture— that is, simply, to embody my character fully. Are your students also your critics? How does that help or hinder what you do best? It would be great if it was always a two-way street with teachers and students, supportive of each other all the time. Teaching is not an easy profession. Tell us about your teaching objectives? AZ: I think my students value that I’m an active and passionate performer and that so much of what I teach stems from ongoing experience. I encourage them to think critically about any singing they or anyone else does, but also to practice the idea that artistic and personal fulfillment ultimately finds its home within. I live and share this value in every way that I can, onstage and off, in and out of the studio, and am only energized and inspired by it. I try to nourish my students at every turn, and my expectation of them is that they approach their work and life with a growth mindset, and with compassion, integrity, and a sense of humor, when possible! This is a foundation for unique and meaningful lifelong work, irrespective of where the profession may or may not lead. Cul-
tivating this foundation with joy and care, while instilling the highest level of technical and stylistic practice possible, is at the heart of my teaching and mentoring. Madeline in Three Decembers… Is she ready for this role? What have you had to do to prepare for this performance that you think is different from any other stage performance you have done? AZ: Madeline is a piece of work, and a new character for me… but my approach is essentially the same: forging a path into the character through text and story, looking for empathy, reasons for and questions about her words and actions, listening for how the composer evolves the context musically, and in relation to other characters and time/place. This allows me to embody- if I can access and commit to how (and why) she thinks, moves, and expresses herself, then I can begin the rehearsal process with ideas and physical grounding, and with a flexible spirit of ‘play’ with wonderful colleagues… What makes this role challenging for you, yet
Yale University, Adriana Zabala conducts a voice lesson during the pandemic in the Yale Glee Club
very desirable unlike any other? AZ: Madeline is a rich character, a deeply flawed “whole person” with many layers, and it’s a joy to navigate her many facets. Her profession provides an opportunity to consider a “play within a play” idea- where does her artifice as an actor reveal personal truth, and where does truth in life calcify her artifice— to what detriment (profoundly alienating Charlie and Bea) or benefit (coping and trying to protect her children)? The beauty and care with which the vocal writing and the libretto are created make the whole piece, and Madeline in particular, deeply compelling. Going back to your early days, what lead you to choosing music, and your voice to be your first love? AZ: I was raised in a family that always valued music, art, expression, creativity, and humor! My parents and sister all sang in choral societies when I was very young, and soon I was singing too. We loved and enjoyed all types of music- rock, folk, jazz, and classical (Bach, Simon and Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Collins, etc.) My earliest study was piano and percussion, and I always sang in choir. Despite this all seeming very organic, I did, in fact have a cathartic experience when I was 12. One Wednesday afternoon during the school year my mother said, “I’m taking you to the movies tonight- something that won’t be playing long and I really think you will enjoy it.” Enjoy doesn’t begin to describe what I experienced seeing “Amadeus” in the theater that night- I was in another universe…my mom had to peel me out of the seat at the end of the creditsI to stay in that world forever, and in a way I have. I lived and breathed symphonic music for a while
thereafter, but, found my way into serious vocal studies in my early teens. In these ensuing 35 years or so my experience and definition of art and the musical arts has evolved immeasurably, but my way in was through my family (especially my Mother’s amazing intuition and action-taking!) and the lightning bolt of the aesthetic world that film opened to me. Can you share with us a personal experience that is related to learning to appreciate music? AZ: After that life-changing trip to the cinema I asked for season tickets to the Houston Symphony, just to experience more and more music live, and at the same time I was the lead singer for an 80s rock/pop cover band, while singing in choir and playing percussion in school band. I loved all of these things, they spoke to me and mattered to me, I couldn’t get enough. My first big deepening of knowledge and experience was at Tanglewood, as a singer in their high school program. I was inspired by other students my age who were serious, and of course by attending every possible concert of the BSO, and all of the chamber music happening throughout the summer. Throughout high school and college, my teachers and I often shared a passion, and they further drew this out in me and helped me build skills. Everything stemmed from passion and meaning, exposure and curiosity. When you were not spending your best hours of the day practicing your music, what else was going on for you to enjoy and keep busy with? AZ: I am a committed reader, and find works of fiction, literature, and poetry some of the finest companions imaginable. As a kid and now, I love
to travel- my family and lived in Venezuela when I was in elementary school, and I spent much time abroad as a student and pre-professional. My passion for language has also been something naturally suited to my profession! I also love films and history, in addition to visual art, so again, growing up, as now, you would often find me in a museum, cinema, or bookstore. I also love to move, and am a happy dancer, yoga adherent, and tennis fanand can’t forget podcasts, don’t know what I would do without them these days. I’m a big fan of history, language, and storytelling shows…(I never miss History of English Podcast, or The Moth, for example). Playing with our family puppy and watching the fruits of my very amateur gardening efforts is also a joy, as is exploring the fabulous towns and cities of Connecticut and all of New England. Life is dreamy and oh, so colorful at times. What can you recollect that depicts a memory of such moments in your life? Was it influenced or inspired by a song? AZ: Harryet, we need ages to explore this idea— sometimes I feel my life has been nothing but dreamy, colorful moments inspired by songs! A kaleidoscope of images, places, colors, and sounds flood my memories…but speaking of, let’s talk about Pedro Almodovar, or better yet, a peak one shiny sliver of that kaleidoscope? 1990, college film club, Almodovar’s Tie me up, Tie me Down!, Spanish film, auteur, emotion, starkness, language, POV, aesthetic, new passion for Cuban and Spanish roots and connection to grandfather, studying in Spain, green, grey, orange, black, wheat, 20th c. film, surrealism in Continued on next page... THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2022 • 13
ADRIANA ZABALA MEZZO SOPRANO
Adriana Zabala (left) in Doubt Photos: Michal Daniel
France and Spain, history of Flamenco, cante jondo, Lorca, red, black, rose, Almodovar’s Live Flesh, Penelope Cruz, rust, mustard, olive, visiting ancestral town in Basque country with father and grandfather, snow, cliffs, deep blue, blinding white, stone, Almodovar’s All about my Mother, depth, red, yellow, green, black, LORCA, studying in Rome, texture, ancient world, stone, density, Rossini, Italian, French, Spanish…white, grey, dust, blue, pink, peach, canary…grandfather, gone…heartbroken, 2002 Almodovar’s Talk to Her, breathtaken, Caetano Veloso, Cucurrucu Paloma, glowing sepia, orange, terra cotta, warmth, ocean…dicen que por las noches…heartstopping, perfect, defining, cradling… grandfather, still gone…still heartbroken, Cuba, Spain, Baseball, Love, Art… juran que el mismo cielo se estremecía al oír su llanto…ay ay ay ay ay, paloma…purple, white, waves, ocean, Rossini, on the road, flashbacks, accent, voice, gesture, cucurrucucuuuu, gone a year ago, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay cantaba, want to keep you forever…de un pasión mortal moría…late night, cityscape, anniversary, bright light, glowing neon, shining tears, love, song, language, name…drawn in ink, with me forever, paloma on my left shoulder… no es otra cosa más que su alma. Studying the masters in music education rounds-out ones background in becoming proficient as a musician/vocalist. Somehow, helps them to prepare to perform! What music did you focus on in particular that exercised and helped in your training? Clementi was always opened and ready to play on my piano. AZ: Are you still playing Clementi, Harryet? My undergraduate degree was in Music Education, my MM and my Fulbright studies at the Mozarteum were vocal performance and German Lieder. In my undergrad I had a phenomenal teacher and mentor in Ken Fulton, Director of Choral Activities at LSU. The musicianship I learned from 14 • JULY 2022 THE ARTFUL MIND
working with him for four years: precision, warmth, clarity, depth, characterizes the way I approach all music I’ve performed and taught for the last 30 years. In my formative time, I benefitted from percussion rudiments and performance, transcriptions of Holst, Elgar, Bruckner for band; Mozart, Palestrina, Bach, Lauridsen, Martin, and Spirituals in choir; Mozart, Handel, Rossini in opera; U2, Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Depeche Mode in my cover band; Ellington, Gershwin, and Porter in American Songbook; and yes, I still like to play Clementi on the piano, and I joyfully stumble through Bach inventions, though of both my daughters exceed my skill now! “Doubt”, was one of your world premiers you were in. This was also a film and based on sensitive issues. I wonder, how did they create this into an Opera? How did they find a way to capture the fine details that we see in the film? What role did you play and how did it affect you emotionally? AZ: Highly! Never took those bows without holding back tears and swallowing some salt, and can’t even tell you why, it was so powerful. The moral ambiguity and textual genius of Doubt invited profound exploration and discussion as we worked together on the premiere of the opera. The original source was John Patrick Shanley’s play, which he adapted as a screenplay and then an opera libretto (John won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay for Moonstruck and was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for Doubt). John and the composer, Douglas Cuomo, were involved in the rehearsal and production process from the start- the whole experience was collaborative and deeply thoughtful, they were open and generous from the start. I created the role of Sister James, the character portrayed by Amy Adams in the film. At the first table reading with everyone, my wonderful colleague Matthew Worth, who played Father Flynn, asked John, “Well…did he
do it?” And I will never forget John’s expression, kind of opened his palms, tilted his head and pursed his lips and said in his perfect Bronxese, “I don’t know…” This was the heart of Doubt, to incisively demand that each character question what they believed, both spiritually and in the context of the circumstances of the story, and how the fluidity of certainty and doubt separated them from their society, themselves, and their concept of God. This, in addition, to evoking the passion of the characters, and in turn in the audience, for justice or punishment for the perceived perpetrators and victims. It’s about the stories we tell ourselves and why, and where, if anywhere, these convictions leave us and lead us. Doug’s score and the beautiful production give astonishing nourishment to these many facets and ambiguities, both broadly, and in the context of The Bronx in the 1960s John wrote for the opera a line in Flynn’s last sermon that has stuck with me, especially the way Doug set it and Matt delivered it, “Life is change, Love is here, All is well.” It has become a personal mantra and I share it often with my students. Great Performances made a beautiful film of one of our live performances and you can see it on PBS.org- I’m very honored and proud to have been a part of it, no doubt…(sorry not sorry). Rehearsal time, pre first show at the theatre is always adrenaline exciting. A thrill for you as well? Or is it a mix with nervous tension? It’s funny how the audience only knows what they see! AZ: So true- and that’s part of the “lie” Picasso and others refer to: Art is the lie that reveals the truth. I am in love with process (creating the lie is the most fun)- this has evolved in my long experience. I have and will always love performance, the energy exchange, trust, connection, chance for joy, grief, laughter, resonance is so utterly singular. But the work of what we do together as we create a piece is no less special. And we usually must dig deep, and the rewards are great and bind us to ourselves each other, often with great affection and sometimes, hopefully, with great joy and laughter! I don’t know many professions where this happens in so many different ways, with so many different people and places and languages and stories, than ours. I does indeed give me a thrill, I truly love it. An audience response or good reviews, etc., are lovely, but the thing is the thing. From your experience, what gives the audience an unexpected thrill you can always rely on happening? AZ: The thrill is never being able to rely on anything happening! It seems to rise out of something ineffable and unplanned- difficult to quantify or rehearse. This is what makes an audience response so exciting- it’s natural, a group doesn’t intellectually decide when they will laugh or break into applause or sigh or gasp…I’ve been onstage for many of these moments, and it’s usually as thrilling for the performer as it may be for the listener- that’s the inimitable exchange of energy! It’s often arises from a spontaneous decision that
feels like a measure of risk, but you know you can take it when you sense you “have the audience with you”- that is, a combination of vulnerability and boldness- holding a high note longer, allowing a tense moment to further intensify, emphasizing a double meaning or timeliness that occurs to you on the spot, usually in a comedic context (I should add that this freedom comes from having great trust and confidence with your colleagues onstage and in the pit)…other strange and bonding moments are when something like a fire alarm, evacuation, or something unexpected stops a show in its tracks. When you return to the stage the audience is ready for a big joyful ride all together, and you can feel it. This happened for me once with The Tales of Hoffmann in Minnesota, and once in Cenerentola in Arizona…a recent memory of a huge audience response was in a recital I was giving, and the song cycle featured some dance moves from the 80s and required me to play the strings inside the piano while rappingthis was wildly unexpected, but I went for it and the audience seemed to be a little thrilled by it- in the same program I did a very serious and incisive piece about Nelly Bly’s investigative reporting at Blackwell’s Island, and when the cycle finished, there was complete air-tight silence, and one audience member whispered “wow” before the applause started- a singular and thrilling moment, totally spontaneous. How do you keep your voice at peak performance level? What kind of maintenance works best between teaching and performing? Silence, perhaps? AZ: I’m going to spin Hamlet’s meaning and say the “rest” is indeed silence, as you posit. But also always striving to maintain balance: rest, flexibility, hydration, strength, and overall ease in the body and mind. This is a very tall order and I work hard to live this value in and of itself, with my voice benefitting, and of course with and for my students, too. One also has to become highly skilled at identifying parameters and adhering to them- this is true, I think, in any great discipline. As far as inspirational people go, who might be yours on the music forefront? Past, present and future? AZ: Oh no, another fathomless prompt! Thankfully you’ve helped me by limiting it to music (as so much of my inspiration comes from elsewhere, nourishing my music making and perception of music!). Mozart, of course, my first love. Unabashed beauty, balance, and coolness. Bach and Handel- at their best is it hard to imagine anything better. My romantic teenage self fell in love with Mahler symphonies- and I love them in a deeper and more mature way now. Bernstein was a real inspiration to me as a whole person and artist- I was lucky enough for our paths to meet when I was a kid at Tanglewood, and his manner, intellect, way of thinking, speaking, and sharing his vast knowledge, humanity, and passion, is something I still draw from him and his music. Because Lorca was also a musician, I can get away with saying Lorca- while of course through his poetry
