36 minute read
INTERVIEW BY H. CANDEE
Blindspot, 2020, Silkscreen on rag paper, gouache and watercolor, 22”x 24’
JEAN BLACKBURN
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Interview by Harryet Candee
I see your artwork being playful and imaginative. My eyes move around the parameters of each piece, perusing your paintings, sculptures and drawing at a slow pace, though I feel compelled to use my imagination and quickly fill in parts of objects that have disappeared from view. Am I on track with my reactions? Can you fill me in on what I am missing? I think play is one of the best things we do as creative beings. It is such a complex intelligent activity, involving experience, expectation, humor, and imaginative projection. It is one of the best ways we create new ideas. If my work has a sense of physical impermanence, it is because that was underlined for me when I had cancer in my mid-twenties. Happily, I am considered cured, but it forever changed my relationship to my body and my sense of certainty about the physical world. Though trained as a painter, I began making sculpture because I needed to contemplate, and at times, undercut the physicality of things. The home fascinates me because it is where we start. I work with existing domestic objects because they are already loaded with so many associations. Our early experiences act as templates that substantially shape future interactions and understandings. But this structure of understandings that we build as children is constantly tested and adjusted in dialogue with experience. Many of my works involve broken, subtracted, erased or repaired elements. I remove parts for a variety of reasons. It might be to suggest fragility and push the object to the brink of its physical integrity. It could be to mine material that can be used to make something else. Sometimes that thing is a model of the original object. Or removed material might be used in a repair. A recent piece called Flotsam deals with this quite directly. In response to the instability of our contemporary moment, I broke a canoe paddle into fragments. The wood grain was very straight so it broke into long splinters. After removing as much as possible from the paddle and mapping the various fragments, I made small wooden splines from the scrap to pin the paddle back together. The boundaries or slippage of an object’s definition are particularly interesting. I often manipulate my objects to position them on the verge of multiple possibilities that reveal embedded assumptions, associations and deep poetic resonances in the mundane.
I agree, that as we grow, the things we surround ourselves with in our homes are deeply engrained in us, as you have mentioned. Our past, our home life, the furniture the objects within our familiar space and embedded in our mind’s eye is a very powerful thing. How do you go about overlapping and joining past
Untitled, 2020, gouache on rag photo paper, 18"x22" Jean Blackburn
Flotsam, 2021, wooden paddle, paint, approx. 46x7x2” Paddle reconstructed using splines of it’s own material. Jean Blackburn
and present in your art making? I generally work with objects that balance the generic and the personal. Usually they are commonplace in many homes. Though the objects may be from the past, my work is very much about the process the objects undergo- what I do to them. Those processes are metaphoric. Parts mutate, are reused, or devolve. Materials grow into each other as boundaries move, definitions change, and new structures emerge at the cost of older ones. They are in a state of flex, of becoming. In this way they also may address the future and pose questions about their potentiality. My pieces often take a long time to make- that labor and time passage also shapes the interpretation of the work.
Thoroughly enjoying Drawings on Photographs, what techniques and process is used? I am intrigued by the carefully constructed, highly marketable models presented by catalogues such as Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, Williams and Sonoma, etc. Much of my two-dimensional work begins with images scanned from these home-furnishing catalogues. Part prescribed and part invented, the depicted rooms are intimate facades embedded with preconceived values and marketable or historic narratives. Recently I have been blurring this imagery to the point of only the simplest definition. To these I add spare lines of gouache brush strokes as possible interpretations or suggestions. Each painted line is a single color. But seen on the gradating tones or colors of the photo, they seem to change, float and almost twist. They are quite rigorous to make. The tones and the colors have to be exactly right or they don’t sit effectively in the space. Both blurred photo and painted line dance together on the edge of recognition. I am interested in how the viewer completes the image. The meeting of the line as figure and the photo as ground is dynamic and open. It is a kind of perceptual casting for recognition or meaning.
I love Blindspot, 2020! Tell us about this piece that is silkscreened on rag paper using gouache and watercolor, please. A while back I created a “library” of silk screens so I could print multiples of line images. Having numerous screens is great because it gives me a lot of flexibility in constructing layered line images. For Blindspot, I printed the line imagery in white and then painted over it in gouache and watercolor to play with color, transparency and opacity. The lines become objects, then revert back to lines. In the center it becomes a big knot of incoherence, but all the parts are tied together in a weave of lines. Interconnections, webs and weaving interest me a lot and are major elements in many of my installations. Continued on next page...
