THE ARTFUL MIND Monthly Berkshire Artzine Since 1994
August 2012
Actor And teAcher
RUDI BACH
PhotogrAPhY bY SAbine Vollmer Von FAlken
“Consider
yourself at home!
Consider
yourself
part of the family!�
-from Oliver!
Coming to The Colonial Theatre This September!
MICHAEL FILMUS 413-528-5471 www.michaelfilmus.com
“Housatonic Pool”, oil on board, 9” x 14
ANDREW ZDZIARSKI
ROBERT FORTE
ANDREW ZDZIARSKI,“FOG”
“Fight or Flight” NEW ABSTRACT PAINTINGS OPENING RECEPTION SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 3-6 PM
Showing through September 29th, 2012
The Little Gallery – At Deb Koffman’s Artspace 137A Front Street, Housatonic, MA Info: www.andrewzdziarski.blogspot.com 413.250.4060
SeAScAPe #1, robert Forte
Paintings
July 7 to August 31, 2012
Art On Main The Gallery at Barnbrook Realty 271 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA
THE ARTFUL MIND August 2012 •1
510 wARREN STREET, HUDSoN, NY
518-822-0510
www.510wArrenStreetgAllerY.com
FRI, SAT 12-6pM, SUNDAY - MoNDAY 12-5 AND BY AppT.
NINA LIPKOWITZ
NINA LIpkowITz
“A Year In The Life” Multi Media August 3 - August 26 Reception Sunday August 5 • 2-5pm
510 memberS include: will clArk diAnA Felber JoAn giummo iSkA kenneY kAte knAPP John liPkowitZ ninA liPkowitZ eleAnor lord hAnnAh mAndel PeggY reeVeS JeAnnine SchoeFFer doriS Simon muSeum QuAlitY Furniture bY Joel mArk AntiQue PrintS & PoSterS From mill riVer Studio
2 • August 2012 the ArtFul mind
the ArtFul mind August 2012 •3
berkShire Art gAllerY
J. J. enright, Gloucester Dock, 24 x 30”, o/c, 1911-2001, American
8 RAILRoAD STREET, GREAT BARRINGToN, MA 413-528-2690 oPen SAturdAY And SundAY noon to 5Pm And/or bY APPointment www.BERkSHIREARTGALLERY.CoM
Lauren Clark Fine Art presents
“POP ART”
drawings and paintings by
Geoffrey Moss July 14 - August 13, 2012
402 Park Street Housatonic, MA 413.274.1432 LaurenClarkFineArt.com
4 • August 2012 the ArtFul mind
JeAnnine r. SchoeFFer, tuliPS
510 WARREN STREET GALLERY JEANNINE R. SCHOEFFER
An exhibition of oil paintings by Jeannine Schoeffer titled “Flowers” will be featured In September at 510 Warren Street Gallery. The opening reception will be 3-6 pm on Saturday, September 1. Mrs. Schoeffer loves to capture the beauty in nature, especially of flowers in a garden, the wild, or a vase. Bright colors combinations and patterns are irresistible wherever the setting may be. Painting mostly in oils, Jeannine finds endless sources of inspiration in the Berkshires. In addition to Mrs. Schoeffer, exhibiting artists include: Will Clark, Diana Felber, Joan Giummo, Iska Kenney, Kate Knapp, John Lipkowitz, Nina Lipkowitz, Eleanor Lord, Hannah Mandel, Steve Porcella, Peggy Reeves, Doris Simon, Joel Mark Furniture, and Mill River Studio Antique Prints & Posters. 510 Warren Street Gallery, 510 Warren Street, Hudson, New York. Gallery Hours: Fridays and Saturdays from noon until 6 P.M., and Sundays from noon until 5 P.M. For information please call 518-822-0510 or 413-528-9456. www.510warrenstgallery.com.