Adriana Zabala in The Adventures of Pinocchio, Minnesota Opera
and his essays and thoughts about creativity (the idea of “duende” is its own book or article), but also through his vulnerability and passion for art and for living in his full humanity- we know that he was brutally executed, but his spirit and beauty soar over that oppressive regime for all time. The composer and singer Pauline Viardot for her vastness of mind and creativity, George Sand for her boldness and sense of justice, Nadia Boulanger for her combination of discipline, passion, knowledge, and joy… of course so many wonderful singers: Frederica von Stade, Janet Baker, Jessye Norman, Victoria de los Angeles; actors like Cate Blanchett, Daniel Day Lewis, Frances McDormand; writers Cather, Steinbeck, Saunders, and so many other modern authors….and I will just have to sneak in Berthe Morisot, who was also not a musician, but a painter in the latter 19th century in Paris. Deeply respected by her peers, she exhibited in 6 of the 8 impressionist shows featuring names we all know. She is deservedly enjoying a rebirth of attention and praise. I love her and draw from her for the way in which she lived her artistic values, and for how she saw herself in a world where how she was seen was largely defined by her class and by the men in her life. Her self-portrait alone, which is permanently at the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris, but has traveled in a few global exhibitions in recent years, is worth a long and lingering visit, as are all of her works. See, Harryet- I knew I couldn’t stick with musicians…all things done with great skill, commitment, imagination, and passion are art, and all feeds a continuum of which we are a miniscule and propitious part. Ars longa, vita brevis. When not surrounded with your work, what is your music preference when driving? Or sitting on the patio eating lunch? AZ: On the patio eating lunch, easy, like Sunday morning: Commodores or Bossa Nova! DrivingI have to be very careful, because I will get very
Photo: Michel Daniel
involved in the music if it’s too dynamic, and this isn’t good for mindful driving, so I try to keep it on NPR or podcasts. While cooking: Jazz of all eras. But in general, like when I was kid: I like everything good! My family does lean towards Jazz and pop/folk/rock, each of many different periods and nationalities, but I think like many people now our Spotify playlists are wildly varied in genre. I love Bill Evans, Cesaria Evora, Miles Davis, Dinah Washington, Cuban music of the 40s and 50s, 60’s folk music, 80s pop, Flamenco, French popular music of the early 20th century, up to today…I can get into Ariana Grande or Harry Styles- love it all! I loved the costume made for you in Pinocchio! You must have enjoyed this performance you were in. Can you tell us about your role, what you were surprised to learn? AZ: This was a whirlwind time in our young family life. I had just finished a Rosina (I was doing a lot of Rossini in my early career), and our first daughter was about 10 months old. For a while I was in high gear not only to learn the sizable title role, but also to be in shape to play this jaunty and active puppet/boy! Wouldn’t you know that in my first fitting I was covered head to toe, pillowed and padded, my body transformed and obscured by the suit in fine-painted wood-grain — so much for being strong and lean, I thought, but the fitness turns out to have been essential, the stamina required was off the charts. This amazing piece of operatic theater has its title character onstage 95% of the time, running, rolling, jumping, falling, dancing, swinging…and singing! I was so gratified by being able to meet that challenge at the time. I also adored the large ensemble nature of the piece musically and dramatically- the whole thing was so moving. I can still remember the last note of that opera, a d on the word “good”- and finishing singing the word in a center spotlight, Continued on next page... THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2022 • 15
ADRIANA ZABALA MEZZO SOPRANO
In front of the Auditorio de Tenerife, a building designed by Santiago Calatrava, while there performing the role of Paula in Florencia en el Amazonas. Photo: taken by friend and colleague, José Julián Frontal.
and then the blackout before exiting for curtain calls- one of the most moving and happy exhausting moments of my 25 years onstage. I also learned, as anyone who knows the Collodi understands, that the story of Pinocchio is deep and dark, and of course universally meaningful and moving. I have deep affection for the piece, Dove’s The Adventures of Pinocchio, the character, that production, and everyone who made it happen- an experience I will always treasure. Also, when I was first made up completely with the prosthetic head piece and nose, with the extraordinary costume, and our little daughter was brought to my dressing room, I leaned over to her strolling to greet her and she burst into tears, had no idea it was her mama! In what ways does classic opera and modern opera differ / contrast? What ways when taking on these two venues from experience have worked best for you? AZ: In grad school I never dreamed that new works would be so central to my art and career trajectory. Though there are many divergences, Simultaneous vocal and dramatic integrity and commitment, along with flexibility and vulnerability, are the keys to both. I’m amazed I’ve gotten to experience such a gamut in these 2 plus decades, but that central principal, total technical and artistic dedication and flexibility, irrespective of language, setting, character, etc. is the essence of how I’ve been able to enjoy and thrive in my work. I will highlight a fun distinction between traditional repertoire and newer works, though. Because new works tend to focus much more on contemporary themes and settings, or recent past, the words and expressions (I’m thinking of nouns) one sings are not ones you imagined as a student in conservatory, where we become very familiar, 16 • JULY 2022 THE ARTFUL MIND
in 3-5 languages with words like love, betrayal, desire, death, fate, flowers, sky, earth, heaven, etc. Just an off-the-cuff smattering of words I’ve sung in recent works, with that trained resonance we work our whole lives to cultivate, and of course with impeccable diction: leather chaps, pregnant, voting booth, lobster in aspic, laundry, whiskey, dude, and motherfucker…just a sampling! Can you give us a glimpse into a day for you teaching at Yale? Your students are so fortunate to have you-- they must follow you in all your performances in order to learn. Tell us about a typical day? How about, a not-so typical day? AZ: A typical day (in an atypical place) at Yale might include starting by teaching French Diction- we focus on phonetics (through the international phonetic alphabet) orthography, syntax, and grammar, and then look at texts and poetry of French song (mélodie) to analyze, speak, and sing- I love teaching this course, and hope my students might agree that we have more fun than one might expect in a diction class, making connections across languages and letting ourselves enjoy the exploration of roots, derivations, and modern expression…This may be followed by a few lessons in my studio- working with each student on their ongoing technical goals and then applying this and many other aspects of technique and artistry to their repertoire. Lessons are the heart of what we get to do, that one-on-one time together is priceless- always a chance for a breakthrough of thought, understanding, and ability (in both directions!). We might round out the day with a seminar that I or one of my formidable colleagues might lead, a rehearsal, a session with a guest artist, or sometimes a coffee with a student to discuss any number of things they are thinking about or
wanting to explore. The connection to the whole person, to discerning aspects of who our singers are and why they are doing what they are doing is essential to me, and I love exchanging experiences, questions, and thoughts with them- it continually refines the ways in which I can serve them best during their time at Yale and beyond, and shapes my perspective in unexpected ways. My days usually end with some comings and goings pertaining to our daughters’ many activities at home and school, and the four of us enjoying dinner together- then playing with our sweet puppy, Niko, who grounds all of us and is a highlight of every day! On being Madeline…. Tell us, what keeps recurring as a challenge as you move along in tackling the material? Some things flow really easily and lines memorized can or cannot be a breeze. Something with our memory allows us to keep, or not keep. AZ: That’s probably a blessing- don’t know that we’d survive if our memories weren’t mercifully selective! For me physicalization, both of a character and of her world, irrespective of how elaborate or sparse a set might be, is key to memorization…as I’ve referred to a few times, to embodying a character fully. As I explore this challenging music, my long-practiced process allows me to simultaneously learn, memorize, and begin to shape. As I said, this gives me the best chance to “play” with my friends and colleagues as we prepare the piece. Where do you perform after PS21? What are your summer plans? Anything special reserved to do, deliciously tucked away, awaiting your attention? AZ: It’s so energizing and inspiring to have array of projects and engagements after this challenging time for everyone. Many special things I can’t wait to pay attention to! In the coming months I will join the Oregon Mozart Players for Berlioz’s Les nuits d’éte, finish a recording project of premieres of song cycles of Dominick Argento, a collection names for one of the cycles, A few words about Chekhov; I’m preparing for the fall a duo recital with the countertenor Patrick Terry and classical guitar, on which I will give the American premiere of a song cycle by Hamlet composer Brett Dean; the recording of Steal a Pencil for Me, in which I created the role of Manja, with Opera Colorado, will be released in the fall, and I’ll be a guest soloist with the Madison Symphony. Just a couple of days after Three Decembers my family and I will spend a month in Italy and France, from Rome and the coast up through Southern France and to Paris, to visit with family and spend time with our girls’ cousins…it’s not too early to start packing, right? Thank you, Adriana! AZ: MERCI à VOUS!!!
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THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2022 • 17
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~ Deirdre Flynn Sullivan, 8/19/2020 The Masquerade Dancer ~ Deirdre Flynn Sullivan (Mixed Media)
THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2022 • 19
Photograph by Harryet Candee
TERREL BROUSSARD Herbalogist | Body Worker Interview by Harryet Candee Terrel Broussard, Ayurvedic practitioner, herbalist and body worker and I are about to unravel and introduce some interesting ideas and thoughts in the Healing Arts realm that many people may not be aware of but have had an interest in knowing more about. Not to dis traditional medicine, by any means but rather to take this opportunity to satisfy our curiosity and learn more about what Terrel offers. It is another venue in Art. Meshing studies in Ayurvedic principles and physical applications such as body work, Terrel explores deeper ways in which we can naturally heal what ails us keeps us feeling good so we can carry on and enjoy the best of what life offers. Harryet Candee: Is healing arts that much of a mystery to Americans? Terrel Broussard: can only speak from my own personal experience, which is one of a person raised in south Louisiana in the 60’s and 70’s. My education was in the public school system, with a limited exposure to anything alternative. So, with that as a backdrop, the closest I came to healing arts was an eccentric uncle who was a traiteur, a faith healer in the Cajun culture. I was a pretty healthy kid, but when I had a rare issue we’d usually pay him a visit. In hindsight, I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised that I ended up doing this work. I think it’s in my blood. As I wrote in my first column of your publication, my mom used home remedies for things that didn’t really need a doctor’s visit. To come back to your question, yes, healing arts is a mystery to Americans. It shouldn’t be. I think healing arts or some form of basic health care should be in the core curriculum of every school system. The visual arts are very accessible to students, and I think more and more, the healing arts are being sought after not 20 • JULY 2022 THE ARTFUL MIND
only as a necessity to receive, but more people are becoming healing arts therapists. I also believe that there is a relationship between the two – healing arts and visual arts. The creativity and focus that I used in writing scripts, shooting and editing when I was a video producer, easily transferred to my herbal profession in our home, in what we refer to as my “mad scientist lab”, the place where I create formulas. Regarding my therapy sessions, I frequently find myself working on visual artists who are completely drawn to the work I do, and when I tell them of my R/TV/Film background this whole conversation about “the arts” begins. Terrel, where do we begin to unravel what you do? Maybe its best to explain to us your connection to medicine and the natural world? I know there are a few roles you play in the healing arts that extend from a working relationship between the physical and mental. TB: I guess it’s best to start chronologically. I remember being fascinated with psychology since high school. And when I began searching for an-
swers to emotional issues I was having a little late, I began exploring meditation. When that didn’t completely satisfy me, I explored yoga. When broken down, yoga is about self-study – so this was mind candy for me. The science of yoga and Ayurveda, yoga’s sister science, answered questions regarding my physical and mental worlds, and also addressed the energetic parts of me. I feel that the energetic world is left out of the equation in the west. Until western medicine brings this part in, it will never have a complete answer the maladies of the human condition. Back to your question, upon finishing my studies in yoga, it was obvious that my R/TV/Film degree was not going to be of service anymore. I began training in bodywork, and continued on with Thai Massage training, Herbal Medicine School, and then Ayurvedic studies. I was an effective massage therapist in the beginning, but it wasn't until I studied Ayurveda that all of these modalities that I was doing came together and made sense. Ayurveda literally means the science of life. It was in these studies that a clearer understanding of the
“Myanmar’, 2001, from my travels to Thailand for Thai massage training
Terrel Broussard, FOLIAGE
Fantastic Mushrooms and Milk Thistle Images courtesy of TAM
body and mind, how they interact, feed, and detract from one another solidified in my professional practice. Ayurveda is the oldest form of practiced medicine in the world. Actually, now I am wondering, at what age did you first come to realize your interest in demystifying the natural world and all of its healing potentials? Where were you at the time? What did you discover? TB: In my late 20’s I was seeking answers to what someone might label as depression or confusion, and stumbled into a metaphysical bookstore, which was quite a unique thing to find in Lafayette, LA in the ‘90’s. I found a book entitled “Cleanse and Purify Thyself”. Eventually, this book led me to doing a 28-day cleanse which included eating only fruits and vegetables, ingesting herbal formulas, drinking lots of water, and at some point, fasting. The experience completely changed my life. I feel, not only was my physical body in pristine condition, but my mind was clear, and my demeanor changed. Changing my diet af-
fected my environment. It limited what I ate, where I went, and my activities. Once I was done with the cleanse, I got back to my normal life a changed person. That cleansing experience was the “A-ha!” that changed my life – recognizing the direct connection between the foods that I ate and the state of my mind. My sharp temper was softened, the fog of life was dramatically clearer, and I felt grounded in a way that I never experienced prior. And this was not noticed solely by me, eventually people began to approach me about the program. Mind you, I was in south Louisiana…not eating certain foods, avoiding alcohol and bars, being mindful in your 20’s…people talked. We never stop learning-- there are light-years to absorb in areas we have a passion for mastering. Do you agree? TB: Yes! I believe that lessons are why we’re here. I don’t know who said it first, but, once you stop learning, you stop living.