WARP, Installation, created in 2017, bed sheets, curtains, tableclothes, napkins, etc. Jean Blackburn
In your installation work, I love your titles, such as Warp, Eaten/eat, Arachne, can you explain how the titles fit the individual installations of art? I pick my titles very carefully- they often have several meanings. Both Warp and Arachne refer to weaving. Traditionally, weaving is women’s work. In Greek mythology, Arachne is the weaver whose skill so impressed and enraged the goddess Athena that she turned Arachne into a spider. And if you think of Penelope in the Odyssey, she is at home weaving, being productive, preserving her virtue being loyal to her husband. As a practice, weaving is very tied to gendered labor and control. We talk of the concept of a social fabric or web, and again, women have always been good at creating social connections. Weaving is also a system of interconnections and dependencies, a kind of tension structure. While it has a fairly simple configuration, a loom is capable of making complex patterns. Some liken it and the abacus to a simple computer. Warp refers to the vertical threads that run through a weaving (but it also is a form of distortion). In the installation, fabric elements made from bed sheets, curtains, tablecloths, napkins, etc. weave through the entire installation, leading from the bed, into diverse permutations and ending in a weave that frames a doorway. The crosslacing warp and weft unify the individual sculptural elements into tension as a mesh of interdependencies and connections throughout the whole installation. I’ve been particularly interested in the historical aspects of weaving because I have worked for several summers as an archaeological illustrator on an Etruscan dig in Tuscany (600 BCE). Archaeology has been an important influence on my work. At the Poggio Civitate excavations, under the direction of Dr. Anthony Tuck (UMass Amherst), ample evidence of weaving was found in a large workshop. Eaten/eat was an installation I was invited to do at the Aldrich Museum in Ridgefield, Conn. It was just before they renovated part of the Museum. I was asked to engage the floor in one of the galleries. Fortunately, they gave me carte blanche and allowed me to cut holes in their floor. These holes revealed the inner architectural structure of the building and also provided material for several vessels I had lathed, including a plate, several bowls and an urn. The title Eaten/eat refers to the transformative process of cutting up the floor, which could be seen as destructive, but then using the removed material to construct plates and bowls which provide nourishment. The urn is the cipher.
Also, I wonder, do these quickly come together? Are they spontaneously created? My work is usually pretty labor intensive, but that allows a form of meditation, where I can slowly shape an idea and take time to understand the implications of various choices. Sometimes an object will sit in my studio for a year or more before I know what to do to it. Pieces start with an idea but I’m never initially sure where it will go. I take a deep breath and get started, knowing that when I cut into something, there is no going back. But my process is intentionally improvisational, which gives me room to respond to material and process. Sometimes my best moves are accidents. At times I’ve broken something and incorporating the breakage has enriched the piece. I almost always end up somewhere I did not fully expect and that is a large part of what keeps me engaged.
Cornflower Vase, 2002, stoneware, approx. 10x10x20" Jean Blackburn Eaten/Eat, Aldrich gallery installation, 2002, approx. 20x15x8.5' Jean Blackburn
Jean, I want to jump to another medium you enjoy, that is ceramics. Tell us about this venue, please. Clay is a wonderful material- so fleshy initially and so hard once fired. It is a natural medium to speak about the body. I’ve molded a number of stoneware vessels. This allows me to make multiples, but also engage the concept of the model form, the form the others are measured from. Usually I use two colored slips, to distinguish inside and outside. They both need to be visible. From the casts, I’ve subtracted as much material as I believe is physically possible to sustain physical integrity. If I’ve subtracted too much, the pieces crack during the stress of firing. Each piece is a wager. I lose about half of the pieces.
What was one of your most memorable exhibits you participated in, and what was it about? One that I haven’t mentioned yet that was quite memorable was a huge installation entitled Mix at the Deven Golden Gallery in N.Y. It consisted of five bedframes of various sizes; each painted a different color. Installed, it created a rollicking meander of constructions, linkages, and interpenetrating materials that wryly contemplated the bed as a site of birth, death, dreams, sex, and sleep. It was huge- approx. 12’x12’x 25’ and took me about two years to complete. Working on it over the months, the piece became very playful, poetic, and rich with associations. I took a lot of chances with the construction and pushed it to do things I never thought I could pull off.