ANDREw zDzIARSkI Andrew ZdZiArSki, Flicker, 16 x 16
THE LITTLE GALLERY
A collection of new abstract paintings by Andrew Zdziarski will be on display through September at the little gallery next to deb koffman’s Artspace. the opening reception is September 8, from 3-6pm. the show remains on display through September 29 (Saturdays 2-4pm or by appt). Andrew Zdziarski is a self-taught artist living in Southfield, mA with his wife and two children. his abstract paintings are psychological in nature and explore dreams, anxieties and inner turmoil as a source of freedom and self-discovery. his paintings are open to interpretation and are always described as relentless, authentic and heart felt. the unconscious is where most of Andrew’s subject matter comes from, not directly from the outside world. he prefers to paint very late at night or very early in the morning when the “inner critic” and thoughts are less active. All of his paintings are done on discarded materials and found objects from dumpsters or lying around on construction sites where he works. there is an authenticity or inner truth that Andrew is compelled to convey and discarded materials encourage his processes. Little Gallery @ Deb Koffman’s Artspace, 137A Front Street, Housatonic, MA 413-274-1212. View Andrew’s website at: http://www.andrewzdziarski.blogspot.com. Or call: 413250-4060.
Member FINRA & SIPC
Wunderlich Securities, Inc. Parsippany, NJ Branch
Meet Ronald Kramer Senior Vice Pres. rkramer@wundernet.com Meet Ronald Kramer Senior Vice Pres.
MICHAEL FILMUS
michAel FilmuS, houSAtonic Pool, oil on boArd, 9” x 14
on a warm July day, the housatonic river winds its way through the town of great barrington. on the west side of division Street where the land is flat, the river forms a series of small pools. As the river rises and falls, these pools will change their shape or sometimes completely disappear. Michael Filmus may be contacted in the Berkshires at 413-528-5471 or through his website: www.michaelfilmus.com
“Ultimately the whole show must belong to the actors, who share it with the specators in two hours of crazed generocity.” -Joann Green
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the ArtFul mind August 2012 •5
AUGUST 2012 CALENDAR In and Around the Berkshires museums & galleries
510 warren Street Gallery hudson, nY • 518-822-0510 “A Year in the life”, with new works on paper by eclectic, many faceted, artist nina lipkowitz, August 3 – 29; artist reception on Sunday August 5, 2-5 pm. September artist featured Jeanette Schoeffer. Art on Main, the gallery at Barnbrook Realty 271 main Street, great barrington, mA robert Forte, Paintings, July 7 to August 31
Housatonic Valley Art League Summer Shows 2012 dewey memorial hall, Sheffield, mass. member Art Show, opens August 2. reception August 3, 4:30---6:30. closes August 26. gallery. Admission is free; public welcome! (gallery hours: wed closed. mon, tu, th, Fr, Sat 10:00---5:00 Sun 1:00---5:00) Berkshire Art Gallery 80 railroad St, gt barrington, mA • 528-2690 www.berkshireartgallery.com 19th and early 20th century American & european art and sculpture, contemporary artists
Cassandra Sohn Fine Art Gallery 6 elm Street, 1b-c; Stockbridge, mA; 413-298-1025; info@sohnfineart.com; www.sohnfineart.com Sohn Fine Art gallery and chesterwood are pleased to present A SeA Feeling in the mountAinS, a solo exhibition of photographic work by artist and gallery owner, cassandra Sohn. the exhibition is on view at two locations - Sohn Fine Art gallery (July 27 - october 29) and chesterwood (July 30 - october 8). Geoff Bell-Devaney www.gbd-art.com geoff bell-devaney art work will be on view throughout the
month of August at the J. Peter Scolforo gallery library in lee, mA . the artist will also be having a one day show on August 18 at the welles gallery at the lenox, mA library. Don Muller Gallery 40 main St, northampton, mA • 586-1119 beautiful American crafts, jewelry, glass and more
Eclipse Mill Gallery 243 union Street, first floor, north Adams, mA Speculative Strategies: recent work by derek Parker and Anne roecklein. open Saturday & Sundays, 12-5 p.m. now through July 15. Ferrin Gallery 37 north Street, Pittsfield, mA 413-442-1622 / www.ferringallery.com ; info@ferringallery.com. opening Aug: maggie mailer, kip o’krongly; ongoing: molly hatch: coVet: Art +object thru Sep 2.