Tell us about what you are currently exploring, and what your findings are that may or may not be information the general public knows about? TB: As an herbalist, I create formulas or plant medicines to help with imbalances in the body and mind. I’m always testing out my formulas and usually have some kind of herbal regimen of my own. A couple of years ago I saw Fantastic Fungi in Great Barrington and was inspired to use mushrooms to help with my tinnitus. Since then I created a tincture made with the mushroom, Lion’s Mane. Soon after, I decided to add Lion’s Mane to my daily regimen. At some point, it occurred to me that there’s no reason not to have this daily regimen on the market for all to have access. That’s when I created Food As Medicine: A Daily Herbal Regimen. The herbal kit contains 2 daily formulas, and 2 as-needed formulas. It was also my inspiration to start writing monthly columns in The Artful Mind. Human beings have always used the natural world to help heal themselves. Continued on next page.... THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2022 • 21
TERREL BROUSSARD HERBALIST | BODY WORKER
Line of Herbal formulas available to the public, including the “food as Medicine kit”
Recently, scientific abstracts have been written regarding the healing potential in Lion’s Mane, for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, due to its nerve growth function. The same for Milk Thistle’s findings…reports show that it works as an antioxidant, scavenging free radicals and inhibiting lipid peroxidation. Studies also suggest that it protects against genomic injury, decreases the activity of tumor promoters, and slows calcium metabolism. Milk Thistle is basically a liver protector. These are superfoods. And they are effective. There is no reason we should not be using food as medicine. There is a time and place for pharmaceutical medications. And for most of us, it’s not needed every day. Terrel, please give us a few insights on what food has to do with our well-being? Would you also mind telling us, what we should never eat, and what we should always find on our dinner plates? TB: I’ll start by referring you to my column in the June ‘22 issue of the Artful Mind. I discuss Ayurveda’s views of the relationship between digestion and disease. When I was growing up, the mantra was “you are what you eat”. It wasn’t until I studied Ayurveda that I got it…If we eat crappy foods, we feel crappy. If we eat crappy foods, we create crappy tissues. Obviously this is very simplified. But it’s very true. Back to your question, Ayurveda’s answer to every question is, “It depends”. Anything can be a poison, and anything can be a medicine. An example is water. There are situations where water can be harmful. Similarly, Ayurveda’s use of bhasmas as medicine is controversial. In certain situations, an Ayurvedic physician may prescribe a metallic/mineral preparation, called a bhasma, which could be considered poisonous to westerners. This system of studies, known as Rasa-Shastra, is a part of the 22 • JULY 2022 THE ARTFUL MIND
philosophy of Ayurveda, a science known in India since the 7th century. As I mentioned earlier, Ayurveda is the oldest form of practiced medicine…tried and true. Ayurveda is the foundation of my professional practice. While on the surface my bodywork may look like physical therapy, the way that I approach a client is more energetic or internal. I’ll usually ask enough questions to get a sense of what modality I will use, and how it will be used. The same can be said for my health consultations…lots of questions about current and past patterns and lifestyle. Regarding food, my own philosophy is pretty simple and since I’m 56, it’s just a few decades old…if God grew it, it’s ok to eat (with obvious exceptions), and eat lots of it. Fruits and vegetables have high water content. Our bodies are 70% water, so make sure the content of your plate of food has 70% water, if not, drink more water. What are some of your core principles you live your life? How do you practice them? TB: Wow, big question. I think I’ll have to caveat these with numbers. (1) I believe in God, a higher power, universal energy, or whatever one would like to call the creator of this amazing experience we call life. (2) I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, I do not believe in consequences. That is not to say that I don’t curse when I smash my finger with a hammer, for instance. But if I pause, and think about it, there’s a reason that it happened. The trick is in the pausing. Easy to say, harder to do. (3) I have a personal mantra to be true to myself, sincere with others, and to live in the present moment…another one that’s easy to say and hard to fulfill (4) Trusting my intuition…it never ceases to amaze me how often that little voice is correct.
The key to this one is being able to discern if it's my ego talking or my connection to the universe. I feel that when my vessel is a clear channel, or said another way, when my body is free of toxins, I am able to hear that little voice much more clearly. Herbal medicine is fascinating. But you must demystify it for us, for example, one herb can cleanse one’s body. How does that all work? TB: I consider some herbs to be super foods. I assume these are the medicines that you are referring to. And I don’t think there’s much mystery to it. Some herbs have a characteristic of cooling, so we should take them when we’re hot. Some herbs are lubricating, so we should take them when we’re dried out. The key is to know what is going on in your own body, then approach the issue by finding the appropriate herbal medicine. This is yoga. Yoga is not about contorting your body into difficult postures or positions, it’s about self-study. If you find that your body has accumulated toxins, then you must find cleansing herbs. An important thing to remember when using herbs and food as medicine, is that herbs are not pharmaceuticals, they do not shock your body into change. Ever notice that some drug commercials have disclaimers that are half the length of the commercial? The side effects of the drug can sometimes be just as detrimental as the disease or symptom that one is taking the medication for. Pharmaceuticals are very effective when we need to create dramatic changes in our chemistry. Herbs on the other hand are much more subtle. This is why Herbs need to be taken regularly and persistently for them to take root and create change. As for the hows of herbal medicine, basically, one needs to find out what medium gets the medicine out of the plant, tree, etc. It’s usually alcohol, water, or glycerin. And then there’s the process in doing the extraction. No mystery or magic, just science. I walk in the woods often and am clueless to half of what I am looking at in terms of herbs, more, so, mushrooms, etc. (City girls never quite get it!) But I wonder if you can tell me, what do you find most interesting and sought after on your walks through the woods? Anything fascinating? I am a bug lover, btw. TB: Hmmm, bug lover? I guess you’re into the recent explosion of mealworms as our potential protein of the future? I find it interesting that as humans we’re always finding answers to problems by looking towards nature. Mealworms are being looked at as a potential solution for slowing down the effects of greenhouse gases and climate change. Compared to a kilogram of edible protein in meat from cows, chickens or pigs, production of the same amount of mealworm protein emits fewer greenhouse gases and requires much less land to grow. Now that’s what I find interesting! I also love the effects of a quite walk through nature on the psyche. As an Ayurvedic practitioner, one of my more frequent suggestions for calming and balancing the nervous system is just that, more walks in nature.
If you were to compare yourself to someone famous in history, who would that be, and why? TB: Probably Einstein. We have the same taste in hairstyle. I would love for you to share with us one of your most interesting stories from your personal journal writing encounters with nature and the laws of the universe. I think maybe, on your travels to some off the beaten path locations, you can find us one story to share? TB: While some of my travels outside of this country contained beauty beyond belief, and lessons and journeys that will stay with me the rest of my life, I feel drawn to mention the human condition in this moment. Two things in particular stand out, one – although people around the world may all look & sound differently…at the root, we’re all the same. As Robert Palmer put it, “it takes every kinda people to make what life’s about”; two – Abject Poverty and simplicity. I’ve seen heartbreaking conditions side-by-side with extreme wealth. But it’s the example of seeing people live on the bare necessities of life and they’re contentment, that’s made the biggest impressions on me. In every case, I would say that those individuals were living closer to nature and were more in sync with the laws of the universe. That, undeniably, leads to contentment. Training in the healing arts, for example, body work. What is involved? For the laymen who is not familiar with any of this, can you explain what is involved backstage in the training and practicing aspects so we can understand it better? TB: For me, if I’m training outside of this country, a very important part is getting to the area early to learn about the culture. Being comfortable with the teacher and the area helps to give me an appreciation and better understanding of where the healing art is coming from. There is usually a ceremonial aspect to any of my trainings, and to honor their traditions and beliefs, whether or not I understand or even agree with them, is important to our relationship and my learning. Too many times as humans we are quick to judge without asking questions or to busy to simply observe with an open mind. As for the process of training, I feel that my background in yoga has set me up physically and mentally to be able to mimic or absorb information, no matter how familiar I am with a culture or practice. My yoga training at Kripalu was one of the best teachings in my life, and among my favorite lessons was the practice to breath, relax, feel, watch and allow…a way to integrate something as simple as a posture, or a death. In what ways in normal medicine do you think is now accepting alternative ways of healing such as the use of herbs? TB: I’ve been in the field of alternative medicine for over 20 years now, and while there are more practitioners in business today, it’s been a slow crawl. Until we’re accepted by western medicine and the powers that be, or politics that be, alter-
Kim Larson, Nilani and Terrel Photo: Courtesy of Terrel Broussard
native ways of healing will remain on the fringe. It’s been great to see yoga showing up in hospitals, community centers and such. And as I think about my clients who are Doctors, I am inspired by they’re support. I can also say that I randomly speak to people who tell me of western physicians who support the healing arts. I’m optimistic that the growth of alternative ways of healing will continue. Do you feel the doors are opening to new acceptance of alternative health options, we can actually all benefit even more now from this liberation? TB: I’ll start with the positive aspect of your question. With the amount of access to information on the internet, there are a multitude of opportunities to research alternative health options available in the far corners of the globe. The benefits of this knowledge are somewhat liberating. This of course requires research and study for legitimacy. Regarding the acceptance of alternative health options, I’m not as optimistic. Because of the litigious society that we live in, alternative healthcare options are not usually affordable for everyone to experience, and are not covered by insurance companies. I believe people are ready to try options outside of western medicine, but making them available to all is a different political and capital ($) story.
Terrel, outside of all this great work that you do, is there anything else that you engage in that you find fascinating and entertaining? Great passions do hide within us, yes? TB: Currently, learning soccer with my daughter, and trying my hand at building stone walls has been everything - fascinating, entertaining, and exhausting. I also look forward to the day my wife, Kim and I can take our daughter on her first cross-country road trip. Lakshmi’s Garden, such a beautiful name. Where did this originate from? What does it mean? TB: In Hinduism, Lakshmi is the goddess of abundance and beauty in all forms, material and spiritual. When Kim and I got together as a couple, we new that whatever we would create would have the fingerprint of Lakshmi. And growing healthy individuals was our aim…what better place to do that than in a garden.
Thank you, Terrel!
F
THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2022 • 23
JON AND JAZZ, FROM CHILDREN’S BOOK, HELPER COW
HELPER COW NOW IN PAPERBACK
Helper Cow is a delightful story of Jazmine, or Jazz, a cow whose curiosity and delight in things around her manages to put her in the middle of all situations around the farm. Beautiful illustrations throughout the book by Anne Douglass. Also known as Sumac or Suey, Sue has been painting, creating collage, and getting messy with clay with children in her classroom for years. Raised in Southport, Connecticut by the sea, she was educated at Garland Junior College A.S. cum laude, Boston University B.S. and obtained a master’s in special education from Lesley College in Cambridge. Sue has been writing children’s books, painting with watercolors, drawing with pastels, making clay tiles /pots and creating bits and pieces that reflect their farm animals and rural life to feed her soul. She has studied art with Pat Hogan, Ellen Murtaugh Lois Van Clef, Kate Knapp, and Marlene Marshall. Sue has published 2 children’s picture books “Helper Cow” and “Singing Sea”. “Helper Cow” is also available on Kindle app and paperback on Amazon. “Singing Sea” and “Breakfast with Lola” are 2 more books in the process of publication through Bunkhouse studios. Sue resides in the Berkshires with her musically inclined husband, horses, dog, cats, guinea hens and chickens. When she is not painting and writing, she enjoys visiting her children and granddaughter out west, gardening, swimming, horse back riding and of course having fun with colorful, whimsical art and literature. Available on Amazon ~ 1571973079, and in paperback.