You are also a professor in Fine Arts at RISD. Tell us what you teach, please. I teach a variety of classes, including drawing classes defining space and the human form. They’ve shaped my thoughts about how we perceive the world and how we can organize things visually to say or do different things. For instance, I’ll talk about how the structure of our eye allows us to experience the world in various ways. Perception and experience greatly influence our understanding of things. I love teaching drawing because it is explorative and its long history engages so many ideas. I think it is one of the most direct forms of visual thinking. I also teach a class on scientific illustration. Though it is fairly technical, we work directly with scientists for at least one or two of our projects. The topics that come up are fascinatingwe’ve worked visualizing cuttlefish camouflage, deep sea submersible exploration, ancient trilobite fossils, and many local biological species and their habitats. One of my favorite classes is called Visible Cities, (inspired by Italo Calvino’s remarkable book Invisible Cities). It is a world-building class and the students have all semester to create a civilization. They can be wildly imaginative or more realistic, but bottom line, the viewer needs to feel convinced visually and conceptually. We have a lot of international students at RISD so our conversations range extensively into many aspects of world culture. In my teaching, I tend to be more of a generalist more than a specialist. While I do cover specific topics in depth, I try to pull in elements from a broad range of areas and create over-arching connections to knit things together. In my own studio practice I’ve worked in a wide variety of ways with many different materials. My goal is to give students the tools to develop themselves and their ideas through their work intellectually, emotionally and physically. If they are Continued on next page...
Mix, detail, 1998, five wooden beds, paint, glue, dimensions variable Jean Blackburn
ambitious with their questions, it is a lifelong project. What can you say for your experiences being an artist who is also an art educator? How is it challenging to balance both? How is it gratifying? I’ve been doing both for a while now and I can say that time is always a challenge. It is really like having 2 full time jobs. But the combination is amazing. Being able to talk about the things you love and help students express what is most important to them is a real privilege. And though I may be the teacher, I am learning in the classroom all the time. Being able to talk on the fly about the diversity of things students bring up in their work is really stimulating. I try to stay open. As an artist and as a teacher, being willing to consider possibilities is essential. The problems my students are trying to solve often require elastic thinking. I love helping them brainstorm. It’s a form of play. I try to convey to my students that what they are doing is important and they need to be dedicated. Exploration is essential, doubt a frequent companion, and failure likely, but that may be the only way things move forward. What are some of the most interesting things you’ve done? Many things have shaped how I perceive the home. I’ve had a long-standing interest in archaeology and have worked on various digs as an archaeological illustrator. The most memorable were a Roman temple in Petra, Jordan, and Etruscan ruins in Tuscany, Italy. Besides the obvious adventure component, what I enjoy most about a dig is trying to distill from the material they left behind what ancient people thought and found important. How were things used? How are they similar or different from us? Through comparison, it’s a great way to contemplate our contemporary culture in relation to a much grander scale of time.
Jean, I am curious to find out more about you, can you tell us a little about your childhood? And, what your life today is like? My childhood was relatively uneventful and pretty idyllic. I grew up in suburbia in New England. Much of my childhood experience informs my studio work. It is a key source of contemplation for me. We moved from Pennsylvania to Rhode Island when I was 5 and I was unhappy to leave friends behind. My parents thought I showed some artistic talent so to keep me distracted, they signed me up for weekly drawing lessons. A local artist drove several of us to various locales to draw every week. It was pretty amazing and something that would probably never happen these days. But it did set me on the path to become the class artist. And I got to know lots of the nooks and crannies in Rhode Island. I loved to rove around in the woods and was always making things. Making is a great form of thinking-it propels me to this day.
How has COVID impacted your life as an artist, teacher and in general, your life? What if anything, can you say you have learned from this world event? For me, probably like most people, covid slowed me down and provided more contemplative time for the mundane things. For a while I found it hard to work because it was so constrictive and there was so much we did not know. At this point, I think it has helped me appreciate the small human things we do all the time – our ex-
Template (Windsor) Jean Blackburn
changes and need for togetherness. It has really underlined how dependent we all are on each other. It's also made me appreciate lots of things people who don’t receive much credit do that keeps things going. My daughter is a nurse and I am so proud of what she contributes every day.
