Visual Artist LYN HORTON
SEPTEMBER 2023
Visualize your life in a frame, and see everything you have been responsible for awhile the universe watches.
-J. PlazerousMARION H. GRANT
Visual Artist / Collage and Mixed media
INTERVIEW BY H CANDEE 10
VIRTUAL GALLERY OF ARTISTS ...14
LYN HORTON
Visual Artist
COVER PHOTOGRAPH BY H CANDEE ...20
RICHARD T. SCOTT
Contemporary Figurative Painter
INTERVIEW BY H CANDEE...34
ASTROLOGY FOR CREATIVES
With Deanna Musgrave - September 2023 45
RICHARD BRITELL | FICTION
THE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE PT. 4 ...47
Publisher Harryet Candee
Copy Editor Marguerite Bride
Third Eye Jeff Bynack
Contributing Writers
Richard Britell
Deanna Musgrave
Contributing Photographers
Edward Acker
Tasja Keetman
Bobby Miller
oil
Sept.
OPENING
FRIDAY,
Tim McClelland has been making jewelry for over fifty years. He is an old-fashioned jeweler with modern ideas. His work is known the world over by jewelry connoisseurs and those who seek originality, beauty, and quality. Engagement rings from his Wildflower Collection are worn by editors of Vogue, Vanity Fair, W, Town & Country, Martha Stewart Weddings, and acclaimed by many more.
His original pieces have been seen on the red carpets of the Oscars and Cannes.
Tim is inspired by nature, light, humor, and traditional metalworking methods. He uses his jewelry to create a joyful expression in a tiny space.
Most importantly, Tim hopes to be of service to his community, his customers, and the world around him.
Please check out the website and feel free to contact us directly in relation to all things jewelry.
I attended art school at Penn State in the late ‘70’s. I was young and dumb and squandered my art school years partying. Upon leaving school, I had no real idea about what art was and struggled to find my artistic identity.
In 1984 my wife and I moved north to Lehighton, Pennsylvania, in the foothills of the Pocono Mountains, to help run their new diner. As time went by, the art was forgotten, and I spent the next forty years working long diner hours… very demanding.
In the later years I acquired congestive heart failure and COPD/asthma overlap and a few other things. As my health deteriorated, I was working less and less until I finally had to retire all together. The art was lost, I had forgotten how to draw, and the struggle began.
I bought an iPad and an iPencil and taught myself how to draw. I also found that after all this time I was able to pick subject matter. My life! So simple I couldn’t believe it didn’t occur to me sooner. I’ve been working hard, five to six hours daily, and some progress has been made. Now it is time for me to show my work. I hope you enjoy it.
Richard Nelsonnojrevned@hotmail.comSince 2009, Creative Sorceress Mollie Kellogg’s Incognito Witch Project has celebrated hidden magick through fine art, short film, dance, and music.
Kellogg’s Incognito Witch mixed-media artwork reveal her subject’s hidden psyche, too often suppressed in order to meet society’s expectations. Mortals become magickal beings draped/semi-draped in mysterious fabrics, adorned with jewels and leaves, often wearing messy makeup with a signature flash of color and sparkle under the eyes. These figures evoke a Mother Nature archetype of power, strength, attraction, empathy, and vulnerability.
Mollie views the current phase of her project’s development as an opportunity to see where her magickal beings will run off to play (or cause mischief) when given permission.
Mollie Kelloggartist@molliekellogg.com, www.MollieKellogg.com. See Mollie’s most current work on facebook: Artist.MollieKellogg, and instagram: IncognitoWitch.
TW McClelland Jewelersinfo@twmcclelland.com, www.twmcclelland.com, 413-645-3399.
Small Town Series: Gazebo Great Barrington MA Acrylic on canvas 24” x 39”
rdaver2@gmail.com
Instagram: rdaver2.
Housatonic Studio open by appointment: 413-854-7007
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
“Creating abstract art is so very cathartic to me. It allows me freedom to choose the colors, textures, and design format from my intuition and see what develops. Sometimes it takes days of layering, and other times it comes out in a few hours. The more intricate the layers, the more interesting I find the final composition.”
Confinement and Breakaway examine the mental state of struggle to make sense of our environment, both physical and psychological. I incorporate childlike drawing to represent nonconformity; the unadulterated state before we get confined by rules, commitment, insecurities, and other “add-ons.”
“I distress and repair parts of the painting, as we do within ourselves. The drawings of floor plans and elevations, which I use as a starting point, create a sense of enclosure, which I expand by continuing the lines outward, breaking the structural pattern. This alters the sense of confinement, breaking away from the [rigid, static] norm”.
Erika Larskayahttps://www.erikalarskaya.artCollage allows me the exhilarating freedom to experiment with technique, composition, color, pattern, and shape. Family photos have inspired many of my collages, but recently I have been exploring female relationships, inspired by the spiritual and ancestral power of African masks. Woodblock Prints
In my woodblock prints, I combine carving, drawing, and imagining into a printmaking process that recalls scenes from nature as well as my family history, and allows me to reconfigure them into my own language.
“When making art, I always feel like an explorer, always after something that that does not yet exist”
Lorraine Klagsbrun has widely exhibited in Massachusetts and New York City. Lorraine Klagsbrunlorraineklagsbrun.com, Lklagsbrun@me.com, 914-907-3113
Watercolor painting, mixed media, and a practice of drawing from life form the body of Carolyn Newberger’s work, with an emphasis on human connections and experience.
An avid and award-winning artist in her youth, Carolyn returned to art after an academic career in psychology at Harvard Medical School. Her work has received many awards, including from the Danforth Museum of Art, the Cambridge Art Association, Watercolor Magazine, and the New England Watercolor Society, of which she is a signature member.
Many of Carolyn’s performance drawings and plein air paintings accompany reviews and essays she writes, often in collaboration with her husband, Eli, for “The Berkshire Edge,” a publication of news, arts and ideas in Western Massachusetts. Carolyn Newberger— cnewberger@me.com
www.carolynnewberger.com, 617-877-5672
"As an abstract artist, I search for ways to represent the invisible, subtle, and unexpressed. I am driven to lay out fleeting and intangible experiences on physical surfaces". —Erika Larskaya
Erika Larskaya Studio at 79 Main St. Torrington, CT www.erikalarskaya.art
COLLAGE: from the French coller, "to glue" or "to stick together";[1]) is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. ...(Compare with pastiche, which is a "pasting" together.)A collage may sometimes include magazine and newspaper clippings, ribbons, paint, bits of colored or handmade papers, portions of other artwork or texts, photog raphs, and other found objects glued to a piece of paper or canvas. The origins of Collage can be traced back hundreds of years, but this technique made a dramatic reappearance in the early 20th centur y as an art form of novelty. An assemblage of different shapes, thus creating a new whole.
Harryet Candee: What is it about the art of Collage that has captured your passion as an artist?
Marion H. Grant: I've always enjoyed looking at Collage, especially the works of the early 20th century modernist pioneers Braque and Picasso, and later artists like Kurt Schwitters and Anne Ryan. Like these art heroes, my collaging is abstract in nature. I am passionate about combining colors, textures, recycled paintings, fabric, and unexpected bits of ephemera into a complete composition. I love the layering and dense visual activity within each work while hopefully retaining a successful overall composition. I've done straight paper collaging and incorporated collage techniques into my mixed media paintings on canvas. I enjoy the conversation between paper and paint.
You have said, "When I am in art-making mode, it is a release from the concerns of the past and the future and is essentially about the moment." It is a form of meditation that leads to a place that makes you feel content. It is a de-stressor, as well, to create without any demands on how to and how not to. It is an accessible and inviting path you journey on whenever you begin a mixed-media art piece using a colorful palette and mixed geometric shapes. When other artists' vision is to create a stir with their forward-thinking and tactical means to express a point of view, your Art is peaceful and meditative, loaded with positive energy. Does your art-making ever cross boundaries into another surprising state of mind? Do you have to make a strong statement with your Art when asked to be in group shows with titles such
as Artistic Aggression and the Leaders of Madness? ( I just made that all up.)
MHG: Making Art leaves no room in my mind for anything else. I find it completely absorbing, and it focuses my attention in a way that doesn't leave room for much else, making the process very meditative.
Regarding subject matter, my work since 2015 is almost exclusively non-representational. Occasionally, recognizable scraps make their way into a piece, but often with no particular intention. As the work unfolds, meaning and ideas begin to gel, but I don't begin a work with a specific aim, and I'm not interested in creating a stir or spawning social change at this time.
I like that you find my imagery positive. I use colors and combinations that please me. Occa-
sionally, I notice political or cultural themes sneaking in, which is fine. As far as submitting to exhibitions, I only apply to shows that match my sensibilities. I avoid exhibitions with extreme subjects like war and madness. There's enough of that out in the real world.
How do you decide what to create when it is time for a new piece to work on? Is there a method or familiar pattern you follow for preliminary ideas you come up with? That walk in the park or that newly found old love letter shoved in the back of an old cabinet draw?
MHG: I can honestly say I just start working each time I enter my studio. I don't preplan, and each new piece is part of the journey. Ideas that pop up in one work may become more fully developed in the next one or a year.
With Collage and mixed media, I find objects are always incorporated into works. For example, using just the right piece of paper, I found in a thrift shop, a ribbon from my mother's sewing box, or pages from a long-forgotten address book lend subtle meaning to abstract compositions. Another source of inspiration comes from the nat-
ural world. Sensual experiences from nature appear in the colors, textures, finishes, movement, and shapes in much of my work. Also, you'll notice the occasional egg, leaf, or flower lurking in some pieces.
Discovering the taste of peanut butter and chocolate may be just as enjoyable for you as when you first discovered working with acrylic paint and Collage. When and how did these two art mediums merge?
MHG: Starting in 2014, I moved from representational oil painting to a more abstract style. In 2015, I started a series of large acrylic abstracts on paper and soon left the oils behind completely. I really enjoyed experimenting with acrylics: lots of pouring, scrubbing, sanding, glazing, scraping and so on. It was amazingly freeing. Adding collage elements seemed like another source of interest, and I got pretty hooked.
What kinds of materials and paper sources have you worked with for Collages?
MHG: My collage materials include my (and others') handmade papers, rice, and mulberry
papers, recycled parts of older paintings, ephemera like maps, old lithographs, book pages, printed text, and magazine images. I also paint much of the paper I use, and I often incorporate fabric, low-relief objects, thread, bark, and wood veneer.
I understand you were known for your landscapes and still-life paintings before Collage mixedmedia work began. Can you show us your best work and tell us anything about this time?
MHG: When I consciously returned to art-making after quite a few years away from my practice, I turned to time-honored subjects, lots of drawing, and oil painting. I felt I needed to revisit foundational work. The process brought me very close to my subjects and helped sharpen my powers of observation. I painted mainly landscapes and still life, which was fulfilling until I didn't. As I mentioned earlier, a shift in my thinking made me want to explore elemental colors and shapes.
What early in-life experiences helped to bolster your artistic career and enjoyment of the arts? I Continued on next page...
I used to tell people I was an artist, but now I say I practice Art. It is not the result of newly-found humility. Rather, it's part of a growing understanding that I am so fortunate to have the time and resources to engage in a process of learning and discovery every time I enter my studio. I can be open to possibilities and create what feels right in the moment.