24 • JULY THE ARTFUL MIND
MARY ANN YARMOSKY
When I first started painting, I was asked why I usually painted women. This simple question helped me to clarify. Why did I feel the need to paint at all and why did my subjects most often involve women? I have been blessed both professionally and personally to know many incredible women. Some have climbed the corporate ranks through hard work and tenacity, some have struggled as single parents barely making ends meet. Some have lost parents, spouses and even children and somehow, they keep moving forward with grace and dignity. The stories vary, but the inspiration remains. My paintings represent my curiosity about what makes each of us tick. What gives us the courage to move forward with faith and determination and yes, with love and compassion. I have always had an artist’s heart and insights. I studied fashion design in Boston, worked for the Boston Opera Company designing costumes and later for Sardella of Newport in Newport, Rhode Island, where we designed and made clothes for Newport’s elite, outfits that were photographed for Vogue and National Geographic and were worn to events held at the cliff walk mansions and beyond. My artistic ability then was confined to fashion sketches, imagining how fabric could be transformed into something beautiful and intriguing and then sewing what I visualized into something wearable. MaryAnn Yarmosky - 413-441-6963 ,myarmosky@comcast.net, maryannyarmoskyeclecticart.com
MY NEW HAT SERIES #59
MARY DAVIDSON
Mary Davidson has been painting on a regular basis for the last 16 years. Davidson’s paintings are a two-dimensional decorative visualization of line, color, design, shape, patterns, and stamping. As you begin to study the paintings, you will find the foreground and background tend to merge, with overlaid patterns. “I love the intense complexity and ambiguity of space and dimension.”. The effect can be startling: the longer you look at the piece, the more you see. Davidson’s New Hat series consist of 70 paintings. “I start with a basic drawing, building with color and shape, coming to life with gesture and flow. As the title suggests, the hats are important, and the millinery designs emerge. There is much joy in their creation and my passion for playful designs is reinforced by their bright colors, linear rhythms and patterns leading our eyes around and through the painting. My newest series is even more abstract, with an even stronger emphasis on design. I do like to use stamping, along with painting, because I love the result. When I finish with a painting, I adhere the canvas with mat gel to gator board, creating a nice tight surface. My paintings are always framed.” Mary Davidson - PO Box 697, South Egremont, Massachusetts; 413-528-6945 / 413-7172332; mdavidsongio@aol.com, marydavidson83155@gmail.com, www.davidsondesigncompany.net
RESIDUE, FOUND IRON AND STEEL, 2022, 9" X 9" X 26"
MARK MELLENGER
SUMMER WINDOW BOX WATERCOLOR / INK ON PAPER, 8 1/2”X 11”
ANDREA FELDMAN
I was strolling around the gallery admiring my show. Keeping an eye out for a familiar face or a potential customer, noticed a youngish man studying a colorful abstract. I watched for a couple of seconds but couldn’t read his expression. I wondered what he was thinking, what was he responding to? I slowly made my way to where he stood, seemingly deep in thought. I said hello. He appeared a little nervous or uncomfortable. “Are you enjoying the show?” I asked. “Yes.” I had hoped for a few more words. “You seem to like this one. “Yes.” Again. “What do you like about it? Do you like the perspective? How the eye follows the lines? How they converge? How the shadows are reminiscent of…….” “No”, he cut me off. “I just like that it’s blue.” Andrea Joyce Feldman Andreajoycefeldmanart.com, 413-655-7766.
BOBBY MILLER PHOTOGRAPHER My teacher, master photographer Lisette Model, taught me that the secret behind a great portrait is the relationship between the photographer and his subject and the artistic capture of the moment. In my studio in Great Barrington, I do hair, make-up, styling, lighting and photography, thereby creating a finished portrait that tells a story even in its simplicity. I believe in incorporating both the classic tools of the camera and newer technologies like Photoshop. In that way my portraits correct the small flaws that nature has bestowed on us. I create images that show us not only as who we are but who we can be as well. So, if you feel daring and inspired to have a portrait that defines you at your very best, I encourage you to come sit before my camera. Bobby Miller Studio, 22 Elm St, Gt Barrington 508-237-9585. By Appointment Only.
I recently watched the film “Kurara: Hokusai’s Daughter”. It framed a credo for me; “Please let me be a better artist”. It’s forever just beyond our grasp. My current effort has led to welding with discarded, rusted iron and steel. If it accomplishes nothing else, at least it makes me feel 21 again. I’m moving my studio into an exciting new artist’s collective in the Berkshire Eagle Building, 75 South Church St, 3rd floor, Pittsfield. Mark Mellinger - markmellinger680@gmail.com, 914-260-7413
“The emotions are sometimes so strong that I work without knowing it. The strokes come like speech.” — Van Gogh
ilene Richard A strong design, playful interplay of color and pattern and a narrative quality are what makes my work truly my own
BELLA & RALPHIE
Shows for 2022 Studio Tour - The Clock Tower-Pittsfield, MA Studio 316 - July 23-24 Becket Art Center-Becket, MA - July 15-August 1 All Purpose Gallery-Lee, MA - August 3-October 3 BAA Biennial RE: FRESH-Lichtenstein Center - October7-November 26 Illuminations Gallery-Massachusetts General Hospital-Boston, MA - September-October South Coast Artist Open Studio Tour-South Dartmouth MA - August 20-21 STEAM PUNK BEAUTY
Commissions Available by Artist
The Clock Tower, Studio 316
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ilene-Richard-IllustratorPainter/109216825770985 | www.ilenerichard.com | ilene.richard@gmail.com | 978-621-4986
THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2022 • 25
CAROL DIEHL PAINTER / ART CRITIC / AUTHOR Interview by Harryet Candee
Photography of Artist by Tasja Keetman
Carol Diehl is an artist, poet, and art critic with a long history in the Berkshires. Formerly a longtime contributing editor to Art in America, she has written for ARTnews, Art + Auction, Art & Antiques, and Metropolis, among others, and was an early slam performance poet at New York’s Nuyorican Poets Cafe. Her paintings have been exhibited at galleries and museums in both the US and abroad, including the Sidney Janis Gallery and Hirschl & Adler in New York, and the Berkshire Museum. She has taught both painting and writing at Bennington College and the School of Visual Arts Graduate Fine Arts Program. In addition, for over 20 years, she was a consultant on the covers for TIME Magazine. Carol has won awards from the New York Foundation of the Arts, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, PEN America, and the Author’s League Fund. Her first book, Banksy Completed, was recently published by The MIT Press and is available in local bookstores. I met with Carol in her lofty, third floor studio with views of the mountains, and left filled with energy and inspiration. For Carol, the acts of painting and writing (as well as performing poetry and teaching) are not separate but intertwined, simply different avenues through which to explore that enigma we call art. And sometimes— perhaps just to make the point—you’ll find words in her paintings. All of this has come together in her very enjoyable book, Banksy: Completed, about the anonymous British street artist, a true provocateur, whose anti-establishment capers capture world headlines. Through Banksy, Carol reveals art’s relationship with money, power, and politics. After seeing the studio, we talked over tea, and 26 •JULY 2022 THE ARTFUL MIND
Carol shared the early experiences that led her to this singular perspective. Harryet Candee: Opening this conversation, I wonder what you think makes an artist successful in today’s world? Also, the idea that anything can be considered art… I’d like to have a deeper understanding based on your thoughts about the endless boundaries that define what art is, what it should or shouldn’t be. For you, being an artist and art critic, it must be very challenging. What are the Implications of being of modern artist now? What do we have to rethink? CD: What makes an artist successful in a worldly way has more to do with luck than art. On the
other hand, what makes art successful is a question that deserves to be constantly revisited. This subject has gotten more complicated as our culture moves away from identifying art solely with objects, such as painting and sculpture, toward an understanding that, as musician Brian Eno says, “art can be any experience that generates elevated ways of seeing, thinking, or feeling.” This is what I hope for through my painting and writing – endeavors that are not separate, but simply different ways of generating new art experiences. When you were working to try and save the masterpieces at the Berkshire Museum that were, sadly, ultimately sold, you wrote in these pages about the effect that being exposed to a
Carol Diehl, Alaya, 2017-2021, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 24” x24”
similar masterpiece had on your development. How did Gustav Caillebotte’s painting, Paris Street, Rainy Day, 1887, play into that? CD: The painting features a couple under an umbrella, elegantly dressed in turn-of-the-century fashion, the man in his top hat. The cobblestones are wet and shiny on the streets behind them that lead tantalizingly to other parts of the city. I don’t know how old I was when I first saw the painting, but it maintained a permanent place in the Art Institute of Chicago, and I made a beeline for it every chance I got. As a young girl, it reflected my romantic notions and, expressing Paris in a way photographs never could, ignited a desire to travel, to see things beyond my culturally narrow suburban life. I resolved that someday I’d go there—and when I finally did, my first thought upon arriving was that it lived up to Caillebotte’s promise. On Facebook recently, critic Jerry Saltz invited his friends to share about the moment they became artists. The responses were childhood stories of seeing oil and gas rainbows on the surface of puddles, creating dolls out of Kleenex and pipe cleaners, or imagining what it would be like to walk on a mirror’s reflection of the ceiling. After some thought, I realized my “moment” had
Gustave Caillebotte, Paris Street, Rainy Day 1877, Art Institute of Chicago
to do with an early resistance to the idea that art was about representation. When well-meaning teachers would ask what I was drawing, my staunch defense was always, “It’s a BESIGN!” A couple of days after Jerry’s post, my friend Erick, on a trip to Chicago, texted that he was planning to visit the Art Institute, and I wrote back, “Please pay homage to Caillebotte’s ‘Paris Street; Rainy Day,’ the painting that made me an artist.” I pecked that out without thinking, and then had to as ask myself why. I always felt the
work was a touchstone, almost part of my DNA, but never understood how an antiquated pictorial painting could have such singular allure for an artist so wholeheartedly devoted to modernism and abstraction. The answer came with the Erick’s next text, a photo of the gold-framed artwork hanging on the museum’s cool gray wall, and oddly, seeing it on my phone with the scale so greatly reduced, elements jumped out I’d never noticed—and had everything to do with my painting. The recognition was startling, like seeing my face in that of a longlost relative. First was the geometry which, in postage stamp-size on my phone, was emphasized as never before, providing an underlying structure for the whole. I was startled to see that the entire image is bisected top-to-bottom by a vertical line indicated by the lamppost and its shadow—a device infinitely more Ellsworth Kelly than Monet. And when the vertical is intersected by the horizontal line formed by the street behind the couple, it becomes one of my favorite motifs, the cross. Triangles are everywhere and all is punctuated by a repeated umbrella motif (Pattern & Decoration anyone?) while grounded by the vast expanse of Continued on next page.... THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2022 • 27
CAROL DIEHL PAINTER / ART CRITIC / AUTHOR
Carol Diehl Photograph by Tasja Keetman
the cobblestone’s repeated squares that make up – yikes! – my best friend, the grid. Then, bringing it up-to-date, is a Surrealist touch, the Magrittelike half man with his back to us on the right, forcing us to imagine, as much abstraction does, the world beyond the picture plane. My purpose, when I spent that year trying to save those historic works at the Berkshire Museum (it still makes me want to cry to think that they’re gone), was to make sure that the young people of Pittsfield could have the experience of growing up with such treasures, as I did the Caillebotte. I hope that their families will make up for it by taking them to the many museums in the area, particularly the Clark Institute in Williamstown and my favorite, a bit farther afield but worth it, the Dia Foundation in Beacon, NY, where you can see the best of modernism in a building and grounds configured by Robert Irwin. I’m also a big fan of LABspace, where I have sometimes shown my work. In this tiny gallery with its sculpture-filled courtyard, hidden away behind a restaurant in the center of Hillsdale, Julie Torres and Ellen Letcher have built a community of artists. You didn’t study art in college, in fact left before getting any degrees. What experiences did you have that were the seeds of your real education in art? CD: What made the difference was my exceptional public education at New Trier High School 28 • JULY 2022 THE ARTFUL MIND
in Winnetka, IL, which started with my English teacher, Dave McKendall, who was only eight years older than his sophomore students. His mission was to get us to discover and express our individuality, to understand that our interpretation of life was just as valuable as anyone else’s. At the end of the first class, he gave us the assignment to “write a paper” for next time, before walking out of the room. The next week he sat cross-legged on his desk, our papers in a pile on his lap, and one after another, crumpled each into a ball he threw in a perfect arc into a waste basket at the far corner of the classroom. “I think you need a subject,” he said, to our relief, and after writing the Shakespeare quote, “Life is but a walking shadow” on the board, again silently exited the room. After about four such assignments we finally got that it was up to us to come up with the content. My breakthrough came with the assigned subject, “Pink,” where I described coming home from camp and finding that my parents, without consulting me, had redecorated my room, painting the walls a dull gray, and the furniture a color I dubbed “inside-of-your-mouth pink.” That class was followed by “Great Books of the Western World,” taught by two teachers who often disagreed with each other. Each week we’d read a culturally significant book and write a paper on it over the weekend, before there was any discussion in class. On Monday, our individual interpretations, as they corresponded to important points in the book, were noted on the