Front Street Gallery Front St., housatonic, mA • 413-274-6607 / 413-528-9546, or cell at 413429-7141 housatonic gallery for students and artists. Featuring watercolors by kate knapp (Saturday and Sunday 12-5pm or by appointment)
"Monique and her Mirror" "petite Nudes: The French Connection," a collection of thirteen collages by Roselle Chartock, will be on exhibit at its third venue, Lynda's Antique Clothing Loft, 39 park Street in Adams, MA, from August 2 to August 31, 2012. The reception will take place on August 7, Tuesday, from 4 to 6pm. Come in period clothing, any period!
Good purpose Gallery 40 main Street, lee, mA. • 413- 394-5045 / www.goodpurpose.org robert Schechter, in the upcoming exhibit "American Fauve" , August 4 - September 17. the public is invited to attend a special opening event at the good Purpose gallery on Friday, August 3rd at 6pm. (gallery summer hours are daily from 10am-6pm.)
Hudson Valley Arts Center 337 warren St, hudson, nY • 800-456-0507 regional and nationally-known artisans. classes.
Inner Vision Studio Furnace road, corner of cone hill road • 413-232-4027 inner Vision Studio is one the berkshire’s few true artistowned galleries. it is located just north of west Stockbridge center, and is open every Saturday and Sunday til August 29 from 1 -5 pm or by appointment. open in the summer every Sat and Sun, 1-5 pm, or by appointment. John Davis Gallery 362 1/2 warren Streethudson, new York 518-828-5907 www.johndavisgallery.com / art@johndavisgallery.com (sculpture, painting, collage and installation). Lauren Clark Fine Art 402 Park St, housatonic, mA • 274-1432 www.laurenclarkFineArt.comlauren “Pop Art”, new work by geoffrey moss, July 14 through August 13 (business hours are thursday-mon, 11-5:30 and Sunday, 12-4)
Marguerite Bride Studio www.margebride.com custom house and business Portraits, “local color”, watercolor scenes of the berkshires, new england and tuscany. original watercolors and Fine Art reproductions. Visit website for exhibit schedule
6 •August 2012 the ArtFul mind
Mattatuck Museum 144 west main St, waterbury, ct • 203-753-0381 reflections and undercurrents, Prints of Venice, 1900-1940: may 11 - Aug 26
Schantz Galleries 3 elm St, Stockbridge, mA • 413-298-3044 • www.schantzgalleries.com. A destination for those seeking premier artists working in glass. (11 - 5 daily) Sienne Gallery 80 main St, lenox, mA coVet: A group exhibition with contemporary artists inspired by museum collections and conversations about content, context, social history and patronage. The Harrison Gallery 39 Spring Street, williamstown, mA Art in America August 4 – August 29, 2012
The oxbow Gallery 275 Pleasant St, northampton, mA • www.oxbowgallery.com For further information, oxbowgallery.org. The Gallery at R&F 84 ten broeck Ave., kingston, nY • 800-206-8088 nancy natale: of cabbages and Queens
The Lenox Gallery of Fine Art 69 church St, lenox, mA • 413-637-1253 two floors of fine art and sculpture by known artists from the berkshires and beyond. The Little Gallery @ deb koffman’s Artspace 137A Front Street, housatonic, mA • 413-274-1212 / www.debkoffman.com “Fight or Flight”, an exhibit featuring new paintings by Andrew Zdziarski. reception: Saturday, September 8, 3-6 pm. open Saturdays 2-4 pm (or by appt) through September 29th. The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute 225 South St, williamstown, mA • 413-458-2303 clark remix, salon style installation, with two new interactive programs: ucurate, and uexplore, on view til 2013 william Baczek Fine Arts 36 main St, northampton, mA • 413-587-9880 wmbaczek@wbfinearts.com www.wbfinearts.com
music / theatre / film
Jacob’s pillow Dance becket, mA .• 413-243-0745 • jacobspillow.org Season runs June 20-Aug 26. Paul dance co, thurs July 26 28; nothe Flamenco, July7-21; bill t. Jones/Arnie Zane dance co, July 25-July 28; luna negra dance theater, July 18-22.
knox Trail Inn rte. 23 in east otis, mA • for dinner reservations 413-2694400 A JAZZ eVening with chArleS neVille is slated for Saturday, August 25, the final installment in the knox trail inn concert Series. robin is a berkshires-based, acoustic blues and gospel musician with a hint of Appalachian mountain music. Admission to the concert is free and is supported by a grant from the otis cultural council.