– Marion H. GrantMarion H. Grant, Egg Hunt, Mixed media on canvas
understand you were an art history major at UMass. That must be a significant body of info to be useful at times. Did you study those artists from Dadaism, Modernism, and Cubism, like Braque and Picasso, who took Collage to a higher level and meaning in Art? What of those artists do you favor, and why?
MHG: As far as early experiences go, my maternal grandfather and uncle were painters, and my mother excelled in music. She brought me to museums, poetry readings, and concerts from an early age. So there's that — nature and nurture. As a kid, I was always making Art or sewing, and I went to a public high school that offered a fine arts concentration. I learned much from my instructors in this program — 2- and 3-D design, print-making, painting, metal smithing and ceramics. Subsequently, I received an AA in Fine Arts and then BS in Arts Administration Later, I did my MA in Art History, studying ancient Art to the present, including 20th-century modernists. My background knowledge of the history of Art indirectly influences my work; how could it not? I do not consciously emulate any one artist, but I feel the presence of the many artists
who worked before me. A lot of my pieces nod to them.
Aside from visual Art, what puts you in a creative, fun mood?
MHG: Zumba.
Along the way to where you are today, what other jobs did you have that educated you in ways that indirectly or directly help you now as an artist?
MHG: I have had a rich and fulfilling arts career that included working as an art therapist, where I saw the positive effect of creative arts on individuals with mental illness. Later, I moved on to museum work and spent 15 years at the Berkshire Museum, starting as an educator, eventually heading up exhibitions and programs, and overseeing operations as Deputy Director. I also worked at Hancock Shaker Village as Special Projects Manager. I love teaching, curating, and organizing events, but no experience was as rewarding as working closely with objects and Art and researching and uncovering their stories.
Moving to the Clock Tower Artists studios in Pittsfield, MA, must have created a wealth of new op-
portunities and a chance to be a part of an artistic, working community. What would you say you like about the space, and what might need more development overall?
MHG: I feel so lucky to have joined Clock Tower Artists at its inception a little over a year ago. We've grown from a handful of artists to our present roster of 13 talented creatives. CT Management has worked with us to develop new studios and gorgeous public spaces for Art and performances. I like everything about the space and the camaraderie. It's really exciting, and I encourage people to visit the group's website, where individual contact information and dates of Open Studios and events are available. Looking to the future, I hope we can attract more art lovers to Pittsfield, a growing creative destination in western Massachusetts. www.clocktowerartists.com
Since the Clock Tower studios are about a year old, will more planning occur for art events, or do the artists want to focus more on their work?
MHG: We are doing both. Look for our upcoming special event, currently in the planning stages, on October 20 during ArtWeek Berkshires.
How has living in the Berkshires enhanced your artistic vision?
MHG: The Berkshires have unparalleled access to visual arts, music, and dance while retaining its rural beauty. It's the perfect combination for me.
What do you take from your environment and use in your Art?
MHG: All of my experiences inform my Art in some way or another. It's only sometimes obvious, even to me. A color choice, a pattern, and a snippet of text all hold meaning for me. My work is full of personal references.
What would you say if asked, is the Berkshires a good place for artists to live? And why?
MHG: As I mentioned, the Berkshires have the best nature and culture. I am concerned that housing has become much too expensive, and I worry about young creators being able to find affordable living spaces.
Regarding the process of creating collages, I found this on Wiki. Can you please explain it in more detail? Cubomania is a collage made by cut-
ting an image into squares, which are then reassembled automatically or randomly. Have you done this before or something of a similar nature?
MHG: I have never heard of Cubomania before, but it would make a great title for a painting! I have cut and reassembled paintings but work methodically and intuitively, never randomly.
Regarding your newest work, what are you working on?
MHG: I continue exploring dense patterning, texture, and various painting and textural techniques in my current series of geometric abstracts on larger canvases. I recently completed the mixedmedia painting Air of Mystery.
What are you enjoying doing so far this summer?
MHG: Making Art, hiking, gardening, going to exhibitions and museums, dancing, yoga, family and friend time, and soaking up the beauty.
Balance is not something you find; it's something you create. How do you see this statement fitting in with your Art?
MHG: For me, finding balance is living in the
present. Nothing grounds me in the present more than art-making.
Anything upcoming that you participating in?
MHG: I will continue to show my work at the Clock Tower, 75 South Church Street in Pittsfield, MA, during our group's Open Studios held the First Friday (5-8) and First Saturday (11-4) of every month through December.
I'm also thrilled to show with fellow Clock Tower Artist, Mark Mellinger, in a group exhibition at Becket Arts Center entitled "Veiled." It opens Saturday, September 16, from 2-4. The Center is located at 7 Brooker Hill Road, Becket, MA.
To see more of Marion’s work, please visitweb: www.mariongrantart insta: @marionh.grant email: grants3@earthlink.net
He called himself Salty Bear in a deep growling voice that belied his gentle demeanor. I met him when buying a lobster in a run down Gloucester lobster shack on the wharf. He didn't say it, but I sensed his heart was still on the lobster skiff where he spent his life as skipper. Longing is the word that comes to mind.
September 2023 | THE ARTFUL MIND
“The value of my life can be measured in terms of how my son has become the talented adult that he is, how the art I have made has evolved, and how close are the friends I keep. I have endowed my work with the importance of a second child. It deserves attention every day, either in thinking about it or in actively making it. The work began seriously as conceptual art and maintained that basis even though it changed form to become more visual than not. Whenever I feel anxious at all about what I am doing, I think of age 41-year-old Sol LeWitt’s words in a letter aimed at uplifting a younger disquieted artist, Eva Hesse: ‘JUST DO’.”
Harryet Candee: “My visual art is concerned with simplification, boiling an idea down to its essence.” This statement is beautiful and reveals part of who you are as an artist and some aspect of the essence of your goals and the challenges of your overall vision. Can you explain how this statement weaves in and out of your daily life?
Lyn Horton: Often, the people I cross paths with would say that I am outspoken. Outspoken in the sense that my honesty when I speak in conversation is salient. In other words, I do not offer false opinions or statements to elicit certain responses. Rather I describe how I feel, I am direct, I ask many questions, and am a good listener. I wear no masks. My openness can reveal my vulnerability but it can also disturb people, which is certainly inadvertent.
The cover photograph of you reveals a sense of confidence and is slightly mysterious as if you know something only you can understand and interpret. Being posed in front of your studio wall
covered with your art tells us about your ongoing curiosity and need to know how to make sense of nature’s randomness. Can you explain how you put this body of work together?
LH: In the 90s, Jasper Johns’ newest work was shown at the Whitney. I saw that show and was comforted by his intentions because he was unveiling his awareness of his mortality. The largest show-stopper paintings are called The Seasons; each is a painting in which he pulled together in different arrangements various motifs he had used over his history of art-making and juxtaposed them to a figurative contour, in the same spot in each of the four paintings, representing one of the seasons…either fall, winter, spring, or summer. The idea that spawned these paintings somehow stuck with me perhaps because the critics disliked them.
Since I am of the age when it is easy to reflect on the art that I have executed for over fifty years, I can understand now how to tell my own story, mirroring the motifs I have used in my work. The
works on paper, entitled Conglomeration Series, are multi-media and their form is based on the style of Oriental screen painting and patterning. The content is derived from imagery I have created, the act of stenciling some of my own images, photographs I have taken, pieces of paper or failed drawings and photo prints that have accumulated and were on their way to the recycling bin, and sheets of decorative Japanese paper. I would characterize nature as extremely ordered so much so that we cannot see that order necessarily. It is a mistake to think it is random. Even if I just drop a bunch of leaves or flower petals on a table, where they fall is even mathematically predictable. (I cannot do the math!) When natural elements are used in my art though, I am only putting some depiction of their natural order into a new context.
I am interested in the co-existence of shapes and lines that combine into a visual message. In no way can any of the drawings be reduced to words. The fifteen drawings in this photograph are parts
of an ongoing series. There is so much more to say. I had to pause to wrap up the preparation for an installation taking place in the fall. The confidence you see in my face and pose perhaps indicates how strong my feelings are about any work I do at any time. The mystery? Who knows what will come next?
From your earliest installations in the Berkshires, the one at BCC incorporating Velvet and Lanyard attracted some attention and was also photographed for the Eagle. Can you tell us about the materials you used?
LH: After my son was born in 1979, I was hired to teach at BCC. I taught there for six semesters. There was a faculty exhibit at one point and I decided to do a wall installation incorporating both velvet tubing and strips of lanyard into a squareshaped form mounted on the wall. I chose the materials because I had not used them for installation purposes since I left CalArts. At CalArts, I used the lanyard for my very first in-
stallation piece in the school gallery. The idea for it I had developed over a six-month period of drawing on paper sets of 50 parallel lines both vertically and horizontally. Each strip of lanyard was cut to 66 inches. Sixty-six inches is the width of my outstretched arm span across my body from the longest finger on my left hand to the longest finger on my right hand. That 66-inch horizontal line when turned vertically and placed on the wall above the 4-inch molding in the gallery that meets the floor equals my height of 70 inches. The vertical and horizontal pieces of lanyard were installed in a corner of the gallery and made a linear statement about my physical structure. Every piece of material was mounted with push pins. In another installation in the gallery at another time, the velvet material was used in the same lengths with one variation; in each length, I inserted a 12-inch floral wire into one end so that I could bend the tubing into a curvy form. A single vertical length met to create a unit with a single horizontal length of velvet and was installed to
stretch one unit at a time across an entire wall. So, for the BCC piece, I mounted 50 pieces of lanyard vertically in parallel across 66 inches of the wall starting at a height of 70 inches, and then wove the velvet tubing with curved ends horizontally in various lengths through the lanyard. Every piece of material was also mounted with push pins. It was a really successful piece.
I am drawn to Waterfall (2017, approx. 80 in square, acrylic, and marker on canvas). Can you break down the essence of the process to create this piece and talk about why it is called Waterfall?
LH: Around 2016, a then friend took me to a group of falls that no one really knew existed. My reaction to this place was one of awe. We visited it every season to witness how the falls changed. My favorite time was during the summer when I could climb into the largest section of the falls and become a part of them: to feel and hear the sound Continued on next page...
of the motion of the water falling over me, to feel the temperature of the water and the rocks I would sit on and to observe how the water carves its way to where it needs to go, ignoring all impediments. The experiences there were some of the most exhilarating I have ever had.
The painting you have cited was triggered by the tens of times spent within this jewel of nature, enveloped by a stunning forest in which the smells of the dirt, enriched by moisture to produce abundant moss and a variety of fungi, rose as I walked on the trail to the falls. I suppose the fact that I chose the word ‘jewel’ characterizes how the painting was conceived, the first consideration being that water is the most precious commodity on earth.
The background of this piece is painted with acrylics. In fact, this painting is replete with a lot of elements I never use, like acrylics or the color red. I rarely use canvas as a support surface. But I had to say something large to approximate the impact that the waterfall had on me and still does.
The hatched lines are made in layers with permanent gold and silver markers. The hatched lines are then emphasized with a black outline. The last layer, which is the one you see first, is made with a white acrylic marker.