blackboards that surrounded the room, to be discussed by the group before the teachers revealed what the great scholars had written. This is how I teach students to write about art. Without naming the artist, so they can’t research it, I show them examples of an artist’s work and ask them to write about it. After their essays are read essays aloud and discussed by the class, I hand out examples of what the critics have written—and the students are often surprised to see that their analyses are as valid, if not more so, than those of the professionals. Before high school, however, school amounted to little more than an unwelcome interruption in my reading (trying to get my attention, a teacher once threw my book against the wall), like being forced to take a bus every day to watch an endless play with a boring plot and uninteresting characters. The possibility that I might actually do the assigned homework never crossed my mind. However, what was then considered a problem by all around me, I now see as an unlikely advantage. I had much less to undo! And, Harryet, since you asked about the piano you saw in my studio, I’ve been thinking that my lack of academic discipline was balanced by an enthusiastic study of classical piano, which I started at age six, which gave me a framework for accomplishment I wouldn’t otherwise have had. As an adult, I’ve also had a practice in the martial arts, where I’ve been able to apply the perseverance I learned from the piano. I think accomplish-
ment is all about the rewards of perseverance and concentration – i.e. discipline—which best succeeds if it’s self-imposed, driven by passion. Then it’s fun. I was always drawn to art, constantly drawing, painting, and making things, but couldn’t say that, in my early life, I showed much talent. I applied to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, wasn’t accepted, and instead married at 19 and worked to put my (now ex-) husband through his Ph.D program in literature at Yale. I took life drawing at the nearby adult education college, and while the teacher couldn’t have been more august (Rudolf Zallinger, who created the “The Epic of Man” for Life Magazine), to me it was anatomical and uninspiring. When we moved back to Chicago, I tried more classes in life drawing and landscape painting, and did okay, but was frustrated. Signing up for a class in Abstract Painting (whatever that was!) at the Evanston Art Center, I promised myself that if I didn’t do something I liked, I’d give up this art stuff forever. The teacher, Corey Postiglione who, like me, was in his late 20s, came to class with a long roll of raw canvas under his arm, rolled it out on the floor, and told us to put acrylic paint on it with anything but a brush. I chose a natural sponge, and was in heaven. He showed us work by Sam Francis, Morris Louis, Joan Snyder, and Jules Olitski, among others—a whole new world. I ended up making a painting that won first place in the student art show, and a gallery in Chicago offered to represent my work. After renting a studio with Corey and two of his friends, I was soon making art full-time. My writing life also began then, and equally serendipitously. I’d learned to write press releases through my political work in the anti-war movement, and volunteered to write them for the exhibitions at the Evanston Art Center. It was because of those releases that a fledgling Chicago art publication, The New Art Examiner (which ultimately published for 30 years), asked me to write reviews. Recently someone asked me how I was able to write reviews when I had no background in art history. I’d never thought about it before, but the answer came quickly: observation. For me, acute observation is the key to understanding all art. That means looking, looking, and looking, while paying careful attention to one’s reactions. Most people start with the whole—their first impression—and work backwards to try to make it work. I begin with the details and figure out the rest from there. This is also the basis for the way I teach writing about art. The first thing I do is ask everyone to put their water bottles in the middle of the table. We then spend the next hour discussing and comparing the bottles’ shapes and colors, as well as which are more appealing and why. Observation is easier when the heavy expectation of “Art” is removed. The goal is to learn to apply that same level of attention to artwork, without getting distracted by what it’s “supposed” to mean—or even what the maker says it means, because I’ve found that artists (and this includes me) are often the last to truly understand the effect of their work.
Carol Diehl, Aki, 2011, Powdered pigment and pencil on board, 9 1/2" x 12 1/2"
Carol Diehl, Alpha, 2019, Ink and pencil on paper, 18” x 24"
I noticed your paintings to be somewhat compulsive in nature as you work in numbers, letters, repeated patterns, shapes, all being encrypted symbolism. What does it mean for you to work in this way? CD: Hopefully all art is compulsive! We see repetition as compulsive, but minimalism can be just as compulsive. The dictionary defines compulsion as “an irresistible urge, especially one that is against one's conscious wishes.” Therefore, when applied to art, it’s the impulse to go beyond the familiar and comfortable, to explore places in our psyches we wouldn’t otherwise know existed. In my case, I like taking examples of the mundane— random numbers and letters as well as common shapes found in architectural stencils available in any art store—and combining them in ways that transcend their ordinariness to become something
beyond meaning, evoking feelings that cannot be defined. Both you and Banksy use stencils. What is your attraction to this technique? CD: Banksy uses stencils for functional reasons. His are hand-crafted and highly individual, so most of the work is completed before it hits the outdoors, where the image can be realized quickly with a spray of aerosol paint on a wall. My technique, brushing on powdered pastel or spraying ink on paper with a drugstore plastic bottle, is much more low-tech, and I love art store stencils for their generic nature. However, what we do seem to have in common is a love of the spray’s inherent randomness which, because it can never entirely be controlled, appears active and spontaneous. Continued on next page... THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2022 • 29
CAROL DIEHL PAINTER / ART CRITIC / AUTHOR
Carol Diehl Crispin, 2017-2021 Oil and acrylic on canvas 18” x 18"
What role, if any, does memory play in your art making process? CD: As a person who can’t go to sleep without writing the day’s events in their journal—feeling the day will be lost, unless I do—I’m always trying to capture memory in the calendrical lists of people and events that frequently appear in my paintings. In the 1995 and 1997 journal paintings I recently showed at the Re Institute, I was attempting to illustrate memory’s random nature so that, although the words and symbols in the paintings are linear, they’re nearly impossible to read from start to finish. If you try, you’re inevitably distracted by something else in the painting, and then something else and another something else– so that your eyes end up jumping around from this moment to that, just as memory does. I see you dedicated your book about Banksy to Robert Irwin, the Southern California artist associated with the movement known as “Light and Space.” In what ways did Irwin’s work give new awareness and meaning to your work as an artist? And how does it relate to a street artist like Banksy? CD: I encountered Robert Irwin during that rich time in Chicago when I was first exploring painting and writing about art. In his 1975 exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, was a work that consisted of a room-size triangle of semitransparent scrim fabric stretched floor to ceiling and lit from inside, which appeared like a giant elongated wedge of shimmering white light dom30 • JULY 2022 THE ARTFUL MIND
inating the gallery. I can’t recall being so immediately affected by a work of art before or since. What struck me wasn’t his method--although I'm always impressed when art is wrested from such basic materials--but rather the realization that all the art I'd seen till then seemed based on the same artistic concepts, while here was an approach to problem-solving that began not with the known but the unknown. Irwin’s main premise has to do with what he calls “conditional art,” where every aspect of the art is wholly determined by the site—“the object existing not in a vacuum of its own meaning, but in the real world, affected by the real world.” Irwin sees everything that touches the visual, emotional, and intellectual experience as part of the art – light, temperature, sounds, smells, comfort and discomfort, etc. This can include even the expectations kindled by photographs and publicity describing the work before it’s encountered, or the interpretation presented by wall text in a museum—anything that has the possibility of becoming the frame through which the art is seen before viewers have a chance to assess their own reactions. Irwin’s philosophy is beautifully summed up in a very readable biographical book by Lawrence Wechsler titled, “Seeing Is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees,” which refers to the emotional effect of the artwork overcoming any other considerations. Over the years I’ve spent a lot of time with Irwin, including writing a cover story on his work for Art in America in 1999, and now see all art through his expanded lens.
Therefore, when Banksy came along, I was prepared to look beyond the painting on the wall to the events that unfold around it, like a John Cage Happening, which Cage said “should be like a net to catch a fish the nature of which one does not know." And what I found is that in Banksy’s world nothing is random; there’s mischievous intent behind everything he does, and that’s what I chose to investigate. Hence, Banksy: Completed. What did you enjoy most about making your book on Banksy? CD: What I enjoyed most was that it was a continual surprise! I never intended to write a book. I was aware of Banksy from my frequent travels to visit friends in England, so became frustrated when he did his New York “residency” (which consisted of a different piece every day for a month in one of the five boroughs) my art critic colleagues, who had barely heard of him, assumed he was so inconsequential they wrote about him for the clickbait without doing any research—not even bothering to see his 2010 Academy Awardnominated film (free on YouTube). My instincts told me there was more to Banksy than anyone imagined, so when a California residency gave me time to write, I decided to devote my art critical skills to all things Banksy and see what would materialize. The essay I wrote turned into a lecture I gave at USC/Fullerton, and over 100 people showed up. Then I happened to be in Folkestone, England, when Banksy did a piece that incidentally (and I
Carol Diehl Resolutions (Blue Quad), 2002 Acrylic and oil on canvas (4 panels), 96" x 82"
don’t think accidentally) reignited a 10-year legal battle between two local real estate moguls—and after that, the stories kept on coming, but were never covered fully by a press that only seemed to care about the extreme value of his works at auction (older pieces resold by others, from which Banksy realizes no profit). A major event the critics passed over (except for those who negatively critiqued it from across the pond) was Dismaland, a 2.5-acre dystopian theme park on the coast of England, to which Banksy invited 58 artists from around the world to create work addressing the failure of capitalism. Billed as a "festival of art, amusements and entrylevel anarchism” open for five weeks in 2015, Dismaland featured concerts, film, miniature golf (or rather miniature “Gulf” with an appropriate oil spill), a whacked-out Cinderella’s castle, games that were impossible to win, a terrifying carousel, disgruntled park guides, vegetarian food stands, and an art gallery. Then, in an effort to mitigate the declining economic conditions in the Palestinian West Bank, where tourism drastically fell off when the wall separating it from Israel was built in 2014, Banksy designed The Walled Off Hotel which, since it opened in 2017, has attracted nearly 140,000 visitors to its eight guestrooms, café, bookstore, Museum of the Wall, and gallery dedicated to the work of Palestinian artists. Given the sad conditions under which the Palestinians live, I wouldn’t call my visit to Bethlehem the most “enjoyable” part of making my book, but it was
certainly the most meaningful. I’m grateful for the opportunity to bring attention to Banksy’s extraordinary humanitarian endeavor and amazing example of what art can do. Then, in the “most satisfying” category, writing about Banksy has given me the opportunity to coalesce the thoughts about art and the art world I’ve been developing for the last several decades, and present them to a general audience in a way that’s readable and fun. When and how did you find yourself settling down in the Berkshires? How did you discover that this is where you wanted to wake up in the morning? CD: I’ve always needed to be in nature. I spent a lot of my suburban childhood in the woods, much of it playing by myself, and when I lived in New York, took my car to the country every weekend. Then, In the early nineties, I attended karate camp at Mount Brodie, and afterwards went down to Stockbridge to visit my then boyfriend, who had recently moved from Harlem. It was August, and everything was in full flower, the air heavy with scent. He drove me around to places that are now my neighborhood—Taft Farms, Hurlburt Road, the Green River—and I fell in love like I was falling in love with a person. Through friends, I began to meet local artists and polished up my houseguest skills so that soon I was visiting regularly, and realized the other component to my love for the Berkshires—this very special community, with its warmth, openness, intelligence, and gen-
erosity. My book wouldn’t have happened as it did without those who contributed their support in so many ways. Every time I needed something it was there, from proofreading to editing, help with my Kickstarter, research expertise from the Ramsdell librarian, and so on—to the point that I think of it as a collaborative effort. When I started my four-year gig teaching at Bennington College (which I was attracted to because of its proximity to the Berkshires), I rented an apartment in Great Barrington and 16 years ago, finally bought and renovated my home and studio. I was still teaching at SVA and consulting on the covers for TIME Magazine, and for a long time went back and forth so much I joked that I lived on Metro North. Four years ago, however, I cut the cord, and being here full-time, couldn’t be happier. A coincidence I love, is that the pads of drawing paper I bought for many years at Pearl Paint in SoHo, had a line-drawing of the Rising Paper Mill on the cover, and I now live down the road. Thank you, Carol.