What artistic challenges have you confronted over the years as you climbed the ladder of success in art? It felt like I had 3 fulltime jobs. But having a child necessarily pulls you out of yourself and grounds you. I think it made me much richer as a human being. There are times when being an artist seems ridiculously indulgent, particularly in light of all the difficulties that face us. Often things are not clear and it feels like wading through a swamp. I have learned to embrace not knowing, or doubt, as an important part of the creative process. I try to draw on myself fully-my emotions, my intellect, my body and my experiences to communicate. It's clear that the Arts encourage empathy and foster integration. Those things are really important and in such short supply these days. I’ve come to think that being a banker is equally absurd. And perhaps a lot less fun.
What challenges do you create for yourself when beginning a new piece of artwork? I try to go deeper than the most obvious things for an object or image I am working with, to find its poetry and open it up for the viewer. I am not interested in didactic work- I want the audience to be able to enter the work and find themselves in it. The simplest solutions are usually the best, but they can be the hardest to find. There is so much that needs to be cleared away.
If you can call up one or two piece of art you have created, and love, which one would it be and why? I was commissioned by a collector to create a chair piece for his collection. I wanted the piece to reflect him and asked him to tell me about himself. He mentioned his parents had both been artists and that had been very formative for him. Because chairs evoke both presence and absence, I decided to make a half scale model of the original chair from material removed from it. The two chairs would face each other. I choose a Winsor chair to start with. What I didn’t realize at the outset was that the curved back hoop or bow of a Winsor chair is bent while the wood is still green and flexible. To create that form with a dried wood was challenging- I had to learn a lot about steam bending and wood lamination. I came to realize what a beautiful and rigorous structure a Winsor chair is. All the parts are in tension and hold each other in place. It was a great learning experience from both a conceptual and craft perspective.
Current Passions? I’m really fascinated by trees. I’ve been drawing them since childhood. Impressive in their strength, trees seem so vulnerable in their immobility. And we turn them into chairs and toothpicks because of it. But they are responsive to their environments in ways we hardly grasp. Much has been written lately about their complexity- like how they communicate or defend themselves. They are operating on a different time scale than we are. Continued on next page...
Feed, 2018, Pierogi Installation Jean Blackburn
They give me perspective and provide a glimpse into other ways of being. Another passion is my love of travel. When we’re in a new place, and we’re trying to figure it out, all our faculties are engaged and absorbing information. It’s such a rich experience and we are most fully alive. I think it is similar to the way we learn when we are children. Highest on my travel hit list are Japan and Istanbul.
What you would like viewers to take away with them after experiencing your art? Let’s imagine a table for a minute. It might be a family heirloom, made of rare woods, or the place Grandma rolled out pasta or played Mahjong. Made by an exclusive designer, it might proclaim our economic status or our refined taste. Or it might be scavenged from a dumpster. To a small child underneath, it might be a fort. Bottom line, it provides a surface for an exchange to take place or an activity to occur. It could be a communal space. We sit around a table. The family dining table or the kitchen table is at the heart of the home. As the site of holidays, gatherings of friends or family, the pleasures of dining and conversation, the table comes to represent bonds, community, family, sustenance, negotiation and sharing. A table can also be a footstool, a desk, a chopping block, a make-up table or nesting tables, enabling various activities and hierarchies. The objects in our homes are so rich with associations. Contemplating how and where we find meaning in them is ultimately an integrative process. It helps us better understand who we are and what we have in common. There is poetry and resonance all around us. I try to open up those possibilities in the objects and images I work with. I invite you to see more of my work at my website: www.blackburnartproject.com
Thank you Jean! H
H.C.B THE HELPERS, PASTEL 2019 THE ARTFUL MIND ARTZINE PUBLISHING SINCE 1994
Art is unquestionably one of the purest and highest elements in human happiness.