I will say that there is something freeing for me
to be able to move my entire body when painting or even drawing on the wall.
How does this type of drawing (for example, Back to Square One Black, 2015) of which you have done many, relate to Waterfall, or not relate? What is the order of when they were created? This 18-inch square drawing is self-referential. That is to say, it is totally concerned with how I move the lines across the surface of the square from margin to margin as is drawn in pencil around the paper first, and how densely the surface can be populated. The single ink lines, which move from margin to margin and then are hatched over, are meant to interact with each other in layers. I stop drawing when I can no longer see the line I hatch over.
This square drawing was done a couple of years earlier than the Waterfall painting. Waterfall tells a story. The way in which the lines drop from the sides of the canvas and become tangled at the bottom is a graphic description of the memory of not only my body being surrounded by the water but also viewing the falls head-on from a slight distance, yet close enough to still feel the spray as the falls hit the rocks.
Please tell us about the Blue Wave Series, and
how they show your obvious connection to water. LH: Blue Wave #1 is the first in a group of three drawings where I began to introduce the vertical format of Oriental screen paintings, where paintings on perhaps rice paper are affixed to a piece of silk that in effect becomes a border. Blue Wave #1 was expressly about how many ways I could draw groups of horizontal lines between a uniformly drawn border. In this case, all the lines are blue. In the other two drawings, the lines are grouped in different colors but the kinds of horizontal lines are basically the same as the ones used in Blue Wave #1.
On Sundays, when I lived in Worthington, I used to go hiking near rivers or look for streams or ponds in the woods. This activity became a ritual, really. I took a small camera and would stop in the middle of running, walking, or climbing a hill to study the water I came upon. After a lot of practice in looking at water and knowing when a picture was bad enough to delete it, I finally was able to see with my eyes good photography material without using the camera lens. The photographs I kept fed my mind’s eye with the way water moved, the way the light reflected off it, and the shapes that emanated from the interaction of all of that.
Tell us about First Branch Installation, Lyn, where you used natural branches from your apple trees at your former home. Also, Stack of Wood is beautiful, 2018, tell us more about that. The physical involvement in making these pieces, and your other 3D installations or sculptures must feel really good. How do you feel about the physicality of this body of work compared to the drawings?
LH: The First Branch Installation was made in my studio. I adopted a role as a ‘preserver’ of the beauty of natural elements I decided to bring into the studio. I have sworn off doing that anymore because elements of nature need to decompose outside, not be kept in a studio or temperaturecontrolled environment as art.
The apple tree branches that are used in this installation are wrapped with faux velvet, with the intention of making them like my hatched lines. The installation was conjured up as if another kind of tree were growing. When I made it, there was no design plan. I started to mount the branches from the bottom and the ‘drawing’ grew out and up and to the left quite naturally. Doing this amazed me because I did not really think. I picked the branches intuitively from a pile of them and everything fit together. When I finished the piece, I said to myself: Well, of course, this drawing flowed on the wall beautifully because the parts
already fit together once in their grown state. I simply nudged them into another configuration. The same kind of handling described before is true for Stack of Wood and another piece called First Tree Installation. These two pieces are made from actual tree sections which I collected from clearing the side yard of my Worthington property to help the healthy trees grow. The twenty or so parts of Stack of Wood are mounted on the wall horizontally. The parts of the First Tree Installation are mounted on the wall vertically. Working with three-dimensional parts to make drawings on the wall was and is very gratifying. I make lines on paper all the time. Trying to establish a physically tangible line seems to lend to the drawn lines another perspective and vice versa, not in the viewing sense but in the concept sense. Early in his career, when we first knew each other, Sol LeWitt once commented to me when we looking at a Rosemary Castoro piece, which was probably a dozen or so one-inch in diameter by varying lengths of squiggly forms coming out of the ceiling in the corner of a room: ‘If I were to make my lines in three dimensions, this is what they would look like.’ We three artists are answering your question.
In the same year, I also started to draw different branch types. Each kind would be depicted on an
entire 22-inch x 30-inch page of paper. I did two series of ten branch drawings: one of them was done in white colored pencil on black paper; the other was with black ink on white paper. Each drawing in both series came from my imagination of views of tree branches through the windows of my house in Worthington. I was struggling emotionally at the time. And I needed to ground myself. I was sitting at my drawing table in my studio one day and I happened to look out of one of the new windows I had put in, whose proportions were exactly those of the paper size on which I normally made drawings. I was seeing the top branches of one of the maple trees planted in the front yard. And that was the beginning of my obsession with drawing branches.
When I moved into my North Adams condominium in 2021, a section of an elegant, unfortunately dead, shrub was laying on the ground outside the back door. A friend, who was visiting me and who knew my work, picked the ‘branch’ up and asked “Do you want this before the yard man throws it away?” I replied: “Yes, it’s beautiful.” And it is. I still have it. Once I had set up my studio so I could work in it, I made a drawing of that shrub section and created a series called Branch Shadows. In that series, I used the form of Continued on next page...
the original drawing and repeated it in layers going across each of the drawings in the series. I suppose you could say I was trying to revive something which was dead.
How and why do you use such organic materials as twigs, branches, leaves, and natural remnants in your artmaking process? What do they symbolize?
LH: Since 2018, I have been interested in correlating the natural world with how I draw. The branches you refer to were part of a group of hanging sculptures that I did after completing the two series of drawings described before. The actual branches used in the sculptures were trimmings from a holly bush in the garden in Worthington. One winter had damaged the bush so badly that the only way to heal it was to cut it back to its barest self.
I wrapped the branches of the hanging sculptures in faux velvet, the purpose of which was not only to preserve them metaphorically but also to imitate the hatched lines I had made in one form or another for decades.
The twigs and other branches you mention came from having pruned dwarf apple trees in that same garden. I painted them gold in a similar act of preservation and reworked them all into a sculpture which I decided to put outside in order to see how it would weather. Because I had used waterbased glue to attach the parts, the sculpture fell apart. I kept all the parts though and they will be arranged in my upcoming installation in North Adams.
The other aspects of nature you mention, the flowers, leaves, and grasses, I collected after I moved to North Adams. I put them all on a table in my studio and photographed them in as many ways as I could over a year and a half. This process developed into the over two hundred photograph series called Drawing with Nature, 2022-23, which can be viewed on my website.
The art I have made using natural elements symbolizes itself. The pieces are reminders that Nature exists, that we are a part of nature and stupidly are overtaking it, disregarding its significance for our survival on the planet. When I cleared the table of everything that I had collected,
the leaves, flowers, and seeds turned to dust as I swept them around. I put that dust and the unpulverized remnants in the places where I had found them. They were returned to their proper home to decompose and feed the ground.
LH: This is one of a series of five that I did prior to the pandemic. I wanted to use canvas again as a drawing surface and also imitate Oriental screen paintings. The imagery for this particular piece was created by means of outlining a stencil made from an old drawing I had done of a tree specifically geared to isolating the shape character of the branches. I flipped the stencil to mirror itself and imply the existence of a root system underground. The other four pieces were based on the same principles and palette. The background surface was painted first, the stencil outline was placed on the top of that surface and the sections that were not a part of the stenciled image became shapes unto themselves by my lightly coloring them with white colored pencil.
The title Transformation from The Root I borrowed from a comment that Gene Youngblood made in a ZOOM meeting with his followers in which he was talking about the work he did and has done on how we communicate with each other technologically in order to change the plights that we are suffering here on the planet. He described at one point that we had to examine the sources of communication we have available, i.e., social media as one example, and transform how we view the world from the roots, e.g., those sources. Gene was one of my teachers at CalArts. He had a great influence on my thinking. He died a few years ago and it was a crushing blow.
The three Grasses drawings…this series is beautiful. Tell us about this series, please.
LH: The three Grasses drawings were done after I had completed all the parts of the pieces for my upcoming North Adams exhibit. I ran across some prints of photographs I had taken in Worthington of various types of grasses that grow in the fields I use to walk past on my three-mile walks through town. I decided to make 60-inch-long drawings of
three different types of grass because I simply wanted to d-r-a-w after the highly-focused process of charting my course through designing the North Adams installation. Doing Grasses 1, 2, and 3 felt like I was taking walks past the fields in the town I truly adored living in for over forty years.
Which of the artists who are working now and, in the past, do you find to be a great inspiration? Why? How? What is the link?
LH: I was “trained” in the era of Conceptual Art. Douglas Huebler was one of my teachers. Doug was one of the originators of the movement, along with Joseph Kosuth, Robert Barry, and Lawrence Weiner. Doug was a close friend who tragically died of cancer many years ago.
Sol LeWitt coined the term ‘Conceptual Art’ in his seventeen sentences defining conceptual art. Sol was a friend for over thirty years. I installed wall drawings of his at the then-named Pasadena Art Museum in 1971. (Also, later in 1988 at the Williams College Art Museum.) Sol passed away on April 8, 2007. Both of these artists had an immeasurable impact on how I shape my approach
to making art and sometimes on the actual imagery.
Conceptual Art opened my world toward realizing the depth of intelligence that is permissible in making art. In those days, art history came from H. W. Janson’s three-inch-thick History of Art and H. H. Arnason’s The History of Modern Art. I was so accepting of all that information! But the content of art history is supposed to inspire and influence artists. Janson and Arnason were not inspirational. My teachers were. I should add that at the college I attended before I went to CalArts, I took every course in art that there was. Among them were design and drawing courses. My strong sense of design developed there.
Within the context of conceptual art though, in my mind, all art was placed on the same plane. An artist’s role was and is to enlighten and bring to the forefront important issues, and to encourage viewers to search within themselves in response to their experience of art. No longer was contemporary art the practice of making pretty pictures or trying to duplicate in two dimensions what exContinued on next page...
that transposition was and is necessary to shape a way of knowing. Then to release all of that and pivot to conceive and develop different languages to use within the same capital ‘A’ art-making process was totally vitalizing, and mandatory to strengthen any statements made therein.
Minimalism predated but collided with Conceptual Art. Minimalism’s significance and influence was to find essence within Form. We constantly broached on a broad scale the argument of Form vs. Content. All sorts of intellectual conversations and debates were in the air! It was an exciting time.
Barbara Rose and Lucy Lippard were the goddesses of art criticism and history.
ArtForum was the magazine of the hour. This cultural period changed the course of art by opening the gates to allow ‘anything’ to be art, to render ‘art’ as ‘life,’ and to raise the question ‘What is Art?’
I have been answering that question and defining art for myself, ever since. With a passion.
I must mention CalArts because I received both my BFA and MFA degrees there.
At first, the school temporarily inhabited the Villa
Cabrini Catholic school campus in Burbank, CA until the construction of the Valencia campus was complete. (Valencia is thirty miles north of LA.) During that time, the entire student body, as well as the faculty, were trying to coalesce direction, purpose and simply find the classrooms and studios. My application drawings implied that my 2D geometric forms would automatically become 3-D sculptures so I was assigned to my first mentor, Doug Edge, a sculptor who worked with plastic resin. But my penchant for conceptual art superseded my interest in making resin sculptures. I concluded my first semester being a Teaching Assistant to the only practicing Conceptual Artist and mentor at the school.
