VIRTUAL GALLERY inside!
MAY 2012
THE ARTFUL MIND Berkshires artzine promoting the visual and performing arts since 1994
DYLAN W. KUBIS Photography by Thaddeus B. Kubis
The Fine Art of Printing Fine Art. · Giclée and Photo Printing · Digital Reproduction of Paintings · Photo Restoration and Repair
“The prints have amazing clarity and are absolutely beautiful reproductions of the original works. Clients are amazed with the quality.” – Virginia Bradley
Playa Santa 22 — Virginia Bradley
Drop-off & Pick-up Available in Great Barrington, MA and Millerton, NY Studio located in Mount Washington, MA l berkshiredigital.com l 413 · 644· 9663
“Fragile Flank” 15”X30” impasto oil on canvas 2021
Ghetta Hirsch website: www.ghetta-hirsch.squarespace.com instagram: @ghettahirschpaintings Text or call : 413. 281. 0626
Janet Pumphrey Gallery
17 HOUSATONIC STREET, LENOX, MA 01240 2 • MAY 2021 THE ARTFUL MIND
WWW.JANETPUMPHREY.COM
(413) 637-2777
MATT CHINIAN American Social Realism
#1763 Tree farm, North Hoosick, NY. 2021, 14x16 Courtesy Laffer gallery.
Available at Cambridge Valley Fine Art Tour May 22 and 23, 11-4 see website for details.
thelaffergallery.com Other inquiries: mattchinian@gmail.com THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2021 • 3
FRONT ST. GALLERY
THE ARTFUL MIND BE SO GOOD THEY CANNOT EGNORE YOU
MAY 2021 ART STUDIOS YOU CAN VISIT! ...8 VIRTUAL GALLERY FINE ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY ...12 DYLAN W. KUBIS / PHOTOGRAPHER PHOTOGRAPHY OF DYLAN BY THADDEUS B. KUBIS INTERVIEW BY H CANDEE
KATE KNAPP, WATERCOLOR
Painting classes on Monday and Wednesday mornings 10-1pm at the studio in Housatonic and Thursday mornings 10am - 1pm out in the field. Also available for private critiques. Open to all. Please come paint with us! Gallery hours: Open by chance and by appointment anytime 413. 274. 6607 (gallery) 413. 429. 7141 (cell) 413. 528. 9546 (home) www.kateknappartist.com
Front Street, Housatonic, MA
...26
ELLEN JOFFE-HALPERN VISUAL ARTIST/EXPRESSIVE ART THERAPIST INTERVIEW BY H. CANDEE ...32 FORCE: TALKING WITH PEARL CAFRITZ (SAW) SALEM ART WORKS AND ANNE CORSO (SVAC) SOUTHERN VERMONT ART CENTER ...40 RICHARD BRITELL / FICTION LOST IN THE WOODS PART TWO ...44
Publisher / Harryet Candee
ELEANOR LORD
Copy Editor / Marguerite Bride Third Eye / Jeff Bynack Advertising and Graphic Design / Harryet Candee Contributing Writers Richard Britell / Mike Cobb Photographers / Edward Acker / Tasja Keetman
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The Artful Mind Box 985
Great Barrington, MA 01230
YFI: ©Copyright laws in effect throughout The Artful Mind for logo & all graphics including text material. Copyright laws for photographers and writers throughout The Artful Mind. Permission to reprint is required in all instances. In any case the issue does not appear on the stands as planned due to unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, advertisers will be compensated on a one to one basis. All commentaries by writers are not necessarily the opinion of the publisher and take no responsibility for their facts and opinions.
4 • MAY THE ARTFUL MIND
INTERIOR DESIGN SERVICES | ELZA B. DESIGN INC Barbara Elza Hirsch 781-859-7817 www.elzabdesign.com E L Z A B. D E S I G N, I N C.
MYLA J. BLUM
MIXED MEDIA ON WATERCOLOR PAPER 18 X 24”
THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2021 • 5
CAROLYN NEWBERGER
After a long and difficult winter, the woods are awakening, Yokun Brook is flowing, and the beauty and rhythms of nature lift our souls.
Yokun Brook Cascades, watercolor, 18 x 24 inches
cnewberger@me.com www.carolynnewberger.com
617-877-5672
Mark Mellinger
Flight Path. Acrylic and collage 2021. 20" x 20"
Infrastructure. Marble and cast iron 16 x 10 x 8”
Painting - Collage - Construction 100 North St Pittsfield #322 6 • MAY 2021 THE ARTFUL MIND
914. 260. 7413
markmellinger680@gmail.com
Alex Kamaroff
GLENDALE BROOK STUDIO 27 CHURCH STREET LENOX, MA 01240 PHONE # 413-551-7475 glendalebrookstudio.com glendalebrookstudio@gmail.com
HUNDREDS OF COLORFUL HARD EDGE ABSTRACT PAINTINGS
Alex Kamaroff
THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2021 • 7
MATT CHINIAN mattchinian@gmail.com Cambridge Valley Fine Art Tour May 22 and 23, 11-4 https://cambridgevalleyart.org/
ART studios
you can visit! 8 • MAY 2021 THE ARTFUL MIND
CHRISTOPHER R. MALCOMSON 302 530 7160. TEXT, PHONE OR EMAIL TO ARRANGE A VISIT. CHRISMALCOMSON@MAC.COM WWW.CHRISMALCOMSON.COM
Watch these artists work at their passion. Become inspired. Learn about their art through discussion and demonstration.
VIRGINIA BRADLEY virgbradley57@gmail.com
GHETTA HIRSCH www.ghetta-hirsch.squarespace.com
virginiabradley.com
CAROLYN M. ABRAMS Www.carolynabrams.com Open Studio Fridays in May and Open by appt or by chance
Plan to visit all, or just one. Enjoy the beautiful countryside. Safely and with mindfulness. JENNIFER PAZIENZA
Jennifer lives presently in Canada and you can reach her at : www.jenniferpazienza.com jennpazienza@gmail.com
THE ARTFUL MIND
MAY 2021 • 9
#1751 GREENWOOD AVE. MECHANICVILLE. 1-10-21 14X16
MATT CHINIAN
I am a realist. I paint what I see and depict places and objects with asimple understanding of light and shadow. My subjects are taken from daily life, things I see in passing, things I’m drawn to; they are commonly overlooked. I try to unlock patterns and relationships that depict their beauty and uniqueness. I do not seek to judge but offer up these images for your consideration. mattchinian.com
“The mind loves the unknown. It loves images whose meaning is unknown, since the meaning of the mind itself is unknown.” ~ Rene Magritte
DRAWING FROM THE MODEL
CAROLYN NEWBERGER Carolyn Newberger is an award-winning artist and writer whose love of the figure is a natural extension of a career in psychology. Her concern for people and their challenges informs her art, whether it be in the studio with a model or in the concert hall capturing a musician or dancer in performance. Her drawings express the essence of her subjects, with their rhythm, flow, character and intensity. Carolyn Newberger - www.carolynnewberger.com
CATENA 6
VIRGINIA BRADLEY The Catena Series: an alchemical discovery of related moments in disconnected times
Catena 6 began as an atmospheric meditative painting referencing JMW Turner. Eventually geometric forms reminiscent of Richard Diebenkorn emerged through chemical experimentations. Then, Paul Klee greeted the painting. The final image is a layered, subtle and sometimes playful painting. For the viewer, the painting offers a multi-layered exploration that leads to engaging synchronicity. The Catena Series began in July 2020 and Catenae 5, 6 and 7 into their final form in February 2021. I have been considering how the pace of life has changed since the onset of the Pandemic. At moments time seems to stand still and at other moments it races by. In my study of music and ancient texts I came upon the word Catena, which refers to related moments or an interlocking chain. Catena spoke to the chain of chemical reactions and physical engagements that are the continuum of my painting and life. The alchemical transformation of materials is the basis of my painting practice. This experimental process is driven by a questioning search for meaning and beauty in our human existence. The studio becomes a kitchen laboratory where I experiment with alchemical recipes; new, ancient and imagined. This search has become even more significant during COVID Pandemic. The painting process has become a beacon to search for stillness and stability. Virginia Bradley — virgbradley57@gmail.com www.virginiabradley.com
Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get the work done. If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you're not going to make an awful lot of work. —Chuck Close
10 • MAY 2021 THE ARTFUL MIND
IT’S LIFE, IT’S THE SUN
BRUCE PANOCK PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE PINK
BARBARA ELZA HIRSH
MYLA JILL BLUM
INTERIOR DESIGN SERVICES
Myla Jill Blum, native of Pittsfield and now “snowbird”, started painting when she moved to Florida 22 years ago. Even before then she dabbled a little here and there with painting. Always creative, Myla now enjoys painting “outside” the lines and pushing herself with color, medium and boundaries. She is grateful for all the support and “nudging” to finally “do something” with her art. Myla Jill Blum - mileamin49@aol.com
“One should sympathize with the color, the beauty, the joy of life.” —Oscar Wilde Barbara Elza Hirsch likes to “build a room like a painting, each stroke and layer creating the final space”. She loves to use splashes of eclectic touches in her stylish, textured and restful interiors. Passionate about helping her clients identify and express their style, she works with them to develop an interior in which they can feel nurtured but also renewed. Barbara spent her childhood in Europe and Washington D.C., but moved to Paris as a young adult, where she studied Graphic Design at Penningen and obtained her diploma as a Fashion Designer and illustrator at the renowned Studio Berçot in Paris. In addition, she took classes with the Parson’s School of Design branch in Paris. Barbara will work closely with you to help you create a truly unique space. If you work with an architect or a team of contractors, she will collaborate with them to ensure the space planning and material selections are harmonious and respect the design goals. Her practice is based in Concord and she will travel to the Berkshires. An award-winning firm, Elza B. Design has been featured in New England Home Magazine, The Boston Globe Magazine, the Boston Globe, Boston Design Guide, Improper Boston, Boston Home, New Hampshire Home, Merrimack Valley Home, Maine Home + Design. Elza B. Design Inc - Barbara Elza Hirsch 781-859-7817; www.elzabdesign.com
