THE ARTFUL MIND THE SOURCE FOR PROMOTING the ARTS SINCE 1994
Free! MAY 2017
STEVE AND CAROL IDE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LEE EVERETT
Kris Galli
The Angel of Prince Street Station, Oil on Canvas, 40x30
Downtown, Oil on Canvas, 36x24
The Subway Series, 1 & 2
On View at Alta Cafe & Wine Bar, Lenox, MA
krisgallifineart.com
413-637-9971
EDWARD ACKER PHOTOGRAPHER
Times Flies • Get Pictures EdwardAckerPhotographer.com 800 - 508 - 8373
MAY/JUNE
Ann Scott
FIRST ANNIVERSARY SHOW MAY 6 - JuNE 11
JUDY HAWKINS, BROOK'S EDGE, OIL ON CANVAS 30 X 40"
opening reception: May 14 - 3-6 pm
in conjunction with Turn Park's Opening MURRAY ZIMILES, COLOR BEFORE GREY 20" X 40"
Other artists include: David Skillicorn, John MacGruer & Jane McWhorter, Helga Orthofer, Lorraine Klagsbrun
6 Harris st., West stockbridge, Ma • 413-232-7007
Beginning in May, hours will be "open daily except Tuesdays", 11am - 6 pm
Squall, oil on canvas, 30” x 30”
Solo show at the Southern Vermont Art Center May 27-July 8.
Opening reception will be Sunday, May 28 from 2-4
You can see my work throughout the year at the Hoadley Gallery, 21 Church Street, Lenox, MA.
www.annscottpainting.com
eleanor lord ARTIST
eleanorlord.com THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2016 • 1
THE ARTFUL MIND ARTZINE MAY 2017
The grass is not greener on the other side. Infact, its probably not green at all. It could be pink, or blue, yellow, lavender.... CHARLES STEINHACKER PHOTOGRAPHER Interview...H. Candee ...6
Photograph by Julie McCarthy
Photo by Linda Steinhacker
ANNIE CONSIDINE, ACTOR Interview...H. Candee ... 14
The Winer
is now open for the season! Enjoy Wine Tasting on the weeekends
STEVE AND CAROL IDE GUITARIST AND VOCALIST Interview...H. Candee Photography by Lee Everett ...26 LISA LAMONICA, ILLUSTRATOR Interview...H. Candee ...30
LYNDA MEYER OF LYNDA’S ANTIQUE CLOTHING LOFT
Interview...H. Candee Photography by Kate Coulehan...36
POPS PETERSON
Interview...H. Candee ...46
JOANNE SPIES, ARTIST
Interview... H. Candee Photography by Jane Feldman...54
Paintin’ the Town by Natalie Tyler ....65
FICTION: A Day In The Life Of Six Hats Richard Britell ...66 Grandma Becky’s Recipes Laura Pian ... 67
Contributing Writers and Monthly Columnists Richard Britell, Laura Pian, Natalie Tyler Photographers Edward Acker, Lee Everett, Jane Feldman Sabine von Falken, Alison Wedd Publisher Harryet Candee
Copy Editor Marguerite Bride
Editorial Proofreading Kris Galli Advertising and Graphic Design Harryet Candee
artfulmind@yahoo.com Quote Meister Bruce MacDonald
413 854 4400 ALL MATERIAL due the 5th of the month prior to publication
FYI: ©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.
2 • MAY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND
Th
! e you m o c l e’s we n i l E e
LesTroisEmme L essT e Trro Tro oiiissEm mm me m e WINERY AND VINEYARD
8 KNIGHT ROAD NEW MARLBOROUGH, MA
413. 528. 1015 www.lte.winery.com www.itewinery.com
SPRINGFUL CALENDAR MAY!! ART
MARGUERITE BRIDE HOME STUDIO AT 46 GLORY DRIVE, PITTSFIELD, MA 413- 841-1659 or 413-442-7718 MARGEBRIDE-PAINTINGS.COM FB: MARGUERITE BRIDE WATERCOLORS Original watercolors, house portraits, commissions, fine art reproductions. Seasonal scenes always on exhibit at Crowne Plaza, Pittsfield; Studio visits by appt.
510 WARREN STREET GALLERY 510 WARREN STREET, HUDSON, NY 518-822-0510 510warrenstreetgallery@gmail.com / 510warrenstreetgallery.com Carl Grauer: “CELLS: Two Hour Portraits” May 5 – May 28, 2017. Opening Reception: Saturday, May 6, 3 – 6pm (Friday & Saturday, 12 - 6, Sunday 12 - 5 or by app)
NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUM 9 GLENDALE RD, STOCKBRIDGE, MA 413-298-4100 Hanna-Barbera: The Architects of Saturday Morning: November 12-May 29, 2017. Based on all of the wonderful animation that Hanna has done throughout her life. She was an amazing film animator at MGM studios.
ANN SCOTT
HTTP://WWW.ANNSCOTTPAINTING.COM
Solo show at the Southern Vermont Art Center, May 27-July 8. Opening reception will be Sunday, May 28 from 2-4. Ann Scott’s work can be seen year-round at Hoadley Gallery, 21 Church Street, Lenox, MA.
CHESTERWOOD 4 WILLIAMSVILLE RD, STOCKBRIDGE, MA The country home, studio, and gardens of America’s foremost public sculptor, Daniel Chester French. Open to the public and a gift for all to see this season.
CLAIRE TEAGUE SENIOR CENTER 917 SOUTH MAIN ST., GT. BARRINGTON, MA 413-528-l881 Karen Dolmanisth, thru May 30. See the newly rehung permanent collection. Eunice Agar paintings. Regular Hours: Monday- Friday, 8:00 AM - 3:30pm
CLARK ART INSTITUTE 225 SOUTH ST, WILLIAMSTOWN, MA Looking North and South, thru May 29. Explores the artistic exchange among artists working in the Netherlands, Germany and Italy in 16th and 17th C. Europe. DEB KOFFMAN’S ARTSPACE 137 FRONT ST, HOUSATONIC, MA • 413-274-1201 Sat: 10:30-12:45 class meets. No experience in drawing necessary, just a willingness to look deeply and watch your mind. This class is conducted in silence. Adult class. $10, please & call to register.
DENISE B CHANDLER FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY & PHOTO ART 413-637-2344 or 413-281-8461 (leave message) *Lenox home studio & gallery appointments available. *Exhibiting and represented by Sohn Fine Art, Lenox, MA.
DIANA FELBER GALLERY 6 HARRIS ST., WEST STOCKBRIDGE, MA 413-854-7002dianafelbergallery.com First Anniversary Opening Reception hosting a bouquet of artists, May 14, 2-6pm, (Open 11-6pm, closed Tues.) FRONT STREET GALLERY 129 FRONT ST, HOUSATONIC, MA • 413-274-6607 Kate Knapp oils and watercolors and classes open to all. GOOD PURPOSE GALLERY 40 MAIN STREET, LEE, MA • 413-394-5045 The CATA Art on Tour: Art in Bloom through May 15.
4 • MAY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND
JENNIFER PAZIENZA http://jenniferpazienza.com; jennpazienza@gmail.com BEAT’S, Berkshire Environment Action Team’s, 1st Annual art show, Wild Berkshires opening April 21 with a silent auction that runs through May 13 at 6 pm
JOHN DAVIS GALLERY 362 1/2 WARREN ST, HUDSON, NY • 518-828-5907 art@johndavisgallery.com Joseph Haske, Paintings opening Saturday, April 29th, 6 - 8pm , a new exhibition will open at John Davis Gallery thru May 21.
LAUREN CLARK FINE ART 325 STOCKBRIDGE RD, GT. BARRINGTON MA 413-528-0432 Lauren@LaurenClarkFineArt.com www.LaurenClarkFineArt.com “The Line and the Curve”, paintings and sculpture by New York artist, Sharon Wandel. The show opens Saturday, May 27 thru June 25. Reception for the Artist, Saturday, May 27, 4-7pm. L’ATELIER BERKSHIRES 597 MAIN STREET, GREAT BARRINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS www.atelierberks.com. • 510-469-5468 natalie.tyler@atelierberks.com PENCIL AND PAPER Pencil and Paperthru May 11. Also, The “In Bloom” exhibition will run from May 13 - June 18. Opening Reception is Friday May 26, 7pm-9pm.
LISA VOLLMER PHOTOGRAPHY NEW STUDIO + GALLERY 325 STOCKBRIDGE ROAD, GT. BARRINGTON 413-429-6511 / www.lisavollmer.com The Studio specializes in portrait, event, editorial and commercial photography : by appointment. The Gallery represents Sabine Vollmer von Falken, Thatcher Hullerman Cook, Carolina Palermo Schulze and Tom Zetterstrom. (Open daily from 11-4pm closed on Wednesdays)
MASS MoCA 1040 MASSMOCA WAY, NORTH ADAMS, MA 413-662-2111 Chris Domenick: 50 Days. On view now.
R&F HANDMADE PAINTS 84 TEN BROECK AVENUE, IN MID-TOWN, KINGSTON, NY 845-331-3112 Encaustic paints and supplies, gallery
SCHANTZ GALLERIES 3 ELM ST, STOCKBRIDGE, MA • 413-298-3044 schantzgalleries.com A destination for those seeking premier artists working in glass
SOHN FINE ART GALLERY, PRINTING, FRAMING & WORKSHOPS 69 CHURCH STREET, LENOX MA • 413-551-7353 Contemporary photography by local and international artists. We also offer photographic services, archival pigment printing and framing services. ST. FRANCIS GALLERY RTE. 102, SOUTH LEE (just 2 miles east from the Red Lion Inn) Line-up of artists through the season. Open Fri - Sun 12-5 VAULT GALLERY 322 MAIN ST, GT. BARRINGTON, MA • 413-644-0221 Marilyn Kalish at work and process on view, beautiful gallery with a wonderful collection of paintings
WILLIAMS COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART 15 LAWRENCE HALL DR #2, WILLIAMSTOWN, MA 413-597-2429 Lex and Love: Meleko Mokgosi, thru 9/17. In two new chapters in his Democratic Intuition project Meleko Mokgosi (Botswana, b. 1981) Williams ’07, investigates the irresolvable contradiction that is democracy. Presented together for the first time at WCMA, Lex and Love consider the daily experiences of diverse populations who occupy southern Africa.
EVENTS
BERKSHIRES ARTS FESTIVAL JULY 1-3 BERKSHIRES ARTS & CULTURE FESTIVAL AUGUST 17-20 www.berkshiresartsfestival.com/#sthash.uloipj1K.dpuf Now in its 16th year, the Berkshires Arts Festival is recognized nationally as one of the most respected annual
VENTFORT HALL MANSION AND GILDED AGE MUSEUM 104 WALKER ST. LENOX, MA 413-637-3206 / INFO@GILDEDAGE.ORG “Baked to Death”, Saturday, May 6. Doors open at 6:00 pm; Program starts and first course served at 6:30 pm. Admission: $40
summer art events in the country. The festival is rated by the Berkshires Visitors Bureau as one of the top ten "Hot Spots" in Western Massand is highly recommended as one of THE places to go for family get-togethers. With its relaxed atmosphere, great food, fantastic art & fine crafts, there are plenty of things for the entire family to enjoy.
WORKSHOPS
PARADISE CITY ARTS FESTIVAL MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND Paradise City Arts Festival, May 27, 28 & 29, at Northampton’s 3 County Fairgrounds, on Old Ferry Road off Rt. 9. From the Mass Pike, take exit 4 to I-91 North, Exit 19. For complete show and travel information, advance online tickets and discount admission coupons, visit www.paradisecityarts.com or call 800-511-9725. HUDSON HALL at the HUDSON OPERA HOUSE Classics on Hudson: Brooklyn Rider Sunday, May 7 at 5 pm Tickets: $40 premium section, $25 general admission
CATA 2017 GALA AND PERFORMANCES TINA PACKER PLAYHOUSE, LENOX, MA • 413-528-5485 tix also available at 40 Rialrd st, SUite, Gt. Barrington, MA. Gala: Sat May 13, 5pm,
IS183 ART SCHOOL OF THE BERKSHIRES
JEN ZIMBERG LIVE CONCERT
Six Depot Roastery 6 Depot St, West Stockbridge, MA May 12, 7:30-8:30 pm Modern folk singer songwriter, Jen raises a clear over a fingerpicked guitar. Sample sound on Soundcloud or Bandcamp
and Matinee, Snday May 14, 1pm.
MUSIC
BERKSHIRE BASH 3 live summer music festivals in Great Barrington on the grounds of Ski Butternut: Berkshire Beatles Bash on Saturday July 8; Berkshire Blues Bash on Saturday July 29 and Berkshire Hot Summer Swing on Saturday, August 26. The day long events include a line-up of live music featuring national and local performers including Classical Mystery Tour July 8, Roomful of Blues July 29, Squirrel Nut Zippers August 26 and more bands, musicians, food vendors, and summer fun. Tickets for the Berkshire Bash series range from $100 for VIP Package (limited quantity) with access to artists, $35 adults in advance, children 12 and under are free. www.berkshire bash.com. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH MUSIC THE MAHAIWE 4 CASTLE STREET GREAT BARRINGTON MA 518-392-6677 www.cewm.org “Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman”, June 10 Gala concert
CLUB HELSINKI HUDSON 405 COLUMBIA ST., HUDSON, NY Club Helsinki Hudson • 518-828-4800 LARA HOPE & THE ARK-TONES ALBUM RELEASE, Friday, May 26. 6:00 PM / SHOW: 9:00 PM. This Event Is 21 And Over
HUDSON HALL AT THE HUDSON OPERA HOUSE 327 WARREN STREET, HUDSON, NY Classics on Hudson: Brooklyn Rider Sunday, May 7 at 5pm. Tickets: $40 premium section, $25 general admission
MASS MoCA NORTH ADAMS, MA CAKE: Sunday May 28, 8pm. an anti-grunge, post-pop
band who scripted smart lyrics, stripped away the original over-engineering of its live shows in order to broadcast those lyrics with laser beam precision — and above all, always have fun doing it.
THEATRE
BERKSHIRE THEATRE GROUP THE GARAGE 11 SOUTH ST, PITTSFIELD, MA Berkshire Theatre Group announces a brand new series, the $10 Music Garage. This series is devoted to presenting emerging musicians and regional talent. GYPSY LAYNE & CO. Gypsy Layne closes out the season at Iron Horse Music Hall Thursday, June 1st! Tickets are available now at Iheg.com or Gypsylayne.com
MAHAIWE THEATRE 14 CASTLE ST, GREAT BARRINGTON, MA • 413 528-0100 London's National Theatre in HD: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are DeadSaturday, May 20th - 7:00 pm David Leveaux’s new production marks the 50th anniversary of the play that made a young Tom Stoppard’s name overnight. PROCTORS 432 STATE ST. , SCHENECTADY, NY Cabaret, May 9-14; Hedwig and the Angry Inch, May 1617; The Color Purple, Oct 7-14
SHAKESPEARE & COMPANY 70 KEMBLE STREET, LENOX MA 4000 Miles, by Amy Herzog, starts May 25-July 16 In this Obie Award-winning and beautifully crafted piece, Amy Herzog gives us Vera and Leo, a grandmother and grandson, locked in a moving and most amusing battle of wits. Life has dealt them a series of shocks, and yet, they and two intrepid young women continue to seek meaning through human contact in a touching and humorous portrait of the disenfranchised.
13 WILLARD HILL ROAD, STOCKBRIDGE, MA 413-298-5252 x100 is183.org Intensive! Creating and Publishing Picture Books with Adam Gudeon. Using diverse modern and contemporary examples, we will look at how the picture book elevates the image in a narrative and conveys meaning with a small number of words. We will then work on creating our own book! Monday through Friday, June 5 to 9 from 9:30am to 12:30pm. Citizens’ Hall, Stockbridge.
R&F HANDMADE PAINTS 84 TEN BROECK AVE, KINGSTON, NY 800-206-8088 • 845-331-3242 NEW NARRATIVES IN WAX: students given guidance and tools to fully explore and combine materials for storytelling. COmbining your personal items or objects of interest with encaustic activates your work in a way few materials can. As an art material encaustic is exciting to work with dimentionally.
Send in your events by the 5th of the month prior to publication. Welcome text files and images:
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ISSUU.COM JOIN US FOR A GREAT SUMMER! b scene...ALL ART. no fluffy stuff advertising rates 413 854 4400 artfulmind@Ya THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2017 • 5
CHARLES STEINHACKER PHOTOGRAPHER Interview by Harryet Candee
Harryet Candee: Charles, how did you become interested in photography? Charles Steinhacker: Well, I was bred to be a lawyer. It was a family tradition. Therefore, the equation for me was a simple one: what could I do in this world that would be as far removed from the law as joy and passion are from tedium? The answer was to play center field for the New York Yankees. But at 5' 9" and 150 lbs., one had to have a back up plan just in case the Yankees didn't see things clearly. As it turned out, the Bronx Bombers had some kid from Oklahoma with the unlikely name of Mickey Mantle playing my position. While I still don't understand to this day why that should have influenced their decision, the higher echelons of the "Pinstriped Brigade" ejected me from the ballpark after a flawless tryout. I was forced to invoke Plan B. My love affair with the wilderness and the American landscape sprang forth from my canoe 6• MAY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND
trips down the Allagash River of northern Maine as a young teenager. Unaware of it at the time, something profound slipped unobtrusively into my soul, only to resurface ten years later when decisions were to be made. Photography came along about the same time, in a less surreptitious manner. Can you imagine placing a piece of exposed paper into a tray of developer and watching an image magically appear before your eyes? I was hooked. Who wouldn't be? Such miracles could not be ignored. It was in college that I put the two interests together. At Dartmouth, there were no photography classes. So I read all of the Ansel Adams books. Totally self-taught, I discovered a need within me to bring those landscapes, in the form of images to have and to hold, back to my little room off campus. What I particularly liked about the process of merging art with nature is that it all happened quite naturally. I never gave it much
thought. And for me, that made it somehow more credible and genuine. It was only much later in life that I realized that not everyone finds his or her special purpose on this planet, and I belatedly became grateful.
How did you break into the world of professional photography and make it a career? Charles: Since I had practically nothing to show a magazine when I was first out of college, I decided to do my own projects and then show the pictures to the publications when they were completed. My first project was to express through photographs what it was like to go to college. At first, I thought I'd have to go to various colleges and universities all around the country, but I discovered that the University of Wisconsin had everything I needed. When the project was completed, I walked around the telephone for half an hour to get up
GRIZZLY BEAR CHARLES STEINHACKER
the nerve to call Life Magazine. To my total surprise, they put the director of photography on the phone. The world was a different place back then. A nobody like myself could call up Life or National Geographic, and they'd put the top guy on the phone. He would give me an appointment to see my pictures, take me out to lunch and sometimes even purchase the photographs on the spot. Today, you couldn't get near such a person if your life depended on it. Life Magazine bought the pictures I did at the University of Wisconsin. My next self-assigned project was the national parks. I literally slept in the car so I'd be where the light would be best on a specific subject early the next morning. I came away completely enthralled with our national parks. I considered the concept to be America's best idea to the rest of the world. Ken Burns said exactly the same thing years later when he did his film series on the parks. Charles, what was it like photographing for National Geographic? Charles: Quite surreal, actually. They expected photographers to shoot 20 rolls of film per day (760 exposures). After each three-day period, I would mail them the 60 rolls of unprocessed film. They would have the transparencies processed, and a few days later I would call in to speak to a young editor in order to discuss
what was good and not so good about the pictures. Trying to communicate in words about a visual subject with a novice editor proved to be unsatisfactory. I asked her to put Robert Gilka, Director of Photography, on the phone. "Charlie," he asked, "are there any people in Nova Scotia?" "Yes, of course," I answered. "Oh thank
TURQUOISE SEA CHARLES STEINHACKER
God. I thought a terrible catastrophe had hit the Canadian Maritimes, and all the people had been lost." It took Gilka only two sentences to make perfectly clear what the young editor could not. National Geographic wanted people in my beloved landscapes. After that, we got along fine. Continued on next page....
THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2017 • 7
BADLANDS OF SOUTH DAKOTA
CHARLES STEINHACKER
DEVILS TOWER CHARLES STEINHACKER 8 • THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2017
Charles, could you tell us about the coffee table books you did back in the 1970's? Charles: Well, again, things were very different in those days. I would have an idea for a book and call Harper & Row, Macmillan or the Sierra Club. I would tell the receptionist the subject of the book I had in mind, and she would direct my call to the appropriate editor. He would set up an appointment. We would discuss the idea over lunch, and a contract along with a substantial advance would arrive a week later. Today, the receptionist would hang up on me. Could you tell us what teaching photography was like? I got a telephone call from Phillips Academy in Andover, MA. They informed me that I had won the Wingate Paine Teaching Fellowship in Photography. I hadn't even applied. But I accepted before realizing that I didn't have the slightest idea how to teach photography. Since no one had taught me, how could I teach these privileged kids? As September was drawing near, I really started to freak out. Then miraculously, from somewhere inside me, a course appeared in the nick of time. In 1969 I created the photography program at Wesleyan University. My colleagues in the art department had all received MFAs and could utilize their art lingo to talk about a paint-
AROOSTOOK BARN CHARLES STEINHACKER
ing or a sculpture for 30 minutes. I started out by giving my students number grades. This picture was obviously an 84 while that image was most certainly a 73. But eventually my students wanted something more from their instructor. So I had to dig deep to come up with credible critiques. I think my students were impressed that their teacher was not just an MFA. He was actually out there as a working photographer. Academic politics are pretty brutal. I left Wesleyan after three years and moved out to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where I founded "Nature Photography of America," the humble title I gave to workshops at different ski areas around the country. Using a three-day course I designed for these workshops, I hired prominent photographers to teach my course, which included a finalday field trip on cross country skis. My own field trip through Grand Teton National Park had to have been one of the most inspiring photography field trips in America. Charles, you have had quite a successful life as a photographer. You have worked for National Geographic and have developed over the last 40 years a substantial portfolio of your own work of photographs that have been compiled and made into beautiful books. Please tell us, what
were some of the highlights in your life as an accomplished, award-winning photographer? One such an occasion occurred when I won the Museum of Natural History's International Photography Contest, with over 33,000 entries from all over the world. Normally, my grizzly bear picture would be the kind of image that could possibly win a contest. But when I heard that Arthur Rothstein, one of the most notable FSA photographers during the Great Depression, would be the judge, I figured his aesthetic taste would be more refined than the typical contest judge. So I entered a more subtle image called "Elk on Hillside," and it took the grand prize. Certainly, the grizzly bear picture has to be a highlight. I was shooting the pictures for the book celebrating the 100th anniversary of Yellowstone National Park (Yellowstone was the first national park in the world). I was working with the superintendent of the park, who knew where the bears were active. Sure enough, in the late afternoon we saw many grizzlies coming over the Hayden Valley toward us. Using the superintendent's shoulder as a tripod, I started shooting. Then three bears came close, standing 9' tall on their hind legs, and started barking at us. The warm late-day backlight outlined each
animal in a golden hue. Truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Then the largest of the grizzlies charged. I had picked out a tree, but unfortunately it was a lodgepole pine whose branches start about 100 feet off the ground. There was no way to climb that tree. But adrenalin is a marvelous substance. Somehow, with cameras clanging together around my neck like pieces of scrap metal, I shimmied up that flag pole in the woods just in time. As the grizzly ran past me, he shouted back in perfect English: "Better use a longer telephoto lens next time." The superintendent never moved. One more highlight was the opportunity to work with Ansel Adams, Eliot Porter and David Brower, the executive director of the Sierra Club. David had created the Sierra Club's beautiful Exhibit Format series of books that made Adams and Porter famous. The only problem was that Brower wanted to save the whole planet by publishing these gorgeous books everywhere. He signed contracts and handed out advances all over the world. I got two contracts. But when the Sierra Club realized that Brower was bankrupting the organization, he was fired. The club's faContinued on next page...
THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2017• 9
SPRING ARRIVES AT NAUSET BEACH CHARLES STEINHACKER
COLORS IN A COURTYARD CHARLES STEINHACKER
mous publishing program was scaled back to almost nothing. I quickly took my Lake Superior book across the street to Harper & Row, where it was promptly published. But working and having numerous lunches with these icons was a great thrill for a young photographer (me).
The colors you use… The ways you have printed your photographs (giclee editions), they have an obvious COLOR blast going on. Tell me about this, the technique you use, and how it was first discovered by you. Having spent years making color prints in the darkroom, the new technology probably saved my life. The tray containing the bleach possessed an impressive amount of formaldehyde. Each day I would exit the darkroom with a sick headache from making Cibachrome prints. When I switched from assignment photography to fine art photography, I was finally able to stop caring about what a magazine wanted and concentrate on the way I visualized a subject. I was now free to see more like a painter. But when the processed transparencies came back from the lab, they looked like just typical snapshots. After scanning a slide into the computer, it, of course, became a digital image. The new technology allowed me to alter the image so it would print the way I saw it in the first place. I started by using an English company's software, but they're now out of business. Photoshop can accomplish the same thing. I generally add saturation to intensify the colors. I might alter the color balance of certain colors within the image. Although many of my pictures are straight photographs, I might choose to soften or slightly blur other images in order
10 • MAY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND
DEVILS TOWER CHARLES STEINHACKER
to make them more painterly. The essential issue is to end up with a print that gives me what I saw in the first place when I took the photograph. An example would be Provincetown Boat.
Because you love our world, which is in glorious color, you are not so keen on shooting black and white photographs, at least that is what I remember you saying. Has that changed at all for you? Not a bit. The art establishment determines what people should collect. And since people generally do as they're told, they purchase for outrageous prices black & white pictures that possess little if any aesthetic merit. To get the price into the stratosphere, B&W pictures are now called "silver gelatin prints." While I'm not denigrating great B&W photographers, i.e. Edward Weston,
Ansel Adams, Paul Strand etc., they had their good days and their bad. But all of their pictures, good or bad, go for absurd prices. But there is hope. Now that color prints are made with pigmented inks, they can last over 100 years without the slightest fading. The establishment is beginning to relent on their opposition to the collecting of color. Of course, they will only do so by calling inkjet prints by a French word: giclée. After all, they've got to get the price up. I used to give customers in our gallery in Lenox the choice to buy an inkjet print for $275 or a giclée print for $1,000. Of course, they were the same print. Yet many chose the more expensive alternative due entirely to its French name. Amazing.
CAPE COD CABINS CHARLES STEINHACKER
Charles, tell us more about your gallery in Lenox. Well, during the past "150" years, I had been carefully observing my fellow Americans. What I arrived at was the somewhat cynical but nonetheless obvious conclusion that what people really wanted in this country was food. It then worked its way downhill from there until you got to the very last thing they'd ever buy—if they bought it at all—and that was fine art. So we decided that to get them to come into the gallery in the first place, we would need to have the top of the food chain, which for us, was obviously the world's finest chocolates. It was to be a gallery in chocolate clothing, or, to be more direct, a sophisticated "bait and switch" operation. The World's Best Chocolate & ART opened in Lenox in May of 2001. The walls were filled with my inkjet (I mean giclée) prints and my wife Linda Clayton's paintings. Right from the start it was a successful endeavor. With the irresistible chocolates from Belgium and France as the draw, individuals endowed with above-normal intelligence and sensibilities strode confidently into the gallery for what they thought would be a piece of candy. And they left with a beautiful piece of art under their arm without ever knowing how it happened. I'd like to think
About man and beast. that they really did know deep in their hearts that they were giving up immediate gratification for a lifetime of food for the soul. In any case, when the food-to-art switch took place, it was as close to perfection as one can come in this life. So, what is new with you these days, Charles? What are you doing with your photography? What else are you up to? I'm doing very little photography, as it involves
difficult travel and is physically demanding. So finally I am able to turn to writing, which I had managed to put off most of my life. My first book is entitled Dogga Brown: the $50,000 Dog. It's a story of commitment between man and beast. Although this psychotic hound ate our house practically down to its foundation and nearly bankrupted us while sending me into long-term psychotherapy, we stuck by her to the bitter end. When I read passages from this book to friends and family, I fall off my chair from laughter. But it wasn't funny at the time. I recently finished my second book, called Reflections from Moot Point. It is an assortment of essays and short stories; some humorous, some very serious. Finally, I often write letters to the editor about my intense interest in politics and the global financial system. I have a blog called Seen It All at 80, which can be accessed through my Facebook page. I have several websites, including www.photographyeditions.com and www.doggabrown.com
THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2017• 11
COLLINS|EDITIONS
Opening in 2005, as Berkshire Digital, we did fine art printing mainly for artists represented by The Iris Gallery of Fine Art before opening our doors to the public. We do very color calibrated printing on archival papers. These archival prints, also known to many people as Giclée prints, can be made as large as 42” x 80”. Photographers & artists also use us to create limited editions of their images. In addition to the printing services, collins|editions also offers accurate digital reproduction of paintings and illustrations for use in books, brochures, magazines, websites and postcards. Our website, www.CollinsEditions.com has a complete overview of services offered, along with pricing. The owner, Fred Collins, has been a commercial and fine art photographer for over 30 years having had studios in Boston and Stamford. He offers over 20 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 PU is also available through Frames On Wheels, located at 84 Railroad Street in Great Barrington, MA (413) 528-0997. Digital files can be easily loaded up to our FTP site. Collins|editions studio - 220 East St, Mt Washington, Massachusetts, (413) 644-9663 www.CollinsEditions.com
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MARGUERITE BRIDE
MARGUERITE BRIDE, OLD TRINITY CHURCH, WATERCOLOR
WATERCOLORS
This past winter, more often than not, my new paintings seemed to focus on the skies. Of course buildings too, but more attention is being paid to sunsets, weather, clouds, storms. As I prepare for summer gallery exhibits and arts festivals I will be showing a new and exciting array of paintings featuring some old barns, farms, churches, lighthouses… .many of the places we know and love, but with more unusual sky treatments. The first exhibit of the summer will be at the Good Purpose Gallery in Lee June 30 – August 8. Artist opening will be held on Friday, June 30 from 4:40 – 6:30. News of other shows is also available on my website or visit my Facebook Watercolor page for even more info. Anytime 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. Fine art reproductions and note cards of Berkshire images and others by the artist are available at the Red Lion Inn Gift Shop (Stockbridge), Lenox Print & Mercantile (Lenox); and a variety of other fine gift shops, and also directly from the artist. Seasonal scenes are always on display in the public areas of the Crowne Plaza in Pittsfield. Or visit Bride’s studio by appointment. 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.
GOOD PURPOSE GALLERY JULIE RAYMOND, WORLD OF CIRCLES
The College Internship Program (CIP) is thrilled to collaborate with CATA once again in this creative celebration. The CATA Art on Tour: Art in Bloom is a colorful and stimulating exhibit that viewers will find rewarding and delightful. Currently on view at the Good Purpose Gallery in Lee, the exhibit runs through May 15. CATA nurtures and celebrates the creativity of people with disabilities through shared experiences in the visual and performing arts. CIP’s mission is to inspire independence and expand the foundation on which young adults with Asperger’s, ADHD, and other Learning Differences can build happy and productive lives. Good Purpose Gallery and Spectrum Playhouse are CIP venues that offer CIP students real-life training, experience, and integration with the community. Both locales host professional artists and events on a regular basis throughout the year, including student events such as plays, performances, art exhibits, and more. On a yearly basis, Good Purpose Gallery hosts a wide variety of local, national, and international artists that always draw a crowd. The gallery also highlights gifts created by local artists. You can add some unique to your décor by purchasing and supporting a local creative artist. Good Purpose Gallery is proud to carry Michael Vincent Bushy’s incredible hand-bound journals and notebooks, Sennin Esko’s (Mountain Spirit Jewelry) unique and beautiful jewelry, and Jan Charbonneau’s (Berkhire Fabrications) stunning purses made from silk ties. Linda Baker Cimini’s active and creative mind continues to create fantastical and whimsical stories and drawings for her books and prints available in the gallery. The gallery collaborates with CATA throughout the year with sales of their CATAdirect beautiful ecofriendly gifts and jewelry made of mostly recycled materials. If you have not yet been into this gem of a gallery in Lee, please do yourself a favor and stop in soon. Treat yourself to meaningful art and enjoy some of the healthiest and most delicious food at the Starving Artist Creperie and Café. We share the lovely space with the café and, you know the old saying, “crepes, much like art, are a blank canvas for creating”. Good Purpose Gallery - 40 Main Street, Lee, Massachusetts. 413-394-5045, gallery@cipberkshire.org. Gallery hours: Open 10am - 4pm daily; closed on Tuesday. For more information on the Gallery, visit our website: Goodpurpose.org
Jennifer Pazienza
Un-Earthed, Oil on canvas, 36 x 48 in
Modern Hybrids, Oil on canvas, 42 x 40.5 inches Roots in the Wind, Oil on canvas, 36 x 48 in
Wild Berkshires The Stationary Factory, Dalton Opening, 21 April Silent Auction, 21 April - May 1- 6pm
jennpazienza@gmail.com http://jenniferpazienza.com/
THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2017 • 13
Harryet Candee: What are some of the applications and lesson plans you have applied to with your students that you learned while studying Arts Education? Annie Considine: The pedagogy of the education work at Shakespeare & Company is pretty unique, so lots of different teachers in these programs have created their own exercises (I get all my good ideas from them). All the work goes toward reinforcing a couple of key things: we try to foster non-competitive, supportive environments in schools, as well as spaces where students feel safe enough to try things and fail. But we are not therapists - we are directors and teachers. Our job is to put on a play. If students get something else out of it, that’s wonderful, but we don’t go searching for it. We just create the space.
ANNIE CONSIDINE
Artistic Bodyshot, photo by Brian McConkey
ACTOR Interview by harryet candee
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Prior to teaching you were acting. So, I am wondering what did you learn from your acting experiences that you now apply to your students? Annie: I think there can be two extremes in the world of theater: the art and the industry. The industry for actors can be image-driven, full of competition, and your success is usually determined by how much money you make. The art of acting, however, is about self-awareness and listening to your scene partners. Your success is defined by your artistic and collaborative abilities, which are not always commercially viable. Sometimes, you get a lot of great art in an industrially successful show (Hamilton, for instance), but not always. I try to teach students the art of acting, and not worry about the industry. Almost all of the students I teach are not interested in being professional actors anyway, and you can get so much more pleasure out practicing acting without the stress of trying to make a living out of it. I recently read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (the author of Eat, Pray, Love), in which she said that until recently, she had a day job and wrote on the side because it took the creative pressure off of her to sustain herself financially through writing. She did better work because of it, and her financial success came as a side product. I want my students to know that being a successful actor is not necessarily the same as being financially or commercially successful. When you went to Bosnia & Herzegovina, and worked for a youth theater company in the city, was there a world of new material you learned and use today for yourself and your students in directing and acting? Were many of the techniques and ways about the stage similar to here, similar to Shakespeare & Company’s training style?
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Fall Festival of Shakespeare, 2007, photo by Scott Barrow
Annie: The organization I directed with in Bosnia & Herzegovina (BiH) was founded in America, but is structured pretty differently from the programs I’m used to. The program was trying to stage a production (Romeo i Julija) that was both professional and educational, which are two hard things to bridge. One big curveball was that instead of one or two directors, we had seven, so we all had to work together through our different directing styles, which created some difficulties. While I disagreed with some of the other methods I saw, I also saw a lot of exercises I liked and plan to use in the future. I also learned a lot about how other directors work, and that has helped me better define what is important to me in my own work. It was a very important learning experience for me.
Can you tell us one incredible story from last summer’s adventure in a foreign country, that which being, Bosnia. Annie: The Bosnian student who played Mercutio, Mustafa Stupac, spoke almost perfect English and had come to America to do the month-long Summer Training Institute at Shakespeare & Co in 2015. Because of his English abilities and his knowledge of the way we work at S&Co., I could do some pretty deep text work with him. The script was bilingual, about 70 per-
cent Bosnian and 30 percent English, so Mustafa translated his Bosnian lines into English to see how well they matched up with what Shakespeare wrote. Once he did, it became really clear to both of us that the Bosnian translation was much too P.C. compared to Shakespeare’s original text (Mercutio’s one raunchy guy). So Mustafa went back through the Bosnian lines and re-translated them in order to better match what Mercutio was saying in English. It was an extremely collaborative process, and seeing Mustafa actually write his own lines using Shakespeare’s language was incredible. It really gave him ownership over that character and he gave an incredible performance.
Are you still in touch with the friends you made there? Did you teach them some of your acting protocols that they might not have been familiar with from Shake & Co. and other AMERICAN venues of theatre education (Adler, etc.)? Annie: The best part of my entire time in BiH was making connections with the students - I’m in touch with almost all of them via Facebook. There were about forty of them involved in the production, and many were not that much younger than I am (they were mostly high school and college students), so I was able to talk with a lot of them on a much more casual
level. Some of them are even studying at schools in the US now, like my friend Mirza Becevic, who is at Bennington College. I went up to see him a few months ago, and we went out to see two S&Co actors, David Joseph and Elizabeth Aspenlieder, in Oldcastle Theatre Co.’s The Consul, the Tramp & America’s Sweetheart. It felt amazing to think that I met Mirza on the other side of the world, but we ended up seeing each other again right back in my own neighborhood. The world is really small. I hope that I was able to help all of those students feel supported and listened to - every one of them deserved to feel extremely accomplished for their work on Romeo i Julija. How has FENCING fit into your life? When did you start being pro at it, and how did it flow into the next art venue you’ve absorbed. Annie: At that point in middle school where you’re kind of supposed to pick a sport, I didn’t really want to participate in anything at school. A couple of my friends had joined a fencing club in Dalton, so I went to some practices and we ended up training for the next few years. I thought it would help me get better at stage fighting, but it wasn’t until later that I learned that learning fencing actually made me worse at stage combat. My instincts were to stab people with a sword, but in stage fighting you have to Continued on next page...
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just pretend to do that (oops). I was a competitive fencer in high school and college, and as a group we ended up going to some pretty big competitions, but it was just a hobby for me, and I sort of retired in college because theater began to take over my life. I still fence with my actor friend Alex Sovronsky every now and then, but just for fun.
What is it about Fencing that you adore? What does fencing remind you of that exists in your life but is not fencing? Annie: I started fencing because I felt really secure in my intellect (not my athleticism), and it was the most intellectual sport I could find. It’s kind of like physical chess, but in order to be good at it, you be smart and be able to act on instinct. I could think out strategies to use against my opponents, but I got stuck when I had to sit back and rely on muscle memory. I couldn’t stop thinking, which I’ve struggled with in a lot of areas in my life. It was part of my motivation to take up meditation.