Yet, before the second semester began, in a room where about one hundred students convened, Edwin Schlossberg of the Design School proposed a course in which, he explained, the students would brainstorm the formation of new social and earth-bound ecologies for the future and would create a publication to document their work right there on campus. Because understanding theoretical and design systems still interested me from my first two years at a liberal arts col-
lege, I jumped at the chance to take this course. Surprisingly there were only about a dozen students in the group. I was the only School of Art person. This was a demanding, thought-provoking, and consciousness-raising educational experience. None have ever matched it.
We worked for six months. I have pages and pages of journals filled with writing initiated by the questions raised every single time we met. The writing in those journals is so small and dense that I can hardly read the words. I recognized that my thought process was becoming so clear and sharp that I could manage my mental way out of any ideational debate and form a conclusion of some sort. Ed challenged me and helped to shape my thought process about anything really. When I mentioned to him how amazed I was that I felt this way, he responded that what I was noticing had always been in me, it just needed to be brought out.
We published our document in 1971. It dealt with all the questions AND possible solutions to the problems on the earth we are experiencing today.
Do you find people curious to know about your
background, or has it been such that your artwork is plenty to digest and enjoy without knowing who the artist behind the scenes is? Also, does it depend on you and how much of a presence and social connection you want to have?
LH: At a social event, my background is never of interest to anyone who poses a question to me. I am the person who volunteers pertinent information, like where I am from originally, which is, by the way, Washington, DC. My background is interesting to a point. But I really would rather leave it in the past, except for the fact that I went to CalArts the very first year it was a school. The most frequent question I have ever been asked at an art-related event if asked any at all, especially when my art is not on display, is: “Are you an artist? What kind of art do you do?” I answer: “Everything I do stems from drawing.” And then immediately following that question is this one: “What medium do you use?” If the art is on display and noticed, the question is: “How long did it take for you to make this?”
Social connections, hmmm. I would like to know other people. I would like other people to appreciate my work.
At one point, you were working at MASSMoCA. What was your job there, and did you like it?
LH: Richard Criddle, at the time the Chief Designer and Fabricator at MASSMoCA, hired me to do wall drawings for Constanze Ruhm, one of the artists chosen for the 2013 show “Uncommon Denominator: New Art from Vienna.” Not only did I draw up to twenty-foot-long lines with special pens (one of which I still have) with Constanze atop scaffolding and also standing and sitting on the floor, for the purpose of connecting at the appropriate points several huge photographic prints mounted on metal sheets on three walls, but also, I steered Franz West’s pink “Fat Car” about two or three feet forward because it had to be moved and I was the only person thin and small enough to crawl into the windowless window space on the driver’s side. I prepped and painted with autobody paint a huge disc shape made with MDO and divided into equal parts that were to be exhibited on the floor (I cannot remember the artist), and, with another art handler, moved huge crates packed with paintings around on two dollies at a time. And I also helped to complete other installations for the show. That show
took up the entire second floor of the main building and the two-story gallery straight in front of you when you walk through the doors to the museum galleries.
I worked there for six weeks or more. I learned my way around the bowels of the museum, could go where I needed to go via the back routes, and delivered messages from artists to the installers. It was extremely hard work. It was stressful. But I loved it.
Your interest in music and the skills you obtained learning to write reviews on Creative Improvised and Jazz music came at what time in your life? As one of the most profound forms of entertainment, music is one of the most profound of all. You combined writing and appreciation of music into one, and then, later on, you kept those skills and worked with them in other areas. What transpired down the line and throughout as you became more aware and realized what you truly wanted to focus on?
LH: In 1996, I began to attend Creative Improvised Music and Jazz concerts in the Pioneer ValContinued on next page...
ley, particularly at UMass and venues in Northampton. I took on a role as a writer about music to serve musicians as a witness. I was mistakenly thought of as a critic, which assignation I repelled frequently.
Music had become a large part of my life because my ex-husband studied with Morton Feldman at the University of NY at Buffalo. My ex-husband was the first Edgard Varèse fellow at UB in a doctorate program in music composition. My experience at UB included going to concerts of the music of many of the most well-known contemporary classical composers at that time. So, hearing unusual, experimental music was normal. I became accustomed to the sound.
When I was making art in my studio in Worthington, I would listen to WMUA during the threehour weekly jazz slot in the morning. This routine was reminiscent of the time spent listening to KBCA, the jazz station in Los Angeles when I was working in my studio at CalArts.
It was a logical extension to begin attending concerts that were advertised on MUA. I became a regular in the jazz community. Writing about the
concerts presented the opportunity to dive into that world. Then I began to write about recordings. Then I started going to concerts in NYC. All of a sudden, I was writing for a nascent jazz internet site, then for a more established internet site where my writing was honed into how I write now. I began doing profiles on jazz musicians. Musicians and record companies sent me recordings to review. The whole thing snowballed. Musicians loved the way I wrote about their music and their playing. Even writers liked the way I wrote. I really deeply felt the most ‘out there’ music. But, and this is a big but, I was never paid. Maybe a few times… for one set of liner notes, a couple of press releases, and ONE article. And I was a woman! Not being paid is the reason I stopped. I also had to start making art because a gallery took me on and even though I had been making art while I was writing, my creativity was split into two.
I immersed myself in writing about music after my divorce. The writing was a healing device. It was my savior.
Lyn, how does art help you keep things under control and sane in the unprecedented, unruly times we now live in?
LH: I wouldn’t say that I keep things under control by doing art. I would say that I allow myself to focus on my studio practice because that is my job in life. My mental health is stabilized through making art and doing things in relationship to it. I listen to the news every afternoon when I am doing my stretches. I scream at the radio if something totally ridiculous is said.
I meditate every single morning. I read from books on Kindle during breakfast. I ride my stationary bike twice a week. I go to the gym once a week. I try so hard to leave my home and go places but it is difficult. I don’t know why. Maybe I am protecting myself from the outside world. So, it is not only making art that helps me maintain my sanity.
What do you find most interesting about living in North Adams?
LH: North Adams has given me opportunities to develop my work that I did not expect. When I
first came here, a small coterie of people helped me to get settled. There are a group of business owners I seek out now and then and whose businesses I support. The people in the art community know who I am and I am coming to know the artists who make up that community.
MASSMoCA’s proximity is a consolation prize because I have been associated with it on so many levels since its inception that it is almost a second home. Nothing surprises me there. In other words, I have no expectations when entering the museum because almost anything can happen. Art-wise, performance-wise, or meeting up with peoplewise.
I also like being close to The Clark. I love the campus; it is so calming. And it is a treat to be able to check in with the kind of classical and traditional art (including and most importantly, Impressionism!) that I saw frequently when growing up in DC, visiting the National Gallery of Art.
I enjoyed visiting your studio and seeing your art and lifestyle. Nothing is more vital than making art for art’s sake; that is what you are all about in
many ways. It is undoubtedly a real artist’s way of life. Last few questions: What works will you have in your upcoming installation show in North Adams? What project are you working on now, and what is the next one you foresee coming around the bend? What does it all depend upon?
LH: The very idea of creating an installation at Installation Space on Eagle Street was the incentive for the work I did during the first year I lived in this city. The hanging branch sculptures are seen behind me in one of the pictures you took. Those sculptures and the golden twigs, I mentioned before, were the launch pad for reassessing how these natural elements could be reduced to an imagery that forms a language unto itself. I managed to do that through maybe ten different stages. All of these stages of development will be laid out in a carefully planned installation in the gallery. The show is called Syntactical Shift. The underlying message of the show concerns the drastic changes I had to accommodate in my move from the country to the city. After I tie up the loose ends for the show in November, I want to get back to doing the Conglom-
erations Series, which I explained before in your question that asked specifically about them. Truthfully, I would also like to create a book of all my photographs in the Drawing with Nature Series and the several series spinning off that. That venture would depend on how I can publish the book… the company I use and the cost. I would rather refrain from looking too far into the future. I have so much present tense to take care of…
All the images of works referenced in this article can be found on Lyn's website: https://lynhorton.net/ https://www.crossmackenzie.com/artists/#/lyn-horton
https://ecoartspace.org/Sys/PublicProfile/54088215/5200971
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lynhortonphotoart/ h
Ilene is an established fine art figurative painter. She is known for her expressive and colorful paintings and her use of lines, which has become a signature style of her work. Ilene’s work is highly consistent and recognizable. Working as a published children’s book illustrator for many years has helped Ilene create a narrative with her work, which often features people in whimsical and fantastical situations.
Ilene is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Women Artists and an artist member of the Rockport Artist Association and Museum.
Ilene Richard –978-621-4986, www.ilenerichard.com, ilene.richard@gmail.com, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ilene-Richard-IllustratorPainter/109216825770985
I am an abstract artist whose two- and threedimensional works in mixed media reveal a fascination with geometry, color and juxtapositions. For me it is all about the work which provides surprising results, both playful and thought provoking.
From BCC to UMASS and later to Vermont College to earn my MFA Degree. I have taken many workshops through Art New England, at Bennington College, Hamilton College and an experimental workshop on cyanotypes recently at MCLA. Two international workshops in France and Italy also.
I am pleased to have a studio space with an exciting group of artists at the Clocktower Building in Pittsfield.
My latest work can be viewed at the Art on Main Gallery in West Stockbridge September 718, 2023. Reception, September 9, 2 - 4pm.
SEPTEMBER 16 - OCTOBER 2
RECEPTION SAT. SEPT 16, 2 - 4PM
Practicing art for 60 years and psychoanalysis for 40, Dr. Mark Mellinger’s careers concern what can be spoken of and what transcends language. In painting, collage and constructions of wood and iron he is drawn to the physicality of materials.
Avoiding predictability of style, Mellinger explores the possibilities of matter and media. Our lives and our world are transient. We must seek meaning in truth, creativity and connectedness. Mark V. Mellinger, Ph.D.914-260-7413, 71 S Church St, Pittsfield MA
BERKSHIRE ROLLING HILLS ART CLOCK TOWER
Studio 302, 3rd floor 75 South Church St, Pittsfield, MA
(413)-446-8469
www.sallytiskarice.com
sallytiskarice@gmail.com
Commissions available 978-621-4986
Film Night
@eric.korenman.photography
Model: @laragionedreamer
Upcycled 8 mm film.
Represented by The WIT Gallery Studio: The Clock Tower Artists
John Lipkowitz is a Great Barrington, Massachusetts photographer who loves traveling to exotic and not so exotic places around the world. Asked to describe his photography, he currently refers to himself as opportunistic and experiential, always seeking to capture some of the essence of the people, places and things he encounters in that particular moment. Wildlife, people, grand landscapes, ordinary objects – each he attempts to see and capture with a very personal eye, whether from a big lens or iPhone or anything in between. His exhibits at 510 Warren St Gallery in Hudson, New York, reflect his personal spectrum.
This image is from his recent trip to Botswana and Namibia with his wife Nina. On one of their game drives in Botswana they found a lion pride with several youngsters playing - behaviors to be developed both for hunting and peer livingamong the only social cat species. Time and patience permitted the capture of dozens of such images. This is among his favorites.
510 Warren Street Gallery, Hudson, NY.
Opening Reception for John Lipkowitz: Saturday, September 2, 3 - 6pm.