Music & More meeting house, route 57, new marlborough • 413-229-2785. Aug. 25. “A celebration of music, dance and the Spoken word," featuring a re-imagining of Stravinsky’s l’histoire du Soldat (A Soldier's tale). Sept. 1: bach’s musical offering and other music From the court of Frederick the great. Post-concert reception at the meeting house gallery. tickets online or at the door, $20/$25. See schedule on line for complete events.
Northampton Center for The Arts northampton, mA • 413-584-7327 / www.nohoarts.org there will be four performances of Serious Play!’s meta/Pina Project: blind dreamers, at the northampton center for the Arts, at 8:00 pm on thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, August 9 through August 12. tickets are $20 general admission/$15 for seniors and students. reservations recommended Salem Art works 10 cary lane lane, Salem, nY • 518-854-7674 / www.salemartworks.org Film installation, white creek, by John Yost. exhibition from Aug 4 - Aug 28 Shakespeare & Co. 70 kimble St, lenox, mA • shakespeare.org Cassandra Speaks, may 26-Sept; The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, June 12 - Sept 1; Parasite Drag, June 20- Sept 2, see website for complete schedule
Tannery pond Concert Series new lebanon, nY, www.tannerypondconcerts.org emanuel Ax, on August 11. todd Palmer, clarinet, elizabeth Futral, soprano, and ran dank, piano will present a unique concert on Sept 1 at 8pm. Sept 22 at 8pm, the david Finckel and wu han The EGG center for Performing Arts in Albany, nY empire State Plaza • 518-473-1845 grammy Award-winning irish group clAnnAd launches First north American tour in eighteen Years. tuesday, September 25 – 7:30pm. tickets, priced at $49.50 The Mount lenox, mA • berkshirewordfest.org the mount launches berkshire wordFest 2012: nationally Acclaimed Authors to Appear September 14-16; tickets now on Sale Tri-Arts Sharon playhouse 48 Amenia rd, Sharon, ct • 860-364-show The Sound of Music, Aug 9-26
www.sohnfineart.com “A Sea Feeling in the mountains”:exhibition of contemporary photography by cassandra Sohn on view at Sohn Fine Art gallery and chesterwood monument mountAin hike instructor: cassandra Sohn: Sunday, August 5, 8:30am - noon $35 (includes champagne toast) Free if you also sign up for "narrative in Place" workshop; nArrAtiVe in PlAce instructor: cassandra Sohn, Sunday, September 23, 1:00 - 6:00 & Sunday, September 30, 2:00 - 9:30, $235 includes entrance fees plus dinner and a slideshow of student's work Sunday night at bascom lodge. chesterwood is located at williamville rd, in Stockbridge, mA. IS183 13 willard hill rd., Stockbridge, mA • 413-298-5252 Painting with mixed media with Yura Adams, Sat and Sun Aug 11 & 12, 10-4pm
paula Gottlieb Studio cummington, mA • 413-634-0066 / paulagottlieb.com landscape Painting at the bryant homestead in cummington, Sat Aug 11, 1-5pm. Some drawing and painting experience required, raindate Aug 12 at Paula’s studio; $75. The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts 28 renne Ave, Pittsfield, mA Afro-caribbean & west African hand-drum class w/Aimee gelinas Founder of gaia roots world music & tamarack hollow cultural and environmental educational Programs. weekly monday classes 6pm, beginner/intermediate class 7pm ~ intermediate/Advanced class. classes are drop in and cost $10 each. traditional instruments provided for students use in class. email aimee@gaiaroots.com for more information "inspiring environmental & cultural awareness, appreciation & stewardship" www.tamarackhollow.com
Deadline for September issue is August 10, 2012 Enjoy your summer in the Berkshires! Send your event, exhibit, music or theatre, workshop, etc. calendar listing to:
ARTFULMIND@YAHoo.CoM
woodstock Fringe woodstock, nY • www.woodstockfringe.org celbrating its first decade, Aug 11, 4pm kick off Party followed by cabaret Sampler including performances by gilles malkine, gus mancini and others.