I have been a student of photography for more than 20 years, though most intently for the last five years. I am primarily a landscape photographer. Recently my photographic voice has migrated to the creation of work with reference to other art forms, notably encaustic painting and ancient Chinese and Japanese brush painting and woodblock art. My intention is to create with viewer a moment of pause and reflection; a moment to digest the image and find their own story in the art. Each image is part of a limited edition. There are several sizes available. Each piece is priced according to size. Images are unframed and printed on Hahnemuhle archival papers. Bruce Panock bruce@panockphotography.com
Carolyn M. Abrams
Pleasure in the Pathless Fields
To my mind a picture should be something pleasant, cheerful and pretty. There are too many unpleasant things in life as it is, without creating still more of them. —Pierre-Auguste Renoir
OPEN STUDIO Fridays in May Open by appointment or by chance
Www.carolynabrams.com http://www.healing-power-of-art.org/carolyn-mabrams/
Www.facebook.com/CarolynmAbramsArt THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2021 • 11
VIRTUAL ART GALLERY FINE ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY MAY 2021
CAROLYN NEWBERGER CAROLYN M. ABRAMS MYLA J. BLUM MARK MELLINGER CLAUDIA d’ ALESSANDRO GHETTA HIRSCH BRUCE PANOCK
CAROLYN NEWBERGER Mycena Mushrooms on a Log Watercolor, 8 x 5.5” $1200
DYLAN W. KUBIS
Buying art is a sound investment and a lifetime of enjoyment! For art sales contact artist directly or Go to: The Artful Mind on issuu.com for live links to each artist To show your art on a gallery wall: email: artfulmind@yahoo.com Visit FB: ART GALLERY for Artful Minds
12 •MAY 2021 THE ARTFUL MIND
CAROLYN NEWBERGER GLORIES OF THE FOREST
Eye of the Tiger Watercolor, 18 x 21” $3400
Papoose Watercolor, 16 x 5.5” $1200
Forest Ferns with Red and Yellow Mushrooms Watercolor, 5.5 x 16” $1200
CONTACT: www.carolynnewberger.com cnewberger@me.com 617-877-5672 Commissions Upon Request THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2021 • 13
Carolyn M. Abrams Garden of Eden 9 x 12” oil/cwm on paper $200
Carolyn M. Abrams Into the WIld Sea 16 x 20” oil/cwm on paper $300
14 • MAY 2021 THE ARTFUL MIND
CAROLYN M. ABRAMS
Saffron Sky 16x20” Oil/cold wax $300
Open Studio Fridays in May
Pleasure in the Pathless Fields 10 x 10” oil/cwm on canvas $250
Open by appointment or by chance
Www.carolynabrams.com http://www.healing-power-of-art.org/carolyn-mabrams/ Www.facebook.com/CarolynmAbramsArt
THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2021 • 15
MYLA J. BLUM
B Mixed media on watercolor paper 18x24” 2020 $125 A Mixed media on watercolor paper 18x24” 2020 $125.
D Mixed media on watercolor paper 18x24” 2020 $125.
CONTACT: mileamin49@aol.com 786-303-8218 16 • MAY 2021 THE ARTFUL MIND
C Mixed media on watercolor paper 18x24” 2020 $125.
MARK MELLINGER
Psilocybin Picnic 2019, Acrylic on canvas, 30" x 40" Flight Path 2021, Acrylic and collage 20" x 20"
American Sunset 2020, Acrylic on canvas 24x24” The Transubstantiation of Nicola Tesla 2018, Acrylic on canvas, 48" x 36"
I’m lucky to be able to work throughout this trying time, both alone in my art studio and remotely with my patients. Exploring new methods and media; experimenting with materials.
CONTACT: 914-260-7413 markmellinger680@gmail.com
— Mark Mellinger THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2021 • 17
CLAUDIA d’ALESSANDRO
Monument Mountain Sunrise 18 x 36”
Baily Isle Dawn 24 x 30”
Sun Smiles 24 x 30”
'The ever warming sun is palpably different in springtime. As it rises and sets, we can almost feel the new life luxuriating in its glow. Let the Sun Shine, indeed! Images are as indicated on Aluminum. $299
Golden Daybreak 24 x 36”
https://www.dalessandrophotography.com 413.717-1534 18 • MAY 2021 THE ARTFUL MIND
GHETTA HIRSCH
Spring Greens 7 x 9” Oil on board framed white wood 2019 $225 Welcoming Edge 11 x 14” Oil on canvas 2017 Frameless $200
Gentle Surf 10 x 10” Oil on canvas, framed white wood 2016 $350 Berkshire Barn 12 x 16” Oil on canvas framed white wood 2012 $400
All works can be seen in my studio as I am now vaccinated. CONTACT: Ghetta-Hirsch.squarespace.com Instagram@ghettahirschpaintings ghettagh@gmail.com Please text or call 413-281-0626 THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2021 • 19
IT’S LIFE, IT’S THE SUN
IT IS DARKNESS, IT IS DEATH
For this body of work, everything starts with the search for shapes and patterns in the landscape. When I get back to the computer I then mask out what doesn’t add to the subject. This could take days of effort. When the shapes and patterns have revealed themselves, Then I begin thinking about the background, the colors and the textures. It all evolves….or fails magnificently. —Bruce Panock 20 • MAY 2021 THE ARTFUL MIND
BRUCE PANOCK
THE FEELING OF ALONE
Each image is part of a limited edition. There are several sizes available. Each piece is priced according to size. Images are unframed and printed on Hahnemuhle archival papers.
A HEAVY BURDEN
CONTACT: www.panockphotography.com bruce@panockphotography.com 917-287-8589
THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2021 • 21
Bash Bish State Park
Breaking Wave – The Marginal Way, Maine
Cadillac Mountain Bar Harbor Maine 22 • MAY 2021 THE ARTFUL MIND
DYLAN W. KUBIS
Classic car delivery truck
The beauty of a classic car
Any of my images can be converted into personalized greeting cards and also printed on T-shirts.
Cape Cod classic car
CONTACT: Dkubis@gmail.com; Instagram: DWKPhotos www.DWKISPhotography.com
THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2021 • 23
BERKSHIRE DIGITAL
GARDEN OF EDEN
9 X 12”
OIL/CWM ON PAPER
CAROLYN M. ABRAMS OPEN STUDIO Fridays in May Open by appointment or by chance
Carolyn Abrams grew up in Brunswick, NY well known for its rolling hills and amazing light and sunsets. Her work is an exploration of the wisdom of art that she finds as a passionate artist. Intuition has always guided her in her exploration of the spiritual and physical worlds. An enthusiastic learner, new techniques and unique art materials drive her work to best express this passion for creativity in her ethereal and peaceful nature-inspired paintings. Most recently her work with oils and cold wax have provided the perfect medium for expression. From the natural world that surrounds the area in which she lives, to the bell that is rung by a lyric or poem, each work reveals the elements of impressionism and abstraction. Feelings of hope and harmony are ever present in her work which attracts many of her collectors to follow her on her journey. Carolyn M. Abrams www.carolynabrams.com; Facebook www.facebook.com/CarolynMAbramsArt
Since opening in 2005, Berkshire Digital has done fine art printing for artists and photographers. Giclée prints can be made in many different sizes from 5”x7” to 42”x 80” on a variety of archival paper choices. Berkshire Digital was featured in last Summer’s issue of PDN magazine in an article about fine art printing. See the entire article on the BerkshireDigital.com website. Berkshire Digital does accurate hi-res photoreproductions of paintings and illustrations that can be used for Giclée prints, books, magazines, brochures, cards and websites. “Fred Collins couldn’t have been more professional or more enjoyable to work with. He came to my studio, set everything up, and did a beautiful job in photographing a ton of paintings carefully, efficiently, and so accurately. It’s such a great feeling to know I have these beautiful, useful files on hand anytime I need them. I wish I’d called Fred years ago.” ---- Ann Getsinger We also offer restoration and repair of damaged or faded photographs. A complete overview of services offered, along with pricing, can be seen on the web at BerkshireDigital.com Another service offered is portraits of artists in their studios, or wherever they would like, for use in magazines, as the author’s picture in a book, websites or cards. See samples of artist portraits on our website. The owner, Fred Collins, has been a commercial and fine art photographer for over 30 years having had studios in Boston, Stamford, and the Berkshires. He offers over 25 years of experience with Photoshop, enabling retouching, restoration and enhancement to prints and digital files. The studio is located in Mt Washington but drop-off and pick-up is available through Frames On Wheels, 84 Railroad Street in Great Barrington, MA (413) 528-0997 and Gilded Moon Framing, 17 John Street in Millerton, NY (518) 789-3428. Berkshire Digital - 413 644-9663, or go online to www.BerkshireDigital.com
MOLLY BAR WATERCOLOR
MARGUERITE BRIDE COMMISSIONS Do you have special occasions in your future? Anniversary? Wedding? Graduation? Retirement? Selling a home and downsizing? A custom watercolor painting of a wedding venue, a home or other special location is a treasured gift. Now is a great time to commission a house portrait or favorite scene you would like captured in a watercolor. Paintings (or even a personalized gift certificate, then I work directly with the recipient) make a cherished and personal gift for weddings, retirement, new home, old home, anniversaries… ..any occasion is special. Commission work is always welcome. A very personal type of commission that has been becoming more popular….paintings of your wedding venue (church or other stunning setting, for example, the “Mount”). Or a “special” location that is meaningful to the bride and groom. Perhaps a gift certificate to the bride and groom for a painting of a special scene from their honeymoon? Visit my website for info about an alternative wedding guest book as well. Be in touch …it is guaranteed to be a fun adventure! Marguerite Bride – Home Studio at 46 Glory Drive, Pittsfield, Massachusetts by appointment only. Call 413-841-1659 or 413-442-7718; margebride-paintings.com; margebride@aol.com; Facebook: Marguerite Bride Watercolors.