G
THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2022 • 31
NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUM IMPRINTED: ILLUSTRATING RACE Norman Rockwell Museum is pleased to announce Imprinted: Illustrating Race, a landmark exhibition on view through October 30, 2022. This special exhibition examines the role of published images in shaping attitudes toward race and culture. More than 150 works of art and artifacts of widely circulated illustrated imagery will be on view, produced from 1590 to today. The exhibition will explore harmful stereotypical racial representations that have been imprinted upon us through the mass publication of images and the resulting noxious impact on public perception about race. It culminates with the creative accomplishments of contemporary artists and publishers who have shifted the cultural narrative through the creation of positive, inclusive imagery emphasizing full agency and equity for all. Imprinted: Illustrating Race is co-curated by guest Curator Robyn Phillips-Pendleton and the Museum’s Deputy Director/Chief Curator, Stephanie Haboush Plunkett. Phillips-Pendleton is the Interim Director of the MFA in Illustration Practice program at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), and University of Delaware Professor of Visual Communications; she has written and spoken widely on the theme of this exhibition. They are joined by a distinguished panel of national advisors including 10 academic scholars, curators, and artists with expertise related to the focus of the exhibition’s thesis. Norman Rockwell Museum - 9 Glendale Road, Stockbridge, Massachusetts. NRM.org, 413- 298-4100.
ELIXIR Hello friends of Elixir! It is the full moon in June as I write. The energies are peaked! The gardens are overflowing with color; deep purple iris, fiery red poppies, magenta foxgloves, yellow lupines (new this year), sweet, sweet scent of rose, pinks, petunia, phlox, calendula, with butterflies, bees, dragon flies and hummingbirds flying about …truly magical… and I feel so fortunate to have all this surrounding my cottage. Just outside my window at this moment, the sun is shining on a sweet mother Phoebe who has her nest of young ones in the eaves …she seems to be taking a moment from her busy morning to soak in some sun and reflect while taking a breath… We are heading into the busy summer and for me this means making tinctures, salves, medicines, and delicious foods from what I harvest from the gardens and from the wild. Roses, spruce tips, calendula, mugwort, linden, elderflower, Reishi, chicken of the woods…and so many more allies sharing their healing properties with us. This symbiotic relationship is miraculous, and I bow in reverence to it. We care for the plants and creatures, and they care for us.
the art of
In the greater world of course, there is an imbalance from the lack of reverence from humanity toward nature. But each of us learning to live with reverence really does make a difference. We bring our measure and it is then multiplied. Keeping this in mind, we also restore balance with our care of the body and our contribution to the earth by growing & eating foods that have not been genetically modified or treated with chemicals - again one person at a time makes a difference. If you would like to learn more about growing foods, flowers & herbs and how to make healing foods from them, or if you are ready to clean up & strengthen your body, mind & spirit, or if you would like to have a small dinner party, picnic, or tea party catered by Elixir, reach out. Check out our blog and stay tuned for our upcoming vlog. May your summer be sweet, gentle, & restorative & fun of course! Elixir - www.elixirgb.com, organictearoom@gmail.com, instagram: elixirtearoom, 413644-8999.
mary ann yarmosky
Only Banksy knows, but he won’t tell.
Boats in the Night, Acrylic on Canvas
Visit and enjoy— maryannyarmoskyeclecticart.com 32 • JULY 2022 THE ARTFUL MIND
TAKE THE BERKSHIRES HOME WITH YOU
Lonny Jarrett Fine Art Photography Berkshirescenicphotography.com 413‐298‐4221 Lonny@berkshirescenicphotography.com
THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2022 • 33
THE VIRTUAL GALLERY
7.2022
Artists’ work easily accessable to Everyone. All art is available for purchase.
Chinese News 2, 2019, Acrylic and Collage, 4" x 12"
Evolution, 2021, Acrylic and Collage on Canvas 4" x 12"
Industrial Landscape, 2021, Acrylic on Canvas, 20" x 26"
Mark Mellinger : 914 260 7413 Eagle Building 3rd floor 75 South Church St Pittsfield MA markmellinger680@gmail.com 34 •JULY 2022 THE ARTFUL MIND
BRUCE PANOCK
Fading Memories
Water Barrel
A Walk Time
Each image is part of a limited edition. There are several sizes available. Each piece is priced according to size. Images are unframed and printed on Hahnemuhle archival papers.
Bruce Panock: 917-287-8589 www.panockphotography.com bruce@panockphotography.com
THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2022 • 35
MARY ANN YARMOSKY
The Approaching Storm, Acrylic on Canvas
The Mermaid, Mixed Media on Board Framed
Swept Away, Acrylic on Canvas
Beach Contemplation, Acrylic on Canvas
Mary Ann Yarmosky: 413-441-6963 maryannyarmoskyeclecticart.com myarmosky@comcast.net • Face Book Instagram 36 •JULY 2022 THE ARTFUL MIND
“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
ELLEN KAIDEN
Strength , Watercolor, 30 x 40”
Many Voices, Watercolor, 30 x 40”
Turbulent Times, Watercolor, 40 x 50”
From the Lady Paints the Blues Series Artist Accepts Commissions
Ellen Kaiden: 941-685-9900 www.Ellenkaiden.com • EllenKaiden@gmail.com
THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2022 •37
ILENE RICHARD
Still Life In Gloucester, Acrylic on Canvas, 40x40x1.50” The Tattoo, Acrylic on Canvas, 30x48x1.50”
Clams and Fish Fry, Acrylic on Canvas, 36x36x1.50”
Unfinished at 94, Acrylic on Canvas, 36x36x1.50”
Ilene RIchard: 978-621-4986 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ilene-Richard-IllustratorPainter/109216825770985 www.ilenerichard.com • ilene.richard@gmail.com 38 •JULY 2022 THE ARTFUL MIND
CAROLYN NEWBERGER
Zinnias, Watercolor, 22 x 15“
What we See isn't ll there is, Watercolor and Pastel, 6 x 16”
In Time, Mixed Media, 30 x22”
Lenox Train Station, Watercolor, approx 12 x 16”
Carolyn Newberger: 617-877-5672 www.carolynnewberger.com cnewberger@me.com THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2022 • 39
Juggled Lights (February, 2008)
Limited Edition 30”w x 20”h Dye-Sublimation Print on Aluminum in Series of 25
STEPHEN G. DONALDSON PHOTOGRAPHER Interview by Harryet Candee
Stephen G. Donaldson’s photography work consists of still-life, landscape, atmospheric, portraiture, performance, sports, commercial and fine art images. His awakening experience with photography (1995-1997), began with a gutsy now-or-never move, leaving behind a stable job, and taking flight for a life-changing photo-documenting journey expo, back-pack in tow. Stephen gainfully travelled with camera in hand, eye to lens, across six inhabited continents happily snapping away the entire way to some of the most remote corners of the world, and back. (From Timbuktu and back as they say?) Overflowing with his experiences from his journey, exploding with inspiration and drive, Stephen begins to look at the prospects of starting his freelance career in photography, in the Berkshires. Not end of story… Over the past two years, Stephen opens up the doors to GALLERY SGD in Great Barrington, where patrons of the arts can stop in to peruse through a large sampling of his life’s work including his beautiful atmospheric series titled, “Blue Light”. Harryet Candee: Stephen, tell us about your series, Blue Light. What camera, lens, technique is used to shoot these images? Stephen G. Donaldson: The “Blue Light” series is, in so many ways, a microcosm of my entire career. First, it evolved over a long time-period seventeen years passed between the time I shot the first image and the moment of the most-recently created one. Second, it’s not finished. Although I get fewer opportunities to get out in the field alone, and assignment-free, these days, I am always looking for opportunities to expand the collection. Third, the images were created with a variety of equipment beginning with a 35mm SLR film camera using slide film (the way I started my career when I photo-documented my trip round the world), and, most recently, with a full-frame (CMOS) professional digital SLR. From a technical perspective, you have to explore a number 40 • JULY 2022 THE ARTFUL MIND
of facets that go beyond equipment-based choices relating to exposure, and have much more to do with one’s creative intellect, to understand how the images were created. A significant quotient of the creative and technical underpinnings of each image is attributable to opportunism, and to the ability to respond quickly to unforeseen circumstances. For nine of the twelve images in “Blue Light” I was not in the location where they were created with any preconceived notion that I was going to encounter subject matter that would yield a single image that might prove compatible with the theme of “Blue Light”. For two of them I was actually performing my duties as house photographer for the renowned historic theater here in Great Barrington, The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, when I took advantage of very brief changes in lighting, and performance dynamics, to capture unique images. Every image has a sim-
ilar story that weaves together several components: fleeting and/or rapidly changing light conditions; compositional decisions that take the subject matter out of context and add an element of abstraction to the image; and intellectual agility to recognize an opportunity to quickly, and effectively, capture something unexpected in a visually compelling way. But, and here’s the catch, you really have to come to the gallery and see each image, and read each story, to fully grasp the nature of this exhibit. Have you photographed this venue before? Where did the thought to explore this begin? SGD: Once it galvanized as a concept in my mind, “Blue Light” was an entirely new type of creative endeavor for me. There’s a “Pulp Fiction”-like chronology to “Blue Light”. It begins somewhere near the middle, progresses forward,
Stephen G. Donaldson Gallery, located in downtown, 198 Main Street, Great Barrington
then loops back around to events that pre-date the beginning! My first conscious thought relating to blue light as a theme shot through my brain when I captured an image at the Museum of Natural History in New York City in 2008. From that moment on, blue light, while it was never the primary purpose for me picking up my camera and going anywhere at any given time, was always floating in the background of my conscious thinking as I was working and exploring whatever environment I was in. Over the course of the ensuing nine years there were nine more occasions when something visually magical caught my attention, and when I harnessed that combination of qualities discussed above to capture an image that I thought would satisfy my parameters for a “Blue Lightworthy” image. In 2017, when I was compiling the final selections for the exhibit’s opening in Ohio, I took two images from my archives, one taken in 2001, and the other in 2005, to round it out. Have you thought of commercial purposes for this series as opposed to being stand-alone fine art? SGD: “Blue Light” is purely a collection of Limited-Edition fine art photographic images that are printed and produced on a variety of substratesfour are pigment prints which are sub-surface mounted to museum-grade, flame-polished
acrylic, four are dye-sublimation prints on aluminum, and four are traditional photographic prints that are mounted and framed. As with all of my Limited Edition images, I have an unbreakable commitment to the collectors who purchase prints in these series to never reproduce the images in any other way, in any other size, on any other substrate, or for any other purpose. And I will never license them for any other use, commercial or otherwise. That might sound abrupt, but it is essential for the integrity of my work and my business. From your travels, can you recollect one story to share with us? A good exciting one? SGD: Without doubt, the most exciting, and hairraising, story that I can share publicly occurred in Zanzibar, off the Tanzanian coast of Africa. I was a little more than half-way through my 100,000mile journey around the world. In Dar es Salaam I had met a Dutch man and his girlfriend who were on their own backpacking adventure and I traveled to Zanzibar with them. After a day in Stone Town, Zanzibar we set out for an exceptionally remote backpackers’ beach resort at the very north end of the island that had been described as paradise. We arrived in the early afternoon to discover that the description of paradise had been an understatement. Despite the fact that it was all VERY basic, with grass huts and a beach
area where you could sleep in a rented tent, or in the open air, and with sanitary facilities that were, essentially, primitive porta-johns, it took less than a few minutes to realize that this place was special. There was no other settlement of any nature around us for at least a mile or two in any direction. The beach, consisting of the softest, silkiest sand I had ever felt caress my feet, was almost 80 yards wide. The water was the most unusual and exquisite turquoise color I have ever observed, and a gentle surf was lapping up on the shore in a calming rhythm that put every part of you at ease. It was very warm, but the softly-moving air was cool- the perfect mix. If, and when, you felt a little overheated, a run down the beach and a vigorous dive into the 65-degree water was as refreshing as any pool on earth. I had decided to rent a tent and I set it up about 40 feet from a sandy bluff and 100 yards from the cabana on the north side of the beach area. There were about 15 guests that day. We had a delicious tropical lunch of fresh island fruits and vegetables, swam and socialized with everyone over a few beers, and then I organized a soccer game on the beach with the staff after we helped them clean up. We were served a three-course dinner centered around freshly-caught fish and swilled down with another beer or two, then hung around a large table in an open communal cabana listening to music and sharing stories from the road. Con’t next page... THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2022 • 41
STEPHEN G. DONALDSON PHOTOGRAPHER
Sunrise Reflection on the Housatonic River in Kent, Connecticut
Sunrise, Stockbridge Bowl
Reflection of the Hurlbut Mill in the Housatonic River, South Lee, MA
Rusting Truck, New Marlborough, MA
That one day felt like a week of living. Sometime around nine, maybe ten, the crowd began to disperse. The air temperature had cooled to an ideal level, and the sky had turned jet-black and was accentuated by countless miniature sparkling polka-dot stars. I had rarely felt this content in my entire life. I sat back outside my tent for a few minutes looking up into the infinite sky and then crawled inside to crash out. Literally in the middle of the night- sometime around three or four in the morning- I was awakened by a commotion. Back up on the bluff, a little north of the resort, it sounded like a group of three or four very drunk guys was approaching. They got louder and more rowdy as they came closer. I heard them pass behind me up on the bluff moving toward the center area of the property, and the owners’ house. I thought they were probably staff returning from a night of partying. It was a little annoying, but what the hell- everyone needs to blow off a little steam every oncein-a-while. However, within a few minutes the situation escalated. There were more voices and the tone had changed from sloppy to angry and threatening. Next there was some serious shouting, followed by moments of silence, then more shouting. A woman screamed. Then there was the very ominous and distinct sound of metal-on-metal, a sort of “schlinggg” that you hear when a knife of 42 •JULY 2022 THE ARTFUL MIND
significant size is removed quickly from its sheath. There was another scream, and then frantic shouting. By now my eyes were bulging out of my head, my heart was pounding, a tingling sensation, sparked by intense fear, had risen up my spine all the way to the back of my head, and the hair on the back of my neck was literally standing up. Now it seemed like there must be a large gang of these guys. The light breeze in the air caused the tall beach grass around my tent to rustle and I thought someone was stalking just outside my tent. I was frozen for a moment processing and calculating what I should do, and all I could think was that I needed to get out of my tent. I lunged to the other end and thrust myself out of the tent ready to confront someone. Nothing, nobody; it was pitch-black outside but my eyes were so dilated that I could see around me like it was early morning. For a moment everything seemed to fall silent. Then reality slapped me again and I heard more arguing, although in a slightly more subdued tone. For the next few minutes things seemed to be de-escalating. I tried to whisper into the darkness in the direction of the nearest tent to see if I could communicate with someone, anyone. No reply. Then the near-silence was broken by a sudden, prolonged, and very loud, primal scream that was instantly followed by a single gunshot. Once again I froze. My head started turning, uncontrollably, side-to-
side. I was freaked, breathing heavily, but as quietly as I could. Who were these guys, and where were they. Five or ten more minutes passed by. Things were quieting down again. I could faintly see the area around the owners’ house up on the bluff and I could make out bodies moving around. There was talk, but no yelling, arguing, or screaming. There was a flashlight or two now illuminating the movement of several bodies around the cabana building. I couldn’t make out anyone on the beach moving around- none of my fellow traveler/guests- so I stayed put. There was nothing I could do, and there was nowhere to go, so it made sense to just stay outside my tent. Gradually, a tenuous calm was restored. There was still not a single person in my vicinity moving around. By now it was around five o’clock in the morning and the first early light of day provided enough visibility to see that whatever the threat had been, it was no longer present. I went back inside my tent and slept for several more hours. When I woke up I could hear the more normal sounds of people and activity over by the cabana. I went over to see who was up and learned the full story of the night’s events. In the days before our arrival word had been circulating among some less-than-desirable individuals that there was this new, very remote, resort with lots of travelers- and their money- passing through that might be a good target for a hit. A group of 6 men decided to go
Stephen G. Donaldson, Luxembourg Gardens, Paris
for it. They approached along the bluff and went straight to the owners’ house. They demanded money but were told that someone had taken a deposit to town at the end of the day and that there was none to be had. Unhappy with the answer they proceeded to ransack the house. When the owners’ adult son tried to stop them one of the men pulled out his machete and assaulted him with it opening a large cut on the top of his head. The son’s pregnant wife screamed. There was some more brief resistance before one of the assailants produced a gun. Finally, convinced that the little money they had found was all that they were going to get from the owners, the thugs decided to tie them and their staff up in two groups. When they were done restraining the two groups the man with the gun raised it over his head, howled and shot it off. Very quickly they went down to the guest huts and robbed two different couples at gun-point, and with machetes at their throats, of all of their money, travelers’ checks, credit cards, cameras, and electronic gadgets before scurrying off into the thicket beyond the bluff. They didn’t bother searching for anyone else so I, and the other basic campers, had been spared. Because of their incredible contrasts, that was a day, and a night, that I will never forget. What have you learned about the world, about Art, about life as an artist?