It trains the mind through the eye, and the eye through the mind. As the sun colours flowers, so does art colour life. —John Lubbock
THE VEIL
BRUCE PANOCK
PHOTOGRAPHY
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
MATT CHINIAN
PROSAIC REALISM I am a prosaic realist. That means I paint what I see and depict places and objects without sentiment or romance. My subjects are taken from daily life, things I see in passing, things I’m drawn to; they are mundane and often overlooked. I unlock patterns and relationships and do not judge. I practice ruthless honesty, and let the paint be paint.
Visit: www.mattchinian.com
MARY DAVIDSON
My New Hat Series # 13 Acrylic Framed: 40 x 27 inches
Keith and Mary original artwork for sale Studio/gallery, South Egremont, MA
SHARON GUY
Messages Mixed Media on paper, 9” x 12” $150
FOOD AS MEDICINE LAKSHMI’S GARDEN
Recently I spoke of cleansing one’s body in order to get it functioning optimally. This idea also relates to all of life according to Ayurveda, including the mind. When our mind is cleared of clutter, truth is more apparent. This is why meditation is so effective. Similarly, when our body is cleared of waste and toxins, it’s tissues and organs are healthier and operate more effectively. Through the process of cleansing, we have the opportunity to cleanse the mind. According to Ayurvedic philosophy, the mind is shaped by our five senses - what we see, hear, taste, smell and feel. Our senses determine the quality of our thoughts. It follows that as we cleanse the correlating organs (eyes, ears, tongue, nose, and skin), our mind becomes lighter and clearer. The cleansing of the senses is a tennet of Ayurveda, the world’s oldest form of currently practiced medicine. When we cleanse, we are stripping the body down and making it lighter. Accumulation is our tendency in this society, so, in order to create balance, we must eliminate the excess. This theory is known as the principle of opposites. If we’re feeling heavy or sluggish, we should lighten our load. If we’re feeling ungrounded or light-headed, then we should look towards heavier, more grounding foods, like grains and cooked vegetables, and practices such as meditation and walks in nature. Herein lies the beauty of Ayurveda, in that it’s logical and comes naturally to us. When it’s cold outside we don’t have to think about what to wear, we naturally gravitate towards clothing to keep us warm - the principle of opposites. I also mentioned recently that there is a myriad of cleanses on the market. Choosing which cleanse is appropriate depends on one’s current health condition, and one’s goal. If an individual has never cleansed before, and has a history of processed foods, alcohol, pharmaceuticals, or anything else that can lead to unhealthy conditions, it is likely that an extreme cleanse or fasting too quickly can lead to an overload of toxins on the liver. In this case, to start by eliminating processed foods and switching to fruits, vegetables, and grains would be a great way to prepare your liver for a cleanse and reduce a probable acidic condition. The same can be said for drinks. As the elimination of processed food happens, so should the elimination of liquids that are not water or juice. Those who have a vegetarian diet or have cleansed in the past can consider more extreme programs, always being mindful of their acid/alkaline levels before fasting. Key points to remember when taking on what can be a potentially life-changing and habitchanging experience, are to take it slow, be positive, and seek guidance if there are any doubts or questions. We reboot our computers, change the oil in our vehicles, and flush the pipes in our homes when they’re clogged, why not give our bodies the same well-deserved attention. Your body will thank you and so will your mind. Lakshmi’s Garden, Terrel Broussard, Ayurvedic Practitioner, Herbalist, Bodyworker, 413-329-5440.
“Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” – Andy Warhol
Bruce Panock
Title of Photograph: SImplicity of Ferns
CONNIE FLEMING
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.