You must be a disciplined to have worked in Fencing with academic studies, and go to the Junior Olympics, was it a difficult, challenging time for you? Annie: The Junior Olympics were very challenging. I was stretched pretty thin in high school. My schoolwork was hard and I was trying to train at the same time. Looking back, I wish I had the self-awareness to know that it was too much for me. I’m glad I competed, but I didn’t do very well, and I now know that that was because of how much I had taken on.
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Thankfully, I found a space to slow down and start becoming more introspective when I started participating in Shakespeare & Co.’s educational programming, specifically the Fall Festival of Shakespeare. The rehearsal room was my haven during high school.
saw us perform, we got to travel all over New England, and I made some amazing friends. Have you ventured to act with any of them? Do you believe they are only seeking NY talent as apposed to local talent? Annie: I’ve done a couple of staged readings for WAM Theatre, but other than that, I haven’t really worked with any other companies in the area, though I would be very open to it. I think local companies can feel a bit disconnected from each other during the summer because we all put up shows at the same time, so it’s almost impossible to go see productions outside of your own company. Many groups pull actors from New York for their bigger Equity productions, but that’s because a lot of actors who like to work locally live in NYC full time in order to get more work. If you want to be a full-time actor, it’s hard to get paid acting work in the Berkshires in the off-season.
Actor, Annie Considine
Working with Shakespeare & Co, a competitive American school for Acting, how did you get into the program? Who did you work with, and tell us about one of your most favorite theatre acting roles and experiences so far that you have had. Annie: Shakespeare & Co. isn’t quite a school for acting. We have our own methodology, but we don’t really operate as a school, but more as a collection of teachers that agree on certain things. We have two departments: training, which runs programs for professional actors, and education, for non-professional students. I started doing the Shakespeare & Company education work as a Lenox Memorial Middle School student. Michael Toomey (a brilliant S&Co. member) was my first director, and in 7th grade he directed me as Celia in As You Like It. After that I just kept getting more and more involved at S&Co. They couldn’t get rid of me - I did internships, summer jobs, anything to just be able to spend time on property. It’s an enchanting place for a teenager. I went to college to study theater at the University of Chicago, and after I graduated, Jonathan Croy cast me as Puck in S&Co’s Northeast Regional Touring Production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. To this day, that tour has been one of my favorite experiences as an actor. Almost 25,000 people
photo by Brian McConkey
What is going on with your writing practices now? Are you enjoying what you have written, or are you still being challenged with the art of writing and story telling? Annie: I’m actually taking a playwriting course online right now through Gotham Writers in New York. The teacher is great and I’m learning a lot about storytelling. It’s really challenging and I’m hoping to write a lot more this year.
Do you believe theatre history / theatrical arts should be mandatory in public schools grades K – 12? Do we have enough in our school system to satisfy artistic students? Annie: I wish that the Fall Festival of Shake-
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (with Atalanta Siegel), Shakespeare & Company, 2013
Shakespeare and the Language That Shaped A World (with Colin Gold), 2016
speare could be in every school in the country. I was one of the lucky few to have it growing up, and there are so many people with no access to studying theater, especially in a way that brings it alive. It’s very possible to bring Shakespeare alive in a classroom - Kevin Coleman is the master of that.
Who would you consider your number one mentor/teacher in your life? Why? Annie: I think it would have to be Kevin Coleman, the founder of the education department at Shakespeare & Company. He created a lot of the company’s educational programming, and is a big leader in the world of theater education – he was the runner-up for the Tony Award in Theater Education last year, and has been the head of the National Institute on Teaching Shakespeare. He has the extraordinary power help students feel really comfortable being themselves, and he has mastered the art of listening. It’s because his programming that I became an artist. I could spend a whole lifetime learning from him.
Where do you wish to be in five years from now? Annie: I’m not exactly sure where I’d like to end up yet, but I’d like my future to involve a lot of creating cool things with my friends. I feel like that’s probably the dream a lot of people have – to make awesome things with people they love.
Do you fear the cutting of arts education programs now with the new government in charge? Have you heard of any great programs that students can get grants and study what they truly love, follow their dream? Annie: I think the arts have always had a rough time in our education system. I would be very upset if arts programming was eliminated from schools, but I believe that there will always be people who have benefited from those programs who will challenge the administration. And there will always be private donors who feel the same way, and help theaters like Shakespeare & Company to continue to provide that programming to students so the work can keep happening even without government grants. What is your dream that you are following? What do you often think to yourself that reassures you that you will make it? Annie: I don’t know if I have a specific dream right now - I’d like to continue doing theater with my friends. Whether that’s through acting, directing, teaching, or playwriting, I would be really grateful. I think my life could go in a number of different directions. If I had a hope for the more immediate future, however, I think it would be to write a play with my friends. That’s the closest thing to a dream I’ve got right now.
What are the challenges you could be facing in your future? Annie: Playwriting is definitely a challenge for me. I have a lot of trouble keeping up the writing habit on the days when it’s hard. But it’s so worth it.
What world-known actor/musician would you love to have a coffee with, be in a film with, and meet up with at a red light, windows rolled down, in the summer time, in the Berkshires! Annie: I would love to sit down with LinManuel Miranda. I met him briefly at the Hamilton stage door last year, and he’s a magical human being. I would die to talk Shakespeare with him. What very big international event would you give your right arm to attend, and why? Annie: I used to imagine myself competing in the Olympics as a fencer, and since then I’ve always wanted to go watch the competition. I’d love to see what I would have had to compete against up close. Ever imagine being in the film industry? Annie: I used to think that the film industry seemed like a terrible place because the acting seemed to be all about image. I didn’t think it reflected any of the values I was taught doing stage work. But a couple of years ago, I became
Continued on next page...
THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2017• 17
Directing in the Fall Festival, Lenox Memorial High School, 2016, photo by Ava Lindenmaier
close friends with a local filmmaker, Patrick Toole, and he’s given me a lot of insight into how to create community-based independent films, which are fascinating. I’m interested in exploring that kind of film more. Have you fallen in love? Annie: Probably a bit too often. I’m trying to ease up on love for a while.
What are your beliefs on the dating scene these days? When of course, you have the time. Annie: I don’t go out on too many dates because I’m pretty focused on my work and taking care of myself. It’s been hard for me to have relationships when I’m not taking care of my own needs first.
What do you think the Berkshires do not have enough of? Annie: Affordable housing for young people. I would not have been able to survive here without being housed by Shakespeare & Company and being able to crash at my parents’ house. It’s a difficult place to make a living right out of college, especially in the arts.
When you have a weekend off, what do you strive to spend your time doing? Annie: I’ve been spending a lot of time cleaning on the weekends, as strange as that sounds. I’m a big follower of the minimalism movement,
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and over the past month or so I’ve been cleaning out my childhood room. It feels really good to donate and give away items that are mentally weighing me down. I also love driving around and listening to music, going to coffee shops, meeting friends and collaborating on projects. I think I have some of my best ideas driving down the back roads listening to AC/DC.
Where did you grow up? Annie: I grew up in the Berkshires, in Lenox. My parents have a law practice together in Lee: Considine & Leary Law Offices. I was blessed to have a wonderful childhood growing up here, with a lot of family vacations and piano recitals. I was actually into dance for a while when I was younger. My parents taped The Nutcracker whenever a new performance came on PBS, and my brother, my sister, and I would watch it over and over again, trying to copy the dance moves while we jumped on the bed. Dance was a part of our family time for a while - most nights after dinner we “danced the Beatles,” when my dad would turn on some Beatles songs in the living room, and we would dance as a family for a half hour or so. My siblings and I also made tons of home movies on our old-school VHS camcorder. I was the designed “cinematographer,” but I don’t think I even knew what that meant. Do you have any pet peeves? On and off stage, please tell. Annie: Yes - I get unreasonably angry when I’m
cold. You’d think I’d have gotten used to the weather in New England by now.
What parts in Shakespeare plays you have been in that you remember in particluar? Annie: I just directed Much Ado About Nothing at Lenox Memorial High School this fall, with my directing partner Rory Hammond, for the Fall Festival of Shakespeare. Since then, I’ve been completely obsessed with that play. There is so much in it that’s relevant to what’s going on in the world now, and it’s one of the most heart-warming stories in all of Shakespeare (one of my bucket list roles is Beatrice). Nobody wrote women like this before: Is he not approved in the height a villain, that hath Slandered, scorned, dishonored my kinswoman? O, that I were a man! What? Bear her in hand Until they come to take hands? And then, With public accusation, uncovered slander, Unmitigated rancor – O God, that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the marketplace.
Thank you! F
DIANA FELBER GALLERY FIRST ANNIVERSARY
For our first anniversary show we will be featuring Murray Zimiles, who is concurrently having a show in Paris, and whose work was bought by the Holocaust Museum in NYC. Also returning, with great excitement about his new work, David Skillicorn will have several new paintings. Two great Great Barrington photographers, John MacGruer and Jane Mc Whorter will be showing their beautiful work too. A new artist for the Gallery is Judy Hawkins, a skillful watercolorist from Vermont. Helga Orthofer found her inspiration in fire hydrants! Don’t laugh! They’re totally whimsical and wonderful. And if you missed picking up one of Lorraine Klagsbrun’s collages last year – not to worry – she will be returning with fresh work. Opening Reception will be May 14th from 2:006:00, joining the opening for Turn Park, which is from 1-4:00. We are all lucky to welcome spring with this plethora of good art. Diana Felber Gallery - 6 Harris St., West Stockbridge, Massachusetts; 413-232-7007. Beginning in May, hours will be "open daily except Tuesdays", 11am - 6 pm. From, Theatre as Work, Charles Marowitz and Simon Trussler, editors: “How important is the accurate reproduction of the trivia of our lives?, asks Artaud. How significant is the arbitrary social thesis that so elaborates a partial insight that we are persuaded this is the whole story? How valuable, asks Artaud, is a theatre that elegantly and wittily reiterates the clichés of our lives – compared to a theatre that suddenly opens up, like a mountain crevice, and sends down a lava that scours the lies, half truths and embedded deceptions of our civilization.”
PENCIL AND PAPER DRAWING BY DAVID BELL
L’ATELIER BERKSHIRES
“Drawing is the honesty of the art”-Salvadore Dali L’Atelier Berkshires Gallery presents Pencil and Paper, a drawing exhibition by three rising Art Stars. Melanie Vote, David Bell and April Coppini exhibit their drawings in the Berkshires this Spring. The exhibition runs from April 15th- May 11th. Opening Reception is Saturday April 15th 6-9pm. These three artists create narratives through their drawing on paper, allowing the rawness of the artistic process to speak of intention. Melanie Vote originally from Iowa, now lives and works in New York City. Her paintings and drawings investigate the human and the landscape, incorporating elements of surprise and discovery. David Bell is a director, animator and visual artist based in Brooklyn, NY. His work often involves drawing, sculpture, miniatures, and stop-motion animation. April Coppini was born and raised in a wooded suburb of Rochester, NY. She currently lives and works in Portland Oregon. Drawing for her is a meditative act of reverence as her charcoal drawings depict creatures and animals of our earth, that create an appreciation for our living world. At L’Atelier Berkshires you will discover fresh and innovative contemporary art. Unique oil paintings, sculpture in glass and bronze and custom made furniture by exquisite artists are on exhibition in a historic Great Barrington building. Sculpture, casting and mold making services are available for artists and designers. Our website is www.atelierberks.com and our address is 597 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230 For more information contact: Natalie Tyler, 510-469-5468, natalie.tyler@atelierberks.com
KAREN DOLMANISTH
CLAIRE TEAGUE SENIOR CENTER
Karen Dolmanisth is a versatile visual artist who works in many media – pencil, pastel, found objects and installations. She will be exhibiting this spring in the lobby of the Claire Teague Senior Center in Great Barrington from April 10 to May 30. Her intuitive abstract style is derived from sound, light, color and concrete materials as well as energy, movement, rhythm and space. Ms Dolmanisth received an MFA with honors in sculpture, drawing, new media, installations and video from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, a BFA from Parsons School of Design and New School in New York. She also studied at the New School for Social Research, Cooper Union and NYU. Her list of accomplishments is extensive, including grants, important reviews (including The New York Times), solo and group shows, video, performance art, and teaching assignments. She has completed special projects in India, The Netherlands, and Vienna. The Senior Center welcomes all members of the community, young and old, to it’s daily lunches (by reservation a day ahead), classes, programs and special services of all kinds – tai chi, yoga, weight lifting, exercises, bridge, poker, tap dancing, morning coffee, puzzles, bingo, art classes, and special bus trips. Claire Teague Senior Center - 917 South Main St. (Route 7), Gt. Barrington, MA. Hours are Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM. 413-528-1881.
advertise in the June, July and august issues. be seen this summer! call for rates: 413 854 4400
artfulmind@yahoo.com 20 • MAY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND
STEVE & CAROL IDE GUITARIST AND VOCALIST Interview by Harryet Candee
Harryet Candee: Steve and Carol, what’s it like being back out on the road again? The camaraderie, traveling, rehearsals… the concerts!! The thrill of sharing your talent with so many fans! And to support a great musician like Arlo Guthrie—the rewards are great, yes? As well as the challenges? Carol Ide: First of all, we want to tell you that we’re flattered that you think your readers might find us interesting… Harryet: Thank you! .....Our being back on the road with Arlo, the musicians and crew, has been like being back with family. Even following a 35-year gap in time, for us it felt very comfortable, and of course very reminiscent. Arlo, Terry Hall, (Terry a la Berry) and Bruce Clapper, (Arlo’s road manager and sound engineer), are the oldest of friends, and Abe Guthrie was a kid back then. It’s a blast to be playing music with him now! He’s a fantastic musician. The more shows we do, the more comfortable we feel with each other musically, it’s definitely feeling like a band. We’ve gained a maturity level that was not there when we
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Photography by Lee Everett
were in our 20s, so we are approaching it very differently this time around. The traveling is just as it was, sometimes long and tedious, but the music and the shows have been terrific. The performances seem to go by in the blink of an eye after all the traveling, sound checking, and waiting to play, but the performances are the reason we’re there. The audiences are always engaged with Arlo’s stories and song choices. Some new, some old, and an occasional surprise, but always ending with the message of peace, which at this point can bring a very emotional response. Steve here… I feel like I’ve learned a thing or two over the last 35 years. I felt like I was just doing my best to hang on when we were working with Arlo and Shenandoah back in the 70s and 80s. Now I feel like I have so much more, musically, to bring to the party. That feels good. Steve, you love playing the guitar and it’s obvious onstage, the way you grab the audience. Do you ever think it’s all generated from the passion you have for music?
Steve: I can’t say that I’ve ever tried to analyze that. Music has always been something that I was drawn to, that was important to me, that I wanted to be actively involved in. It has always had a huge effect on me. It “spoke to me” from an early age and it’s never stopped. Steve, how and when did your love for music first become obvious—when did you know it was something you wanted to continue to enjoy, explore and grow with? Steve: Both of my older brothers were musicians, and I would have to say they were my earliest influences. My brother Geoff still plays guitar. He was always listening to guitar music. The Ventures, all the early “surf music” bands and Les Paul (who was a family friend and my brother Tom’s Godfather). My brother Tom put the drums away a few years ago. Our parents used to let my brothers and their friends rehearse in our basement, and there was always a guitar and amp, a bass and an amp, a set of drums. When they were done, I would go down and play all those things. In the third grade we were given a mu-
Photograph by Lee Everett
sical aptitude test. I picked up the trumpet and figured out the melody to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star or something. I did the same with various other instruments. I improvised a rhythm figure on the snare drum. The band director seemed to go “Hmmmmm, what have we here?” I wound up playing trombone in the school bands from that point through high school. By the time I was in high school, it was obvious to me that music was the only thing I wanted to do. Never looked back. So far, so good… I’ve done my share of carpentry work, sheetrock work, roofing, things like that. I’m really glad to know a little bit about those things. It can be very satisfying work. But I never considered it part of my career path. I never got good enough at it.
Carol, I am interested in knowing about your earlier life and times. Where did you grow up? Where did you go to school? What was your family life like? Carol: I grew up on Long Island with a family who loved music, and sang together for as long as I can remember. My dad even brought his accordion on our boat during vacations, where we’d tie up with our floating friends and serenade the harbor. My big brother and I sang together, with much encouragement from our folks. Along with my cousin, we entertained at family gatherings, to their delight and ours. I took piano lessons for a few years and was always in chorus in high school. Like my brother, I picked up the guitar and was self-taught. We loved to harmonize, and so we sang a lot of Everly Brothers, Kingston Trio, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and
Crosby Stills and Nash. When possible, my cousin or neighbor would help to complete the three-part harmonies. I continued strumming through college in New Jersey, when I first fell in love with Arlo’s Running Down the Road album, among others. Upon graduation in 1973, I made an attempt to get an elementary school teaching job in CT, but there was a flood of new teachers at that time, so I did not have any luck. I decided to move up to where my brother lived, in the Berkshires. (Arlo’s backyard)
Carol, when and how did you happen to meet Steve? Carol: I met Steve in the Berkshires. He was in a band called Boogity Shoe with my brother Doug. Steve’s brother, Tom, was the drummer in that band. I was invited to join the band not too long after we began dating. I did find a teaching job at St. Paul’s Day Care Center in Stockbridge, becoming the morning assistant and then afternoon lead teacher, where I worked for a year and a half. Working late weekend nights with the band and reporting for early Monday mornings at the center made it difficult. With my teaching certificate in my back pocket, I chose to sing, and left teaching, which I know made my parents shake their heads in wonder. They came to respect that decision, and as always, supported me. Steve, what has been the common thread that linked the two of you together? Steve: Music was the first common thread. Carol is a total natural. She hears some things much more quickly and easily than I do, especially when it
comes to vocal harmonies. We met through music. We have many other common threads. Our kids, our granddaughters, our friends and our love of living in the Berkshires. Carol, is there a song you consider a dedication to each other? Carol: Home, by Karla Bonoff, and CSNY’s Teach Your Children come to mind. Home is a song that Steve and I often sing with our daughters Lindsay and Kristin. These tunes all ring of family, our backbone.
Steve, what one great experience have the two of you shared over the years? Steve: The birth of our daughters, and the joy of watching them grow up to be patient, loving, understanding human beings. They are amazing mothers.
Steve, what was your music world like when you were in your 20s? What was going on around you that was a direct influence? Steve: From the age of 18 to 22, I was playing with Boogity Shoe and we were covering a lot of musical ground. Everything from sea chanties to R&B. We may not have been great at all those styles, but we were ambitious, and it was fun to be so eclectic. There was also a band in this area called Good Friend Coyote during the 70s. I would go to hear them every chance I got. They also covered different styles of music. To me, they were the industry standard of what a band should be. Tight, solid, no wasted space Continued on next page... THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2017 • 23
Steve Ide Photograph by Lee Everett
or notes. I would go and study them, especially their guitar player Billy Voiers, trying to figure out how they got that “round” sound. They impacted me in a big way. Billy and I wound up playing together years later in The Bluestars. Boogity Shoe decided to break up in 1977, when I was 22. David Grover came to the rescue, asking Carol and I if we would audition for Shenandoah, Arlo’s touring band at the time. David Carron had decided to leave that band to pursue other possibilities and it took both Carol and I to replace him. He had a beautiful, strong, high voice and was a strong rhythm guitar player. An amazing talent, and we all miss him. I had always considered Grover and the other members of that band to be in a completely different league from us. It felt like a huge step forward. Up until then, unlike Carol, I had never been a huge folk music fan. But over the course of several years of touring with Arlo and Shenandoah, we had the opportunity to meet and work with people like Pete Seeger, David Bromberg and many others. It definitely broadened my appreciation and respect for that kind of music. All these things, and people, were a direct influence.