SGD: Well, incidents like that aside- and there were a few- I certainly learned that the world is a fascinating and wonderful place. But you have to separate the two dominant aspects of the worldthe human and the natural. The human realm is an enigma- we learn that more profoundly every day. From a one-on-one, street-level view there is an abundance of kindness, generosity, and basic humanity everywhere, but despite that, and all of our collective intelligence and ingenuity, our mass behavior suggests the we are most obsessed with killing each other and permanently mutilating the environment that sustains us. Conversely, the natural world is a virtuous wonder in epic proportions. I was very fortunate to have traveled extensively in many different parts of the world when I was young and I was infected with a travel bug, and driven by wanderlust, from a very young age. I loved geography, history, and the study of different cultures. As I got older I knew that there were many places I wanted to revisit as an adult, and so many more that I wanted to experience at least once in my lifetime. While there was always, unavoidably, a human/cultural element to all of the travel I had experienced, I had always been most fascinated by the physical features of nature and the landscapes I had observed; I still have vivid memories of places like Ngorogoro Crater, Ephesus, the mountainous volcanic landscapes of the Canary Islands, Dobrovnik, and the
mystical, emotional magnetism of Hadrian’s Wall. When I finally decided to quit my corporate job and fulfill these dreams in the form of a new career I knew that I wanted to explore both the human and the natural realms of the world for all of their good, and bad, points at ground level and with all of the fluff and veneer peeled off. But I also wanted to celebrate the natural beauty of the world. I can attest to the fact that most of that beauty is still there, but I have become so much more aware of its fragility, and of the very real threats to its sustainability. Through my initial travels, and from all of my travel experiences in the ensuing years, I have learned that art can be both informational and transformational, and that, if you do your job well, you can “take” people with you on your journeys. About life as an artist, I’ve learned that it is exceptionally challenging but eminently fulfilling. What style do you have that is recognizable in your commercial and fine art photography? SGD: My commercial work is mostly about corporate communications, public relations, and marketing, not so much advertising, so I can’t say that there is a signature look, or style to it. When I work with people, I try to bring out the genuine person in each subject, and to project sincerity, and I think that is something that my clients recContinued on next page... THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2022 • 43
STEPHEN G. DONALDSON PHOTOGRAPHER
Architectural Study, Oculus, New York City
ognize, and value, in my work. Since the core concentration of my career has always been travel photography, I work extremely hard on the concept of “sense of place” with the goal of creating images that represent a destination, or a landmark in a fresh, unique way and that makes people feel like they have stepped into the scene themselves. As far as Ansel Adams for example, and all the others are concerned, what can you relate to that all of you share? SGD: I can’t speak for anyone else, but studying Ansel Adam’s masterpieces taught me, first and foremost, to celebrate, respect, and pay homage to the incredible natural beauty that surrounds us. Somehow, maybe, the work that he, and I, and anyone else engaged in this type of photographic artistry, have created will have a significantenough impact to convince enough people that this world is worth preserving and, ultimately, saving. You can’t appreciate and understand Ansel Adams and his work without feeling some deep concern for the future of the planet. Tell us about your three photography books. They are coffee table books, timeless and heart-stopping. SGD: The Berkshires, which was first published in 2007, was my first meaningful solo publishing credit. It was the culmination of everything I had been working toward since 1995. I had done some educational book projects for Scholastic and Lerner prior to that for which I had been the sole photographer, and I had licensed large collections of work as contributions to other books, but this was my first real title. It gave me the motivation to get out of the wedding photography business 44 •JULY 2022 THE ARTFUL MIND
and to begin concentrating on selling my imagery as art by leveraging the new audiences the book would attract to my work. Within six months of the release of The Berkshires I secured the contracts for Barns of The Berkshires and Along Route 7: A Journey Through Western New England with a different publisher. I worked on those two titles coincidentally for over two years creating the photographic material- 95% of which was fresh- researching, and writing the accompanying text. Barns was released in the spring of 2009, and Along Route 7 was released that fall. The only unfortunate aspect of all of this was that it coincided with the collapse of the financial markets and the Great Recession, so I was embarking on a new direction for my business just as the bottom also fell out of the art market. But this was the vision I had always focused on so I hunkered down and persevered. In 2013 I got the opportunity to take control of The Berkshires when the book was taken out of print and, by contract, the publishing rights reverted back to me. At that time Deval Patrick was Governor of Massachusetts and he had made The Berkshires the official gift of the Commonwealth for V.I.P.s and dignitaries who visited the State House, and for his hosts when he traveled on economic and goodwill missions. He had been buying signed copies directly from me and I wanted to keep that relationship alive so I made a bold decision to produce 3,000 copies of an expanded new edition of the book which I financed in some very creative ways so that I paid no interest for the funds I borrowed. It turned out to be a shrewd investment for the business. I now own the title, I am the publisher, and I am the sole worldwide distributor, so any
bookstore, or book seller, even Barnes & Noble, must purchase copies directly from me if they want to sell it. To date my three books have combined sales of over 10,000 copies and I am very proud of that. Hopefully they are worthy and successful representations of everything I told you that I strive for in the creative principles I apply to my work. What are you working on now? SGD: Honestly, what I am working on now is keeping all of the balls in the air. I am a one-manband; my wife helps me with the books and some of the financial aspects of the business, and she’s great about pitching-in whenever necessary, but I perform 99% of all of the tasks that are required to run the business. I maintain roughly 30 hours of operating time in the gallery, I still do a minimum of 10 hours of location corporate assignment work every week, I do all of the framing work for the fine art I sell in my home studio, I manage the distribution of The Berkshires, and I have a small wholesale arm of the business for a collection of greeting cards I produce and for some of my fine art images. And there are probably a few other things I am forgetting right now. Do you have plans to travel the globe again in the near future for more interesting material? SGD: I don’t think I’ll ever go around the world in one fell swoop again- that was a once-in-a-lifetime experience- but I still try to take one or two trips each year to create new work. Most often I travel to western Europe or South America. It is much harder now that I have a gallery that must be open most of the year to succeed. As I said, I
Stephen G. Donaldson, Street Lamp & Cruise Ship, Giudecca Canal, Venice, Italy
am a one-man-band for the most part, so when I am not here, the door’s not open. It has changed the way that I manage my time. Additionally, I have been traveling professionally for more than 25 years, and I have an archive of over 400,000 images which I need to continue to unveil to the public and to my collector base. So my business is now like the parent that has grounded me!
film camera in my hand. I always shoot on manual exposure mode (unless I am doing a sports assignment when I often use shutter-priority mode) and I think that has allowed me to maintain consistency in the look and style of my work. So, for me, digital has just been a technological and functional progression, but it hasn’t changed my technique or my creative expression.
What do you find to be honest about photography? SGD: I guess the best way to approach that question is to say that I always try to create photographic images that are honest, and that represent the reality of both the subject matter I am capturing, and the quality, and play, of light that exists in the moment that I trip my camera’s shutter. Forty-five years ago I began studying photography with black-and-white film. The essence of everything I worked on was about the interplay of light and shadow. With the advent of HDR, and the capabilities of some of the newest cameras, a lot of that aesthetic has been lost, or forgotten. I love it too much to walk away from it so I continue to try to create images, whether black-andwhite or color, in a style that is true to that aesthetic and that’s when I think photography can be most honest.
Taking a free-form shot out of the blue any time of the day, where would you direct your camera? Why this location? SGD: I think I would most like to go to the British Isles for an extended period of time. I grew up there, I traveled extensively throughout the four countries, I have a deep affinity for them, and I have many indelible visual memories from my time there. But I have never explored them photographically. There is an abundance of magnificent subject matter and it would be profoundly nostalgic for me.
How does the new age of digital connect with your work? SGD: I went into digital late, kicking and screaming. But I learned to embrace it because the business side of photography demanded it. To compensate, I shoot everything today with digital cameras that I operate as though I have a manual
How do you actually begin to make a photograph unique? SGD: Well, I have to start with compelling subject matter and beautiful light. Beyond that, with photographic imagery being so incredibly ubiquitous these days, and with virtually every person in the world posting pictures every day in some version of media, the idea of creating something unique seems almost impossible. It requires that you approach, observe and capture the subject matter in a way no one has chosen to before- at least to the best of your knowledge. Take the image I shared with you from Venice. It is a photograph of one of the signature “streetlights” of
Venice set against a giant cruise ship. I took it because I was a little infatuated with the lamps, which I had been photographing a lot. Sarah and I were staying on Giudecca Island where the Giudecca canal separates you from the principal areas of Venice’s Sestieri. Giant cruise ships passed by our hotel virtually every hour. They seemed absurdly out of place. We were walking along the waterfront on the principal side of the canal when one of the ships was moving up the canal toward the docks. There was a lamp right in front of me on the waterfront. In 30 seconds the boat would have passed by completely. I quickly analyzed what I thought would make a unique photograph- capturing the juxtaposition of this vintage lamp- a symbol of the antiquity and fabulous craftsmanship of Venice- set against this massive icon of modernity making its assault on the fragile ancient city. In a sense, it is analogous to the struggle between man and the environment that I discussed earlier. It’s layered and nuanced much more than one might first imagine. And I’ve never seen another image from Venice like it. The same is true for the image from Bariloche. I had been moving to different locations along a cliff’s edge for over an hour capturing dozens of images of the sunrise and I only caught this out of the corner of my eye. That shaft of light appeared for about 30 seconds and then it was gone. No one will ever get that same shot. You just can’t stop looking, searching, assessing and reacting. That’s how you make a photograph unique. Thank you, Stephen!
