INTERVIEW BY H. CANDEE

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 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 similar 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...

Sunrise Reflection on the Housatonic River in Kent, Connecticut

Reflection of the Hurlbut Mill in the Housatonic River, South Lee, MA Sunrise, Stockbridge Bowl

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 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-toside. 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...

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 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!

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.

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 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.

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 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

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 kidneys, 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.

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.

Andrea Feldman

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