workshops and events
Berkshire Arts Festival Ski butternut, rte 23, gt barrington, mA • 845-355-2400 Aug 24, 25, 26. Also, Sept 28, 29, 30 at Shakespeare & co., lenox, mA. 200 Artists in a ll mediums, plus workshops, demos, music, wine, entertainment & food Berkshire Botanical Garden rtes102 & 183, Stockbridge, mA • 413-298-3926 “garden on Fire”, gimme Shelter: Architects design for Shade; open now, garden time: objects employing the Sun,
Cassandra Sohn Fine Art Gallery 6 elm Street, 1b-c; Stockbridge, mA; 413298-1025; info@sohnfineart.com;
the ArtFul mind July 2012 • 7
THE ARTFUL MIND artzine August 2012
“Art is creating with your body and soul”
THE MUSIC SToRE
Cover: rudi bAch Actor and teacher Photography by Sabine Vollmer von Falken ..... 12 Mad with Music putting Her Money where Her Mouth Is Todd Mack ..... 9 Actor and Teacher Rudi Bach Harryet Candee..... 10 Architecture & Arcadia Home - (3) Stephen Dietemann...... 17
planet waves AUGUST Eric Francis...... 18 Feng Shui Elisa Cashiola..... 19
Simply Sasha Sasha Seymour...... 19 Notes From A Novice Gardener Ruth Heuberger .....21
Contributing Writers and Monthly Columnists Elisa Cashiola, Stephen Gerard Dietemann, Eric Francis, Scott Harrington, Todd Mack, Nanci Race, Sasha Seymour, Ruth Heuberger Photographers Jane Feldman, Julie McCarthy Sabine Vollmer von Falken Publisher Harryet Candee
Copy Editor
Marguerite Bride
Advertising and Graphic Design Harryet Candee
Box 985, Great Barrington, MA 01230
artfulmind@yahoo.com 413-528-5628
Deadline for the September :: AUGUST 10, 2012
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 unforseeable circumstances beyond our control, advertisers will be compensated on a one to one basis. Disclaimer rights available upon request. Serving the Art community with the the intention of enhancing communication and sharing positive creativity in all aspects of our lives
Our Art...Our Way
8 • August 2012 the ArtFul mind
As the berkshires ends its Summer Symphony, we at the music Store celebrate the season’s coda at the end of the railroad Street extension in great barrington. we continue to offer some extraordinary and unusual new instruments this year: For travelers, the incomparable composite Acoustic cargo guitar: made of 100% carbon graphite, in one piece, this pint sized guitar offers full-sized acoustic sound and professional grade electronics for the perfect gigging and traveling instrument in an almost indestructible body - aptly called the Forever guitar! And for the performer, try some of its bigger cousins . . . . For guitarists seeking unique handmade premium instruments, the music Store offers guitars by American luthier dana bourgeois and introducing Steel and classical guitars by irish luthier John beckett. For instrumentalists in search of the unusual, the music Store offers the unique dr. easy’s Sonic boxes - cigar box guitars made from recycled ingredients and vintage cigar boxes, the Serenity bamboo Flutes - cane and walking stick flutes which are handmade in Stockbridge, Fluke and Flea ukuleles - handmade in Sheffield, catania thumb Pianos, gourd Pianos, Fishtix and catspaws - handmade in Pennsylvania, and a host of other varied and exciting instruments for musicians of all ages and abilities. Acclaimed as one of the area’s best music stores, the music Store specializes in fine, folk and unusual musical instruments, accessories, supplies and music motif gifts. music lovers and professional and amateur musicians alike will find an exciting array of both new and used name-brand and handmade instruments, extraordinary folk instruments and one of the northeast’s finest selections of strings and reeds. Professional musicians seeking the finest or unusual strings or accessories are welcome to call in advance. we will make every