Friday and Saturday 12 - 6, Sunday 12-5; 518-822-0510
www.510warrenstreetgallery.com
www.johnlipkowitzimaging.com
I am pleased and proud to announce a sizable exhibition of my paintings now on view at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, MA.
This year was the year to go all in as an artist and invest in myself. It is difficult to put yourself out there, but I have reaped the benefits.
It's been a productive winter, and hopefully, it will be a successful summer. I am proud to announce that I was awarded BEST water media artist nationally for 2023 by ADC, Art Design Consultants, a Juried show, "Art Comes Alive". My two-month show at Woodfield Fine Art in St Petersburg, Florida, opened a whole new world for me by putting me face-to-face with other artists and potential clients that knew nothing about me. I had good sales and was well received by a vibrant and young arts community, and I am happy to say I have a Florida gallery home.
My paintings are more than just pretty flowers. They tell stories about the world, politics, and women.
To view, please contact the Wit Gallery in Lenox, MA. info@thewitgallery.com or call 413637-8808.
Ellen Kaiden@www.Ellenkaiden.com www.thewitgallery.com
We long for a way to be heard from the moment we are born. For some, words suffice; for others, there needs to be a deeper form of expression.
That is how artists are born. Where one might send their message through an instrument in the form of music, another might write poetry or prose. Still, others speak in something more tangible through painting, photography, pottery, or sculpting. Words only bring us so far…art is the language of longing…a longing never fulfilled.
I have always found expression through art. At age five, I began speaking through the piano that sat waiting expectantly in our den, an instrument that brought me peace throughout the years. Later I took to creating through fashion design, dreaming up and constructing costumes for the Boston Opera Company and outfits for the fashionable elite of Newport, Rhode Island. From there, my path took many twists and turns as I lived as a wife, mother, caretaker, and professional career.
When my youngest son passed away unexpectedly several years ago, my longing to be heard returned with a vengeance. Words did not suffice. There are no words to express grief and hope for what is lost. On that journey of anguish, I met other women who had or were experiencing their style of pain. I marveled at their resilience and ability to go on despite different types of loss or simply dealing with the uphill complexities of life’s challenges. I began to recover my voice through paint and a bit of canvas, but it was not just my voice. The women I create in paint are a composite of the many amazing women I have met and continue to meet. I paint their humor, joy, hidden heartbreak, and longing. These women do not exist except on canvas, and their stories are yours to imagine. Hear them.
Mary Ann Yarmoskymaryannyarmoskyart.com
Interview by Harryet Candee Photographs Courtesy of the Artist
"My work breathes life into the histories and myths that form our fractured American ethos, illuminating uncanny symmetries with our contemporary moment. Though my work explores our broad cultural history, I hope to tell truly human stories that resonate with our modern experiences."
Harryet Candee: Your paintings must have viewers who sit for hours examining one work at a time. There is so much in one painting. How do you set up your thought process to create a new one? What does your mind go through to put the first paint stroke on a fresh canvas?
Richard T. Scott: In the best case scenario I hope that people spend a lot of time with my paintings! Though that’s hardly our culture. In many ways my work is disconnected from the velocity of contemporary life. I like to think of the slow, profound experience I hope to create as an antidote to an unsustainable society of constant distraction and superficial stimuli.
My life is my artistic process. There really is no distinction between art-making and everything else. I’m an eternal student and a compulsive creator. I’m fascinated by topics as diverse as phi-
losophy, history, economics, psychology, politics, theoretical physics, to science fiction… and how it’s all woven together to form the fabric of our subjective realities and moreover our objective reality. My mind works almost unconsciously to synthesize our past, present, and future, and I’m always trying to understand how it all works and what it all means. Naturally a visual thinker, I often have to translate concepts from visual symbolism into words. So, my paintings are artifacts of my observation and meditation. They’re experiments to test my theories. In the same way that writing helps one observe more closely and clarify the meaning of things into words, my paintings help me understand myself, our world, and the intertwined nature of consciousness itself.
Is it like a physical and mental ritual?
RTS: I have to practice both physical and mental rituals to stay conscious. My entire life is structured around learning and creation. Even my diet, exercise, and entertainment choices are important. In order to achieve deep focus, I have to run and meditate five or six days a week. I certainly have rules about my phone! It might sound like I live a strict monastic life, but I’m truly an epicurean and try to enjoy the beauties of every moment with gratitude. These habits give me a great deal of freedom, and more importantly, a deep satisfaction.
I feel that the act of slowing down to experience a painting can be a place of solace from the frantic nature of our lives. It mirrors the slowness of observation and creation. In some ways, I believe that the viewer and the artist can meet in that liminal space through the painting. I’m always
striving for that timelessness. But reaching that state of meditative flow requires both physical and mental rituals. Deep focus is hard to achieve and even harder to maintain, but it is necessary for the joy of understanding deeply.
So in a world of multitasking, I strive for monotasking. If I’m painting in the studio, painting is the only thing I do. Only through slowing down can we achieve actual freedom - the freedom to realize that we are not our thoughts and emotions, that most things are not as urgent as we feel they are, and we can choose how we react to the world. Free will does exist, but only if we practice it. It is a deceivingly important concept for being so simple, but it is completely revolutionary today. In this way, my work is quite antithetical to the contemporary ethos.
There are so many paintings within one canvas. If cropped into sections, you would have many miniature paintings, each containing another idea leading up to one story. It's a puzzle, like life!
RTS: That’s an insightful observation! In order to explore a concept, I have to consider all of the intersecting ideas. Likewise, a great narrative is composed of many smaller storylines, vignettes and symbols, all intertwining. If I’ve done my job well, all of them work seamlessly together to create a timeless emotional resonance that communicates something eternal about the human
heart. Though the story is important, the feeling is most important. I don’t want to lecture the viewer, I want to enchant them.
“Safe Harbor”, for example, depicts a woman seated in a dim room, gazing directly at the viewer. A streak of light dances across her face and neck, illuminating an enigmatic expression. A sheer scarf drapes across her shoulders, each fold responding to the currents of air in the room. The window behind her reveals a beleaguered ship precariously resting in a secluded harbor, the stars above, reflected in the sea below. The shock of warm light amplifies the coolness of the room. The shadow intensifies the light. The stillness is enhanced by the unsettled posture of the ship, beckoning the viewer to imagine the fierce tempest this ship may have survived. I call this emotional contrapposto.
How large are most of the canvases that you work on? Are they all gessoed before beginning?
RTS: The majority of my canvases are around three by four feet. Though, I do also make smaller paintings, and a few around six by eight feet. I actually stretch them myself, with carefully selected linen, and I make my own oil ground using the same recipe used by Rembrandt. I even make some of my own paints by hand, when I need particular qualities that manufactured paint can’t achieve.
Where did you study?
RTS: I’ve been painting since I was three, but It took me over ten years of formal training to reach my mature work. There were two great professors at the University of Georgia, Margaret Morrison and Joseph Norman, who took me under their wing and inspired me to paint figuratively despite the fact that it was extremely unfashionable then. After graduation, I went immediately to the New York Academy of Art to work on my MFA in painting. There I studied most closely with Steven Assael. I then worked for Jeff Koons for two years until the depths of the financial crisis, at which point I wrote a letter to my favorite living artist, and to my shock, he invited me to study with him! So, I went to Norway, and then Paris, on a three year apprenticeship with Odd Nerdrum. It was in Paris where I settled into my mature style. Though I had been selling small paintings here and there since high school, it wasn’t until Paris that I truly launched my career.
What artists, through history, have you come to appreciate for how they interpret their vision?
RTS: To shorten a very long list, the artists I appreciate the most would be a strange assortment. Van Gogh was my first love, but his vibrant color and brushwork still moves me to this day. Rembrandt is perhaps my favorite for both his techniContinued on next page...
cal virtuosity and his emotional power. Vermeer for his silence and purity of light, Turner for his movement and shimmering atmosphere, Rubens for his compositional mastery, Goya for the dark depths of his soul, and Jenny Saville for the visceral freshness of her paint!
As you can see, most of my influences are long dead, and because of that my work speaks in a dead language. That might be simultaneously its greatest weakness and its greatest strength.
Have you incorporated some of their artistic insightfulness and beliefs into a fresh concept for your artmaking?
RTS: Rembrandt spoke to his students often about the concept of hauding which doesn’t translate well from the old Dutch. It means something like “life” and “how things are” or something like “gestalt” in German. This is where I developed an understanding of how to approach timelessness in a painting. It’s the moment when the paint begins to breathe and if you look at it from the corner of your eye, it seems to move. That’s when I know a painting is done.
In what ways have your thinking process and beliefs changed and developed over time as an artist?
RTS: When I was young, I believed that inspira-
tion came only from within myself, but validation came from outside, from the acknowledgment of others. As I’ve matured, I realize that it’s the opposite - that inspiration is external, all around me, and validation is internal. Our ego hinders learning and growth, and it’s only when we liberate ourselves from the ego that we can reach our full potential.
When we are true to our nature and grow into our potential, we don’t need external validation, and that allows us to flourish creatively. I often say that painting is more an exercise in managing your own psychology, and this is one of the most important lessons I’ve learned in painting and in life.
Who and why would anyone buy a painting of a dead rabbit? Do you find viewers are often overwhelmed because they are too emotionally sensitive to the subjects you portray? Tell us about the image of Brier Rabbit, please. (poor thing) RTS: Ha ha ha, believe it or not, I’ve actually sold three paintings of dead rabbits! Of course it’s not a comforting image, but it is a sublime one. Not all beauty is pleasant and not all that is pleasant is beautiful. “Beauty is truth, truth is beauty. And that is all ye know on earth and all ye need to know” - John Keats
“Br’er Rabbit” was one of a series of paintings I made while living in Paris around 2010. I painted
several chickens, a guinea hen, and a few rabbits. Visiting the farmer’s markets, I would find chickens, rabbits, and fish with their heads, feet, fins, intact, practically winking up at you. It surprised me how different the French perspective was with animals and food. Being an American, I was accustomed to seeing meat neatly wrapped in plastic, with no hint of death. But being stared down by a severed and skinned lamb’s head, reminds one of the crimson reality of life and death. At the time, I was reading Michael Pollan’s book “The Omnivore's Dilemma”, so these paintings were a meditation on how disconnected we’ve become from the source of our food. I thought that if I was going to eat meat, I should confront the truth of my actions, and consequently, I now no longer eat rabbit, and have stopped buying meat from factory farms and only get it from local farms where the animals are humanely treated. I eat much less meat now because of that. But, I didn’t make those paintings to moralize or preach to anyone. They were mostly for myself to work out how I thought and felt about it. Many of my paintings address sensitive subjects, and some even more directly, such as the Civil War, the legacy of slavery, or gun violence. Yes, some people do find them hard to handle emotionally, and I don’t paint them in order to disturb people or create controversy. But I did experience
a significant amount of trauma in my youth, and had to confront violence at an early age, and perhaps that’s why I’m drawn to looking closely at the things others turn away from.
Where did you study to learn how to tell such truthful stories through art?
RTS: I’ve always been drawn to the art of narrative, and have been an avid reader my whole life. Most of my understanding of narrative comes from reading many books. As far as the “truthful” part, I studied a lot of philosophy, logic, and scientific reasoning because I felt I needed those tools to discern fact from fiction.