Steve, Boogity Shoe, The Bluestars, Advanced Phunk, The BTUs…. Stepping stone bands you gave your heart and soul to, making them work and giving it all your all. Those bands must have been amazing. What do you think made them so special to you? What did you get out of those experiences that satisfied and helped to artistically develop your music?
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Steve: Whew. I could write a book here. All those bands were and continue to be part of the journey. Boogity Shoe was my first full-time, professional band. We all lived together and were a real family. It was the most amazing time for me. We were “living the dream” and making it work. I have a special spot in my heart for those times. I had been a fan of both Rob Putnam and Billy Voiers long before I was in The Bluestars with them. Playing with them on a regular basis was a dream come true. I play a lot with my friend Bobby MacVeety and a rotating cast of rhythm section members in the BTUs to this day. Bobby and I go way back. We’ve been playing music together, off and on, for about 40 years. Rob still plays with the BTUs as often as we can get him. The Bluestars morphed into Advanced Phunk, which morphed into the BTUs. We’re all still connected, and part of the bigger family. The journey continues, and with any luck our art continues to develop. Steve, what were the long-lasting artistic contributions you think these bands and band members made for Berkshire communities—things that are still in play today? Steve: These bands that we’re talking about have always simply been about getting people out—on the dance floor, enjoying each other’s company, and having a good time. I think that in itself is a contribution to the community. Bringing community together. Also, many of my bandmates are teachers. It’s very rewarding to feel like you, through music lessons, have helped people to acquire a deeper love
and appreciation for music, and to know that they are pursuing it at whatever level. A few of my students have gone on to make it their career. In some cases, they have learned more about the academics of theory and composition than I’ll ever know. I go to them with questions now. It’s cool when the teacher becomes the student.
Carol, who is your dearest, most-loved female vocalist, and why? Carol: Bonnie Raitt, hands down. Her first album, which I heard in college, just hit a nerve. I still love her and her incredible voice and guitar abilities. Her voice is clear as a bell, honest, and her material reachable and heart-wrenching. Carole King was a close second, as Tapestry came out during my sophomore year in college. I copied her piano arrangements and sang many of her songs, as our vocal range was similar.
Carol, who was your greatest influence, and in what ways did they influence you? Carol: This is hard to answer. Our dad was a selftaught piano player who first gave me a glimpse into playing music for fun while accompanying my mom, aunt, and grandmother, who would harmonize to the old standards. But it was my brother who was the biggest influence on me musically. He would find particular songs to share, and together we would figure out the harmonies. We spent hours figuring out the parts, playing it over and over. It was great fun and always so rewarding. We were good!
Steve and Carol,what are some of your thoughts on the newest waves of music that have come on the scene? Who do you think is the leading force in today’s music, locally and/or internationally? Why? Steve: I don’t have that much of a finger on the pulse of current music trends. Some of my younger guitar and bass students will bring stuff to me that I’ve never heard, and a lot of the time I can trace it back to earlier influences, whether it’s Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, James Brown… I mean, I love Bruno Mars. He’s definitely mining from the James Brown vein a lot of the time. I can’t honestly say who I think is leading the force in today’s music. As far as the local scene, we are so lucky in this area to have such a wealth of artists of all genres. It’s always been that way. I went to high school with Kenny Aronoff, who is now one of the most in-demand drummers in the world. Also Ed Mann, who went on to play with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention for years. Ed and another good friend, Bob Williams, who now lives in Nashville, are responsible for getting me into my first band in high school. There are more talented musicians in this area than I can list. If I tried, I’m afraid I’d be forgetting somebody. Steve, as you mentioned, you are also a music teacher. I can understand wanting to share knowledge with students. As a teacher, what qualities do you think are your strongest? Steve: As a teacher, I think I’ve gotten good at getting students to just relax and have fun. Especially new, nervous students. I don’t crack the whip. I don’t say, “No. You have to do it THIS way.” There’s often more than one way to do any given thing. One way may be more intuitive than another to any given student. I have learned other ways of doing things from my students. It can definitely be a give-and-take relationship. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said, “Why didn’t I think of that?”
Steve, what, to you, is most important to teach each student? In such a busy and crazy world, do you find a common thread among your students, something that needs fine tuning or something that wasn’t necessary to teach twenty or so years ago? (How do you teach patience?) Steve: Every student is different. Some take to it quickly; some have to work really hard at it. My bottom line is that playing music is supposed to be fun, first and foremost. It’s important to relax and take it at your own pace and try not to get frustrated. It’s hard. To remind myself of that, I will sometimes turn my guitar upside down and play it backwards. All of a sudden I’m back at day one. That makes it easy for me to have patience, and hopefully to model patience, for beginning students. When I first started trying to learn to play, there was no YouTube. All I had was a record player. I would drop the needle and listen over and over again, trying to figure out by ear how they did that. YouTube has changed how people can learn. It’s an incredible resource. Pick a tune, and there will be any number of people who want to show you how they think it goes. Some are great, some not so much. But, in my opin-
Carol Ide Photograph by Lee Everett
ion, YouTube doesn’t take the place of a one-on-one relationship with a student and a teacher, where the student can stop and ask specific questions and get immediate answers. I’m amazed at how many kids can’t tune by ear. (There’s an app for that…) Part of what I teach is how to recognize, by ear, when a note is sharp or flat, and how to tune by ear. It’s one of the basics that I feel is really important.
Carol, what is your vocal range? Carol: I was always an alto in a chorus, often singing a harmony part to the lead. When I joined the band I became the “girl” in the group, so therefore I sang many high parts. My range has grown due to this, but I still work on my falsetto strength and the range of my full voice. Presently, my voice feels stronger, and I have better control now than ever before. I am fortunate that I get to sing backup on a few tunes with the BTUs. The guys let me throw a harmony on when it fits. It’s kept me in the loop during my 30-year Continued on next page... THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2017 • 25
Steve & Carol Ide Photograph by Lee Everett
teaching career. I sing often… especially with my kids and grandkids. I feel like I am back to my first teaching job in preschool. We still sing all of the old songs I used to do with my students. And on a daily basis, if I hear a song lyric spoken, I will launch into the song, or as much of it as I know. My mom did the same thing.
Carol, do you believe starting voice classes at an early age is beneficial? In what ways? Carol: I never took any voice lessons, maybe learned a bit about breathing during high school choral groups. I believe that it should happen organically. If a kid has an interest in singing, they should sing. With prompting from my school colleagues, I led our kindergarten through 6th grade “All School Sings” at Undermountain Elementary School, believing that singing brings a community together, and is a good release for everybody. I loved partnering with the music teachers, where we’d share in leading our favorite sing-along songs. I spent 12 years working with Anson Olds, a well-loved and now sorely
26 • MAY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND
missed singer/guitarist and fiddler player, and more recently with Elizabeth Petty. On the same theme, for 15 or so years, I was the sound person and a coach for our K-6 students, choosing to perform in the yearly UME Talent Show, inspired and led by Susan Happ, the school’s student adjustment counselor. At an early age, here is a perfect place for any child interested in singing and performing to try doing something they love, on a stage, with encouragement, understanding and gentle coaching.
Tell me about the lifestyle you both lead at the present time. What is the Music Family Tree all about? Steve and Carol: We have both referred to our musical family tree; the roots go deep on both sides. We let the music happen at family gatherings when the time is available and feels right. When one of us hears a song they like, we try to learn it. At times we might record it at home or take a video for posterity. It is rewarding to see it being passed on to our granddaughters, who all love to sing. (We have a plethora
of kid videos.) They now all own guitars and ukuleles, so the band is growing.
Tell me why you think music may sound better with our eyes closed? Steve: This may be overly obvious, but when your eyes are closed, you remove any visual distraction and it can all take place in your head. I think sometimes I sing better when I close my eyes. I kinda still need to have my eyes open most of the time when I play guitar. Maybe that’s why books can sometimes be better than movies. You can make up the characters and scenes in your head and have them be just what you want them to be.
Carol, how do you take care of your voice? Is there a health regimen you follow in order to preserve your voice? Vitamins? Do you consider your voice to be your jewel and life-long investment? Carol: Not so much; I just sing. While teaching, I lost my voice a couple of times. That was scary. But by following doctors’ advice, it always returned. A
Carol Ide photograph by Lee Everett
certain amount of warming up is good before a show; hot tea is good to sip at those times. I am certainly thankful to have been blessed with my voice. Never in a million years did I think I would be singing as a career. As long as it holds out, and as long as I am invited to sing, I’ll sing!
Carol, what are some good voice exercises you can suggest to people who love to sing but fear they cannot? Carol: I think if you have a fear about singing, then you have to get over that. I don’t know that voice exercises can help. Did you see the movie about Florence Foster Jenkins, portrayed by Meryl Streep? I thought it was wonderful.
Carol, no, I have not seen that film, but I think it’s worth looking up the trailer on Youtube, thank you! Carol and Steve, what was the last great surprise you both had? Carol and Steve: A huge surprise was having the phone ring two weeks after deciding to retire from teaching, and being asked to jump back on the bus to tour with Arlo. What a hoot! How very lucky we are. Steve, if you were to plan a positive energy April Fools prank, without any repercussions whatsoever, what would that be? We promise not to tell!
Steve: You won’t know where, and you won’t know when… Carol, if you were to have special powers to stop the insanity, what might they be? Use your imagination!! Carol: I would follow the lead of Pete Seeger and have the power to “surround hate with love,” and rid the world of greed, racism, and pollution of all kinds. I hope that there are enough of us who believe that we can overcome many of our “insanities” or problems by rising up and over them with love, while showing compassion for each other. Everyone matters. If only there was a magic wand…
on a desert island for 15 minutes? And who, for an eternity? Carol: Steve. Steve, what instrument do you not know how to play but wish you did? Is it to late to learn? Steve: Tenor sax. It’s on my bucket list.
Carol, what natural musical/artistic talents have you always possessed? Carol: Singing harmony has always been a strength I possessed, even at an early age. ( Thank you to my mom and nana.)
Steve, I am hoping you can talk a little about Woody Guthrie. Who was he and what did he mean to the people? Steve: I’m really not an authority, but I think the world was a better place with Woody and Pete Seeger in it. They were good friends and traveling partners. We did get a chance to work with and spend a lot of time with Pete, and I can only assume they shared a similar outlook on life and a similar sense of priorities. Pete was highly educated, had no prejudice and was a complete gentleman. Arlo would be the guy to talk to about Woody.
Carol, with whom would you want to be stranded
Continued on next page...
Steve, if you were to travel anywhere and be there in minutes, knowing you could not return, where would that be, and what would you take along? Steve: Saint Thomas USVI. A bottle of dark rum, a blender, a guitar and Carol.
Steve, when buying a guitar for a beginner with great potential, what kind and what brand would that be? What would be this student’s very first exercise? Steve: There are lots of choices as far as that goes. I wouldn't specify a brand. I usually start beginners on THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2017 • 27
Carol and Steve in their home in the Berkshires
Photograph by Lee Everett
an acoustic guitar just so they don’t have to think about learning how to use an amplifier right away. For really young kids, a 1/2 or 3/4 size electric guitar or a ukulele can be a good way to get into it. They have skinnier strings and the strings are much easier to press down. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to buy a good, relatively easy-to-play beginner guitar. Ease of playing is really important. My first guitar was NOT easy to play, but it was mine and I loved it. Quite often the first exercise is simply memorizing the names of the strings. Carol, what was your favorite lullaby your parents use to sing to you when you were a child? Carol: I remember saying my prayers with my parents, but don’t recall any lullabies.
Carol, what are your favorite passtimes? Carol: I love to be outside during all of the seasons. During warmer weather I’d be in our gardens, playing in the dirt, sitting on the front porch reading or hanging with friends. I also like to sketch and do watercolor painting. Let’s not leave out spending time with our kids and grandkids. We are so lucky to have them nearby. They are such a tremendous joy. Carol, if you were to transform into an animal, what kind of animal would it be, and why? Carol: A hippo. I love hippos… ask anyone who knows me.
Steve: Where do you want to be five years from now? Steve: Saint Thomas USVI, with a bottle of dark rum, a blender, a guitar and Carol.
Steve, what do you take most seriously about your 28 •MAY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND
guitar playing, and what do you think Carol should take more seriously with her voice? Steve: I take the basics really seriously. I need to be in tune. I try to produce a good tone with my instrument. I try to “say something” with my instrument. All the other performance/theatrical stuff doesn't mean a thing to me if the basics aren’t in place. I can’t think of anything that Carol should take more seriously about her voice. She’s singing all the time, especially when kids are around. Carol, do you think the world we live in today is similar to any era in our collective past? Carol: As a child in the 60s, I watched civil rights protests led by Dr. King. Today again, we see protests and uprising of people who feel their rights are in jeopardy. Our Constitution and Bill of Rights are still hard at work, thank goodness.
Steve, can you create a solution for world strife, a new way to generate peace? Steve: I think that’s a little out of my reach. I’ll get back to you if I figure that out. Carol, a fruit bowl is sitting on your kitchen table… what fruit do you reach for first, and why? Carol: In the fall, it’s definitely an apple. In the winter a navel orange.
Steve, what was the biggest lesson you learned in your life, that you want your children to know about and remember? Steve: The Golden Rule. Not that I haven’t broken it. I have. But I think it’s how people should try to live their lives. That, and try to have as much of a positive effect on those around you as you can. Sure,
coming up with a solution to world strife and world peace would be good, too. But until then, be good to those close to you. It can have a ripple effect.
Steve, Berkshirites may be curious to know where you perform—together or solo—around these parts. And do you have a schedule for spring? Steve: Right now there aren’t a lot of live music venues around here. Not like it was in the 70s and 80s. The BTUs have a steady “Last Friday of The Month” residency at Firefly in Lenox, thanks to Laura Shack. We sometimes have a Monday night gig at Mission bar in Pittsfield, where we play with our friend Andy Wrba. We love that place, and Andy. We sometimes play at the Mount Washington House in Hillsdale, NY. There are a few other things in the works as well. If you’re a Facebook person, try searching for the BTUs. I always post where we’ll be, usually about a week in advance.
Final words of wisdom, Steve? Carol? Steve: Have faith. Try to stay hopeful and positive. Give yourself a break from what’s happening with this country and the world from time to time. Take a hot bath. Go for a walk in the woods. Gaze at the night sky. Get into a great book. Carol: I agree with Steve. Have faith. There is so much that is good in this world. Stay hopeful, and positive, and be the best “you” you can be to rise up and over the craziness. Live in the present, and always keep singing…. Thank you! F
THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2017 • 29
LISA LaMONICA ILLUSTRATOR Interview by Harryet Candee
Harryet Candee: So much art is sprouting up everywhere! Do you think it's coincidental for you to be sitting in the midst of this art renaissance? Is there a good reason why it has become such an open, attention grabbing activity in the lifestyle of the average American? Lisa LaMonica: I know that art has always been around and I think it always will be. For many of us, it's how we make sense of the world and express what we see. In modern times, it's easier than ever to share your work with the world, with so many sharing platforms available. What are you currently working on? What challenges are on the drawing board? Lisa: I continue to pitch new book ideas and work on 30 • MAY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND
Photographs supplied by artist
oil and watercolor paintings, both landscapes and still lifes. I also am starting to do more public speaking, which is sometimes daunting, being an introvert.
Does the computer have a place in your creation of fine or commercial art-making? Lisa: The computer is a way of connecting me to source material, but not in the actual creation of art.
Do you discard your “bad” art? Lisa: I never discard my “bad” art, since there is always someone who sees value in it, and for many years I have donated art to charities for their auction and fundraising efforts. What was the most recent art exhibition you at-
tended? What was it about and what was your review? Lisa: The most recent art exhibits I've been to were at 46 Green Street Gallery in Hudson, both a winter show and now a Valentine's show, and I do get inspired by other artists’ work and techniques. I really enjoy looking at other artists’ work.
In terms of classical art and history, how valuable is it for you to use these as a tool for your own work? Lisa: Classical art and history inspire my work to an extent, giving me ideas and learning about long-ago processes. Can you feel comfortable separating your fine art
Lisa’s work area with her illustrations in process Lisa sells her books at book fair
from your commercial art? How do you do that? Lisa: Separating fine art from commercial art has never been a problem or conflict for me. I enjoy both; one is for me and another is an assignment, and that's how I look at it.
What drawing exercises do you like to warm up with? Lisa: I warm up with little painting exercises in small sketchbooks. I typically look at nearby landscapes and paint what I see.
What are the differences for you when working on an adult history book, as opposed to a children's illustrated book? Lisa: History books involve much research, which I enjoy doing since you stumble upon so many interesting facts and people. Working on books for children has been much more free in terms of expression, text and art. Writing a book is a journey, and at the start of each project, I never know where it will take me and who I'll get to meet.
What do you think are the most challenging venues in art, ones that you have yet to tackle? Lisa: Challenging venues for me would be more school visits and public speaking, since I am an introvert and enjoy long stretches of time and solitude. But I do enjoy marketing my work, since I have a marketing background as well.
When wanting to bring in new ideas, new techniques, new stories to your Continued on next page...
THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2017 • 31
Books by Lisa LaMonica
work, how do you initially get inspired? Lisa: I have been inspired by children I've met at the Hudson Youth Department, and at book festivals. Book ideas just come to me, as well as different types of art that I want to do.
Did you find that when you were growing up there was a sufficient amount of time and opportunity to make art? Lisa: Growing up, there was never enough time or opportunity to do art! It just wasn't available to me enough! When teaching art, do you find that sometimes it isn't the words you use to get the ideas across, but the demonstration of it? Lisa: Yes, when teaching, sometimes it's easier just to demonstrate.
How do you explore the joys of creating art for yourself as opposed to a commercial art job? Lisa: Creating art for myself has always been joyful; time just melts away. I explore by painting or working on mosaics and other types of art. How do you know when a drawing is finished? Lisa: For me, an artwork is finished when it says all it needs to say or creates a feeling that I'm looking for.
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The gallery scene, in my opinion, is such a difficult one to be successful in! I admire gallerists! What is your perception of the gallery scene, and would you ever open one yourself? Lisa: Ah galleries... I love them but these days it's not the only way to sell art. And I definitely would enjoy having one of my own. I am always on the lookout for another property that I can afford for such a purpose. I would enjoy showing other artists’ works, as well as my own. What is the subject matter of one of your favorite children's stories—one that you have made into a book? Lisa: I have enjoyed putting into book form children's impressions—and mine as well—of the Halloween season. It is just my favorite time of the year, because of all the color.
Where are you off to now? Any big adventures? Lisa: I still want to paint more in the Caribbean, because of the color there! Also, if I were to get some of the book deals I'm pitching, I would be traveling and exploring more...
The Hudson area is exploding with artist venues. Outside of the visual arts, what has grabbed your attention lately? Lisa: Hudson still has my attention because of its diverse history and artifacts.
The history books you have come up with, like Images of America: Hudson… can you explain the challenges, and how all those hours were spent bringing it to completion? Lisa: The Hudson book was the most challenging to put together. It involved a lot of research, and 180 archival images, so I couldn't just use any image; they had to be archival. So many lovely images were deteriorated and too compromised, so it was a yearlong project of acquiring images, research and interviewing people.