Whoever wants to know something about me, they should look attentively at my pictures and there seek to recognise what I am and what I want. —Gustav Klimt
24 • MAY 2021 THE ARTFUL MIND
INFRASTRUCTURE. 16 X 10 X 8” MARBLE AND CAST IRON
MARK MELLINGER “FORSYTHIA GOLD” 12”X12” OIL AND WAX MEDIUM ON WOOD PANEL 2021
GHETTA HIRSCH Once the forsythias appear I know it is spring. In the Berkshires I rarely see these warm color bushes until April, and then tulips and lilacs will follow. So, you know when you see yellow against the still purple mountain that the season is finally changing. Time to plant the carrots and spinach if you are an organic gardener. There is a parking lot with a promenade in the Pittsfield corner of Pontoosuc Lake that delights me each time. I particularly like this tall Northern Pine tree on the eastern edge that sets you up for a line of varied foliage among the lake houses. When the sun is right you have a perfect reflection in the water and a mirror sight that soothes the eyes. I always enjoyed the pastels of early Spring surrounded by the changing color of the background into pink and green, but my favorite are the yellow spots. They are flowering bushes, and they grow freely and abundantly around here. In fact, do not plant a forsythia as you will soon have so many of them that you will want to unroot them. I have been wondering if they are part of the unwanted species. Spring encourages painting in plein air and I am looking forward to my exploration. Currently, I am working on much larger pieces on the symmetry theme just like this small painting. I always liked the complete symmetry in butterfly wings or insects; the calm surface of a lake is like looking at a “butterfly landscape” for me. Two open wings! The mirror image interests me as reflection in water is mysterious and magnetic: I marvel at this double vision in nature. I am vaccinated and opening up the studio for visits. Most of the galleries are still working virtually but some “Call for Artists” competitions are offered. This is hopeful for us, artists, as we need your feedback to dwell more deeply in our collective consciousness. Covid taught us how we are all connected, and we must not forget it. My studio is crowded as I am painting every day and I just dropped three pieces at the Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester, VT. You can stop there if you wear your mask. It is a nice gallery and museum space, and you will enjoy the visit. In fact, you can also visit my studio in Williamstown with Covid protection. More and more of us are vaccinated. Just let me know if you plan to visit or if you wish to see a selection of my work. Ghetta Hirsch - ghetta-hirsch.squarespace.com. Instagram @ghettahirschpaintings. Call or text: 413- 281-0626.
I live in two separate worlds. One verbal and one visual. What they have in common is an attitude of pushing into the unknown; of allowing unconscious elements to take form within consciousness. I couldn’t live without both. Art came first, but after a while I began to feel self-indulgent and isolated. I wanted to address problems of mans’ impact on the environment. I went through careers in art, photography, carpentry, ecology and microbiology before landing in psychology at 30. 10 years ago, when we found a loft in Pittsfield, I returned to my first love, art. It’s not like riding a bicycle. I had to start from scratch. I feel I’m just now catching up to where I left off 50 years ago. I’m not satisfied with a piece for a long time. I’ll put it away and work on something else. I’ll look at it upside down and in a mirror, trying to get a handle on what’s wrong. It’s a very solitary meditation. I might gesso over everything except some small bits that are working; then start over from those. The viewer completes the process. It’s a collaboration. It’s a thrill when someone “gets” a piece, but I’m OK when they don’t. The connection with the viewer should be as rare and special as marriage. www.markmellingerart.com markmellinger680@gmail.com
KATE KNAPP
WATERCOLOR
FRONT ST. GALLERY Pastels, oils, acrylics and watercolors…abstract and representational…..landscapes, still lifes and portraits….a unique variety of painting technique and styles….you will be transported to another world and see things in a way you never have before…. join us and experience something different. Painting classes continue on Monday and Wednesday mornings 10-1:30pm at the studio and Thursday mornings out in the field. These classes are open to all...come to one or come again if it works for you. All levels and materials welcome. Private critiques available. Classes at Front Street are for those wishing to learn, those who just want to be involved in the pure enjoyment of art, and/or those who have some experience under their belt. Perfect if you are seeking fresh insight into watercolors, and other mediums. Front Street Gallery – Front Street, Housatonic, MA. Gallery open by appointment or chance anytime. 413-528-9546 at home or 413-429-7141 (cell) www.kateknappartist.com
THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2021 • 25
DYLAN W. KUBIS PHOTOGRAPHER
Interview by Harryet Candee
Photographs of Dylan by Thaddeus B. Kubis
Harryet Candee: Dylan, how would you describe yourself as an Artist? Dylan W. Kubis: As much as I am a photographer, I see myself more as a creator, a person that see’s the world differently and create images, photographs that are inspirational, sensational and imaginative. That is how I see art and myself.
take a shot. What have you been particularly drawn to with for example, your landscape shots? Well, I am not drawn to landscape alone, I am drawn to a variety of subjects and what drives me can be the color, the composition, the mood of the day and how I feel about the scene.
What are some of your strengths and challenges as a photographer, Dylan? One challenge I have is that I was born with Down Syndrome, so I must work harder for what comes easily for most people. My strength is that I don’t see my disability as a limitation rather more as a starting point and photography assist me in overcoming difficulties that may limit my life.
Taking an imaginative photograph entails what exactly for you? How would this be different than other kinds of subject matter? I really do not know, I see, I feel, and I then create. For example the photo called Singing Beach, I walked around for about 15 minutes until I saw and felt the reflection on the sand, then for me the image was complete. Each subject has a different way of sparking my creative vision. Some of my photographs are just that, photos, others like the Singing Beach become more.
What are some of the specific skills and abilities you have developed that has enhanced your performance as an artist doing photography? I have a greater respect of the beauty I see in our world. With the help of my Dad’s years of photographic experience I have learned the technical skills which allow me to correctly share those images I create with you and others. When looking at the world around you, you see something that strikes a chord and tells you to 26 • MAY 2021 THE ARTFUL MIND
If you were to describe Dylan, yourself, how would you put that into words? I am like everyone else, I want respect, I want to give and receive love and to be happy and successful. How and when was it that you discovered and fell in love with photography?
Well, my Dad is a professional photographer and every vacation we went on a camera was part of the trip. At first, I did not have much of an interest in taking pictures, but I realized years after the vacation the memories were held in the photographs. I also realized that the images are powerful memories and I wanted to start to collect my own, using photography. Are you undertaking any other venues in the arts these days? Music, maybe? Music, I like to play the drums, guitar and other instruments, I also like antiques and metal detecting. Who has been your inspiration and mentor over the years for you? By the way, I know your dad, and I think very highly of his photography work. You are very lucky to have him as a dad. You got that right, my Dad has been my inspiration and now my mentor, but my Mom has always stressed the need to be creative as have both my brothers. In what ways have these people made your life wonderful and artful? My family allowed me to appreciate art by traveling across the United States, the Caribbean and Europe. We always stopped at museums; however, I did not
Photo by Dylan W. Kubis, Rusting- rocks Ogunquit, Maine (above) Dylan,“The rocks may have been tough to navigate but what a view.” Photo by Thaddeus B. Kubis (right)
realize at the time what impact those visits had on my life. Tell me, Dylan, in what ways has the Pandemic affected your photography work, your life in general? I can’t really say, I started this business so that I can be more in charge of my life, it enables me to be part of a self-directed program, so I guess that would be the answer, the pandemic has allowed me to take more control of my life. What has been some of the thoughts you can share on where you see yourself going with your art making in the near future? My goal for a long time has been to travel across the US and visit a number of National Parks and develop a book and perhaps a blog about my travels. During this trip I would look to create inspirational, sensational and imaginative photographs. (Expect a big announcement about this idea soon). Oh! Yes, I feel your excitement! When you take a walk in the woods, seeking a subject to shoot, what goes through your mind on this hunt? My Dad encourages me to think in themes, so I look for themes in the woods or wherever I am. Color, shadows, abstracts, landscapes, seascapes and more. Have any locations been very challenging quests for you? Tell us about that, please. Continued on next page... THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2021 • 27
DYLAN W. KUBIS
Photo by Dylan W. Kubis Meditation point, ripple in a river
Photo by Dylan W. Kubis
28 • MAY 2021 THE ARTFUL MIND
Portsmouth morning fog
Photo by Dylan W. Kubis, Singing Beach, Manchester-by-the-Sea
Hiking in Maine was difficult, very rocky, but from the rocks I found some of my favorite images. Last December we spent a few days in Maine creating Sunset and Sunrise photographs, getting up before dawn, walking over the snow and ice to get to a perfect location to catch the sunrise in minus 8-degree temperature which was tough, the image I captured was great. Best, I think, is when you have live exhibitions of one’s artwork. Have you had any of those? I have had a few shows, one at the Marketplace Café in Sheffield, a second exhibit was hosted by IS183 via an Art Walk in Pittsfield, a few others have been delayed due to COVID. Currently I have a series of photographs on display at Dr. Kay’s Optometrists office and an exhibition at 20 Railroad Trattoria and Pub both in Great Barrington, I also have two post pandemic exhibits planned for the Sheffield Library and the Lee Library. How do you think you can find a subject to shoot that has not been done before? I think IMG_3817, may be one to look at, I call this image the Rockin’ Ripple. It shows a small part of the interaction of the water and the rock and I really was impressed by the movement. What draws you in to shooting old cars? How do you decide what part of the car is what you want to shoot? I LOVE the beautiful shapes, the design and the history of these cars, that is how I started this entire photographic adventure. I wanted to create a photographic collection of classic cars than I began to see that there was more to this than just the personal collection. I like the grills, the long curves and shapes that the older cars offer. How do you utilize the internet? What is your main goal when you show your work to the public using this form of communication? Continued on next page...