PAINTING BY 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. 413-5289546 at home or 413-429-7141 (cell) www.kateknappartist.com
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. 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. 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. Designing outfits and seeing them worn was a heady experience, dealing with the women for whom those outfits were designed and their spouses, was often a challenge since egos prevailed. There was not much of a demand for fashion design when I became a young mother and moved to Pittsfield and eventually, I re-entered the world of work in a different capacity and was fortunate to hold many interesting positions over the years. As I began to shed those jobs to begin a new phase of life, my desire to create was renewed. Now here I am, dabbling with paint and fantasy. Hopefully my creations will bring and inquisitiveness. MaryAnn Yarmosky myarmosky@comcast.net, 413-441-6963, maryannyarmoskyeclecticart.com
STAMPED ABSTRACT SERIES # 23 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. With style more design than literal, she hopes to convey lightheartedness, playfulness and whimsey. “One of my favorite art teachers along the way used to say, ‘It is only a piece of paper and/or canvas. NO RULES’. Painting is a way to express my creativity. I always work in a series, which keeps me focused. I work with acrylic paint because it is so forgiving.” 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.” In addition to an Associate Degree in Fashion Design from Newbury College in Boston, Davidson has taken many classes in drawing and painting, and participated in many art workshops. “I feel as though I have developed my own unique style at this point. I am a member of three local art clubs, along with two other clubs not so close to home.” Davidson’s biggest accomplishment was to become a juried member of the National Association of Women Artists, NAWA, New York, NY. She has also been juried into many art shows in New England, since 2007 and in some of the shows has won awards. Mary Davidson - PO Box 697, South Egremont, Massachusetts; 413-528-6945, Cell 1-413717-2332; mdavidsongio@aol.com, marydavidson83155@gmail.com, www.davidsondesigncompany.net.
AIMEE VAN DYNE
BROKEN LOVE SONGS
CD RELEASE PARTY Local Folk/Americana singer-songwriter Aimee Van Dyne from Brooklyn, currently calls Berkshire County her home. In New York, she has performed at venues such as The Bitter End and Rockwood Music Hall, where her live performances have been described as events where “three of the best voices in town soar through a uniquely imaginative blend of ideas: counterpoint, contrapuntal vocals, two sets of lyrics playing against each other, you name it!” Her original songs, characterized by “catchy choruses and melodies that frequently evoke the thoughtful, George Harrison-side of the Beatles” are a distinctive blend of Folk/Americana and Pop/Rock. Her Upcoming CD, “Broken Love Songs” was produced by multi-instrumentalist Jim Henry (Eliza Gilkyson, Tracy Grammer) and recorded by David Chalfant of The Nields. It features a first-class team of musicians, including Jon Carroll (Mary Chapin Carpenter), Paul Kochanski (Lori McKenna), and the Berkshires’ very own Ben Kohn (Misty Blues Band). Aimee began writing songs while still a student at Brown University and then continued to write and record while studying architecture at The Cooper Union. In 2001, she released her first EP, “Owning Up,” while working as an architect in NYC. After taking time off to raise her twin daughters, Aimee embarked on a major life transformation, moving up to The Berkshires to pursue a career in music full-time.
Aimee is thrilled to be celebrating her CD Release Party on Friday, April 29 at The Foundry in West Stockbridge, MA. She will be joined by her six-piece band, featuring Jim Caron on violin, Sarah Mitchell and Francine Ciccarelli on vocals, and Fran Tokarz on upright bass. Aimee Van Dyne - aimeevandyne.com
BERKSHIRE DIGITAL
Since opening in 2005, Berkshire Digital has done fine art printing for artists and photographers. Giclée prints can be made in many different sizes from 5”x7” to 42”x 80” on a variety of archival paper choices. Berkshire Digital was featured in PDN magazine in an article about fine art printing. See the entire article on the BerkshireDigital.com website. Berkshire Digital does accurate hi-res photoreproductions of paintings and illustrations that can be used for Giclée prints, books, magazines, brochures, cards and websites. “Fred Collins couldn’t have been more professional or more enjoyable to work with. He did a beautiful job in photographing paintings carefully, efficiently, and so accurately. It’s such a great feeling to know I have these beautiful, useful files on hand anytime I need them. I wish I’d called Fred years ago.” —— Ann Getsinger We also offer restoration and repair of damaged or faded photographs. A complete overview of services offered, along with pricing, can be seen on the web at BerkshireDigital.com The owner, Fred Collins, has been a commercial and fine art photographer for over 30 years having had studios in Boston, Stamford and the Berkshires. He offers over 25 years of experience with Photoshop, enabling retouching, restoration and enhancement to prints and digital files. The studio is located in Mt. Washington, but drop-off and pick-up is available through Frames On Wheels, 84 Railroad Street in Great Barrington, MA (413) 528-0997 and Gilded Moon Framing, 17 John Street in Millerton, NY (518) 789-3428. Berkshire Digital - 413 644-9663, www.BerkshireDigital.com.