What advice would you give to young people about going into children's illustration? Lisa: Someone said at one of the Oscars ceremonies that pursuing creativity was not a waste of time, and I agree. I would advise young people to follow their dreams, be persistent, show your best work, write and paint every day, and try not to compare your art or journey to anyone else's. Children's illustration is a crowded field, but worth pursuing! What makes life fun for you, Lisa? Lisa: What makes life fun for me is being able to pay my bills, renovating my house, spending time with family and friends and of course writing and painting! Thank you! Z
FINE LINE MULTIMEDIA STING PHOTOGRAPH BY LEE EVERETT
JENNIFER PAZIENZA
MODERN HYBRIDS, OIL ON CANVAS, 42 X 40.5 INCHES
Landscape, love and longing, ever present themes in my work, have led me into the contested nature of the idea of landscape in historical and contemporary visual culture, and in matters of environmental sustainability. That is why I am particularly grateful to be included in BEAT’S, Berkshire Environment Action Team’s, 1st Annual art show, Wild Berkshires opening April 21 with a silent auction that runs through May 13 at 6 pm. From the vantage point of my Keswick Ridge studio, in the three root vegetable paintings on exhibition, pictured here in The Artful Mind, you will see that mine is as an un-alienated, insider’s way of seeing and re-presenting land (in the most inclusive sense; air and water and all that depends upon it) as the setting for life and work. The carrots, beets and turnips depicted here were harvested (and eventually cooked and eaten) from our organic farm, Jemseg River Farm. Despite my urban roots, since childhood the stuff of the natural world, recast as landscape, has been my go to place for personal and social understanding. When I am asked, “Were you thinking about all of this when you made these root veggie paintings?” my answer is always a resounding, “No!” I had just completed a commissioned work. Although it was an aesthetic and spiritually rich learning experience it was also soulless—an experience that took me away from myself, I was left feeling bereft. Without thinking I asked my husband to grab a bunch of carrots and beets so that I could get back to my palette. It was only on reflection that I realized my off handed request for root vegetables was not just about color, but color in these particular life giving plants. Engaging with their energy, recasting them in paint was a way for me to get back to myself, a way to heal. These works exude good health and celebrate the miracles that root vegetables are, but they remind us too that the health of us all, and the environment resides in each of our hands. My work is held in Public and Corporate Collections in Canada and in numerous private collections throughout the US, Canada, the UK and Italy. Although my primary residence is in eastern Canada I regularly exhibit in the Berkshire area including St. Francis Gallery, Good Purpose Gallery, Diana Felber Gallery and 510 Warren Street. I currently have work at Designs by Jennifer Owen, Great Barrington. Jennifer Pazienza - http://jenniferpazienza.com, https://www.facebook.com/JemsegRiver, email: jennpazienza@gmail.com. 34 • MAY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND
MARY CAROL RUDIN "INDIAN SUNSET" 18 X 24 OIL ON CANVAS
As a child and adolescent I was drawn to all of the arts. At an early age I expressed that interest by making my own greeting cards. As an adolescent I sewed my own clothes, and as an adult I was able to restore and decorate a beautiful stone house built in the 1920's. I have a lifetime of visiting museums and historic sites in many parts of this country and the world. I consider these experiences important to my appreciation and understanding of the visual arts. It was not until I was widowed that I decided to try to draw. I took my first classes in drawing and watercolor at the Brentwood Art Center in Brentwood, California. I followed with classes in pastel at University of California, Los Angeles and oil painting under the guidance of John Strong and acrylic abstract with Ilana Bloch, also in Los Angeles. When I moved to New York in 2011 I studied drawing and painting at the Art Students League and Chelsea Classical Studio School of Fine Art with Brandon Soloff. I continue to work in graphite, oil and acrylic and paint everything from still life to landscapes, skyscapes, and seascapes. I have experimented with static objects like pearls and am currently preparing studies for an abstract in mixed media on board. I am not sure where the studies will lead as far as a finished product, but the adventure is worth the effort. This is my journey and I believe my inquisitive, adventurous mind simply needs to continue to explore. I am glad I have had the opportunity to live and experience urban life on both the west and the east coast as well as the natural beauty and rich artistic community of the Southern Berkshires. My varied life experiences all contribute to the development of the fabric of my internal life, and my view of the world. I will never stop experimenting and growing as an artist. "Indian Sunset" is a landscape done in oil based on an evening sunset while on a trip to Northern India with World Wildlife. I wanted to capture the color of the sun going down and the remaining rays of sunlight at the end of the day. I found Indian Yellow the perfect color to give the translucent orange in the sky. The dark images of trees in shadow was primarily achieved with the paint color, Perylene Black. While this is categorically black, it has a very dark green transparent quality; beautiful in landscape painting. Unlike most of my paintings that hang in a hall to continue to dry and not be on real display, this one hangs in my bedroom. Mary Carol Rudin - mcrudin.com mcrudin123@gmail.com
LIVE PERFORMANCE PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO
Fine Line Multimedia provides single or multi-camera video of music, dance and theater performances. Services include: scripting and storyboard art, videography with professional high definition cameras, high quality audio recording, sensitive lighting design and creative editing with the latest non-linear editing system. For the past 45 years Fine Line Multimedia has provided audio/video performance production for The Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood, Berkshire Performing Arts Center, National Music Foundation, Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, United Way of the Berkshires, Arlo Guthrie, Rising Son Records, Bobby Sweet, World Moja, Phil Woods, Grace Kelly, Heather Fisch, Opera Nouveau, Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company and many more. Fine Line was established in 1970 by Lee Everett in Lenox, Massachusetts. Everett came to the Berkshires after studying Advertising Design and Visual Communications at Pratt Institute and working for years as an Art Director in New York. He taught Art in local schools and began a full-service multimedia studio in Lenox specializing in the Performing and Visual Arts and other business and industry. With Photography, Graphic Design, Advertising, Marketing, Audio/Video Production, Website, Social Network Creation and Administration together under one roof, Fine Line can satisfy the artistic communications and promotional needs of a wide range of clients. Please look at some examples from our portfolios of work on our website and use the contact information on the site to get further information, to see more samples, photographs or video reels, for professional and client references or for a free project consultation. Fine Line Multimedia - 66 Church Street, Lenox, MA; www.finelinelenox.com Contact: Lee Everett, 413-637-2020, everett@berkshire.rr.com
"The speech we hear is an indication of that which we don't hear . . . a necessary avoidance . . . which keeps the other in place . . . one way of looking at speech is to say that it is a constant strategy to cover nakedness." -- Harold Pinter
robert Forte Fleeing Persecution
oil on canvas
30" x 40"
On View at: atlantic gallery 548 West 28 st. new york, ny May 16 - June 3, 2017
www.robertforte.com
Lynda Meyer LYNDA'S ANTIQUE CLOTHING LOFT Interview by Harryet Candee
Harryet Candee: Lynda, your shop is beautiful!! Congrats on its success! What kind of clientele enjoy buying your antique clothing and articles? Lynda Meyer: My clientele are people who just love beautiful things. They range in age from 2 to 95. While waiting for her brother's martial arts class to end in the studio behind my store, Carrie insisted that her father had to take her into my store. She played with all the dolls, and the 100-year-old teddy bear, and was delighted with the 1940s red and white cotton little girl's dress her father bought for her. My oldest customer, 95-year-old Helen, when she could no longer come to my store, had me bring things to her home in Pittsfield so she could continue to shop
36 •MAY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND
Photography by Kate Coulehan
for her favorite antiques. Most of my customers have an artistic bend, and are beguiled by beautifully-crafted clothes and textiles with intriguing histories. Also, a number of psychologists are attracted to my store, for some reason...
That’s interesting! The art of collecting must be in the blood… there are those who just need to collect! What do you think it is in one's personality that inspires the need to collect? And, personally, what do you find satisfying about it? Lynda: As a young woman, I never thought of myself as a collector, nor did I collect anything. Throughout
my 20s, I was a hippie and a wanderer; my mother called me her “wandering Jew.” I never had more possessions than I could carry in a backpack, and usually managed to loose most of those. When I did stop roving, I sprouted collector’s wings very suddenly. My passion was clothes, especially very old clothes. When I was seven, my mother took my brother and me to visit a terrible old relative at Mount Sinai Hospital on 105th Street in Manhattan. As a treat for being such good children (we didn't have much of a choice), my mother took us to the nearby Museum of the City of New York. My brother Paul was fascinated with the suit of armor in the entrance way of
the museum, and I was bowled over by the exhibit of inaugural gowns of all the presidents' wives, starting with Martha Washington and ending with the latest wife at the time, Mamie Eisenhower. I remember when I came home I ran to our blackboard in the playroom, and drew a picture of the "big" dress— Mrs. Lincoln's gown was amazing. I believe that the art of collecting anything comes from love, knowledge and the wish to share with others, especially if they love the same "stuff" we do. You must be very interested in history. What time period interests you most? Lynda: I find the 1920s to be the most revolutionary period in all of fashion history. The 1920s, a wonderful art moment in fashion, was also an important outcome of the suffrage and women's liberation movements of the time. Women were released from the centuries of body restraints that were demanded by society. Gone were the endless underpinnings of
1880's boned corset atop an iron hoop skirt form
corsets, long drawers, petticoats, camisoles etc., to be replaced by the liberating, simple, graceful lines of the 1920s.
Fashion has changed, but history repeats itself. What fashions do you find practical to wear that have a retro style to them? Lynda: The 1920s keeps being the answer of last resort to many designers. Wonderful graphics, flowing materials, graceful styling on many body shapes, terrific accessories. The great failure in modern fashion lies in materials, the synthetics that promised so much (easy care) have not delivered! So the best use of retro pieces are in the lovely silk scarves and shawls that can help make contemporary clothing much more interesting, without being outre. Do you supply and rent to the local theaters in the Berkshires? I usually sell rather than rent to the theaters. I work
mostly with the Williamstown Theater Festival; most of their costume designers come from New York City, and my prices are so much less than in the city. They take the opportunity to be able to own a piece and have it in their collection, much more cheaply. I really don't want to have bad feelings result when a piece returns to me in a mess, and I become hysterical and run the risk of loosing a good customer. Also, many of the designers work all over the country and order from the road; they are allowed to borrow things to try on their actors before buying. I have had very good relationships with the local theaters in the Berkshires for many years. Do you wear these historical styles yourself? What do you like to wear most? Lynda: I LOVE historical clothing! I wear them everyday. Even when I'm just at home doing housework, red lipstick and a 1950s cotton house dress (a Continued on next page... THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2017 • 37
lovers. I also have a website, www.lyndameyer.com. My website has photos from my store and a very extensive resume, including all the lectures I have presented, plus a little video from a lecture I did at the Norman Rockwell Museum on Art Deco designs. This site tends to send people and institutions to me who are looking for appraisals, also part of my work. Needless to say, I am very grateful for the new merchandising technology, although my skills are very fragile.
How long did it take you to build your collection? Lynda: My present collection has taken many years to put together. I say "present collection" because a collection is always evolving, always being refined, expanding or contracting as the collector grows in knowledge and experience. My focus now seems to be growing towards a smaller, more concise collection. I am doing a lot of downsizing, resulting in a lot of sales in my store. While it is a bit painful for me to let go of pieces I have held onto for years, it is very fortunate for my customers. But shedding is a necessity for the growth of a collection, to keep it honest and relevant. The search for new and hard-to-find items has kept me in love with collecting for the past forty years.
1930's pure silk chiffon bias cut gown with black Chantilly lace shoulder and bottom flounce. A fine example of Art Deco design.
cashmere cardigan sweater is added when cold), is my working uniform. When I get ready to work at my store, serious thought goes into my daily outfit, a very important part of my job (I also love doing this). Even though I do dearly love the 1920s, choosing the era for the day really depends on that day's inspiration. In the summer, Edwardian batiste cottons hold sway, and handmade sweaters from the 1930s are winter necessities for me. I have been known to tramp down the isles of Stop and Shop in an early20th century train-backed skirt.
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Do you use the Internet for selling? Have you benefited from the new technology in an age of modern selling? Sites like eBay—do you find them to your advantage? Lynda: I do have an online Etsy store called Eva Wagenfish. My young cousin Leah set it up for me, and places all the photos and descriptions on the site. I couldn't do it without her. Leah's grandma and my aunt was Eva Wagenfish, so we decided, at Leah's suggestion, to name the Etsy site in memory of Eva. Etsy has brought customers from all around the world to me, an extended family of antique clothing
Where did you find all this fabulous clothing and jewelry? Lynda: Most of the jewelry in my store has been collected by my cousin, Maxine Levine. Maxine lives in Doylestown, PA, and that is where she does her collecting. Doylestown is in Bucks County, an area very similar to Berkshire County—lovely 18th-century towns, quaint architecture, antiques particular to southern Pennsylvania, just a great place for jewelry hunting (and a great place for beer). Maxine has been honing her skills as a jewelry collector for many years. Her personal collection is breathtaking, and I am grateful for the pieces she is willing to have at my store. Maxine's jewelry covers the period from19001950's, all one-of-a-kind and beautifully made. Many years ago, when I was first bitten by the antique clothing bug, I used to scout all the charity shops and church sales in the New York City area. I remember going to an Hadassah charity store on 86th and 3rd, and I bought a 1930s peach silk satin nightgown, with a train, no less, for 35 cents, but that was in 1965! Today, charity stores have been picked over for many years, and wonderful buys are very few and far between. I have been a clothing dealer for many years, and people come to me when they are moving; families call on me with estate clothing. Also, I lecture for historical societies and sometimes barter lectures for pieces of unwanted clothes donated to the society. When I visit my cousin Maxine, we go to the great flea market in Lambertville, New Jersey. Vendors are there all spring, summer and fall. At this point in my life, my collecting "eye" is like a Geiger counter. I can recognize a piece of antique clothing in any condition, anywhere. What do you think people find most interesting
about your shop? Lynda: People are amazed by so many pieces of historic clothes in such good condition. They find it hard to believe that clothing 80, 90, or 120 years old exists in the world, and can still be so well-preserved and so beautiful. Many people believe that antique clothes must be schematas, old rags grandma wore for cleaning house. All the clothing, and textiles as well, are cleaned and restored by me, and I do my best to bring back these clothes to their original wonderful designs. Coming to my store is like stepping into a time machine!
How can you tell if something is authentic or not? Lynda: I have over the years handled, restored and examined probably thousands of pieces of antique clothing, ranging from about 1800 to 1960s. Recognizing authentic pieces to me is no problem; they are
A rack of plentiful! Photograph by Kate Coulehan
clear as a bell. One can say it is instinct, but instinct supported by years of serious study and experience in very complex work. Each period has its own distinctive characteristic in terms of form, color, technology and design intent. I have to admit, antique clothes talk to me. Is public speaking and educating an audience something you do regularly? Lynda: For more than 30 years I have lectured on fashion history in museums, libraries, colleges, grammar schools and historical societies throughout the four-state area (New York, Massachusetts, Vermont and Connecticut). I view my lectures not as lectures so much, but as conversations with people who share the same interest. I am the person in front of the room, delivering information to people who want this information; that is why they are there. But
once this transformation of information is over, the really interesting exchange takes place. The floor is thrown open to questions, giving everyone a chance to not only ask questions but to talk about their experiences and their families' experiences with their own antique clothing. Clothing, unlike arrowheads and pottery shards, is an historic artifact that transcends specialized education. Everyone wears clothes! I find that giving lectures has become important to me as a learning process, not only for my audiences, but for myself as well. Preparation for a lecture can take as long as three months. A great deal of research is necessary‌ gathering appropriate exhibits and writing up notes into a comprehensive dialogue unfortunately precludes taking on too many Continued on next page...
THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2017 • 39
lectures. I would like to arrange my time so that I could be more available to lecture. My next lecture will be Saturday, May 14 at Ventfort Hall in Lenox, MA. The topic will be "The Revolutionary Change in Women's Fashion, 1900-1925.”
Lynda, can you describe and explain how this has become an art for you. Lynda: I started dance classes when I was four years old. My mother thought I was agile and graceful, and was a natural dancer—after all, I could do a split. Consequently, from the time I was very young, I always had artful conversations with myself. A very similar conversation continued with clothes collecting. Art is a way of finding the truth, why does one notice one thing and not another? To pay attention to what is going on in one's mind, to communicate with others in this revelation of the self. Do you see a newly emerging trend in antique fashion, or has this been going on for as long as you can remember? Lynda: Fashion revisionism isn't only in my memory, it is a phenomenon that is timeless. One of my favorite eras is the early 19th century, the period in North America and Europe influenced by the Age of Enlightenment and the revolutions in America and France. The fashions were recalling the clothing of the early Greek democrats; every woman looked like a Greek tragedy, in thin, muslin, tubeshaped dresses with long, soft, wool shawls. It didn't last long, because North America and Europe had climates much different than ancient Greece. This look was repeated again in the early part of the 20th century, recalling the high-waist look of the Empire period, and in the early 1960’s, when the movie My Fair Lady brought the craze back again. Usually, the original concept had fallen by the wayside by the second and third resurrection. I am hoping that the next trend inspired by antique clothes will lead to a better appreciation of fabrics and workmanship. Maybe people might even pressure manufacturers to improve the quality of their products. That would be a really great trend. If it was up to you to start a fashion craze/trend, what would the clothing look like? Lynda: I would like to start a fashion craze that would have clothing look and fit well on all body types, and all ages. Women would learn to appreciate their own bodies and dress accordingly, and admire themselves. I noticed in my store, with so many decades of styles, customers are able to see themselves in many different ways, finding what becomes them most.
1920's long silk Chinese lounging robe made especially for the Western market. Chinese silks were all the rage for sensual wear in the 1920's, a precursor to Victoria Secret 40 •MAY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND
Did you ever have a runway show? Would you like one one day? In Paris? NYC? Lynda: I did have a runway antique fashion show once, a number of years ago. It was at and for the Berkshire Botanical Gardens in Stockbridge. Twenty-six models, all in outfits from my collection! Never again! It was the hardest the thing I ever did. The show took a couple of months to put together. Many, many bruised egos, some tears, lots of sweat and strain on the clothes. It wasn't all bleak; at times the show was quite charming. But
antique runway shows are not venues that bring joy to my life. I used to use live models, but I'm much more comfortable with forms, no sweat! If I were to have a runway fashion fantasy show I would like it to be at the Cooper Hewitt Museum . The Cooper Hewitt is a great museum of historic and contemporary design in a wonderful end-of-the-century mansion on 91st Street and 5th Avenue.
Lynda, please tell us about your background. I know you lived in India for a while, and it seems like you are an adventurous kind of gal! Lynda: I grew up in the 1950s in the Bronx, with my mother, a widow, and two older brothers. My oldest brother was a nightmare, and my younger brother and I were, and are, very close. My main ambition in life was to get myself out of the Bronx. When my mother sent me to camp for two weeks in the summer, I would cry when I had to come home. I always liked the country, roaming in the woods, green grass yards, nice-smelling air. When I was nineteen, I moved to the lower east side of Manhattan with a friend. We shared a "railroad flat" and became hippies. I took African dance classes, attended Hunter College on Park Avenue at night, and went to lots of poetry readings at Saint Marks Church, heard Allen Ginsberg, Anne Waldman, Richard Brautigan, and a very young Patti Smith. I left New York in 1966 on a cross-country ride to San Fransisco—full hippie graduation! Danced at be-ins and psychedelic rock and roll concerts (Thirteen Floor Elevator), hitchhiked to Mexico whenever it rained, and it rained in Northern California from November to March. Became a life model at Berkeley and Stamford Universities, and the San Francisco Art Institute. After about two years, I left San Francisco for Hawaii, left Hawaii for New York City after a few months, and came back home to my mother. Worked at the Art Students League, made enough money to go to Baltimore with a friend, to hitch a ride on a boat to Norway, to start the long trek to India. I lived in a small fishing village in southern India for a year with a beautiful young Englishman. I left India when my young man went home to work in England. I lived in London with my boyfriend for another year, became terribly homesick and went back home to New York once again. In New York I hooked up with an avant guard video group with a New York Sate Council of the Arts grant, and lived in a big SoHo loft with lots of technical video equipment. I had a new boyfriend as well, but I hated the tecno life and had to leave. Went back to live with my mother (her "wandering Jew") and to dance with jazz musicians in the new loft scene in SoHo. At the same time I started working with someone who opened her own store selling handmade crafts and a few antique clothes. I found that I really loved the clothes, and absorbed all I could about the history of fashion, the care and cleaning of antique clothing… I even learned to sew. After several years working in New York, the person I worked for decided to resettle in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and I followed. After some years in Pittsfield, I decided to buy a little house in Adams, Massachusetts, 15 miles north of Pittsfield. And for the last 10 years I have been running my own store, Lynda's Antique Clothing Loft (the "Loft" is in homage to New York City).