Dylan, “Minus 8 degrees did not keep me from photographing sunrise in Maine.” Photo by Thaddeus B. Kubis
THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2021 • 29
DYLAN W. KUBIS
Photo by Dylan W. Kubis Two eras of classic cars
Dylan’s DDS ZOOM presentation
Photo by Dylan W. Kubis Flying on the blue hood of a Classic Car
30 • MAY 2021 THE ARTFUL MIND
Photo by Thaddeus B. Kubis
Dylan, “Flying on the blue hood of a Classic Car” Photo by Thaddeus B. Kubis
I am just starting to use the internet, I have been busy building a portfolio, I think I will look for an E-commerce based site, like Picfair in the next few months. I plan to start to offer custom t-shirts, phone skins, transparent window prints and a whole lot more, all using photographs that I create. Tell us about one of your proudest moments being an artist, and a human? As an artist – last November when I was part of the Southern Berkshire Community Center Arts & Crafts show – I sold over 300 greeting cards, a dozen color prints, and just in time for Christmas later that year the Bookloft in Great Barrington started to sell my greeting cards. As a human, I was asked to present my story, via a power point my Dad, Mom and I created, to an online group of parents that have children with special needs and who participate in the DDS Self-Directed program. I was so proud to be able to be an advocate for others and to share my story. A few days ago, the Digital Media manager for the Department for Disability Services asked to post my power point, my story to the entire DDS network. Congratulations! What a great breakthrough for you in so many ways! What do you have on your list that you still must learn in the art and technique of Photography? I need to broaden my photographic viewpoint and the subjects that interest me, which will help me develop my own personal unique vision. My Dad reminds me that this will come with time and with taking more photographs. He also told me a photographer needs to live the art and follow the light. I am hoping that my upcoming National Park trip will be part of the path to develop my own sensa-
tional, inspirational and imaginative photographic vision. Tell us the technical part of what you do after you have taken photographic shots and want them to print or produce them? It is sort of boring, but I download the images from my camera a Canon EOS Rebel T6, to my computer, my Dad then makes a cloud-based copy. I then edit and select images that I like and then share them with my Mom and Dad. I do some base editing and upload them to my Instagram page and website. And, tell us about your favorite equipment you use to travel around with? My iPad, and iPhone I am a media guy. Of course, my Camera kit, I use a Canon EOS Rebel T6, a few lenses and a tripod. Where might you be off to next? We have a few spring trips planned, a special spot in New Hampshire is next, Great Smokey Mountain National Park and around the Berkshires and New England chasing after classic cars. What are your favorite things you like to do on a hot summer’s day? Watch the New York Yankees and go swimming, sailing and play outdoor backyard games
Play drums, listen to music, connect with friends via social media or Zoom, take a walk, or just hang out. If you were granted three wishes, tell us, what would those be? That is easy, Travel around the world taking pictures. Win the Mega Million Lottery and donate a large portion to help those in need. To be super star famous. Share with us your favorite quote, please. “Fight On, Sir Andrew said, A little I’m hurt but not yet slain. I’ll just lay down and bleed for a while than I will rise and fight on again”. – Sir Andrew Barton. I really like that one! Dylan, where can we see more of your photographs? My website is www.dwkisphotography.com, I can be seen on Instagram @DWKPhotos, for the next few months visit Dr. Kays’s Office and 20 Railroad Trattoria and Pub in Great Barrington.
Thank you, Dylan!
On a snowy, blister day? Watch the New York Rangers! Play video games, snow board, hang out in our playroom. On a day you are totally free to do what you wish? THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2021 • 31
Apart Together mixed media (oil, pastel, charcoal) 24x20”
ELLEN JOFFE-HALPERN Visual Artist / Expressive Art Therapist INTERVIEW BY HARRYET CANDEE
Harryet Candee: What are some of the overlapping and separate features you have found being an in-studio Artist and that of being an Art Therapist? Ellen Joffe-Halpern: Ego! As an artist, I am the maker, the imaginator, the doer, responsible and answerable only to myself. I work on my timeline from my head and heart to my head and heart. For me, working as an artist is primarily a solitary occupation though I am fortunate to have a sketching partner and a monthly artists’ critique group where I can present work for feedback, offer my feedback, and discuss artistic matters but it is still my ultimate decision when and how a piece is developed and declared finished. I feel privileged to have time and space set aside for my musings to become visualized. My role as art therapist is to put my ego aside. My purpose is to engage, encourage, and support my clients through expressive arts. My role is to understand their needs, their abilities, and their goals while assisting the clients with technical support, emboldening them to have the courage to speak with their heart and mind, and to help them discover within themselves the ability to move for32 • MAY 2021 THE ARTFUL MIND
ward as well as how to engage with their creative talents, whatever modality that is, toward reaching their goals. An example of setting my ego aside; in my work at an inpatient unit I worked to lessen the stigma of mental illness through patient art exhibits in the community. Of course, all exhibiting artists gave permission to use their work. One of my patients who had a schizophrenic diagnosis was very engaged in making art. She would be hospitalized when she was in a psychotic state and needed to recover. Her artwork was flamboyant, colorful, and openly displayed her fractured state of mind. Over the course of her treatment, her artwork clearly changed to more structured and balanced pieces. Before her discharge she created a lovely but unremarkable pencil drawing of Jesus. Her early works were stunning, and the development of her work reflected so clearly the process of her recovery. I was excited to include this series in a display that would be held at a college gallery where I also arranged a talk with students about expressive art therapy. This patient told me she only wanted to display her “Jesus” drawing. I was disappointed because it was the centerpiece of the exhibit, but of course I had to honor her wishes. She glowed at the
opening reception. For the over thirty years working in the field of art therapy, I always felt privileged to be allowed into my clients’ lives in the intimate way that arts engenders. As for overlapping, I am an artist, art therapist and teacher. These are all part of who I am and how I engage with my world. During the pandemic I have become more overtly aware of how I use painting to process my reactions to the coronavirus and the changes in my life this past year. Are you presently spending more time in your studio painting then teaching these days? Has your schedule changed over the course of the year due to the onset of the Pandemic? I retired from full time art therapy and teaching about ten years ago when I was offered a nanny position in California with my first granddaughter. I didn’t know at the time that this “job”(plus a grandson) would move back to Williamstown and continue until the Pandemic. Up until June I had a part time job working with families of young children in a literacy program with a focus on helping parents understand children’s development and how to re-enforce their learning by being a teacher to
Ellen Joffe-Halpern Bridge of Flowers mixed media (oil, enamel, ink)
their children. This job involved visiting families in their homes twice a week. I did not feel as effective doing the job virtually, so I resigned this fall. Therefore, I have been able to spend much more time in my studio. This is the most time I have had devoted to making art in about 50 years when I managed an art school on the Cape and my main responsibility was to paint. I do still put in a few hours a month supervising a local art therapist and volunteering for a new program developed as a response to the stresses of Covid19 on the community.“Telebridging Mental Health in the Berkshires” is a mindfulness based telephone service, at this time for School and Health Care Personnel, to offer support for those waiting for or considering therapy appointments as well as providing stress reduction activities. Ellen, people probably need some sort of therapy more than ever now. Can you offer a suggestion for people, like an actual exercise that would be good during stressful times that would be artistic and expressive? This is true. First off, breathe, any time of day, stop, take three deep breaths concentrating only on your breathing. Let everything else go for these few seconds. I would then consider what are your interests, go with your strengths. Now that it is spring, gardening can be expressive and artistic in your garden planting strategy. If cooking is your pleasure, think about how you present the food, can you color coordinate dinners, cake decorating, fancy napkin folding and so on. I am a big fan of journaling verbally or visually. One activity that can be done alone or with family and friends for destressing and/or fun; 1.Get comfortable, in a journal or just on a piece of paper, take two minutes (best to use a timer) and write down everything you see. No talking. 2.Then take three minutes to look again, add what else you see and start to describe in more detail what is already on your list. If doing this exercise with others, after 3 minutes share each other’s list, notice what you didn’t see or add to list and what you focused on. 3.(If you have time and want to continue) Draw one of the items on your list; then draw it from different perspectives, such as looking down on it, from close up, etc. The drawing can be as simple or as complex as you want using a pencil, or a color media -remember there is no pressure, no right or Continued on next page...
Ellen Joffe-Halpern To the Light oil, 24x20” Three in a series. THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2021 • 33
ELLEN JOFFE-HALPERN
wrong way to do this exercise, this is for you. 4. (an additional activity)Write about why you chose to draw this item, again as you choose, a few words to a full story That was very helpful, thank you! Ellen, have you seen a change in your art making since the beginning of 2020? It took me some time to realize what changes were taking place in my work as it was unconscious. I continued to work on landscapes where I work from sketches and stilllifes which I generally work from set-ups. I have always drawn inspiration from the Cape and noticed I went from stormy seas and then as spring approached, my work became lighter. I did a series of paintings of a particular view of Provincetown’s land’s end lighthouse. It wasn’t until later as I looked at them as a series that I noticed that in each subsequent canvas, I was getting closer and closer to the lighthouse. The final painting, completed after my second vaccination, was a conscious decision to bring together the still life paintings I had been creating this past year which reflected isolation, separateness and loss with this view I had been exploring.