Get involved and be seen... Advertising rates & other info: 413.645.4114 THE ARTFUL MIND
BRICK AND SKY
MARTINE KACZYNSKI
I question how we build and relocate our lives while striving to recreate the means and markers of settlement. Often what prevails in the work is a sense of dislocation; perhaps because I’m never at home nor away from it. I grew up London but have been living in New York since the late 90’s. Frequently I develop work on private property that has been awarded to me by various patrons. My large-scale projects have been exhibited at numerous venues, including Socrates Sculpture Park NYC, Turchin Center in North Carolina, The Lipe Park Syracuse, Rural Projects Gallatin N.Y, Art Austerlitz and Millay Arts Austerlitz N.Y. Visit: martinekstudio.com Instagram - martinekstudio
NOTES TO MYSELF
KATHERINE BORKOWSKI-BYRNE
I studied painting at the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts when painting was king. It was when I first saw a deKooning painting, that I knew what painting could do and that I had to be a painter. My main love is oil on canvas or paper giving the full range of marks from watery thin to luscious thick. One of my favorite teachers at art school, said, "When you paint in oils, you have the whole orchestra." My inspiration comes from many outside sources but my excitement comes from the process of painting when any original ideas disappear and the painting has a life of its own. My favorite pieces are those that come from "within."
Visit: katherineborkowski-byrne.com
DYLAN W. KUBIS
“THE BEAUTY OF THE
AMERICAN SOUTHWEST” I could not have asked for a better way to start the year then with the release of my 60page photograph filled book of my trip. This was one of the best trips of my life. Driving through 17 states, 7,866 miles of fun, songs, boring scenery, exciting scenery, fast food, new dynamic experiences, love, gambling, fine food, not so fine foods, 25 nights of hotels, and over hundreds of Inspirational, Sensational, Motivational, Imaginative beautiful photographs of the American Southwest. We’ve been planning this trip for a few years, to show the world that someone like me a person with special needs can be more, do more, than many people think I can. To me Down Syndrome is in some ways is a gift. I see, feel, think and sense differently than most. I hope you will see this difference, my overwhelming vision on the 60 pages and over 70 photographs of this photographic diary.
Order your copy today at: https://www.dwkisphotography.com/store-1 or email me at dkubis@gmail.com Thanks for purchasing my book, Dylan
Let the artists know you have read about them in ARTFULMIND@YAHOO.COM
MOUNTAIN WISDOM, OIL ON CANVAS, 14”X11 ½” SHARON GUY
INSPIRED BY NATURE My purpose as an artist is to connect with the healing power of the natural world and to encourage others to do the same. Nature is alive and infused with spirit. I constantly seek to reconnect with this spirit of nature through creating art. While I quietly observe and study land, water, and skies, the ordinary world around me is transformed by light and shadow into the sublime. I enjoy using an intuitive process while I play with the boundary between representation and abstraction. My work is in private collections in the United States and Canada.
JOSHUA BELL IN CONCERT WITH THE BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, PEN AND INK WITH WASH , 12 X 9”, AUGUST 7, 2021 CAROLYN NEWBERGER
In my art I try to capture the essence of our human experience, in music, in dance, in our relationships with each other, and in the world around us. I work in several mediums, including watercolor, pen and ink, and collage. These drawings in this issue are executed in darkened performance halls, where with a loose hand and receptive mind I try to communicate both personal character and the spark, rhythm, flow and urgency of performance. Several of these drawings accompany personal essays and music and dance reviews in The Berkshire Edge. Carolyn Newberger - Cnewberger@me.com, 617-877-5672, www.carolynnewberger.com
Art is unquestionable one of the purest and highest elements in human happiness. It trains the mind through the eye, and the eye through the mind. As the sun colours flowers, so does art colour life. —John Lubbock
PATH FOR TODAY
AWESOME ANDREA JOYCE FELDMAN
I started making art when I was terribly sick from chemo. I used pencil and charcoal, then an old tin of watercolors that I had. Dragging colors across a page made me feel better. I’ve continued to paint since then. I’ve taken a somewhat ritualistic approach to my work; gathering supplies, filling the water jar, or taping down the paper, are all part of the process. Much of my work is inspired by nature. I try to create a meditative space where the viewer might relax and restore in the quiet and the calm. Andrea Joyce Feldman - andreajoycefeldmanart.com, andreajf@me.com, 413-655-7766.
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