Late 19th century short hand embroidered robe. The rich colored silk and gold threads are exquisite
What fashion (that may well be impractical to wear nowadays) would you like to see return? Please illustrate, describe and explain in depth. Lynda: Boudoir caps! Boudoir caps are little confections made of lace and silk ribbons, which were worn throughout the 19th century and well into the 1920s. I'm sure that the original purpose for these caps was to keep one's head warm at night in unheated bedrooms. The caps became more and more feminine and delicate, as bedrooms became warmer with the introduction of steam heat. I cannot resist boudoir caps, and hunt them down enthusiastically. Unfortunately my customers don't find them as wonderful as I do, and they don't sell well. But I find boudoir caps to be very witty, making the wearer look a little wacky, lightening the overreaching need to be in vogue. I think wearing
boudoir caps during the day would be the "thing!” When you are having a conversation with other antique clothing collectors, what comes up the most? Lynda: What comes up the most is the lament for the loss of so many items that were plentiful 20 or so years ago. Men's wool tweed jackets from the 1940s and 50s, with patch pockets and wide lapels, men's bi-colored shoes, three-piece gaberdine suits. The flouncy, flirty, floral rayon dresses from the 1940s. Blouses, blouses, wonderful blouses, from anytime—silk, rayon, even see-through 1950s nylon blouses. When antique clothing collectors get together, the longing for things past reminds me of the KadContinued on next page....
THE ARTFUL MIND MAY • 41
tale by Hans Cristian Anderson, about a young peasant girl given a pair of magical shoes that will never come off, and she will have to dance until she dies. I was eight years old when I saw this movie in a second-run theater on a rainy day at summer camp. Midway though the movie I started to cry, and didn't stop until the tragic, terrible end. Thirty years later, I rented the video. I had the same reaction: unbridled emotion. A few years later, while teaching dance at the Navajo school in Chinle Arizona, I was asked to present a dance for the Pow Wow at the end of the school year. That's right, The Red Shoes was my choice. The peasant was now a shepherdess, with a flock of Navajo kindergartners as sheep with painted black noses and little woolly capes, baa-ing on all fours (very cute). She is enticed by a "skin walker" (witch) to put on the red slippers. She couldn't stop dancing but was saved by a kindly grandmother who threw a bucket of water on the witch, thereby breaking the spell. Unfortunately I slipped on the water and slid across the floor. The whole room broke into uproarious laughter, and a great time was had by all. I still have a hard time watching that 1948 film, The Red Shoes.
How does living and working in Adams differ from when you lived in NYC? What is your story? Lynda: I liked the Berkshires right away. I liked that it was a beautiful area and that it was intellectually alive. I had lived in many beautiful places, northern California, southern India, Arizona, Hawaii… but the local culture made me uncomfortable. My nieces live in Austen, and I visit them every year. But Austen is not the place for me. The skies are too big, and the politics make me gag. The Berkshires bring comfort to my life. One of the life lessons I did learn while living in a very primitive fishing village in southern India for a year was how to be a good neighbor. I was a neighbor in the Bronx, a neighbor in my fishing village, and now I am a neighbor in the town of Adams. A neighbor is part of the gossip, part of the neighborhood maintenance. Being a snob or disinterested is not an option, and it could be dangerous. We are all part of civil society. Being from my old neighborhood in the Bronx enabled me to understand how to be a human anywhere. That is how I run my store in Adams—everyone who enters matters.
1920's black fringed shawl with elaborate ivory colored silk chrysanthemums. The shawl was made in France, but hand embroidered in China.
dish prayers at Yom Kippur, (the day of Atonement). Maybe someday… Hope (for antique clothes collectors) springs eternal. Lynda, into what other art venues does your love of antiques flow? And please talk about the world of dance, which you love. Lynda: Films have an enormous impact on my artistic consciousness. I am enraptured by old black and
42 • MAY THE ARTFUL MIND
white movies, people wearing fashions and living in environments that are so organic to the time. These films bring an authenticity to history, a comprehensive perspective that combines history and art into one experience. The most influencing film on my life (even invading my dreams for many years) was The Red Shoes, made in 1948 and starring the great English ballerina Moria Shearer. The Red Shoes is based on the fairy
What aspects of Adams fascinated you? I’m thinking of the history and the architecture, which has been respected and still stands—used by the average American and admired by discriminating artists. Lynda: I moved to Adams because the prices for houses were more affordable than in most of the county. Also, Adams was less run-down than the other affordable towns like North Adams, Savoy, Florida or Peru, also located in the northern part of Berkshire county. Adams became my choice because I could afford to be here. But as I began to explore my new neighborhood, I began to appreciate the historical aspects and unique attractions of Adams. Greylock Glen, the foothills of Mount Greylock, the tallest mountain in Massachusetts, is the heart and soul of Adams. The glen reminds me of the Austrian Alps, where the mountains swoop down to the valleys and shimmering streams. The glen has a
beautiful vista of the town of Adams and the wonderful old apple and pear orchards rimming the 1100 acres of Greylock Glen. Just a mile or two from the Greylock Glen is the Maple Street Cemetery. This cemetery was originally founded in the 18th century by the Quakers. A wonderful hand-wrought 18thcentury Quaker church stands at the entrance of the cemetery, of gray, weathered wood and handwrought iron nails. The interior of the church is a vision of minimalist art. The walls are whitewashed stucco, hand-carved wooden pews on each side of the open room for men on one side, and women on the other. In the upstairs loft where the boys and girls sat, the boys’ side was quite distinctive, with all the graffiti carved into the wooden pews. "J.D.R. 1859.” The Quaker Society in Adams, who maintain the church, has open meetings during the summer, and I was fortunate to attend several of the meetings. In the the 1860s, the cemetery was bequeathed to the town of Adams, after most of the Quakers had moved to Rochester, New York, and the town took over the perpetual care of the cemetery. The Adams Memorial Library, located in the middle of the main thoroughfare, Park Street, is a late Victorian, beautiful building of pale yellow brick, and topped with a rotunda of thick glass and steel. The library was a memorial to the fallen solders from Massachusetts during the civil war, and a gift to the town of Adams. I have lectured there in the rotunda room, a truly transcendental experience. Have you fulfilled your dreams and life goals at this point in your life? Lynda: Other than getting "the hell out of the Bronx,” I never thought I had any life goals. But in retrospect, propelling myself halfway around the world with practically no money was probably a goal of a sort achieved. For a long time, at least ten years, stopping smoking was a goal of mine that I thought I would never achieve, but I did twenty years ago, February 15, 1997!!! Probably the biggest goal in my life that I did achieve, but never recognized until recently, was to have work that brought fulfillment to my life. My work as an antique clothing collector, fashion historian and store owner make sense to me at last.
What in your life brought on the epiphany that you love history and historical items—and the past, respecting objects that are ancient, giving a home to and displaying with love all of your finds? Lynda: I always loved museums, beautiful pictures and exhibits. Anyone growing up in New York is a beneficiary of the best art that the world has to offer. My favorite museum was the Frick Gallery, just a stone’s throw from Hunter College, on 72nd Street and 5th Avenue. I would escape the prattle of a couple of thousand girls in an ugly 14-story building, to the cool marble walls of the Frick. Personally owning art or collecting never entered my head until I went to San Fransisco. San Fransisco was almost entirely destroyed by earthquake and fire in 1906. The city had to be rebuilt at that time. When I arrived in San Fransisco in 1966, at the age of 22, I was rendered delirious at the beauty of the city. 1906 was happening right then and there… wonderful old "painted ladies,” (huge old Victorian homes painted in psychedelic colors), eucalyptus tree-lined streets, rolling green parks. And the people! The people were young, but part of the past too. Young men with long hair and beards, girls
1930's blue glass and brass necklace
in long "granny" dresses and high boots. Wearing old clothes was chic and "happening.” All of a sudden I understood having fine old things in my life would make me very happy. I was delighted to be in San Fransisco at that place and time, and so were thousands of others of my generation. My life had changed forever!
What are your most-loved excerpts from a book or movie, something that you can share. Why does this have such meaning for you? Lynda: In 2011, I was asked by the director of the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst to present a lecture-exhibit on late 19th-century fashion, and Emily's interest in clothes and fashion of the time. The staff at the museum were very generous to me, and gave me access to all of Emily's things in the museum, as well as the contents in her brother Austin's home at the other side of the property they had shared. I had spent weeks going through Emily’s, her sister Lavina’s, and her sister-in-law Susan's clothes and sewing projects, receipts for threads and laces etc. I read all the biographies about Emily and her family that the museum owned, and never had I read any of her works until the night before my lecture. When I started reading her works it was as if I was bathed in sunlight, as if we had been conversing for years. "Captivity is consciousness... so's liberty.” "Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul - and sings the tunes without words - and never stops at all" "Find ecstasy in life, the mere sense of living is joy enough.”
Who is your favorite modern fashion designer? Why? Lynda: My favorite modern designer is Betsy Johnson. Why? Because I knew her. Betsy had a house in Hillsdale, on the New York side of the Berkshires, so she would occasionally shop at my store. I was very impressed with how her mind worked. She was able to sort through a roomful of antique clothes, and would always pick the best pieces. Betsy just knew how to see. She told me that she always picked out the materials herself, chose the finest silks from Italy, never had her line made on the cheap in China. So, Betsy Johnson is my favorite designer because I know her, and because I know and respect her standards. Lynda's Antique Clothing Loft, 39 Park Street (route 8) Adams, MA email: lyndaloft@hotmail.com etsy site: eva wagenfish www. Lynda Meyer.com Lynda Meyer owner and proprietor Thank you! f
THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2017 • 43
FRONT ST. GALLERY
Beautiful Massachusetts Berkshires & Beyond
2017 Art Poster Calendars
Kate Knapp, Savoy Cabbage, 16 x 20, Oil
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)
twelve Monthly Posters
(Traditional wall style)
Featuring the diverse beauty of our neighborhoods. They include Outdoor Recreation, Farming, Farm-to-Table, History and more... Available sizes: 5” x 7” • 11” x 14”
• 8.5” x 11”
I aim to share what I see by chance or by design. that is beautiful to me. The camera allows me to do that. -Lynne M. Anstett - Photography© Imagery Art Works
Lynne M. Anstett - Photography © Imagery Art Works 860-888-3672 ImageryArtWorks@hotmail.com • Imagery Art Works Facebook
44 • MAY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND
http://www.gicleeone.com/lynne-m-anstatt 2017 art Poster calendars are available here and other fine stores: 2017 art Poster calendars are available here and other fine stores: Williams & sons country store – stockbridge, berkshire Museum – Pittsfield, local – lenox, Paperdilly – lee, Wild oats Market coop – Williamstown, gateways inn – lenox, chester railway station & Museum – chester, Water street books - Williamstown, sheffield Historical society - sheffield, cedar chest – northampton, berkshire emporium & antiques – north adams, booklink booksellers – northampton, the bookstore - lenox, Holiday brook Farm - dalton, art & chocolate lenox, stockbridge coffee and tea - stockbridge, old creamery co-op cummington, Farm country soup - southfield, aerus electrolux – Pittsfield, artisans guild – norfolk, ct, salisbury general store - salisbury, ct and Unique Finds, granby, ct
THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2017 • 45
real props on a perfectly built set. When it was done I wondered how I had done it—or actually WHO had done it? The progress of my career and closeness to Norman Rockwell have convinced me I have help and guidance from the other side.
POPS PETERSON Interview by Harryet Candee
Harryet Candee: Pops, many times we find art so satisfying because words cannot measure up to what is visually created. How does your process successfully transcend your thoughts? Can you cite specific instances that relate to your early work and present-day work? Pops Peterson: No matter how I expect the end result to be with an artwork, something unforeseen always happens. And the result is usually superior to my original vision. In Freedom from What?, for example, I knew the emotion I wanted to project and of course the scene was adapted from Rockwell’s Free46 • MAY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND
Artwork by Pops Peterson
dom from Fear. But that’s all I had, the models and the mood. There was no wall, no window—we didn’t even have a bed! The whole thing was shot in a bare studio on two Aerobeds stacked one on top of the other. I had to have faith I’d find the elements and have the skill to make it look real. As I was assembling the pieces, nothing was jiving just right. If you look closely, you’ll see that the headboard of the bed would not connect to the foot, the perspective on the bookshelf is warped, etc. But, in the end, these failings added an otherworldly air to the work, making it even more haunting than if I had been able to shoot
What are the pre-processes you use to make your artistic ideas come through successfully? For me, the idea is most important, therefore I rely on many thumbnail sketches prior to actual time with the medium I use. Some of my friends use the travel time on the D train to come up with preplans for their next artwork. Others I have known rely on pre-existing references of artwork done by others. Some of us cannot help but to thumb-nail sketch their inner vision onto paper, then take it from there. Pops: Each artwork is unique and uniquely inspired. Of course, my Reinventing Rockwell series pays homage to one of Rockwell’s iconic pieces—for instance, “Freedom of Speech.” But I still need to impose my own vision on each painting to justify my update, “What the Hell?” I knew right away I wanted a woman for the protagonist, instead of a man, and then I thought it should be a woman of color. But then something strange and wonderful happened: I had to go to the Stockbridge selectman’s meeting to get a permit for a shoot on town property. What I witnessed in the meeting was a bureaucratic comedy where, one after another, the most practical, benign requests were tripped up by absurd red tape. When I finally asked for my permit, the audience of over 100 citizens seemed completely in my favor, applauding and such. But one of the three selectman felt the need to drag me and my concept through the coals, challenging my motives and even the veracity of my upcoming date to speak at the Norman Rockwell Museum! In the end I got my permit (with a vote of two yes and one abstention) and the process made me change the entire attitude of my new version of “Freedom of Speech.” Instead of showing a Black woman proudly standing among her peers in a town meeting, sounding off like an elder statesman, this experience made me show the protagonist crying out for justice and sanity in our disintegrating democracy. Please explain the reasons why you need to communicate your political, religious and other beliefs, which have been considered controversial by some. Pops: Controversial? All I ever intended was to make joyful imagery that reflected the world I live in. My earlier works were landscapes, abstracts and portraits of friends, their kids and pets. I brightened up the colors and fantasized them so they’d pop. My first solo exhibition, “New Frontiers in Pop Art,” at Lauren Clark Fine Art, was completely benign. Only when I started “Reinventing Rockwell,” did I find myself labeled as controversial, and it took me totally by surprise! Of course to do a remake of “The Runaway” in the modern day, one would show a woman in uniform instead of a man, and the little boy could be a brown skinned immigrant. Isn’t that what we see in the world nowadays that Rockwell didn’t see? Initially, the entire series was met with a groundswell of public support, with multiple newspaper covers, great reviews and even being embraced by the Rock-
well Museum. I was honored to receive a Civil Rights Award and named Artist in Residence of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. But I long ago learned that anything fabulous will always have its detractors. Let’s not forget they came after Barbra Streisand, perhaps the greatest star of all time, for her name, her nose and her “lack of refinement.” 2001: A Space Odyssey was panned by the NY Times for being “hard to sit through.” And how about all the insanity surrounding the Armory Show in 1913! I wasn’t looking forward to it, but when controversy came I really considered it an important benchmark in my art career. The first detractor was that curmudgeonly selectman at the town meeting, who I felt was not just conservative, but hostile to change of any sort, and possibly a bit racist. But even more shocking was the outrage at my version of “Freedom of Worship,” which I call “Freedom of Faith.” That painting depicts what I consider the keystone of a free world: Tolerance. “Freedom of Faith” shows seventeen diverse Americans—Catholics, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Blacks, Latinos, Protestants and others—all worshiping in their various ethnic attire. In golden block letters is inscribed, “All Faiths Equal - One Faith.” You could have blown me over with a soda straw when I saw a firestorm of controversy on one of the model’s social media pages. The model was being excoriated for appearing in a picture that said all faiths were equal when the writers believed that only their own particular faith was the real one! This was so appalling to me, so ironic, because this certain set of people are widely known for demanding tolerance and equality for their group while they were proving themselves unwilling to grant tolerance or equality to others! How do they ever expect to be granted equality if they aren’t willing to bestow it? Dumbasses!! Then, after my Rockwells were printed on the
front page of the Sunday Berkshire Eagle, they published a letter from some guy who said it was wrong to “plagiarize” Rockwell’s work “for the sake of political correctness!” He really went there! Called me a “plagiarist!” Then somebody else wrote in to say I was an artist “extraordinaire,” and that my speeches should be in the history books. Of course I had to weigh in as well with my own letter, setting the record straight: I make my own statements and never plagiarized anything! So in two weeks I had a cover story and three letters to the editor. LOL! Irksome though it can feel, it’s truly gratifying to see that my work is being taken so seriously. What is your driving force for defending your belief system? Do you express it as you feel it, or are you sensitive to others who may not agree, trying to make art that is more appealing to the masses,
when possible? Pops: My driving force is to send the love I feel into the world. Beauty is the physical aspect of love, so I believe my works are all beautiful, even if the subject may not be pretty. My new painting project, “Freedom of Assembly,” is a tribute to the Women’s March that happened worldwide in January. The subject, a protest march, is not at all pretty, but the bond of the women in the march, their unified vision and force, certainly are beautiful. That’s because the truth is beautiful.
What medium works best for you when you want to make a strong statement? Would it have anything to do with the physical outlet this particular medium gives you, or perhaps the buoyancy of the medium? Continue on next page...
THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2017 • 47
Pops: For me, digital imaging is a godsend. Back in the day, when I was studying oil painting, I loved the process, the smell of the paints and thinners, and the resulting colors on a strong canvas. But I absolutely hated that your one original work, the child you gave birth to, was so vulnerable. Vulnerable to age, to damage and to theft. A living thing, the painting could not be reproduced. You could take a photo, but that was just a small, dim shadow of your original canvas. Now, working digitally, my artworks can be seen instantly, in perfect detail, all over the world, and reproduced infinitely. So if one is damaged or lost or stolen, I can just print a new one exactly the same, bigger or smaller. My emotional attachment to my paintings was a stumbling block, the main reason I switched to writing. But now, almost a half century after I started out painting, the technology has made visual art my happy and secure playground! Can you tell us some of the significant highlights that guided you along the way in your creative process, and in the meaning behind what you create?