Hephaestus mixed media on paper 22x24”
As for loved ones in your life, like your husband Chip, have you made art specifically to be seen by them, offering special messages such as good energy and hope? Have you boosted your family and friends with your art making? Since we were married in 1979, I have made a calendar every year of my artwork, his photos, and relevant quotes that would carry messages for him and then our children. As our family grew, the calendars were made to be shared with our children and grandchildren. It brings me great happiness to say that the character of these calendars changed as each child and grandchild gets their birthday month dedicated to them! Each year there is a theme to the calendar which the artwork and quotes reflect. The Pandemic years were 2020 “Bright Spots” and 2021 “Being Here”. I hope I have boosted the mood, spirits, of my friends, family and general public with my artwork. I do feel once a picture is finished, it is no longer mine, but belongs to the viewer. Ellen, what have you learned in your lifetime so far that has helped your art making flourish? A long while ago I read a book about “Happiness”. The one thing I took away from it is the idea that we base decisions on the future on what we know now. I have thought about this a lot in terms of decision making but also that I should operate on a daily basis from what I know now. So, from what I know now and art making I would say that I approach each project with fresh eyes and no preconceptions. For fresh color, keep my palette clean and clean brushes frequently. I consider myself an instinctual painter but I take time to sit back, literally, and look at what is going on in the painting, think it over, be honest with myself about what is working and what isn’t, and no mark is so precious it can’t be removed.
Artist Ellen Joffe-Halpern 34 • MAY 2021 THE ARTFUL MIND
Tell us about your educational background, where you studied art, and how you developed your professions over the years? My first teacher was Wallace Bassford, an “American Impressionist” who had an art school in No. Truro, MA which I attended for two weeks when I was sixteen. He inspired me to want to pursue art. I worked for him managing his summer art school for many years and it was Bassford who taught me the most about how to use oil paint. A big part of my job was painting daily which is the best way to learn how to paint. I went to Bard College for a year which was an exciting school but, in my youthful arrogance, I felt I couldn’t stay there because the small art department thought Bonnard was the finest painter and I disagreed. Then I took a year off traveling around Europe
Ellen Joffe-Halpern View from P’town Library, oil, 20x24
and Israel, with most of my time in Italy. Here I was immersed in art history and more importantly, I grew in my own competence and self-confidence as I was on my own. Then I attended the Maryland Art Institute for a year where I received an excellent basic training in the arts but missed the company of non-art majors. I then went to UMass Amherst where I found what I wanted in a college education. This was the height of the anti-war movement, so I also learned about social activism, uniting with community and the power of speaking out! I did find inspiring teachers in the art department, particularly Professor Wang Hui Ming who taught me about painting, but especially about life, philosophy and integrity. Following college, I spent a number of years living on the Cape and in Cambridge doing odd jobs and traveling around Europe and taking road trips around the U.S. It was my mother who suggested I look into Art Therapy; she felt that the most important thing she could give her children was an education and a profession. I attended Lesley College for a graduate degree in Expressive Arts Therapy. It was only the second or third year that they offered this program as the profession was still young. I found it very stimulating and beneficial to be there at the time of this profession’s growth and maturing. When I worked in the expressive art field, I channeled all my creativity and energy into my jobs, and had little time left for my own work. I did a lot of painting in my head which was an interesting exercise, and a lot easier than actually creating the work! One thing that has remained constant is that I carry a sketchbook. Most of my work comes out of these sketches through what I refer to as a veil of memory, experience and affection. I describe my work as nostalgia for the past, present and future. Where did you grow up? What was your childhood like? I grew up in Holyoke MA. I think back on my childhood as a happy, loving and secure one. Back in my growing up years, Continued on next page...
Ellen Joffe-Halpern 9 Views; Simple Pleasures mixed media, 22x26 THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2021 • 35
ELLEN JOFFE-HALPERN
me sit alone at the front of the class while I was only allowed to use my right hand, which slowed me down, had a big influence on me; I blame all my less attractive qualities on her! Has art been an “escape” for you? I don’t consider making art an escape; but when in my studio, I am fully immersed in making art and easily lose track of place and time. When we got married, Chip and I made an agreement that I will go to Truro for two weeks by myself every year. That is where I dream, reflect and regroup.
Ellen Joffe-Halpern “Overview: from Eclipse Mill, No. Adams” mixed media (acrylic, pencil, colored pencils) 24x24”
Ellen Joffe-Halpern “Evening at Corn Hill” oil and ink 12x9”
the 50’s-60’s kids roamed around freely. We had an empty lot next door and there were always kids there to play with. My parents were immigrants (my Dad in 1938, and my Mom and grandmother in 1940) and they wanted for us to fit in, to be as American as possible. I think I got my low-key profile from their concerns about not making waves in their new country. As is common with displaced people, there were many people, some related and some not, but also immigrants, who came and went in our home, some staying for weeks, some for months. I think this gave me an early start in being interested in all kinds of people and wanting to know their stories. I would describe myself as quiet, an introvert independent, and self-sufficient with a vivid imagination for making up stories. I don’t have any idea how others viewed me, except for Miss Shea, my third-grade teacher who thought I was evil because I am left-handed. I went to a new school in third grade. I’m sure between a new school with kids I didn’t know, a teacher who singled me out and made 36 • MAY 2021 THE ARTFUL MIND
What are some of the root philosophies taught to students in Art Therapy? I chose the Lesley College expressive art therapy program because the emphasis was on using all the creative modalities, like visual art, writing , movement, music, and drama. Of course, I was most fluent using art materials, but found using all the above outlets, and including cooking, gardening, and walking equally important in my work. At the time, I was in the program there was a big divide between using artwork produced to interpret for the client and to use the process of art as the clinical piece. I adopted the process approach and encouraged clients to do their own interpretation as well as believing that the process of being creative is therapeutic. What I valued most in my Master’s program was the psychological theory of development, psychiatric diagnoses and practices ( these theories have continually changed over time) which I lacked as an art major in college. I did a lot of on the job learning through good supervision and experience. I have worked with a wide variety of clients in a variety of settings. I learned and developed strategies from everyone. For example, while working in an inpatient psych unit I took four women for a field trip to the Williams College of Art where among other exhibits they had an installation created to represent a kitchen of a household with an abuser. On first, going in it looked lovely but then one realized the wallpaper was decorated with images of ropes, guns, etc., with drawers filled with knives, and other signs of danger. I had prepared my group for what the museum held, and they each chose to come on the trip for various reasons with the understanding that they were not obliged to view this special exhibit. Three decided to look in on it, and I was there to help them process it. Two of the women looked around and decided to go on to see the artwork on the walls. One young woman however sat down and said she is staying there. When I asked her why she said, “I like it here, I’m comfortable, this is what I know”. This is was a powerful lesson learned and informed my work with trauma clients and found it applicable with anyone I worked with.