But, I’ve always been a creative writer and immensely enjoy telling stories in my own way. I can’t say that I studied story telling formally, but I have a lot of friends who are writers who have given me lots of feedback. But, painting is my first language, so I tell most of my stories through that medium. My curiosity compels me to look for historical and mythological parallels for the dramatic times we’re living through. I find the quote by Mark Twain to be very insightful, “History never repeats itself, but it does often rhyme”. History is the best way we have any chance of predicting the future. Maybe my love of narrative and my love of history come from the same place. I just want to know what happens next.
Man in Black, is that a self-portrait? It reminds me of a contemporary Van Gogh; both of you are redheads. Could a complex psychological relationship be happening here between this artist and you?
RTS: Having witnessed a school shooting myself in 1999, the subject of gun violence is very poignant to me. “Man in Black” is indeed a self portrait. After one of the far too many mass shootings occurred, and again a certain group of politicians offered nothing but “thoughts and prayers” and no solutions, I was trying to distill this aspect of the American psyche into one figure, to explore the identity crisis we were and are still going through. I’ve been told often how much I resemble Van Gogh, but I didn’t draw a connection with this painting until now. It’s interesting. I was going through a terribly difficult time in my life. My mother was dying of cancer and I was recently divorced, trying to start my life over again. I was trying to understand my own identity as well, after losing a both parent and a spouse. So, I think making this painting was a form of therapy. I was mourning both for my mother and my motherland.
On another note, Van Gogh did die of a gun shot, though not a suicide as was previously thought. The stunning movie “Loving Vincent” investigates the mystery of his death with stunning ani-
mation in the style of his paintings. If you haven’t seen the movie, I recommend you watch it tonight! It’s breathtaking!
The dramatic use of color and subject matter, political or scooped out of the ingredients that make up our world with which we dwell and intermix, what colors do you find have symbolic meaning, and what icons have you worked within your thinking process that hold a mystery you want to unravel, yet at the same time, keep a secret?
RTS: The word “secret” is very important. Each painting is a dance between clarity and mystery. The best works of art leave you asking questions. That’s where formal elements like colors and shapes are so powerful. They can convey emotion, and even more specific symbolism without giving the whole thing away.
Please tell us what it is like, from a romantic and practical sense, to show your figurative works of art in Paris at Galerie L'Oeil du Prince and Le Grande Palais. Tell us about your connection to this city. Were you present for the show?
RTS: Paris is my favorite city, and a place where I feel completely at home. Showing my work at Galerie L’Oeil du Prince and especially Le Grand Palais was a great honor. L’Oeil du Prince was in Continued on next page...
the 19th arrondissement, but has since moved to Biarritz. As you know, Paris is drenched in history, from the food, the architecture, to the very air you breathe. One of my favorite restaurants was La Petite Chaise, which was frequented by Toulouse Lautrec. Walking in the footsteps of Delacroix, Monet, Baudelaire, was truly moving. I had three solo shows at L’Oeil du Prince, and exhibited four paintings at Le Grande Palais. Of course I made sure to attend all of them! What surprised me the most was how people responded to my work. Parisians have an enduring respect for artists that you don’t find in America. The audience was so welcoming and seemed genuinely touched by my work. In 2011, no one had made or exhibited new classical art in Paris for half a century, so they found it quite fresh and surprising. Except for the director of L’Ecole des Beaux Arts. He asked me with a straight face how I thought I could get away with painting like this!
The challenge of feeling what you have painted matches the vision inside your head, which makes a painting satisfying. In what ways have you gone off track with the process and ventured into an "I don't know what I am doing, but it feels right" state of mind?
RTS: It’s funny, I usually start off with a vision in mind and it always evolves as I work through a composition. I try to hold true to the initial feeling I’m trying to capture, but how I bring life to that feeling always comes from a dialogue with the painting. I never feel like I don’t know what I’m doing, but I do often feel like I’m pushing
beyond my abilities, and that uncharted territory is the most exciting. Reaching for something I can’t quite grasp forces me to experiment. There are rare occasions when I go into something like a trance. Time seems to warp, I disappear, and the only thing that exists is the painting. The painting kind of makes itself. It’s a feeling of ecstasy. Sometimes this will last a few hours, or even weeks, and when I come out, I have no idea how I did it, but those paintings are always enigmatic and powerful.
It might only happen two or three times a year, but the joy of those moments is so great that it keeps me coming back to the studio every day.
Tell us about your circle of artists and favorite spots to meet and shoot the breeze.
RTS: One of the most enjoyable aspects of my career is all of the wonderful friends I’ve made! I’m fortunate to count so many truly talented artist as friends that I can’t even begin to list them. Unfortunately, many of them live far away. But my closest circle includes of course my Fiancee Jordan Baker, who is fantastic painter as well. Also, our good friends and super talented artists Martin Wittfooth and Elizabeth Winnel, Brad Kunkle and his wife Darla… we play D&D together every week. One of my oldest friends is the Brooklyn based musician E. W. Harris, who tours internationally and sometimes graces us with a visit. Matt Hill, Sean Hutcheon, and Molly Stinchfield are all great photographers who are each brilliant in their own ways. In our little town of Catskill, we have an eclectic group of friends, from writers,
to architects, civil rights activists, and lots of artists. The residency and studios at “Foreland” have been drawing crowds of art lovers from NYC, and has made our little village such a dynamic place to live. We typically grab a drink at Left Bank or the famous music venue The Avalon Lounge.
How do you think you have achieved the art of selling your paintings? Do you let go of them quickly? Some artists want to avoid having anything to do with a sale. What have you tapped into that many artists still have to grow and learn how to do? The connective soul, unspoken emotions that work up this magic called an art sale? RTS: At this point, I’ve been selling my paintings consistently for twenty years, so I’m used to letting them go. It’s only been in the last twelve years that I’ve made enough to live on my paintings. It means I can afford to make more, and that’s really my goal! I prefer not to deal with the sales, but sometimes I have to. Most of the time my galleries manage it for me. They do the sales so I can focus on what I do best: creating more art. But it took many years to build up a name for myself so that it could work that way.
As far as what I do for sales myself… there’s a rule that I’ve learned to live by. I focus on working with people that I would be friends with even if money weren’t involved. Believe me, dealing with a selfish person is never worth it, no matter how big the gallery is, or how much money is involved. I learned that the hard way! This applies to all my art dealers and even my collectors. If you spend time cultivating real relationships with
actual trust, people are much more likely to believe in you and what you do. You have far less stress, and drama. I love people, and love making new friends. This is maybe the biggest factor in my success.
Tell us about your "experimental" techniques and the palette you are currently exploring. Does that mean you have left the political topic of interest?
RTS: Of course the term “experimental” is relative to your own perspective, and experimentation, by its nature leads to a lot of dead ends. For that reason, a lot of my experiments don’t make it out of the studio. But a few of the best ones include a number of paintings in the style of Van Gogh, and some of them synthesizing Van Gogh and Rembrandt. This latter group is still a work in progress, and I’m hoping to develop it far enough to do a whole exhibition at some point.
Mark making is very important because I’m trying to convey something in the language of brush strokes and texture. My techniques involve sometimes a dozen or more layers of paint. I use various grades of sandpaper to reveal the underlying strata. I sand while the paint is dry or even wet. At its best, it creates a kind of archeological, abstract surface. Sometimes I paint with my fingers, or I scratch into the paint with sticks or a steak knife. Sometimes it’s a gnarly old bristle brush that will make the right mark. There are certain colors that require me to make them by hand. Color is another arena where I’ve been pushing boundaries. Classical training taught me to mix a color and value exactly as I observe it. There’s a
certain satisfaction in that process, and it’s a useful skill, but lately I’ve been drawn to a more emotionally resonant palette.
It is often a "me-me-me" world these days. Not being that way and not being so self-absorbed, we learn better how to communicate and problemsolve throughout our lifetime. How does one break through that way of being, you think? RTS: I couldn’t agree more! One of the things we’ve lost is the ability to be bored. There is no creativity unless we give ourselves room for boredom. We have to ask ourselves, does this activity give me long lasting satisfaction? Is it important? Does it give me real joy, or move me toward my goals?
Human nature hasn’t changed much, but I think the biggest issue today is that our cell phones and social media take the natural human tendency for being self centered and amplify it to disturbing effect. Both the technology itself and how we use it amplifies our subjective experience by design, creating a personalized bubble for each person. Algorithms only show us a world view that we already believe, creating a feedback loop of confirmation bias. We each live in our own universe. It’s a double edged sword, because technology is such a great tool for keeping in touch with long distance friends, for getting my work out there, and discovering new artists, making new professional contacts. But, the more time I spend on my phone, the less focus and perspective I have. Being hyper connected to the entire world at once disconnects me from my body and the real people I care about, it shelters me from being confronted with ideas I
don’t already hold. It shelters me from discomfort. But there is no learning or growth without discomfort.
All of this numbs my creativity and my ability to focus and think clearly. So, the first step I had to take was to set up hard rules about my phone. I put my phone on silent mode. I removed all unnecessary apps. I have no notifications, no noises. I don’t answer texts during the day. I only check my phone and my e-mail in the morning and in the evening. When I first did this some people got irritated with me because most people expect an immediate reply to everything. But, eventually they all got used to it. Humans aren’t made to multi-task. No one is actually good at it. So, we’re much happier and much more productive when we mono-task.
Unless we deal with that first, there’s no way we’ll be able to break out of the me, me, me culture. Now I use technology to serve me, instead of me serving technology. I use it when I need it. Then I put it away. This gives me a lot more mental and emotional space to actually listen to and connect with the people around me. Meditation helps with this skill too.
"Modern Mythos" will open on November 8th at Stone Sparrow Gallery 45 Greenwich Ave, New York City www.richardtscottart.com
My recent series, The City Series, is inspired by the happily haunting memories of the atmospheres, rather than maps or architecture of cities. So, although location specific, these are not literal depictions. The abstract memory of the mood evoked by each city is revealed.
I intend to stimulate not only a response to the color, texture, shape and movement play, but to serve as a reminder of possibilities of bold choices.
Growing up on the southside of Chicago in the 60s was a history of rich and troubled times. As a youth, playing in the streets demanded grit. Teaching Tai chi for the last 30 years requires a Zen state of mind. My paintings come from this quiet place that exhibits the rich grit from my youth.
Ruby AverHousatonic Studio open by appointment: 413-854-7007, rdaver2@gmail.com, Instagram: rdaver2
Mary Davidson has been painting regularly for the last 16 years. Davidson’s paintings are a twodimensional decorative visualization of line, color, design, shape, patterns, and stamping. As you begin to study the paintings, you will find that the foreground and background tend to merge with overlaid patterns. “I love the intense complexity and ambiguity of space and dimension.”. The effect can be startling: the longer you look at the piece, the more you see.
Davidson’s New Hat series consists of 70 paintings. “I start with a basic drawing, building with color and shape, coming to life with gesture and flow. As the title suggests, the hats are important, and the millinery designs emerge. There is much joy in their creation, and my passion for playful designs is reinforced by their bright colors, linear rhythms, and patterns leading our eyes around and through the painting. My newest series is even more abstract, with an even stronger emphasis on design. I do like to use stamping, along with painting, because I love the result. When I finish with a painting, I adhere the canvas with mat gel to gator board, creating a nice tight surface. My paintings are always framed.”