Pops: My creative process always has been to infuse my feelings onto a blank white surface. The terrifying tabula rasa. It was by happenstance, really, that I discovered I could also paint with ideas, and make powerful statements that people take to heart. When this occurred, through my Reinventing Rockwell collection, I found myself in an entirely new landscape, one where I felt I had a power, a power that could heal
people’s hearts and even work for social justice. This all happened just as our government and society began a free fall so frightening that it seems every single one of us needs to fight. Not only our rights, but our lives depend on you and me fighting not just injustice, which we are used to, but also fighting insanity in the highest echelons. My voice, my visibility, have come at just the moment where I feel I need to make a contribution, helping people to express their fears, their outrage, and their solidarity. I was overjoyed to see the videos of my artworks being paraded through the streets of Pittsfield by marchers in the Four Freedoms Coalition protest against prejudice and bigotry. And it was almost overwhelming to see them featured so prominently on the front page of the Sunday edition of the Berkshire Eagle and papers throughout New England. Overwhelming not only because of the pride I felt, but also because of the sense of duty I now feel to continue on this path, working to fight evil, greed and despotism.
If the world changed to be a place of JUST goodness and peace (imagine that), what subject of interest would you want to create in art? Pops: If the world were just a place of goodness and peace, then anything I painted would, by definition, be good and peaceful, right? Maybe the world will ultimately achieve this level of nirvana, but to get there we are going to have to work for it, hard and long! And for now I intend to do my part, with my paintings and speeches and the way I live moment to moment. Being kind to people. Trying to understand and have
empathy for those with differing viewpoints. Being generous and industrious and forgiving. And speaking up! For your readers who might want to use my work for demonstration posters, I have made my two most popular protest posters, Freedom from What? (Freedom from Fear) and What the Hell? (Freedom of Speech) available on my website at no cost. They are designed to be printed on posters 24”x34”, but feel free to make them whatever size you need. Please march them down the streets, pin them to your walls and let them inspire you to make this a better world! Download them at popspeterson.com/posters (for personal use only, not to be sold or mass produced). For signed, limited edition museum quality canvas prints, please call Cassandra Sohn at Sohn Fine Art: 413-551-7353. Thank you! G
“The mythogenetic zone today is the individual in contact with his own interior life, communicating through his art with those ‘out there’.” --Joseph Campbell, The Creative Mythology, 1968
48 •MAY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND
LARRY S. FRANKEL PHOTOGRAPHER
FRONT STREET GALLERY
KATE KNAPP, TANGERINES AND CHAIR, 30 X 30”, OIL
ROBERT FORTE
VICTIMS OF INTOLERANCE, OIL ON CANVAS, 24" X 30"
Robert Forte's paintings continue to explore themes and ideas drawn from experiences in his life and in the world around him. The canvas used as a vehicle of expression as opposed to representation provides Forte with the excitement that makes painting an ongoing adventure and a source of limitless possibilities. Antecedent artists that inspire are the great expressionists Soutine and Schiele, Beckmann, Kirchner and Kokoschka. Forte also enjoys the minimalism of contemporary artists such as Alex Katz and the unique imagery of Bacon, Guston and Kitaj. The politically catastrophic events now in progress in this country, and the social upheavals worldwide have reinforced Forte's need to give vigorous expression to ideas and emotions that resonate both personally and universally. The anticipated assault on human rights and dignity make it all the more imperative to use the canvas forcefully, both as a reaffirmation of oneself and a reaching out to others. There are many ways and media with which to achieve this, but Forte has concentrated his work on oils, adding acrylics for their adaptability to rapid brushstrokes. In 2016, Forte was accepted into Atlantic Gallery in the Chelsea arts district of New York City. Accordingly, Robert has been focusing on works for the Atlantic Gallery exhibition schedule for 2017. The first exhibit,, opened on January 12, a members' group show in which Forte showed three new works in oil and acrylic. A second members’ group show followed, its theme, freedom of expression, sought to channel the fears and emotions created by the current political scene into an artistic outpouring. A highly successful "Connections" show last year, in which members invited artists to participate, is in the planning stages for this year. An exhibit titled "Idylls, Idols & Ideals" ran through February of this year and included two of Robert's tree studies in oil. In March, Robert showed two recent oils, again at Atlantic Gallery, in a show titled "Persons, Places & Things". May brings two of his politically themed paintings to Atlantic Gallery in a show titled "Or Curse the Darkness". A June invitational at the Gallery reprises last year's "Connections" show in which Robert will be participating with guest artists. Robert’s website: www.robertforte.com
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. A teacher for many years, Kate Knapp has a keen sense of each student’s artistic needs to take a step beyond. Perfect setting for setting up still lifes; lighting and space are excellent. Peek in to see! Front Street Gallery – Front Street, Housatonic, MA. Gallery open by appointment or chance anytime. 413-528-9546 at home or 413-4297141 (cell).
Larry S. Frankel is a fine arts photographer specializing in landscapes and cityscapes. He has always be interested in the photograph and its relationship with truth and time. Does a photograph portray truth? Can an image expand itself into a different dimension of time and space rather then be based upon the fraction of time it took to create it? What are the underlying differences between painting and photography? Larry uses various techniques dealing with these ideas to alter landscapes and cityscapes in to imagery that represent a new reality. His images have been widely exhibited and he has several pieces in the permanent collection of the Hebrew Union College Museum. In addition several of his written articles and photographs are published. He has also served as an artist in residence for photography at the Hudson River Museum. He received his B.S. from Boston University and his Masters of Arts in Photography from New York University/International Center for Photography. larryfrankelphotography.com to view his imagery.
Alison Wedd Photography
Come take a look!
alisonweddphotography@gmail.com alisonweddphotography.com
THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2017 • 49
ANN SCOTT
NOVEMBER FOG, 8 X 10, WATERCOLOR
HTTP://WWW.ANNSCOTTPAINTING.COM Solo show at the Southern Vermont Art Center, May 27-July 8. Opening reception will be Sunday, May 28 from 2-4 You can see my work throughout the year at the Hoadley Gallery, 21 Church Street, Lenox, MA.
LAUREN CLARK FINE ART
Lauren Clark Fine Art presents “The Line and the Curve”, paintings and sculpture by New York artist, Sharon Wandel. The show opens Saturday, May 27 and runs through June 25. Reception for the Artist on Saturday, May 27, 4-7pm. Known primarily for her sculptures of sleek bronze birds, Sharon Wandel is also a painter of some renown. In this Inaugural Show and Season Opener at the newly located Lauren Clark Fine Art, “You can’t be an actor and be completely both media of the artist will be on view. normal . . . As an actor you live your life The artist is a longtime Sculptors Guild member watching yourself live your life and watching who joins poetry and nature with the metaphorical others watch you too. It is the only thing and realistic in her bold but delicate bronze sculpthat brings me satisfaction and anguish at tures which embodies the universal symbolism of the same time. To me, the theatre is slow freedom-the bird. suicide, a space where every night I leave a The new gallery, as with the former, is a showpiece of my life.” place for paintings, fine art prints, sculpture, art --Vitorio Gassman, 1958 glass, ceramics and jewelry by regional and internationally recognized artists. Lauren Clark Fine Art - 325 Stockbridge Road, Suite 1, Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Business hours are We d n e s d a y - M o n d a y from 11-5:30 and Sunday from Noon-5. For more information call "Wishing all a joyful celebration of the 413-528-0432, or visit the website at www.LauLIGHT this season and always!” renClarkFineArt.com.
Thursday 10-6, Friday10-8 Saturday 10-8, Sunday 10-6, Monday 10-6 closed Tuesday & Wednesday
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50 • MAY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND
MARGUERITE BRIDE MARGUERITE BRIDE, OLD TRINITY CHURCH, WATERCOLOR
WATERCOLORS
This past winter, more often than not, my new paintings seemed to focus on the skies. Of course buildings too, but more attention is being paid to sunsets, weather, clouds, storms. As I prepare for summer gallery exhibits and arts festivals I will be showing a new and exciting array of paintings featuring some old barns, farms, churches, lighthouses….many of the places we know and love, but with more unusual sky treatments. The first exhibit of the summer will be at the Good Purpose Gallery in Lee June 30 – August 8. Artist opening will be held on Friday, June 30 from 4:40 – 6:30. News of other shows is also available on my website or visit my Facebook Watercolor page for even more info. Anytime 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. Fine art reproductions and note cards of Berkshire images and others by the artist are available at the Red Lion Inn Gift Shop (Stockbridge), Lenox Print & Mercantile (Lenox); and a variety of other fine gift shops, and also directly from the artist. Seasonal scenes are always on display in the public areas of the Crowne Plaza in Pittsfield. Or visit Bride’s studio by appointment. 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.
To Jeff, Cheri, Judy, Shoshana, Samantha and to all those amazing friends I love: I appreciate everything that you do, Very helpful and thoughtful, too. From the beginning, you've been there for me, When I was down, you were strong like a tree. You offer so much, a heart that is kind, Thinking to help others, in your beautiful mind. Your qualities combined, are extremely rare, Every day with a smile and care.
Everything you do I respect and praise, You're a wonderful person, you always amaze. Wish to say thank you, with all my heart.
PEGGY RIVERS
APRIL - AUGUST 2017 INFLUENCER SERIES Peggy Rivers, Nava-Redon, Oil, 10” x 10”, 2017
showing at: District Kitchen & Bar
40 West Street, Pittsfield, MA 413. 442. 0303 OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK from 4PM - 12AM
THE ARTFUL MIND JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 • 53
ARTIST
JOANNE SPIES
Interview by Harryet Candee
I’ve known JoAnne for many years, and I am so honored to have this opp to interview her. With her help, and photographer Jane Feldman’s great photo-eye, this collaborated interview popped up like magic. JoAnne is interesting as can be; full of life and devoted to the arts which have helped to round out her life and make it bountiful and joyful.
54 • MAY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND
Photography by Jane Feldman
JoAnne is an inspiration—you can tell just by the photographs that transpired from the photo shoot. You can get a feel of JoAnne’s journey and her talents which have gained love and respect from many people who had their eyes and ears peeled on her as she honed her artistic abilities up and up, piece by piece just like a jigsaw puzzle. JoAnne has a real good audience.
Harryet Candee: JoAnne, I am just wondering, were you the kid that was always humming and singing every chance possible? JoAnne: Yes! I grew up in Chicago with a Sicilian grandmother whose remedy for everything was: ‘Sing, Giovanna, sing!’ I always made up songs for myself, but was a shy, quiet person who wrote poetry. Going to poetry readings in Chicago, I started wanting to sing the poems. It wasn’t until I
was free of the nine-to-five world of New York City, came to the Berkshires and was hired to run a B&B, that I was able to sing more of my songs in a band regularly.
How did you end up working in the Big Apple? JoAnne: I fell in love with a comedian! I had been living on a houseboat in Coconut Grove, Florida when I met the very funny and endearing man I followed to Brooklyn. My first night there, he had a gig at the Bottom Line, and the blackout happened throughout the city. NRBQ couldn’t play because there was no electricity. It was a wild introduction to the city. Through him I met interesting folks like John Belushi. Chris, the comedian, opened for great groups like the Talking Heads and John Mayall. I had a few of my own gigs singing; my favorite one was opening for Steve Forbert at the Other End. Another memorable evening was sharing a cab with Tom Waits, singing my song You Don’t Pick Your Man Like You Pick A Car, with him growling out the bass line. After Chris and I went our separate ways, I had an interesting array of jobs. I got a vendor’s license and wheeled an espresso cart across town to my spot on the corner of 5th and 53rd. I had to fight for that spot the first time out… I worked at the front desk of a printing company and sent out a team of messengers on bikes. I found a home working in PR at a Jewish nonprofit, and loved going to my first seder and feeling part of a family, even if I was Italian. The job itself was stressful, and I smoked way too many cigarettes back then. I hated getting on the elevator, and would walk up ten flights of stairs, making up little ditties to keep my sanity. I quit that job and worked in daycare so I could quit smoking and learn more about kids. I would wheel 10 to 12 toddlers to Washington Square Park, and it took forever just to get them into their shoes and snowsuits. It was around this time that someone I had worked with called and said, “How would you like to move to the Berkshires? A man is looking for someone to run his B&B.” I had never heard of the Berkshires, but was ready to go. I had just met my musical soulmate, Jack, and we were planning on leaving the city and going to Seattle. The B&B was in Pittsfield, and after NYC, Pittsfield was the perfect place to be. I found that I loved taking care of a house, baking bread and meeting guests.
What kind of music did you and Jack play? JoAnne: We played original folk tunes. Jack and I met at the Speakeasy in the Village. I lived not far from there in an apartment the size of a bus. I’ll never forget when he and I got a gig at the Speakeasy to open for Ramblin’ Jack, and (my) Jack climbed a tree after the gig, he was so excited. When we moved to the Berkshires we started a band with Jim Weber on drums, Peter Lindstrom on bass, Tom Fulvi on sax, and Steve Sears on pedal steel. I sang lead vocals. Later, Dave Lincoln Jr. played drums, and Don Harris was on bass. We did a mix of cover tunes and our own songs. I remember a New Year’s Eve gig at the Lion’s Den
Art work by JoAnne Spies
where there were so many musicians in our band that Steve Sears sat in the audience to play. I had real stage fright for a few years, where I’d get Jack to promise to act like it was normal if I ran off the stage. That never did happen, but it was quite a while before I felt comfortable. We also played some gigs with Danny Pearl in those days. A gig at Bucksteep with Danny was memorable. Danny had a warm way of being a good friend to many, and after his tragic death I met our mutual friend, Todd Mack, who started
FODfest (Friends of Danny), then Music In Common.
Tell me about your drawings, and when you started making art. JoAnne: Like many folks, I’ve always been a doodler. I took a class in art therapy at the New School where we were asked to draw a picture of where we’d like to be in five years. I drew a row of welcoming pine trees... it was the Berkshires! When I landed here I took an art class with Rose-
Continued on next page... THE ARTFUL MIND MAY 2017 • 55
Fork and Plate 3, JoAnne Spies
mary Starace, and loved learning that there were cultures that wove art-making into the fabric of the day. That sounded like a good way to live. Rosemary, Karin Reichert and I had a group called PoHo, a spoof on SoHo, and we made totem poles and other “artifacts” to put on North Street. I used Karin’s slab roller to make monoprints, and also made floorcloths. I sold a few “Incantation” floorcloths to massage therapists. Loved taking a class with Mark Milloff at BCC, where we painted with oils and acrylics, and Karen Arp-Sandel’s collage class at IS183. I’ve enjoyed Deb Koffman’s mindful drawing classes. What an array of artists we have here in the Berkshires! There are many more I’d like to learn from. Collage has been a compelling art form for me lately. I did a Mr. Trump series in collage. Over the past few years I’ve been exploring line drawings with two characters. Some of the conversations are about food. I’d like to run caption contests.
JoAnne, I remember Karin Reichert. I loved her pottery. So accidentally fun and perfectly amusing. Her work lives on. ....Where do you get your inspiration? JoAnne: I think in pictures, and a lot of languages are in picture form. Where do songs come from? It’s a mystery and a gift. There’s an old saying from the Inuit that the words we need shoot up of themselves, and that’s how we get a new song. They believe songs are thoughts, sung out with the breath when people are 56 • MAY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND
moved by great forces and ordinary speech no longer is enough. I like the African proverb you probably know: “If you can talk, you can sing. If you can walk, you can dance.” Making up a song can be as simple as talking. Songs are used in so many ways… where would we be without them? African-American spirituals and work songs that keep people going, gospel songs, protest songs, love songs, songs for learning our alphabet, for remembering… every style of song, as varied as there are people. I feel fortunate that in my everyday work, I make up songs with people. Working in six Berkshire Healthcare settings, I visit people one-on-one in their rooms, bringing the CATA Art Cart, a rolling lending library of art prints for the wall. The cart also carries my musical instruments, which vary. I usually bring my guitar or tank drum (a recycled propane tank that sounds like a steel drum and makes meditative sounds. I call it a story drum, because it encourages the telling of stories). Sometimes there’s the dulcimer, ukelele, accordion, boomwhackers, percussion instruments… poems and stories too. The best stories and songs come from the people I see. There’s a way of co-creating that has developed over the years. Part interview, part call and response, simply listening. What are some of your favorite stories?
JoAnne: I think the healing stories in real time that have happened are the most memorable. Once, I was bringing my dulcimer room to room, and came upon a woman who was being assisted in learning how to swallow on her own. I asked if I could play, and imagined the gentle sound of the dulcimer helping her process. She did two more swallows than was her norm, on her own. Recently, in the memory care unit, I invited a man to read a poem to the whole group, and line by line we repeated his words back to him. He had the biggest smile, telling us how he used to be an English teacher, and the group loved being a support. Another woman, who did not want to leave her room, became my assistant and joined the group playing my dulcimer, which is easy to strum. Her family bought her a dulcimer, and she would join the group more easily in her role as assistant. I’ve seen the story drum help people articulate words who before could not speak clearly. The rhythm and notes of the instrument have a way of leading people to speak and form words.
The magic of music....Where did you get your training for the work you do now? JoAnne: The MCC (Mass Cultural Council) had an Elder Arts Program that was facilitated by the Liz Lerman Dancers. Liz Lerman believed that elders were missing from the world of dance, and choreographed amazing work from real-life situations, using elders and all age groups. From her
dancers/teachers I learned how to set up a group, interview and engage with participants and find themes to explore using my own art forms, which are songwriting and visual art. I graduated from a four-year music improvisation program with Music for People, an organization that believes musical expression is our birthright. I do ongoing trainings each year if I can; REMO Health Rhythms protocol was excellent, and drummer Arthur Hull taught an inspiring weekend that helped me make drum circles more inclusive. The activities assistant at North Adams Commons used the info I shared to make the percussion circles there her own. In my work, I visit two Alzheimer’s (memory care) units. I’ve been doing this work for sixteen years and am grateful to CATA’s founder, Sandy Newman, for envisioning this program with me, and to the new director, Margaret Keller, for supporting and encouraging CATA’s faculty artists to grow. Artistic Director Dawn Lane also raises the bar in CATA’s yearly performance and fundraiser, where all the artists showcase their work around a theme. This year’s theme is Everyday People. It’s great this year to collaborate with singer Jeanne Laurin Schnackenberg on my song for the show. I’ve played music for hospice, as well as the physical therapy unit. Last week I did squats along with a resident while I played my guitar in PT!
Can you tell me about the wooden instrument sticks you’ve made?
JoAnne: Back to the idea of where songs come from. In our cave days, we likely imitated the wind and used call and response. I can imagine melody as a way to remember what we said to the sun that worked when we needed it. We prayed for rain, and our prayers became songs. Thinking of music as a call and response to the elements, it’s been fun to use y-shaped branches as “jimmy jangle” shakers, locust pods for percussion, and to imagine the audience as the Elemental Orchestra. The full-blown launch of the Elemental Orchestra was at the Norman Rockwell Museum for “Karaoke Confession,” a guided tour/performance I created for the Berkshire Festival of Women Writers. It wove poetry, song, story and dance around a central theme of forgiveness, using Rockwell’s paintings as the focal point. The performance started by inviting everyone to shake the percussion instrument that I handed out before the show—a locust pod that was gathered from the front yard of the Mission House, a local museum that tells the story of the Stockbridge Mohicans. I had led a few musical/historical walks from the Mission House to the burial ground a few blocks away, to learn and share the history of the Stockbridge Indians, the first people in this town. Rhythm, silence and melody were woven in as we walked to the river, and then to the burial ground and cemetery. It seemed fitting to use the locust pods from the Mission House as the basis of the performance.