Being an Artist, what would you say has been some of your goals and challenges towards achieving skills and awareness to what you want to create? Has art history been an influence? Periodically I set myself challenges with specific parameters which keep me focused. About ten years ago I created “Backyard Dreams.” I set myself the goal to complete 365 original creative thoughts in a 5x7” format using a variety of media. They represented my musings on what is fueling my art? what am I searching for? what am I questioning? and what do I need to hold on to? I felt very free to experiment with media, subject matter and style, with no limits other than size and each one had to be a complete composition. This project opened up a number of avenues to explore in future work and I am still working on these. “9 Views” was a natural next step. In this series I conveyed a place, object, or idea through nine same size panels and then arranged these pieces to form a whole idea. From there I moved on to “Overviews”. These were done as a series of four paintings done from sketches in one spot. The challenge was to do the same view reworked as four separate panels and then put together as a complete work. I do believe learning art history is a formative
A Presence of Absence A fluidity of motion beckons to Matisse~ These lissome dancers, nearly inseparable to us As their bodies curve and coil round each other Inexplicable: how each lithe body fills the space Created by the tantalizing openness of absence, That formal absence that forever calls upon us to shape the whole. -Annie Raskin
Ellen Joffe-Halpern Presence of Absence monoprint with pastel figures collaged, 14x12”
element in an artist’s development. Periodically, I choose a particular artist to read up on and look at and then complete a sketch or painting in that artist’s style. As you can imagine some are more successful than others generally based on my natural inclination, but I learn from each try. For many years I went to life drawing groups and later developed a series of myth-based figures reworking the charcoal drawings with mixed media on paper. Recently I have taken out some very old figure paintings and refreshing/reworking them also into mythological images. (9 views, overview, Klee, reworked figure/myth based on paper ) What is it that you see around you that you simply adore and find amazing? My five grandchildren! Each of them, are amazing in their own way and they are easy to love and adore. Going places and spending time with them opens my adult eyes in so many ways. Fran Lebowitz said, “I much prefer the company of a mere child to that of a mere adult”. Picasso said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” I believe he meant not to paint like a child, but to see with the wonder and curiosity of a child. Tell us about your art studio in North Adams? My studio is in the Norad Mill, a repurposed mill in No. Adams first constructed in 1863 as a textile mill. Its last reiteration was the Excelsior Printing Co. The Moresi company did a beautiful job of renovation; it is cleaned up giving it a modern look but retains much of the feel of Ellen Joffe-Halpern Thompson Chapel, Me and Klee oil and ink 16 x 20” the old mill. It is a four-floor mixed use building. Each space which is a mix of retail, business, services, arts, athletics, along with an event space and cafe, has its own distinct qualities made with input from the renters. I moved there from an arts knew then, that my life’s work was to rediscover all he told me. co-operative studio space in Pittsfield about three years ago. Although I miss the comradery of fellow artists, it is very stimulating to be based there, and I How would you describe a blissful day for you and Chip? How did you have a large studio which I share with a practicing art therapist. I live in Wil- two meet? liamstown so it very convenient but being close to the three outstanding mu- Spending a day at the annual “Fresh Grass Festival” at Mass Moca. We met seums here, did not enter in my decision to move my studio. I have always working at The Kolbourne School in Sandisfield. This was my internship/first appreciated each of the museums we have here and, pre-pandemic, I was a job placement after graduate school. About two years later, this handsome sofrequenter of all of them for the art, the multitude of various programs and cial worker came on board and we were assigned to do a therapy group together. No romance would have bloomed at work, but we happened to meet concerts they offer. by chance at The Mahaiwe, then a movie theater, to watch Truffault’s “Small Do you ever think about your first epiphany you ever had, and still hold Change”. We saw each other quite differently than! it as a sacred thought of thoughts? When I was a junior in college, I had a “visit” from Picasso. It may have been What special meaning does Family hold for you? a dream, but nevertheless, I can still remember the feeling, the weight and Family means everything to me: love, joy, purpose, an anchor, connection, voice of him. Picasso told me everything he knew about art and painting. I peace, excitement and fills my heart. Continued on next page... THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2021 • 37
ELLEN JOFFE-HALPERN
Ellen Joffe-Halpern Blair Rd, Fall oil, 24 x 20”
Is there a painting you can show us that you made that reflects your love for Family? I never considered my work in this light before. Family, my work, my creative output, my interests, my activism for social/political cause is all bound up together. I don’t know that I ever thought to separate any of these elements out. But since you asked me, I think the painting “Ghosts” created during this pandemic. I was taking a more interpretive look as my paintings developed during this time. First, I must mention that, coming from a Russian family background, drinking tea is about love and being together. The under painting lines of a canvas are called “ghosts” As I was working on the cups, I decided to leave the ghosts visible to represent those I love who are no longer here, while the empty cups represented who I can’t be with and the bowl of fruit, the nurturing I missed giving. What is your favorite medium you enjoy working in? I call myself a mixed media artist because I take great pleasure in experimenting and mixing 2D media on various surfaces. I began as an oil painter. While I was working and raising a family, I turned primarily to pastels and watercolors, quick media on paper, because I had so little time to dedicate to making art. About two years ago I returned to oil paint. I thought it would be so easy picking up where I left off about forty years ago! I am now beginning to feel more confident that I can make the paint do what I want and follow the paint to where it leads me. A few years ago, I collaborated with a poet friend of mine, Annie Raskin. We worked back and forth off each other’s work. I was responding to her words and she responded to my images. It was wonderful and fascinating. I felt this new ”media”, added another dimension to my work. What technique have you come up to use in your painting that is so very “Ellen”? I would say how I use space. Often, I take a view of looking down on the subject matter or combine several perspectives in one image; not in a cubist way but more in a Cezanne way which is a flattering, more subtle effect. (landscape to reflect use of space) Do you find using and making Colors a very important aspect in your art making process? Yes, very much so. For me composition is basic. Then I love working with line and color. It’s so endlessly fascinating. Sometimes I give myself a challenge of limiting my palette. This restraint is perhaps the hardest challenge of all for me. Have you ever been caught dancing and singing while making art? I always listen to music when I’m painting. I generally make the transition from everyday life into my studio by turning on the music and dancing. It is fun and very energizing. I often catch myself tapping my brushes to the music, or moving around to the beat, as I paint. I keep my back to the windows and hallway, so I don’t get caught! Thank you!, Ellen! What is your contact info so people can see your art? Ellen Joffe-Halpern ellenjoffe@gmail.com 413-441-5923 (leave message and I will return call) www.joffearts.com (currently not up to date but hope to get it spruced up by May)
Ellen Joffe-Halpern Ghosts oil, 16 x 20” 38 • MAY 2021 THE ARTFUL MIND
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FRANCIE LYSHAK CIRCLE AND TURF DIPTYCH OIL ON LINEN 10" X 20" 2018
PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID HALLIDAY
JOYCE GOLDSTEIN GALLERY CORAL BAY SUNRISE, 24 X 30”
CLAUDIA d’ALESSANDRO The sun is palpably different in spring than at any other time of the year. From the (mostly) silent and still world of winter, new life erupts everywhere under the spring sun’s warming presence. On trees, in fields, on ponds, in nests and deep in burrows, new life stirs and is born again. The air warms and breezes now blow more kindly, sweeping away the remnants of the darkness and cold of winter, giving way to warm and welcome light Such a time to be grateful! The spring reminds us of the continuation of life, the promise of new beginnings. So much has been lost in this past year, and the reckoning that takes place comes with new hope and welcome relief after a hard year of sorrow, privation and seclusion. Nature’s images remind me of the magnificent beauty that surrounds us - the mighty power of the natural world which we inhabit. Air, earth and water serve as my canvas. I hope that you will enjoy my images as we all “Let the Sun Shine” in. “Claudia’s photography touches our souls with deep joy!” ~ CHR “She sees with her eyes and feels with her heart.” ~ DKAH For more information on purchasing these, or other prints, - please email me at: cdalessandro26@gmail.com, - visit me at https://www.dalessandrophotography.com, or - follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/cdalessandrophotography/ and on Instagram as: dalessandronatura. Don’t forget to mention The Artful Mind for Preferred Customer pricing! Cheers to all for a safe, healthy and inspiring spring!
SMALL STANDING TALL: SMALL WORKS BY BIG ARTISTS Cross Contemporary Partners is pleased to present Small Standing Tall, an exhibition of small paintings, prints, photographs and sculpture by 12 mid-career artists. The twelve artists in Small Standing Tall have had solo exhibitions in museums and galleries across the United States and now converge in this small works show. The artists are: Sarah Hinckley (MA), Michel Goldberg (NY), Kaethe Kauffman (HI), Victoria Lowe (FL), Francie Lyshak (NYC), Nicki Marx (NM), Deborah Masters (NY), John A. O’Connor (FL), Eric Sanders (CA), James Singelis (MA), Francine Tint (NYC), and Gail Hillow Watkins (MD). The exhibition is guest curated by Jen Dragon and hosted by the Joyce Goldstein Gallery at 19 Central Square, Chatham, NY with hours Thursday - Sunday 1:00-4:00pm. The exhibition opens on Sat. May 8th, 4-6pm with Covid protocols in place (mask-wearing and limited audience entry to the gallery). Small Standing Tall runs through June 5, 2021.
SPENCERTOWN ACADEMY INHERENT BEAUTY: AN INVITATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW MAY 1 - MAY 31, 2021 VIRTUAL EXHIBIT “A strong sense of design and natural light reveals beauty in each image and leaves a lasting impression. Each photographer offers a unique perspective,” says Lynn Rothenberg, who is cochair of the Academy Curatorial Committee. “Ellen Lynch artfully captures the interplay of horses, movement, and natural light while Neal Warshaw’s moody black and white photographs evoke mystery and have an old-fashioned flavor. In Gerald Seligman’s drone photography, his thoughtfully composed images capture graphic patterns hidden from our grounded vantage point. David Halliday’s meticulously hand-printed photographs are at times reminiscent of paintings by the Old Masters and reveal the purity and intentionality of his process.” 790 Route 203, PO Box 80, Spencertown, NY. 518-392-3693 / info@spencertownacademy.org
"Lilith with Silk Rose"
Julia Grey Archival Inkjet Print At Large Studio, Las Vegas,NV www.xgender.net THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2021 • 39
Zack Lobdell, Relic, 2021 Acrylic, spray paint, enamels on canvas
FORCE A partnership art exhibit with Salem Art Works and Southern Vermont Arts Center exhibiting a diverse group of progressive contemporary artists Talking with PEARL CAFRITZ DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION AT SALEM ART WORKS (SAW) and ANNE CORSO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SOUTHERN VERMONT ARTS CENTER (SVAC) Interview by Harryet Candee
Harryet Candee: What has been one of your main objectives while working at Salem Art Works (SAW)? Pearl Cafritz: During my tenure at Salem Art Works for the past four years as the Director of Administration, one of my responsibilities is the events and outreach. As a Saratoga Native and a Graduate of the College of Saint Rose coupled with previous experiences working within the Arts for the last twenty-five years, I have fostered relationships and opportunities for SAW Artists. We have several cultural partnerships and it is an exciting opportunity to collaborate with Southern Vermont’s Arts Center. The locations planned for the indoor and outdoor exhibition FORCE, runs simultaneously at SAW and at Southern Vermont Arts Center 40 • MAY 2021 THE ARTFUL MIND