R
THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2022 • 45
FOOD AS MEDICINE LAKSHMI’S GARDEN
In the past, I’ve mentioned the need to be persistent and consistent with certain foods and herbs in order for them to have an affect on the human body. Once accumulated these nutrients can have an anabolic reaction, leading to the growth of healthy tissues and positive changes in the body. Similarly, unhealthy foods and practices accumulated by the body can lead to negative changes. As a student of herbal medicine, I remember taking a walk through the neighborhoods of Silver City, New Mexico with a teacher who was introducing us to different plants that were growing up through cracks in the pavement, randomly and wildly climbing fences, overtaking abandoned yards, and pretty much thriving in any place that humans allowed. These are referred to as weeds by most people these, however, my instructor made it clear that the plants he referred to should be revered as medicine. Milk thistle is a perfect example of one person’s poison being another person’s medicine. It is considered a noxious weed because it can kill cattle if eaten in large amounts, however, when ingested by humans over long periods of time, it has been proven to protect the liver and is known to have positive effects on the heart, skin, and kid-
neys, as well as aiding digestion. The key to milk thistle’s magic is a constituent known as silymarin. And like with every magic trick, the beauty (or in this case, the value) is not in what you’re doing, but how you’re doing it. The most effective way to extract silymarin from milk thistle seed is with alcohol. My process is to collect organic milk thistle seed and extract its medicine using organic alcohol. Once this is done, I remove the alcohol and replace it with organic vegetable glycerin. My final product is an organic, glycerin-based milk thistle tincture. When producing herbal medicine, I try to use organic or wild-crafted products whenever possible. I feel it is also important to eliminate the ingestion of alcohol by substituting it with glycerin when it “makes sense”, for instance with milk thistle and other formulas, like my Immuno Umph!, Relax and Recover, and Lion’s Mane. In this day and age, we are conditioned to reach for immediate gratification. Vitality is not achieved in this way. It is a journey, and one that can start in your own kitchen. Ayurvedic philosophy is the oldest form of practiced medicine in the world, and many of its remedies can be found in the kitchen, or growing in your own backyard, between the cracks of the pavement, etc. Please check out my interview with Harryet Candee in this edition of the Artful Mind. Terrel Broussard, Ayurvedic Practitioner, Herbalist, Bodyworker - 413329-5440, / www.lakshmisgarden.com.
Andrea Feldman 46 • JULY 2022 THE ARTFUL MIND
BEVY OF BEAUTIES
ILENE RICHARD ILLUSTRATOR / PAINTER
Ilene Richard is an amazing artist who has been living in the Berkshires for the past 5 years. The artist has exhibited her work in various galleries from Florida to Vermont and is a member of Rockport Artist Association and the National Association of women artists. Recently, she has decided to move her studio to the Clock Tower in Pittsfield, MA. This new studio will offer her more space and better lighting, which will allow her to create even more beautiful artwork. Ilene is looking forward to having a place where she can work undisturbed and share her art with others. She is also excited about being part of the Clock Tower community and getting to know the other artists who are working there. If you’re in the area, be sure to stop by and check out her studio. Ilene Richard - www.ilenerichard.com, ilene.richard@gmail.com, 978-621-4986.
IRISH BIKE, WATERCOLOR
MARGUERITE BRIDE WATERCOLOR ON CANVAS
If you like bicycles and watercolors, and plenty of uplifting scenes – all with bikes - visit the Cycle Therapy exhibit at Hotel on North at 297 North Street, Pittsfield. This solo exhibit of 24 original watercolor paintings by Marguerite Bride will be on display in the hotel lobby gallery until July 31. What is unusual and interesting about this exhibit is that the paintings are on two different surfaces….half are on watercolor paper (traditional) and the others on canvas. Same artist, same style, even the same paints and brushes, but the paints behave so differently on canvas sometimes causing the viewer to wonder if the same artist did both. Just ask the artist about painting on canvas. “It is a totally different kind of animal for sure! Exasperating and frustrating but honestly, kind of fun”. Because the show contains so many local scenes, Bride says “expect to see sights you may recognize, and maybe even some familiar characters as well”. Summer 2022 has become very busy, perhaps due to how quiet things have been for the past two years. Bride’s annual “Home Art Sale” is in the planning stages, and she hopes for this to happen this summer. Due to Covid, the event was not held last year but she plans to hold her 7th “almost” annual sale on her front lawn in Pittsfield on Saturday August 13 (rain date will be the next day, Sunday August 14)). Text or email the artist or visit her website for the final details and the address. For more details about where you can find her art, prints, cards etc, also visit the artist’s website. Marguerite Bride – Home Studio at 46 Glory Drive, Pittsfield, Massachusetts by appointment only. Call/text 413-841-1659; margebride-paintings.com; margebride@aol.com; Facebook: Marguerite Bride Watercolors.
FAVORITE TOY
SHARON GUY FUR AND FEATHERS I am currently accepting custom, pet portrait commissions. You deserve a unique, one-of-akind painting of your beloved pet. A pet portrait celebrates the years of joy and unconditional love that you receive from your pet. I enjoy painting and drawing dogs, cats, birds, and many other animals. Visit my website or send me an email for more information. Sharon Guy - sharonguyart@gmail.com / 941321-1218 https://www.sharonguyart.com
PLEASANT VALLEY BEAVER POND WATERCOLOR, 12 X 16”
CAROLYN NEWBERGER Summer is here! Music, art, theater, the outdoors, we have much to be thankful. So let us celebrate summer and the joy art brings while doing all we can to promote safety, peace and opportunity to others in our troubled world. Visions of Nature: Pleasant Valley Sanctuary, Lenox MA. September 15 to October 30, 2022 Reception, September 17, 4-7 pm. With Carolyn Newberger, Scott Taylor, Pat Hogan, Nina Lipkowitz,Theresa Terry, Carol Daynard. Carolyn Newberger- Cnewberger@me.com / www.carolynnewberger.com.
Join us for August. Be seen on these pages....
ARTFULMIND@YAHOO.COM THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2022 • 47
Something For Over The Couch Part 12 “THE INSANE ASYLUM AND THE CAR WASH” In the previous chapter you have been introduced to Ruth, and I hope you like her as much as I do. As you know things had happened to her, discovering her dead mom in the closet, the persecution of the boys at school, a persecution that I knew included things she would not mention to me. Whenever we were together she was happy and ironically sarcastic about everything. I never saw the other side of her personality, the side that put her into the hospital for months at a time. This made me wonder if her mood with me was an act, but an act did not seem possible. She joked about electro shock, saying that not being able to think for a few weeks was a relief. “Really Ruth, what was it like?” I asked her. “You put your soup spoon into your pea soup, and you bring it to your lips. When it gets up to your lips it is empty. Some is back in the soup, some is on your shirt, and the rest is on the table. You put your shaking hand and your spoon back into the soup and try again. An hour later you have finished the pea soup, but it doesn’t matter because what is time after all, I mean in the grand scheme of things? When I am finished with my soup I try to have a bite of bread, and then take a nap till the next day.” “All I do is read all day. Last time I shared a room with a woman who didn’t say a word to anyone for a month. One time she asked me what I was reading, so I started to tell her, but she walked out of the room while I was speaking. It didn’t hurt my feelings though, because she was walking so slowly.” The things she described could not have been made up, because they were so bizarre, and inexplicable. I wanted to tell her about Hanna, the substitute art teacher, but something prevented me from bringing up the subject, even though I had been planning on asking her opinion of the episode with the bathmat. Then unexpectedly she started talking about her, as if she had read my mind. “They fired the crazy art substitute that was causing such a commotion, you know.” I did not know about Hanna being fired, but Ruth said it in such a way that it seemed to me she expected me to know all about it. “Apparently she became involved with one of her students, so she got fired.” I knew for an absolute fact that Hanna was not involved with any of her students, and I think if anyone had been aware of something like that it would have been me. But I had seen no evidence of anything of the sort. Perhaps there might have been some student who imagined there was something serious about my acquaintance with her, because she kept bring to class various art supplies she wanted me to use, but otherwise there was nothing. In class we never talked about the things that were said on Saturday, things like her marriage, or if she still loved her first husband. Anyone looking on, would have thought there
48 • JULY 2022 THE ARTFUL MIND
was no connection at all between us, except probably somebody might have mentioned that I mowed her lawn every Saturday. One time, during lunch in the cafeteria I heard some upperclassman say, “He mows her lawn once a week,” but he didn’t know me. I didn’t know anything about him, except he was in the fraternity my brother had been in. My brother insisted I pledge his fraternity, telling me that, because he was my brother, I would be sure to be accepted, but I was rejected. I was very relieved about being rejected simply because of the things they said about girls, especially Ruth. How my brother had been comfortable with his fraternity friends when he was a senior often troubled me. I thought of him as an intellectual, a person absorbed in the study of literature and the arts, but there was another side of him I knew about, a side that involved late night drunkenness, and reckless driving, accidents, and even gambling. Here is a snatch of his conversation one night, as we talked late into the night in twin beds next to each other. “We were doing almost a hundred, I was in the back seat but It was my turn to steer the car so I was leaning over the seat with my hands on the wheel, Mike was on the floor working the pedals, he was getting instruction from Paul, who was the only one looking out the windshield. We were all smashed, we flipped the car, but we all got out of it unscathed.” Jimmy was eighteen and about to get married, with a child just a few months in the future, when he and his friends wrecked the DeSoto. He was planning to move to Florida to find a job, and then send for his future wife to join him. She was checking groceries part time at the Uptown Market. I often thought that the things he described to me late at night, might never have really happened. He might say, “The baker at the Henstruaght’s bakery makes donuts late at night, and so we put a cherry bomb between the screen door and the inner door, and when it exploded, he throws a tray of donuts in the air. After that we went into the White Tower and put one in the coin return of the pay phone, and it exploded across the room.” In those first years after our dad died we were very destructive. If there had been a switch somewhere that could have shut down the entire world, it would have been pulled, but all I could do was jam bubblegum in the gas station bathroom door lock. Hanna was not fired from her substitute teaching position but soon after the completion of the poronographic bathmat project she announced to our art class that she was leaving. The reason; because the regular teacher had finally died, and she had to decline a full time position, and so we could expect a new permanent teacher. A few weeks had elapsed since my last Saturday visit to her house, and now, with her disappearance from the school it seemed to me that our story was over, it was like an unexpected ending in a movie and you think “That can’t be the end can it?” But sure enough the credits start to roll leaving no doubt. Everything became shrouded in shadow. My acquaintance with Hanna had given me the feeling that I had discovered who I actually was and what kind of person I was destined to be. And now, suddenly, I was a someone
who mistakes games for reality, and daydreams for intentions, and no longer knows their own mind. Even our last encounter that took place in her kitchen, was a confusing memory. She was talking to her husband as I left, and I pointed out that I was not coming the following week, because the lawn “Certainly will not need cutting.” I waited a long moment for a reply, and getting none, I went out the door and shut it so as not to make the latch click. The lawn was my only income and so now I applied for a job at the car wash. I knew other boys who had worked there, and for some reason they would often quit after a short time, I didn't know why. The job consisted of thoroughly drying the cars when they came out of the machine. Six boys altogether would dry the cars with rags the moment they came out of the machine, three to a side. This had to be done as swiftly as possible inorder to get the car out of the way of the oncoming cars. The car would be running, and driven very slowly by the forman, and we had to walk alongside, drying and rubbing the thing down, even the inside edges of the doors which were all open. It was now winter, and sometimes below zero out, so the idea was to keep the car doors from freezing shut. Everyone who worked at the car wash would become sick with various illnesses, and why I thought I might be an exception, I don’t know, but perhaps it was just indifference. I was drying the doors of an expensive Lincoln when I felt a slight tug on my sleeve. It was the Good Doctor, Hanna’s husband. He said something to me but I couldn’t hear him because of the roar of the machines. When his car was dry he got in and rolled down the window and gestured to me to come to him. He looked me strangely right in the eye and said. “Do you have a headache?” “Yes,” I replied. “It’s carbon monoxide, it won’t kill you, at least not right away. Come to my house on Saturday at noon, because I have odd jobs around the house I want you to do for me, and quit this job right now, I had to report them to the health department; I hope they will be shut down before the end of the week.” —RICHARD BRITELL PARTS 1 THROUGH 11, AT SPAZIFINEART.COM (SHORT STORIES)
EDWARD ACKER PHOTOGRAPHER
Time Flies D Get Pictures EdwardAckerPhotographer.com 413-446-8348