Fork and Plate 4, blue bottom pop bottle by JoAnne Spies
The steady pulse of the pods sounded like water, and represented for me the idea of forgiveness available to all as a steady stream. The audience shook locust pods in call and response, and also in affirmation to anything they heard that they liked. I found a different variety of locust pods at the Stockbridge Indian burial ground a few blocks from the Mission House, and made an instrument for myself. The seeds were closer together and looked like hearts. Most of my performances in the past ten years have been about walking. RiverMASS was created first as a procession/performance through a church, and on the land by a river in its other incarnations. Sounding Mohican Pathways were musical/historical walks down Main Street past the Housatonic River to the burial ground in Stockbridge, co-created with Tammis Coffin of the Trustees of the Reservation. My everyday work has been as a troubadour for Community Access to the Arts, walking from room to room in health care facilities to sing with people and share their stories with others. All these endeavors are similar, in that there is walking, co-creation, healing and a building of community. How did you come up with the name “Karaoke Confession?” JoAnne: I've wanted to use that title for years, and
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JoAnne Spies "Freedom for Want" sculpture and grandparents Photograph by Jane Feldman
led a workshop by that name at Kripalu on International Day of Peace. I've wondered what it would be like if we could walk into a bar or storefront and have deep-meaning rituals taking place as easy as karaoke. The word karaoke means “empty orchestra.” I like to think that when we improvise, our senses become our own empty orchestra, each sense “sitting on the edge of its seat,” ready to play, with beginner's mind and a sense of wonder. My goal as facilitator, or museum guide, is to lead people with this sense of wonder and discovery. I went to the Rockwell Museum each week and learned from Tom Daly's gallery talks and different museum guides' unique tours about Rockwell and his work. I came to appreciate the myriad stories embedded in his paintings. When I read about Ruby Bridges, the six year old girl who bravely walked through angry crowds accompanied by guards in his painting The Problem We All Live With, I learned that she prayed as she walked: “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” I started looking at Rockwell's paintings from a different angle, and saw that some could be about acceptance, some about pardon, as in the case of Richard Nixon's portrait, and so on. What if the whole audience walked through the galleries with me for my performance? The Wak58 • MAY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND
ing, a poem by Theodore Roethke, came to mind: “I learn by going where I have to go.” I got excited by the idea of leading my own tour through the galleries, with poems posted by different paintings. I looked around for poets like a character in a picaresque novel, to see who would show up. I ran into the writer Mindy Dow at the post office, and asked her if she had any poems about forgiveness. I asked poet Jan Hutchinson for forgiveness poems, and she offered to write a poem about the paintings of the boys fishing, when I told her that they reminded me of acceptance. I met African storyteller Kasiya Phiri by walking up to his friend at Wild Oats in Williamstown... I was made brave by this mission to find people to help with this performance. I brought the theme into my CATA Art Cart work with elders, to learn their thoughts. My favorite quote was, “To forgive, I laugh and I forget.” I wrote a blues tune using one woman's line, “I mind my own business,” and played it by the Rockwell painting The Gossips. I was also influenced by being a presenter at the Peace Conference sponsored by the Center for Peace Through Culture at Hancock Shaker Village. How do we create a culture of peace? JoAnne: Studying forgiveness seems a good place
to start. It was fascinating to walk through the NRM galleries again and again and find new meaning with different lenses, looking at each painting. It was powerful to hear a different artist by each painting and realize how much we need each person's perspective. It was joyful to have a large audience participating fully as a chorus and walking along together in discovery mode. What images in our own mental “galleries” do we revisit? Which stories are ready to be re-written with the help of forgiveness? “I learn by going where I have to go. We think by feeling. What is there to know?” Besides Karaoke Confession, I had two more performances at the Rockwell Museum, Trust and Courage. I used different sticks or staffs for each performance. For Trust I found a stick that had a rabbit-shaped head, a reminder that trust grows when we understand the “other,” in this case the rabbit who is an animal of prey and doesn’t like to be picked up off the ground. What kind of songs do you write? JoAnne: Lately I’ve been writing protest songs. “Put a drop in the bucket till the bucket’s full, a light in the window till love will rule…” A while back, Marmalade Productions asked me
to write songs for their puppet show about protecting the watershed. I loved writing songs for Watershed Waltz, and have a dragonfly song and others I recently brought to Undermountain School through music teacher Elizabeth Petty. We did a listening game with the tank drum, and the kids waltzed with their parents to my song Watershed Waltz. Here are some of the words to my songs about water: RiverMass Song 12,000 years of tears are standing in my throat 100 million fears are woven in my coat Illusion and memory are all the same Can you tell me, what is my name? Beyond the mountains I move along My voice is hidden, then my voice is strong After so much silence and separation Will you praise my beauty, my reparation? Rising, falling, known, unknown My water blossoms in your bone I am the heart of tree and bird I am the river, a holy word By Water I’m Led I’m standing by the riverside Lost and ramblin’ in my pride Never knowing in my heart or head I am water and by water am led Let the memory of the soft, green ground And the majesty of each simple sound Hold me when I’m tumblin’ down I am water, missing and found Landlocked, full of fear Sound your torrent, that I may hear Where I’m stubborn, let me flow Where I’m ignorant, let me know Let the spirit of the earth and sky Keep me when I die Carry me to the river and sea I am water and I am free
It was an honor to write a song for a ceremony honoring both Jane Goodall and the Survivor Tree on International Day of Peace at the 9/11 Memorial. I hadn’t known about this miraculous tree that survived the blast at Ground Zero and was brought back to life by Parks Dept. workers up in the Bronx. The tree is a living teacher, showing us what resilience looks like and how our nurturing can bring what seems dead back to life.
Have you sold any songs? JoAnne: It was a thrill to hear that Howard Zinn liked a song called "Snow in Paradise" that I wrote after reading his account of the mill girls in Lowell in his "People's History of the United States." Jeff Bridges is interested in singing "As I Sit Down To Eat" to benefit his work with End Hunger. These songs haven't been sold yet, but it feels like they are a success! Do you record your songs? What’s next? JoAnne: I have three CD’s and a long-ago cassette
Celebrating Love and Peace through guitar picking and strumming and singing, JoAnne Spies Photograph by Jane Feldman
tape with Jack & JoAnne. I got an MCC grant to make Me & Melville, which was part spoken word and poetry and part original music. The last CD was a collaboration with hiphop artist Jackson Whalan and producer Robby Baier, called Ecstatic Dances. I wanted to make songs you could dance to. One of the songs is about mindful eating, and it’s led me to organize a dance to raise money for a local food bank. I never knew how many food banks there are in the Berkshires, and how great the need is for food. I’ve also done a series of drawings exploring the theme in different ways. The other things I’m looking forward to are a performance on Mt. Greylock at Bascom Lodge in the
summer, and a workshop for kids in May called Song Magic and Incantations. I did the first one last summer in honor of J.K. Rowling, designating Mt. Greylock the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. May is CATA’s gala, which I’m looking forward to. I’m also singing in a concert in May at Kripalu with Shawn Stevens, a member of the Stockbridge-Munsee tribe. Spring is here at last! Thank you! z
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60 • MAY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND
grier Horner
, Outlier, 2016.
Priced by size. contact at 413-442-1879 grier@mac.com to see 25 more photos in my swamp series, go tothe Jan. 24 post http://grierhorner.com/blog.html
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANE FELDMAN
www.janefeldman.com JANEFELDMANPHOTO@GMAIL.COM
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PARADISE CITY ARTS FESTIVAL
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
It’s “Springtime in Paradise!” The Paradise City Arts Festival in Northampton marks its 23nd year as New England’s premier showcase for fine and functional art, with a breadth of exhibitors and activities that will keep you enthralled and entertained all weekend long. 250 nationally juried artists will display and sell their work – and one-quarter of these exhibitors are new to the show. But there’s always something new at Paradise City! This year, the event retires the original Arena Building and fills all three of the airy new Exhibition Buildings with artists showing their signature fine and functional art. There is an extensive Sculpture Promenade and a new location for the ever-popular Festival Dining Tent and Soundstage. It’s the very best way to spend a holiday weekend at the height of spring. Themed “show-within-a-show” exhibitions have been inspiring artists and intriguing patrons at Paradise City Arts Festivals for years. This spring Paradise City celebrates our fine feathered friends with a
ELIXIR
GREETINGS FROM NEW MEXICO!
STEPHEN RAY, SILO IN HARWINTON, PAINTING ON PANEL
special exhibition, “Birds of Paradise”, that pays creative homage to the powerful roles birds have played throughout human history. Artists and makers take us on a flight of fancy. In painting, sculpture, jewelry, ceramics, fashion, glass and more, experience the whole panoply of avian splendor and symbolism. The 10,000 square-foot Festival Dining Tent is a microcosm of Northampton’s vibrant restaurant scene, with recipes that span the globe. Chefs introduce new dishes every season, using ingredients straight from the Valley’s farms. On the Soundstage this holiday weekend Paradise City presents jazz, blues and swing by fabulous The OTones, Paul Arslanian’s notable Green Street Trio and, back by popular demand, Charles Neville (one of the most easily recognizable voices to ever come from the Big Easy) with the New England Nevilles! “It’s a juried show of contemporary American crafts and fine art, but with a vibrant soul that many similar exhibitions reach for but never attain. At Paradise City, jazz melodies float in the air, while the food soars beyond expectations. Most remarkable are the art pieces themselves...a unique visual arts institution.” - Boston Magazine Paradise City Arts Festival, May 27, 28 & 29, at Northampton’s 3 County Fairgrounds, on Old Ferry Road off Rt. 9. From the Mass Pike, take exit 4 to I91 North, Exit 19. For complete show and travel information, advance online tickets and discount admission coupons, visit www.paradisecityarts.com or call 800-511-9725.
I have been travelling cross country with my apprentice Aly and my pooch, Banjo for the past couple of weeks. In addition to attending a spiritual conference, visiting family and friends, and seeing many beautiful places, we have been doing a lot of research by sampling the wares of many popular vegan establishments in every state we travel through. We have met many kindred spirits and enjoyed many fine meals, but humbly state here that ELIXIR is a very special place in the line up. Many of you know our story. It is this story that makes ELIXIR unique.We have shared our philosophy with many on this journey and hope we have inspired many in doing so. Here is ELIXIR’S STORY: There are so many stories behind the story of ELIXIR. Much of the story is written in the flavors of the foods, or in the scent of herbs and spices wafting in the air when one first enters this place. And then there is the love. Yes, truly, the love. The love for the earth that cradles the seed while it begins to “become,” the love for the seed and the hand of the farmers that sew the seed and labor in the elements, and speak to the plants, while the sun rises and sets on their long day, season after season. The love of the colors and textures that come with the harvest of each season’s vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs. The love for the alchemy of salt and sweet and oil, spice and herb. The love that reaches out from the heart, and through the food, to touch another’s life with nourishment, nurturing, and healing. The love that connects all beings through this miracle of life that travels from the soil to the kitchen, and on to the ultimate transformation of all. We use 100% organic ingredients in our preparation of peaceful foods that do not include any animal products. We choose this way to do our part in lessening the impact on Mother Earth, for our personal health, and the health and well being of all creatures who dwell here. We have created a quiet haven for solitude and reflection, for visiting with family and friends, and for meeting new people. We encourage you to ponder the meaning of life over a Zen morning porridge or a pot of Mist In The Mountains tea, to take pleasure in the smiles on the faces of those you meet here, to remember everything that we have to be thankful for, to joyfully reflect on the miracle of food as medicine for the body and for the soul. Many Blessings! chef/owner NancyLee 413.644.8999 Located next to the Triplex Theatre in Gt. Barrington, MA on the Promenade. organictearoom@gmail.com www.elixirgb.com fb: elixir instagram: elixirllc
"American actors suffer in hastilyprepared and short-lived vehicles or in excessively long runs of a 'hit' show, neither of which provide the opportunity for artistic growth and development." 64 • MAY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND
-- Toby Cole/Helen Krich Chinoy
PAINTIN’ THE TOWN by Natalie Tyler Opening Reception at Oceanside Museum of Art, Southern California
Berkshire Artists exhibiting nationwide
Maria Mingalone and Natalie Tyler at Ocenaside Museum of Art Girasoli by Natlaie Tyler
Walton Ford, artist Naturalia Exhibition at Paul Kasmin Gallery, featuring artworks by Contemporary Artists and Old Masters. Curated by Danny Moynihan, this exhibition shows work spanning six centuries with works that explore natural science and art, perspectives through the artist's eyes. Walton Ford's Loss of the Lisbon Rhinoceros, is epic portrayal of majesty and tragedy, as a Lisbon Rhinoceros fears the sinking ship it is on. Evocative of the monumental human effect on our delicate natural world. The exhibition runs January 19th- March 4th, at 293 Tenth Avenue in New York City.
Sculptor Natalie Tyler's bronze sunflowers exhibit this Spring and Summer at the Oceanside Museum of Art. Former Director of Interpretations of the Berkshire Museum, Maria Mingalone, is now the Director of the Oceanside Museum of Art. Coast to coast connections between The Berkshire Art world and Southern California. I Girasoli will be on exhibit from March 4th- August 27th.
Hurdy Gurdy Man (Daffodil) 2008, Jennifer Steinkamp
oceanside Museum of art reception
Loss of the Rhinoseros, Walter Ford with gallery visitors Samantha Cohen and Friederike Moltmann
Naturalia Exhibition at Paul Kasmin Gallery
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“A Day In The Life Of Six Hats” Richard Britell
HAT 1: This is a party hat. It was purchased yesterday for the birthday of the man who is asleep there in bed, you can see his foot in the drawing down on the bottom right. This is no ordinary party hat, it is made entirely of expensive cloth carefully hand stitched together. The man whose hat this is, when he gets up later will have to decide what to do with the hat. He can’t just throw it away. Years from now it will be a prized possession of his children who will use it in all their games.
HAT 2: This is a brand new military hat just out of the box. You can see the box there at the bottom of the drawing. Those big military hatboxes are excellent for keeping all of your important papers and documents in. HAT 3: This is a very expensive hat belonging to a wealthy stockbroker in New York. This hat blew off
LINDA POST
of his head this morning and landed there in the gutter. Incidentally, you can see clearly that it is New York because the curb has the quarter round of shiny steel at the edge that you see on New York curbing. Well, even though the hat cost in excess of $100 dollars, the man did not run to fetch it back. Good thing he didn’t , because the moment he got to the office he concluded a stock deal for a quarter of a million dollars, which would have fallen through had he been two seconds late. As for the hat, a homeless man has it, and although it gets him big laughs, his manor is changing and he seems more thoughtful now. HAT 4: This is a band leaders parade hat which only gets used once a year. It spends the rest of the time in a locker in a high school hallway in upstate New York.
HAT 5: This hat belongs to a very beautiful young woman going to Vassar College. She is going to wear it today with that top that you can see there in the dresser drawer. Let me tell you what kind of a woman she is. Every day, in the afternoon, she draws a little sketch of what she is going to wear the next day in the borders of her notebook. These little sketches are so good that you would think she would be studying fashion design, but she is studying physics.
HAT 6: This looks like a baseball cap but its long brim makes it a hunting cap. It was purchased by a man from a mail order catalog. He didn’t like it but the very day he got it and planned to return it, it got rained on and shrank terribly. Now he can’t return it, but it doesn’t matter because the dog is about to eat it. You can see in the drawing that the hat has been dragged down next to the dog’s food bowl. By the time you get to read this that hat will have ceased to exist. -Richard Britell
“Speaking the Language of Birds” by Linda Post From time immemorial, mankind has seen birds as a symbol of freedom, rising above the mundane as they soar toward the future. It’s hard to think of any civilization that hasn’t used bird imagery to define some aspect of its cultural and spiritual identity. This Memorial Day Weekend, the Paradise City Arts Festival in Northampton celebrates our fine feathered friends with a special exhibit, “Birds of Paradise”, that pays creative homage to the powerful roles birds have played throughout human history.
Painter Linda Post, Founding Director of Paradise City, writes that “birds often play an important symbolic role in my work, whether communing with their human counterparts or inspiring them to take flight themselves. I see them as avatars of freedom, independence and spirit.” Her work can be viewed at R. Michelson Galleries, 132 Main Street, Northampton, MA. This is “Speaking the Language of Birds”, oil on linen, 75" x 48".
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GEMMA DI GRAZIA
L’ATELIER BERKSHIRES GALLERY CLAUDIA ALVAREZ
“In Bloom” is a stunning exhibition of Gemma Di Grazia soft pastel oil paintings and Claudia Alvarez ceramic sculpture. Walk inside a garden of art at L’Atelier Berkshires Gallery and experience what it might feel like for an insect to search for pollen. Di Grazia’s large scale paintings are dynamic in floral color and supple feel. Claudia Alvarez’s sculptural installations explore relationships of curiosity and nature, depicting children and flowers. Opening Reception is Friday May 26th from 7pm-9pm. The “In Bloom” exhibition will run from May 13th- June 18th. Gemma Di Grazia’s representational floral paintings are a celebration of color, light and form. The work is evocative of the beauty inherent in our natural world. Di Grazia comes from a family of artists. She currently lives and works in New York City. Claudia Alvarez is an internationally recognized ceramic sculptor, born in Mexico and grew up in California. Her work addresses the way social, political and psychological structures impact our behavior and personal interactions. She lives and works in New York City. At L’Atelier Berkshires you will discover fresh and innovative contemporary art. Unique oil paintings, sculpture in glass and bronze and custom made furniture by exquisite artists are on exhibition in a historic Great Barrington building. Sculpture, casting and mold making services are available for artists and designers. Our website is www.atelierberks.com and our address is 597 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA, For more information contact: Natalie Tyler, 510469-5468, natalie.tyler@atelierberks.com
Grandma Becky’s Recipes by Laura Pian
As we once again prepare to sit down for another Pesach (Passover) holiday, memories of my childhood and traditional Passover seders come to mind. Always with Grandma Becky at the helm, my extended family and I would gather at the designated home for a most wonderful Passover seder.
My favorite event of this family gathering (other than playing with my cousins) was not the food, although the food was always perfect. For me, the foremost event was searching for the afikoman (a piece of broken matzo set aside for the end of the seder). My family would wrap the afikoman into a linen cloth and hide it for my cousins and I to find for a prize. In actuality the adults used this game not only as a tradition, but also as a tool to keep us all focused and awake amidst a long seder! During the eight-day long observance of Passover, we would not eat bread. Grandma used her magical matzo skills to keep our bread cravings at bay. I can still feel the thrill of waking up in the morning and following my nose into the kitchen. Grandma Becky never disappointed with a good, Pesach breakfast dish. She’d see me walk into the kitchen, pull out a chair, and say in Yiddish “Kumen zitsn arop aun esn” (“Come sit down and eat”). Her matzo meal latkes (pancakes) were so light and yummy, I can smell them right now! As a little girl, I would sometimes wonder if Grandma cooked throughout the night. To this day, it still baffles me how she woke so early and worked so hard, just to have an awesome breakfast on the table for the family.
GRANDMA BECKY’S MATZO MEAL LATKES (PANCAKES) Ingredients: 4 egg yolks 4 egg whites, stiffly beaten 1 cup matzo meal ½ tsp salt ¾ cup ice water 1 tbs melted butter Oil for frying
Directions: Beat 4 egg yolks, adding water and salt. Add butter to mixture. Beat egg whites and the matzo meal to the egg yolk mixture. Carefully fold in egg whites so the mixture remains light and fluffy. Heat oil in large skillet. When hot, drop in batter with a tablespoon. Turn when golden brown on one side, and fry until the other side is also browned. Serves 4-6. Eat with your fingers. Serve with fresh preserves, jam, or applesauce for dipping. Wishing you and your families a healthy, Happy Pesach and esn gezunt! (Happy Passover and eat well!) (to you and your family, too, Laura!)
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