(SVAC). What has been planned at both locations? What is Force about? The exhibition will be on view in the Elizabeth de C Wilson Museum galleries from May 8 thru June 27, with a closing reception to be held on Saturday, June 26. The concurrent outdoor sculpture exhibition in the Stroup Family Sculpture Part at SVAC will remain on-site through 2021 and beyond. SVAC invited me to curate indoor galleries in which I selected “art depicting and interpreting forces both seen and unseen at play in contemporary life”, SAW executive Director Anthony Cafritz and Sculptor Park Manager Zac Ward are the co-curators for the outdoor sculpture park show. Anthony remarks the sculptures “encompass a wide range of forays and investigations into artistic expression and how physical objects exist in the land-
scape.” Throughout the exhibition, there will be several events at SVAC including artist talks, demonstrations, and the closing reception which will include a performance. As well as SVAC robust event and program schedule which will naturally allow visitors to experience this exhibition. To help the participating artists in FORCE get recognition, what ways has SAW been able to create such connections for the exhibit FORCE? Salem Art Works has entered its sixteenth year. During SAW’s existence, it has created a strong base of advocates. SAW’s Director of Communications, Nancy Welsh, through social media and the press, has been actively been spreading the word. The fifteen artists exhibiting within the indoor ex-
hibition: Anthony Cafritz, Jordan Becker, Brian Cirmo, Luke Claymon, Walter Dunnington, Jenny Hillenbrand, Gary Humphreys, Zack Lobdell, Paul Mauren, Sanford Mirling, Enid Sanford, Micheal Scupholm, Russell Serrianne, Zac Ward, and Nancy Welsh. All of which are colleagues, board members, past residents, or supporters. You and Anthony Cafritz have created one of the most beautiful art experiences ever created on the planet. So much is offered to artists and visitors. Can you tell us about Salem Art Works to those that are just learning about it? Also, how did it all begin for the Cafritz’s? Salem Art Works (SAW) is a contemporary art center and sculpture park located on a 119-acre former dairy farm in rural Washington County, New York. Founded in 2005 by artist Anthony Cafritz, SAW’s mission is to support both emerging and established artists in all artistic media in the creation of new and progressive work, as well as promote the understanding and appreciation of contemporary art within the region. At the core of SAW’s philosophy is the belief that inspired new works are created in an open and supportive environment encouraging interaction among artists and disciples. Based upon this tenet, SAW offers opportunities in four focal areas: cultural events, exhibitions, educational workshops, and artist programs. During the pandemic SAW focused on our administration, infrastructure, and having the sculpture park open for visitors. It is with great enthusiasm that we are in the phases of safely re-opening to the public already have workshops, events, exhibitions on our calendar as well as welcoming back artists in residency. My background has been working in many prestigious museums such as the Guggenheim, American Museum of Natural History, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, The Whitney, and Hyde Museum. As well as traveling the world coordinating logistics for Art Fairs. Returning to upstate, NY five years ago I felt right at home in Salem. My first experience at SAW was exploring the majestical park with my young children. Anthony & I’s union is one filled with harmony and a great tale of the artist and curator. The artists showing in FORCE were selected because of certain criteria that fit into the scheme of things. How did you select these artists, and what connections and forces caused an excitable rush for those chosen? For the interior show selecting and curating the artwork is a timeless process and a reflection of our current times. This has been an unforgettable past year and there have been so many factors in play that are both seen and unseen. The artists have a focus, drive, and dedicated practice to continue to tell their stories. Taken into account COVID and the restrictions at play my selection was also based on artists that are within close distance during this period. I truly believe that more opportunities will arise and look forward to continuing curation. Conducting studio and the process reviewing the artist’s applications has caused an excitable rush. For instance, I have visited Zack Lobdell’s studio in Gansevoort several times leading up to the show, and every time there is pliable energy, excitement and newly completed paintings that have a vivid life. Socially and emotionally artists, and art enthusiContinued on next page...
Paul Mauren, Speak to Me, 2016, 35”hx30”w x 18”d
Brian Cirmo Nimrod, I voted, 2017 Oil on canvas 40x38
THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2021 • 41
Jordan Becker Glacial Melt
asts, need to continue conversations and return to the gallery setting. This is a bright light with a beacon of hope at the perfect time. When putting FORCE together, what were some new and exciting ideas brought to the table that have been implanted, and possibly able to be incorporated in the next line of events at SAW? SAW was built on out-of-the-box thinking and is rooted in the convergence and collaboration of people of varied backgrounds, ideas, and artistic approaches. We welcome and respect all people and encourage every participant to contribute to the SAW experience regardless of their age, race, gender, or ability. SAW and the surrounding Salem community are committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment, both in and around SAW, where learning, exploration, risk-taking, and expression can happen free from judgment and discrimination. Moreover, the plans to reopen SAW and how to interact within a pandemic was an everlasting puzzle with new rules and challenges every week. My colleagues which are mostly comprised of artists were instrumental in how SAW had to evolve during this time. It is truly a collaborative effort with a deep well of out-of-the-box thinkers. FORCE… In what ways can you best explain what is to be expected to be seen by visitors? What would you like viewers to understand about the art when they leave? Within the galleries a sliver of SAW which is representing all media including an array of paintings, ceramics, glass, iron, blacksmithing, paintings, sculptures and mixed media. An introduction or a continued conversation to the viewer as to what Salem Art Works has to offer just a short drive over the mountain. 42 • MAY 2021 THE ARTFUL MIND
Would you like to tell us whom do you thank for their efforts in making FORCE possible? My heartfelt thanks to SVAC for this incredible opportunity. To all the artist that have persevered and continue to create. To my colleagues who make this opportunity seamless. To SAW’s board members as well as supporters for not only participating in the exhibition but their commitment to the future. To my lovely, kind, supportive, and hardworking husband, Anthony Cafritz, and our adorable shorties who have open hearts without judgment and ready for whatever is next.
A talk with SVAC’s ANNE CORSO Do you see the end of virtual programming at SVAC, as we move forward in 2021? I think FORCE would be one example of how things are changing and progressing in the art world? Anne Corso: It’s an interesting question. When SVAC began creating virtual programming at the start of the pandemic, it was out of necessity. We saw virtual programs as a substitute to “the real thing”, yet there have been so many opportunities opened up for us as an institution as well as for our participants. We’ll see a long-time member enroll in an art class with their loved one who lives across the country, or we can have professional artists Zoom with an elementary art school class; or host a noted film historian on the West Coast for a film noir class. I think the virtual world is a part of our new world now. Have you picked up on new, energized excitement and a buzzing in the air of sorts coming from Artists, now that we are able to go back
and begin planning live art exhibits, openings and talks? What is the pace you see as all this unfolds? It may all be too early, but I think we are all trying. As vaccines become more widely available and as Vermont plans for a phased statewide reopening, everyone is feeling optimistic. At SVAC, we are looking forward to hosting events again. That said, the health and safety of participants is paramount. Our approach to events and gatherings will be planned through that lens. We’ll use our outdoor spaces in ways we haven’t before. We’ll hybridize in-person and virtual events. We’ll think about our benchmarks differently. A successful event might not be the one with the highest attendance, but rather one that gave the audience a sense of connection, a renewed passion or interest, or even just a desire for more. How would you personally describe the feeling of walking into the Wilson Galleries at SVAC to see FORCE? What are your feelings about the show as you leave? I’m struck by the diversity of the work within the FORCE exhibition. Artists are working in a variety of media, scale, and style. Yet in context with fellow artists’ work, the pieces offer the viewer a deep and varied experience. Michael Scupholm’s kiln cast glass sculptures are powerful pieces incorporating images of the human body, while Enid Sanford’s abstract canvases are cool and cerebral. And Russell Serrianne literally incorporates vines and tendrils into images that are natural and abstracted at the same time. Working in collaboration with SAW for FORCE must be a great endeavor for all involved. What has been your role and responsibilities as E.D in
educator-turned-director, my biggest goal is to make SVAC meaningful to its audiences. I’m fortunate that we get to do that in so many ways: creating exhibitions, classes, and performances; developing relationships with artists or creating artist-in-residence programs, and sometimes it’s as simple as giving a tour or talking about a work of art with a visitor. I think you enjoy your work at SVAC, and FORCE has been so far a very good experience in many ways for you. Tell me, is there, and how do you attract audiences from the big cities to come and visit? The beauty of southern Vermont is that it isn’t the big city, and we need not try to replicate the big city on a smaller scale. What makes our area unique is the wonderful outdoor experience, a rich history, and of course, a deep interest in the visual and performing arts. We create amazing exhibitions featuring artists from across the country, and unlike our arts partners in urban areas, we can bring the arts out into our 100+ acre campus. That uniqueness makes us a destination for those coming from other areas as well as an integral part of our own community.
Barbara Ishikura - Kaira Quarantined
all this? What has it been like to work with the SAW team? The FORCE exhibition is a different model for SVAC. Rather than SVAC curating the entire exhibition and creating content, the SAW team has done the heavy lift in that area. My role was to facilitate and lay the groundwork, both literally and figuratively, for the exhibition. There’s so much creativity and vision coming from the SAW team. It’s been rewarding to partner with them and expand our respective audiences.
SVAC had its beginnings in the 1950’s as an artist collaborative – a place where local artists exhibited and sold their work to the residents of the very seasonal community in Southern Vermont. SVAC has evolved since then. Art is still at the core of our mission, but education and community engagement are equally important. We are fortunate to be able to exhibit artists from around the world, and also to support and show local artists. We host internationally acclaimed theater and music festivals, but also to teach art, drama, and music to local children.
Anne, thinking outside the box, what ideas, and I am sure there are some, have been considered for SVAC’s future that was born from working with Pearl and Anthony Cafritz, the artists and the staff at SAW? One of the takeaways for me in terms of the FORCE exhibition, is the power of partnerships. Arts organizations really can be stronger together. The exhibition has brought an almost entirely new group of artists to SVAC’s campus. Our galleries and sculpture park have given SAW artists a new venue and new context to their work. Hopefully, this is a new chapter of collaboration for both organizations.
What have been your creative contributions and brain-child ideas to SVAC since you took position as ED? It’s been really rewarding to be able to help shape an institution like SVAC. My vision has always been to make it a healthier organization and one that engages its community in meaningful ways. That manifests in so many different ways: it can be improving infrastructure and renovating a restaurant, building a grants program and receiving our first national grants, finding ways to provide art supplies to students or schools in need. It can also be about powerful exhibitions and art experiences. I’m particularly proud of some of our recent exhibitions. Unmasked: Artful Responses to the Pandemic was curated entirely in-house and brought over 40 artists or artist collectives to SVAC, featuring many artists who have never been shown in our region. I was also proud to dedicate the entire 2020 exhibition season to women artists in our Women Take Wilson exhibition series, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment. That series of exhibitions introduced our community to artists such as Adrien Broom and Misoo Bang.