Mary Davidson413-528-6945 / 413-717-2332, PO Box 697, South Egremont, MA mdavidsongio@aol.com marydavidson83155@gmail.com www.davidsondesigncompany.net
Born and raised in the captivating Berkshires, Sally Tiska Rice possesses artistic prowess that breathes life into her canvases. As a versatile multi-media artist, Sally seamlessly employs a tapestry of techniques, working in acrylics, watercolors, oil paints, pastels, collages containing botanicals and mixed media elements. Her creative spirit draws inspiration from the idyllic surroundings of her rural hometown, where she resides with her husband Mark and cherished pets.
Sally’s artistic process is a dance of spontaneity and intention. With each stroke of her brush, she composes artwork that reflects her unique perspective. Beyond her personal creations, Sally also welcomes commissioned projects, turning heartfelt visions into tangible realities. Whether it’s capturing the essence of individuals, beloved pets, cherished homes, or sacred churches, she pours her soul into each personalized masterpiece. Visit Sally’s website to view her work and sign up the email list to receive updated information on current art adventures.
Sally’s work is on the gallery walls of the Clock Tower, Open Monday-Friday 9:005:00pmfor self-guided tours. 75 South Church Street, 3rd floor, Pittsfield, MA
Soma’s Aroma’s , 81 East Street, Pittsfield.
Open Studio Friday, September 2nd 5pm-8pm and Saturday, September 3rd 11am-1pm or call to set up a studio appointment at the Clocktower Business Center, 75 South Church St., third floor, studio #302, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, 413–446–8469.
Crawford Square, John Krol’s September Featured Artist, September 1st - Oct 3rd, Opening Reception, Friday, September 1st, 5 - 8pm. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Find quality affordable prints of Sally’s work at https://pixels.com/profiles/sally-rice -Open Studio Friday, October 6th 5pm-8pm and Saturday, October 7th 11am-1pm or call to set up a studio appointment at the Clocktower Business Center, 75 South Church St., third floor, studio #302, Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
Sally Tiska Rice413–446–8469, https://sallytiskarice.com
My initial memory of awakening to the creative impulse was hearing the first chord of the Beatles, Hard Day’s Night, when I was six years old. I knew something big was happening at that moment, and I had to get on board! I began studying at the Guitar Workshop, the first guitar school in America. I’ve performed music most of my life and play jazz fusion with my band Redshift.
My interest in photography blossomed as an electron-microscopist publishing neuro- and molecular-biological research out of UMASS/Amherst and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx in my early 20s.
As a lifelong meditator, martial artist, musician, and photographer, everything I engage with comes from the same unified intention toward engendering the true, the good, and the beautiful. I endeavor to capture the light that seeps through everything in landscape and nature photography.
Lonny Jarrett-
Community: Nourishingdestiny.com
Books: Spiritpathpress.com
Art: Berkshirescenicphotography.com
Teaching: Lonnyjarrett.com
The Maine Coast always attracts me and inspires many New England landscapes. “Retreating” is currently exhibited at the Becket Arts Center in Becket. This Arts Center is offering quite a gathering of our Berkshires artists of many styles and mediums. I hope you had a chance to see the Summer Members Exhibit.
“Retreating” is looking at a late afternoon when the rock colors turn to mauve and the greens on the high spots darken with oranges. Still a warm palette despite the clouds in the horizon. The path to the ocean is rocky and sandy but worth the down hike just to find the remains of dead branches or shells at the bottom of the sandy hill. A few mosquitoes as a bonus, but an array of natural artistic arrangement is usually to be found.
I am lucky to be part of Berkshires Week in October as one of my paintings will be exhibited as a banner in the streets of Williamstown.
If you come to see the wonderful Munch exhibit at the Clark Museum, please come and visit my studio for a relaxed browsing. Call or text to let me know you are interested or visit my website for more information. Please note that I am now on gmail; send all future correspondence here.
Ghetta Hirsch413-597-1716, ghetta-hirsch.squarespace.com, ghettagh@gmail.com
Gail Gelburd, an Otis artist, will be featured at the upcoming exhibition “IMPRESS” at The Becket Arts Center, Becket MA. Her work will be on display Thursday, August 24 - Monday, September 11. Open 12-4pm. Artist Reception: Saturday, August 26, 2-4pm. Gelburd will be displaying more than 20 major works of art that are a part of her series entitled The Personification of Nature
Gelburd’s process is as layered as her concepts. Using archival digital photographs, encaustic paints, sometimes wood and fiberglass, her art works can be two or three dimensional. She always starts with photographs of nature, be it of the Berkshires, India, Africa, or Greece. Most of the works in this exhibition feature waterfalls and rivers from the Berkshires. The two-dimensional works are photo collages with encaustic paint while the three-dimensional works are photographs printed on fabric and then molded into humanoid forms. Many of the works include drawings of figures and faces hidden in the art. “This personification of nature”, said Gelburd, “seeks to visualize and remind us that we are our environment.”
Gail Gelburd has exhibited nationally and internationally. Her works are in collections in California, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Florida, Virginia, Oregon, Colorado as well as in India, Australia, Greece, and Barbados. This summer alone, she exhibited in NYC, Los Angeles CA, Providence RI, Middlebury Vermont, and Sandisfield MA. She has received numerous awards and grants for travel to photograph in India, Japan, Nepal, China, Tibet and Greece. Gelburd has been a professor at a University Arts Department, a museum curator, a published critic and authored more than a dozen non-fiction books, primarily about art. More information about her work can be found at her web site:
Becket Arts Center will also include works by Roger Duffy - (Pen & Ink), Douglas Gilbert (Graphite/Charcoal), and Deb Lohmeyer (Photography) during the same time period.
Gail Gelburdwww.gailgelburd.com
“Whether you succeed or not is irrelevant, there is no such thing. Making your unknown known is the important thing.”
– Georgia O’Keeffe
Keith and Mary original artwork for sale
Studio/gallery, South Egremont, MA
(Western Tropical Astrology. Time Zone EST/EDT)
Deanna MusgraveFor September 2023’s column, I want to focus on what I have noticed with the Saturn in Pisces transit that started in March 2023. I have a feeling there may be a highlight of that this month with the Full Moon in Pisces on September 14, 2023. I also want to review the Venus Retrograde that started on July 22-23, 2023 which will shift on September 3, 2023 given that, the rest of this month will likely be a recalibration of the events that happened during that retrograde.
Saturn in Pisces Reflections:
As discussed in the March and April 2023 column, Saturn in Pisces brings about themes of boundaries, structure, karmic lessons, and seriousness to all that is Pisciean, such as the ocean, the arts, pharmaceuticals and the spiritual. In February 2023 on my social media, I mentioned that I noted a connection of this to the UAP/UFO/USO phenomenon to this Saturn in Pisces theme but, warned that with Neptune also in Pisces that some of that might be misleading. On July 26th, 2023, a hearing was held in the US congress whereby lawmakers heard first-hand accounts of UFO sightings from former members of the military. This included statements that “non-human entities” were recovered in the crash sites and that the government was in possession of UFO craft. Given the nature of Saturn in Pisces, I predict we will find out that many of these objects are being sourced from the ocean and boundaries of the sea will need to be discussed.
I’ve also noted an increase of reports and focus on tragic (almost karmic) events and the sea. Most notable is the tragedy of the Titan Submarine on June 18th, 2023. This event had an element of Karma (Saturn) given its connection to the tragedy of the Titanic as well as the sea (Pisces). While the issue of beached whales has been ongoing, there has been a focus increasing this year with an article appearing in the National Geographic on June 9th, 2023, by Melissa Hobson titled “Dead Whales are Washing up on the East Coast. The Reason Remains a Mystery.” As if in sequence with the death of Sinéad O’Connor announced on July 26th, 2023 a pod of nearly 100 pilot whales beached by the city of Albany, on the southern tip of Western Australia, south of Perth.
I don’t think this synchronicity of a “Star,” like Sinéad O’Connor, with these tragic happenings in the sea is a coincidence.
I’m starting to see a connection between this Pisces theme to “Stars” in general. The modern ruler of Pisces is Neptune which is associated with Hollywood films and illusion. In several columns prior to July 2023, I mentioned that I felt the Saturn in Pisces would be attached to boundaries and restrictions being discussed regarding A.I. generated art forms. In sequence with the North Node moving to Aries on July 12-17th , which many such as myself foretold would bring conflict, the Hollywood actors joined the writers on their strike led by Fran Drescher, famously known as the star of “The Nanny” officially on July 14th. I would attach this event not just to an Aries North Node but, also Saturn in Pisces as it is about negotiating boundaries (Saturn) when it comes to the arts (Pisces).
Pay attention to what happens with that full moon in Pisces on September 14th as, it likely will have something to do with the former. Saturn in Pisces will continue to be in effect through to February 2026 with a post-shadow period lasting for years after.
Blackstars and the Venus Retrograde:
These strikes in Hollywood seem to be also connected to the Venus Retrograde which heralds times when we look back on matters associated with this planet such as love, relationships, money, luxury, beauty, art and the sweetness of life. More than likely, some of us had past lovers coming into our awareness or contacting us during the retrograde period. For us as creators, we most likely were in deep reflection about our artistic practices. It is important to note that the entire Venus Cycle begins with it’s pre-shadow period that started around June 19th, then intensifies while it went Retrograde on July 22-23rd and then fades out during it’s post-shadow period from Sept 3-4th to October 7th, 2023. The awareness of how this strike related to the Venus Retrograde came through an experience I had with energy that seemed connected to David Bowie. I’m still trying to understand the experience but, it was as if we were moving through a cloud of energy that was encoded with his presence. What I found strange about this experience is that I was never a big fan of Bowie before so, this was very random. It started out as me being directed to notice Bowie through synchronistic appearances of his image on t-shirts and hearing his songs. What was most notable was the feeling I got that I was being directed to notice him. It got so loud that I returned to watching the movies that he starred in such as “Labyrinth” (1986) from my childhood and “The Man Who Fell to Earth” (1976) in mid-July. After that, on July 26th this energy seemed to accelerate, and I was directed to pay close attention to his “Blackstar” piece, paint his image and share a channeled message. I kept looking at the symbol of the Blackstar with an awareness that many must assume it was asso-
ciated with something dark but, my guidance through this energy was being told it was “of the light.” Within minutes, I was directed to get to know the nature of the Venus Retrograde, it’s Synodic Cycle and how it related to Bowie’s Blackstar.
Of relevance to readers, is that this Venus Synodic Cycle follows a pattern of a 5-pointed star where the points of the star occur during a Venus Retrograde. Many astrologers posit that the exact point of the star is when the Retrograde Venus becomes conjunct with the Sun which, during this last Venus Retrograde in Leo, was on August 13th, 2023. If you can, look back to that date and note anything of significance. While I was researching this, an awareness came through that the Blackstar was a symbol for Bowie’s unique path with Venus. This led me to look at his Natal Chart for the first time and I was not surprised to see that his Venus was conjunct the MC (midheaven) which would indicate a person whose highest point in life would be to embody the qualities of Venus. This energy connected with Bowie, whatever you believe it to be, guided me to know that the Venus Synodic Cycle is a natural alchemic path that brings an individual towards their unique “Stardom.” When I felt/heard “Stardom” there was clarification that this wasn’t necessarily like Hollywood Stars but, our highest expression of Venusian energy. The “download” I received stated that to get to this higher Venusian expression of ourselves, we need to lean into these Venus Retrograde experiences and learn the lessons that each Star-Point Portal teaches us as it is transmuting us into that higher state.