Have any of the progressive, contemporary artists of FORCE been in involved with SVAC prior to the FORCE exhibit partnership? Do you foresee this as the beginning of new friendships and possibilities across the board with new artists that are more of a progressive, contemporary style of artmaking? What I find exciting about the FORCE exhibition is the dialogue between SVAC and SAW in terms of our respective artists as well as our institutions. Certainly, there has been some exchange in the past: some SVAC artist members have participated in SAW’s programs or residencies, but this is our first substantial collaboration. What has been the purpose and goal of SVAC?
Tell us about yourself, Anne. I’m an educator at heart and come to SVAC with many years of museum education experience. I’ve worked at the Delaware Art Museum, the Reading Public Museum in Pennsylvania, and most recently at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Virginia. As an
What might be some clear messages you think artists are needing to convey to the world today? Do you see a trend, or mind-set that all artists share as we go through the Pandemic? Artists have responded to the pandemic in so many ways. For some, there’s been a need to adapt their particular process due to working in a smaller space or not having access to shared equipment. Other artists have experimented in this past year: a figurative painter exploring abstraction, or a photographer experimenting with new printing processes. Of course, some artists have been compelled to create work in response to the various social injustices highlighted in this past year. Is there a trend to be found there? I think there’s a renewed sense of longing for communication – from artist to artist, and between artists and their audiences. One artist in particular is Barbara Ishikura, who will participate in a solo exhibition this summer at SVAC. As Ishikura worked at home during the pandemic, she delved more deeply into her personal relationships with loved ones. Her intensely personal paintings document the nuances of her relationship with her partner, and herself and her own body, as well as the importance of domestic spaces during this time of isolation. (Use Barbara’s self portrait as example) What does the word FORCE mean to you? I love the multiple meanings of FORCE. It can be an active verb connoting the force an artist exerts on their materials, or how a work of art forces its viewer to see, think, or feel. Force can also be something more intangible, a force that drives us to create, a force of nature, a force to be reckoned with. Salem Art Works: 19 Cary Lane, Salem, NY 518-854-7674 / info@salemartworks.org Southern Vermont Arts Center: 930 SVAC Drive, Manchester, VT 802-362-1405 / www.svac.org
Thank you Pearl! Thank you Anne! G THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2021 • 43
Lost in the Woods PART 2
Thomas Aimes set to work to write an article that would destroy the reputation of Professor Buboni, and either he was lucky that day, or fate had decided to undermine Buboni’s long run of good luck in the art history field. For years Buboni had supplemented his income by appraising works of art. He charged a tiny percentage of the assessed value of the work, but this produced huge sums when the art in question was by an old master. The evaluation of art works usually preceded auctions, and for twenty years Buboni’s assessments had gone unchallenged and then by accident his perfect record was broken. The Vatican published a letter from Michelangelo to Raphael that proved without a doubt that a drawing in the Vasari collection had not been done by Piero Della Francesca as Buboni had thought, but was an “ineffectual copy by Piero De Cosomo.” This mistake of Buboni’s may very well have gone unnoticed, and even if it had been commented on in art circles would have done him little damage but there was another article Thomas found in the Vatican Journal that was more embarrassing, although of an anecdotal character. The magazine article which ended Buboni’s professional career, and turned him from a respected art historian into a laughingstock concerned the attack on Michelangelo’s Pieta with a hammer, by Laszlo Toth, in 1972. The art treasures of the Roman Catholic Church had been freely on view to the public for hundreds of years but after the Laszlo Toth attack on the Pieta the Vatican decided to reconsider its policies. The church could not afford the enormous increase in insurance costs the attack on the sculpture produced, and so a new policy was put in place. It was decided that the finest possible copies would be made of all the works the church possessed that were impossible to adequately protect. For the paintings and sculpture in the Vatican itself, increased security was put in place, but for all of the lesser works in various churches throughout Italy, one by one, the originals were removed to safe keeping, and copies were substituted. To assist in this project art students and faculty at Universities were enlisted. For many years at the University of Padua, the post-graduate art students completed an annual project consisting of making a copy of some great Renaissance masterpiece, and these beautifully executed copies lined the great hall of the school’s library. The Vatican began purchasing these paintings and, one by one, replacing the originals with them in the various important churches in Rome. By 1975 the Vatican had set up a fellow44 • MAY 2021 THE ARTFUL MIND
ship at the University to provide funds, a workshop, and time and working materials and in exchange the University made specific copies at the Church’s request, and so gradually the most famous pieces were replaced with excellent copies. At the end of the article about the consequence of the Laszlo Toth attack was a long list of the paintings the Vatican had replaced with reproductions, third on the list was one Raphael painting, replaced in 1974, which was of great interest to Thomas Aimes for his article on Buboni. This Raphael, “Madonna and Child,” was the same painting that Buboni claimed was the beginning of his “Theory of Historical Destructivism.” The fact that this painting was the one Buboni credited with being at the origin of his theory would not have mattered at all, except that it had become for him the signature anecdote of his speaking career. He loved to relate this touching story, dwelling on his humility as he realized that by treating the painting simply as a work of art, he was interrupting the humble prayers of some devout old Italian woman who was praying to the painting as an object of devotion. As the years went by this Raphael painting according to his descriptions became more and more exceptional, until it seemed that Buboni would exhaust a thesaurus in his search for substitutions of the word beautiful. The image of the painting or details from it were invariably used on the covers of his books. Thomas Aimes worked this fact in passing into his article about Buboni not failing to mention the incorrect attribution of his own Leonardo drawing that Buboni had disparaged. He also spent several paragraphs inquiring into the ethics of an art historian being paid a commission to validate the authenticity of old master paintings, as if such a fee could be construed as a form of bribery. No sooner was this article published but the Times of London picked it up, and on a Saturday of slow news, wrote it up under a caption ‘Fake,’ with two images, one of the Raphael painting and the other of Buboni. The article was very complete, and repeated all of the details of the Aimes article, and added some new material of the same sort. Buboni’s career as an art historian ended abruptly at 10:00 AM that Saturday morning as people all over the world read the newspaper article. What this was like for Buboni who was not young, and had never encountered any adversity before is both hard to describe, and hard to imagine. Buboni’s blog entries from the time give us a good idea of what it was like for him. He wrote: It was as though I had become schizophrenic but it was a schizophrenia imposed on me from the outside, and not something from the inside. Each person I met, my first thought was, ‘do they know what has happened to me or not.’ And from their facial expressions I tried to guess, because no one would dare to talk to me about it. Everywhere I went I thought I saw sympathetic eyes, and behind my back I thought I heard sarcastic remarks. In the past, to have an evaluation by Buboni as part of a works provenance was considered an asset, now overnight it became an embarrassment. It was not long before he found himself involved in lawsuits claiming that he was responsible for the devaluation of various works of art. After this he disappeared from view. No one saw or heard anything about him for over six
months. The next mention of him was by one of Thomas Aimes’ students who said he had seen him in Paris at the bus station; soliciting people to join his tour of the Louvre, where he was giving guided tours. At some point during this time he posted a note to his blog. His post was dated about a month before we picked him up hitchhiking on the road. This is what was in his post. Buboni’s last blog post was a quote from Dante’s Inferno, Canto I: Midway upon the journey of our life I found myself within a forest dark, For the straightforward pathway had been lost. Ah me! how hard a thing it is to say What was this forest savage, rough, and stern, Which in the very thought renews the fear. So bitter is it, death is little more; I read Buboni’s blog post of the quote from Dante and I felt at last I understood something about these artistic personalities I had been traveling with. He was not lost in any woods, and neither was Dante. The woods were just a metaphor for how they felt about their lives. Apparently metaphors, for these people, were very important. As a matter of fact, for them reality was just a metaphor for ideas already in their heads, and for them all metaphors were substitutes for reality. I kept what I knew about Buboni to myself, and did not share it with anyone, although I was tempted. I thought to myself, ‘I too am lost in a wood,’ but I had no intention of talking about it. That evening after our long drive, we made arrangements to stay at a monastery that provided accommodations to travelers for a small fee. The rooms were simple, small and clean, and for one night it was possible to imagine what the life of a monk might have been like centuries ago. The abbot of the place was our host, and provided us with amiable conversation in the morning over breakfast, but poor Professor Buboni did not seem to be feeling well. We were aware that he had been up all night off and on and in the morning we could see that he was pale and almost trembling. As one would expect in such a setting, and with such company, the conversation turned mostly to the history of art, and its intersection with religion. These were two topics close to Buboni’s heart and yet he sat there over his untouched breakfast and said not a word. Suddenly he stood up to his full height and began shouting, “What if the Pope woke up one morning and realized that the entire history of Catholicism was an entire crock of bull? And then the Pope would have to go to work, knowing every instant that it was all a big farce, a big charade, a Punch and Judy show, a sad magic trick everyone sees through, a worn out one act play with no plot...” As he raved he put his face closer and closer to the Abbot, flecks of foam appeared on his lips. He took a step back and then collapsed onto the floor in a heap. “It’s Cholera,” said the Abbot. “Where is the nearest hospital?” I said. And so we prepared to do something about our new art historian friend, but the Abbot said, “It may already be too late.”
RICHARD BRITELL: FROM THE BLOG NO CURE FOR THE MEDIEVAL MIND
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