With this acknowledged, I encourage you readers to consider this past retrograde cycle of Venus. What difficult lessons came forth for you in the areas of love, relationships, money, art, aesthetics, or other Venusian themes? What lessons did they teach you? How could you grow and evolve from this lesson? To speak of my personal experience, I’ve realized that Venus in Retrograde periods often bring me an achievement in art with a simultaneous heartbreak. I believe these lessons are growing me into an individual who can handle being in the public even when my heart is in emotional pain. I’ve recently realized that I can give an entire artist talk while inside I feel like I’m broken. This strength comes from Venus in Retrograde experiences. Knowing this gives the pain purpose and serves me in my path as an artist with channeled messages that I struggle to feel safe sharing.
Thank you to my Venus and Blackstar for the lesson.
Deanna Musgrave is an artist, energy worker, channel, and hypnotherapist. You can contact her through her websites at:
www.deannamusgrave.com
www.artisthehealer.com
Within this past year, I have experimented with a variety of media from acrylics to spray paint and water to paint thinner as well as applying textural techniques of pressing and pulling plastic over the undried painted surface to create real and visual textures. This has allowed me to come to a more fluid application of my design aesthetic of color theory and texture variety.
I have recently begun a new series of ethereal designs based on my spiritual beliefs and dreams. I feel these designs bring out my thoughts, feelings, and experiences in the way I look at life. Our world is full of natural beauty and spiritual beliefs. I want to paint them and bring them to life. I want people to see my painting and have a visceral experience like I did when I painted it.
Don Longowww.donlongoart.com
Following successful ArtWeek Berkshires festivals in 2021 and 2022, which featured over 100 events each year, Berkshire County’s five Cultural Districts - the Downtown Great Barrington Cultural District, Lenox Cultural District, North Adams Cultural District, Upstreet Cultural District in Pittsfield and Williamstown Cultural District - are partnering again on an even more ambitious ArtWeek Berkshires 2023, to be held October 14-22.
If you are an artist, arts organization, or business that would like to participate in ArtWeek Berkshires 2023, you may sign up through this online: https://form.jotform.com/231105324546043
Go to https://berkshires.org/artweek-berkshires/ for more information or reach out to your closest Cultural District. You can contact them at: Great Barrington-culturalgb@gmail.com Lenox-lenoxcultural@gmail.com North Adams-tourism@northadams-ma.com Pittsfield-cultural.development@cityofpittsfield.org Williamstown-info@williamstownchamber.com
I am now accepting house portrait commissions for the holiday season. Is this something you may be interested in? Now is a good time to get the process started.
The process is easier than you might imagine. If you are local to the Berkshires, I will visit the home, take many photos and do a few sketches on site. Drawing is the next phase and where your input is valuable…what to include, what to leave out or move, season, time of day, pets in or out? So many fun things to consider when creating and personalizing your treasure and future heirloom.
Then you view the drawing and decide if it is exactly what you were hoping for, and give it your approval. Or not, and we work together until it is perfect. Once the drawing is approved, I paint. The painting process will take about a week… .most of the time is spent in the preparation phase before the painting begins.
Is this a surprise gift for someone? I love surprises and do it all the time! I can be very stealth at taking photos. Or are you nervous that the scene might not be exactly what the recipient wants? A gift certificate is perfect, then I will work directly with the recipient.
Be in touch and I will answer all your questions. And check out the “House Portrait” pages of my website….lots of information and details. Marguerite Bride –
Home Studio in Pittsfield, Massachusetts by appointment only. Call 413-841-1659; margebridepaintings.com; margebride@aol.com; Facebook: Marguerite Bride Watercolors.
The king and the queen invited Sarah and Albert to have lunch, and as they were eating the queen mentioned that on Friday evening there were theatricals in the court theater. At the theatricals, various members of the court performed short plays they had written. “Nothing longer than ten minutes,” the queen explained, “so the bad ones are over soon enough, and nobody gets bored.”
Then the queen made this proposal. She said, “I want the two of you to write a small play about myself and the king, in which you act out one of our arguments, and show the people how we scream at each other. Will you do it for us?” Albert was dumbfounded by this idea, but Sarah was silent and thoughtful, so the queen asked what she was thinking.
“Your Royal Highness,” she began, “I believe it might have been Max, the other guard, who came here to complain about Albert and me. He had your best interests at heart you know, because he thought that our behavior might be…” and here she chose her words carefully and continued, “misunderstood by some of the common people.”
“I think you should tell people our play will be about the king and the queen of Moldavia, and not about you. That way, there is no danger of it being misunderstood.” Sarah said.
“Moldavia? I have never heard of that country, where is it?” said the Queen.
“I don’t know,” Sarah replied. “I read about it in a fairytale.”
So, Sarah wrote a play for herself and Albert, and she gave Max, the angry guard, a part in the play, which caused the queen to remark, “Sarah is the most thoughtful, smart and clever child I have ever come across.” And the king replied, “Absolutely,” banging his fist upon the table and pronouncing the word “absolutely” as four separate syllables. Sarah wrote a play in one act. She had never done anything like it before, but her teacher in the farm children’s school helped her a little, and gave her a copy of a Shakespeare play to take home, to study the form. Albert memorized his part, and if he forgot anything he was able to make up substitute words, because the play was simple enough. They rehearsed with a setting consisting of a table and two chairs. The table was set with a tablecloth and place settings for dinner. The dinner had to be served by Max, who was to wear a chef's hat and outfit, and stand on the side with a towel over his arm. Under the table was a red carpet, and Rex had to sit under Sarah’s chair, but they were unable to get rid
of the bluejay. If they attempted to shoo the bird away, the pigeons and crows, looking in at the window, created such a racket that they had to give it up and let her stay. Apparently, the pigeons and the crows believed that Rex and the bluejay were going to be in the play, and for this reason they all had purchased tickets to attend. Tickets consisted of leaves from Albert's cherry tree. Rex and the bluejay had been selling the tickets to the birds, charging one olive per ticket, or two cherries. I did not know about this at the time of the performance, and only found out later, after I had learned to speak Bird. And so the evening of the theatricals came. Everyone was extremely excited. There was a printed program, and it even had advertisements. Sarah was surprised to see that her play was listed last in the evening. The front seats were all taken by royal relatives and people of the court. Back further were the people from the city, and at the far back and up in the balcony sat some people from the countryside, including Albert’s wife Bertha and Sarah’s parents, who sat together with Bertha. The queen had sent a carriage for them at the last moment.
The theater itself was a grand affair, with a high ceiling and, high up, what are called clearstory windows. One of these clearstory windows had been left open, and little by little the rafters began to fill up with hundreds of crows, pigeons, hawks, wrens, and even an owl. The owl had a pad and a pencil, and was said to be an important bird theater critic. When it was time for “The King and The Queen of Moldavia”, it was announced by a trumpeter and a herald. The theater became silent; you could not hear a bird chirp.
The curtain came up and the audience saw a table set for supper, with a white linen tablecloth. Albert sat on the right with a red paper crown on his head, marked with an M and a K, the symbol of the King of Moldavia. Sarah sat on the left, with a smaller red crown marked with an M and a Q, for Queen of Moldavia. Under their table was a red carpet borrowed from the museum. On the carpet, seemingly taking a nap and curled up by her feet, was Rex, who knew he was not allowed off the carpet and next to him sat the bird.
The play began with the royal couple arguing about the finances of the kingdom. The audience found it funny, especially when, after the queen criticized the king, he pretended to pull what was left of his hair out with both his hands, in consternation. Then they argued about the king's diet, because the queen felt that he was simply becoming too fat. She was just screaming at him that his clothes did not fit him any longer, when a most strange thing happened under the table.
There was a red thread on the red carpet that you would never have been able to see, even if you were under the table yourself. The bird had placed it there; it was part of her act, planned out carefully in advance by the dog and the bird in preparation. She picked up the thread in her beak, hopped out to the edge of the stage and took a little bow. People in the audience said, “How odd. How peculiar.” Meanwhile, the king and the queen - that is, Sarah and Albert - began to argue about dessert.
Then the bird hopped back to Rex, put the red thread on him, got up on his back and started to ride him, just like a horse, out to the very edge of the red carpet. Then Rex also took a small bow, and people in the audience said, “How is this even possible?” Up
in the rafters, the birds became very restless, and many began to hop up and down and even squawk in anticipation. The owl adjusted his spectacles and jotted notes down in his pad.
Above the table, Max, who was playing the waiter, brought out the dessert, consisting of one chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting. There was just one, because the king had been in the kitchen when they were baked, and he had eaten up all the others. The queen knew it, and she was shouting at him, because he wanted to eat the last one, even though it belonged to the queen. The king was shouting at the queen, saying, “Your Majesty, you don’t like cupcakes, and you never ever eat them, so you want to eat it just to SPITE me.”
“Spite you!” shouted Sarah at the pretend king, and she was trying to remember what to say next when Rex took hold of the table cloth, tugged it, and the cupcake fell onto the floor, at the edge of the carpet. Rex instantly ate the cupcake, paper and all, and licked up the frosting on the floor, and the bird immediately pecked up every crumb, just as the two of them had planned. The birds in the rafters went absolutely crazy, crowing and chirping and hopping up and down and flying around in a frenzy, and the audience also began to scream and shout all at once. The children who had been asleep woke up in astonishment and began to look around in wonder. Rex and the bird rushed back under the table and curled up, pretending to be asleep.
Sarah then said to Albert, “Eat the cupcake if you must, but don't complain to me when the buttons pop off your coat.” The king reached his hand out to fetch the cupcake but there was nothing whatsoever on the table. He looked all around, and so did Sarah, but there was no sign of any dessert, not even a crumb, although it had been there just seconds before. They looked all around in astonishment, and even Max looked under the table and, seeing nothing, just shook his head in wonder.
The audience went berserk, it was absolute pandemonium. Every person in the audience had seen what had happened, and they all wanted to tell the actors about it, but there was so much shouting and screaming that you couldn’t understand a single word. It wasn’t until the next day that Sarah and Albert found out what had happened to the cupcake, and yet there was nobody who realized that it wasn’t just a strange accident.
The next morning the birds’ weekly newspaper came out, and all the birds bought a copy. They read all the bird news and gossip, and on the last page they found the owl's review of Sarah’s play. He praised the acting of Sarah and Albert, and praised even Max. He had some positive words for the writing of the play itself, and then he wrote, “Let us not overlook the important message of Sarah’s play. Those who rule us sometimes do not know or understand even the most simple and obvious things, even when the population shouts out the truth to them. But we birds, and sometimes even a dog, will know what’s true. And why? Because we birds are simple, and we soar high above like the gods, and looking down, we see and understand everything.