effort to satisfy the need! music Store customers enjoy fine luthier handmade classical and steel string guitars as well as guitars from other fine lines including Alvarez, Avalon, breedlove, composite Acoustic, Fender, loar, luna, rainsong, recording king and takamine. Acoustic and electric guitars from entry to professional level instruments are available. Famous named guitars and basses join less-well-known brands which appeal to those seeking high quality but are on tight budgets, providing any guitarist a tempting cornucopia of playing possibilities. new and used student orchestral and band instruments are available, including violins from $159 to $3000. An extensive array of international strings and reeds provides choices for the newest student to the symphonic performer. children’s instruments, as well as a fine line of international percussion including middle eastern and hand made African instruments along with many choices of industry standard drum heads, stands, and sticks, as well as tuners, forks and all new instruments are backed by the music Store’s lifetime warranty which provides free set-up and adjustments on any new instrument sold. For repair and restoration and maintenance of fine stringed instruments - guitars, banjos, mandolins and the like - the music Store’s repair shop offers expert luthiery at reasonable prices on instruments of all levels, as well as authorized repairs on lowden and takamine guitars. those in search of the perfect present for music lovers will find a treasure trove of gift favorites such as bumper stickers (“driver Singing,” “go home and Practice,” tune it or die” and more), tee shirts, caps, scarves, miniature musical instruments and instrument magnets, music motif mugs, socks, totes and ties. Small bronze and metal musician statues and cuddly ‘music lover’ stuffed animals, lapel pins and earrings add additional possibilities to gift giving customers. A proud server of the community for over eleven years, the music Store’s warm and friendly staff are available for help in tuning, stringing or instrument repair. help in choosing tuners, capos, mutes shoulder rests and strings is as happily given as help in selecting instruments themselves. our mission is to support and encourage our musical community, so consultation and advice are always free. For capos to kazoos, guiros to congas, rainsticks to rosin, bows to bodhrans, mandolins to microphones, reeds to rods, Strats to stands, local artist’s cds and harmonicas to picture frames and music motif ornaments, instruments and more, the music Store is the place to be. The Music Store, 87 Railroad Street, Great Barrington, Massachusetts, open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 to 6, and on Sundays from 12 to 5. Call 413-528-2460 or email us at musicstr@bcn.net.
putting her Money where her Mouth Is by todd mack
on August 19th, actor Sally-Jane heit returns to the guthrie center in housatonic, mA to perform her “one woman and a pianist show”, The Heit of Nonsense…A Musical Memoir. A summer resident of the berkshires, Sally-Jane has been performing her show as a benefit for community organizations and theaters around the country. most recently the show was performed at Arena Stage in washington, d.c. her August 19th appearance at the guthrie center is the third annual performance at the legendary venue. As with the first two, the proceeds from this show will be donated to the guthrie center. “i feel very blessed”, Sally-Jane replied when i asked her why all of her performances are benefits. “i think getting to be a ‘woman of a certain age’…and being very grateful for the children, grandchildren, friends in my life…it seemed as natural as breathing to me to start giving back. when i was on the ladder climbing to wherever i thought i was going, the focus was on the next step. now i think climbing isn’t as important as giving…it really is that simple… it is just time, after all my blessings, to share and to give what i can back…” the guthrie center, founded by Arlo guthrie in 1991, provides a place to bring together individuals for spiritual service, as well as cultural and educational programs. the trinity church, where the movie “Alice’s restaurant” was filmed, continues to service the local and international community with a range of community services, including the troubadour Series, thursday night hootenanny, wednesday Free community lunch, the Annual thanksgiving dinner that can’t be beat, and more. i asked Sally-Jane about her connection to the iconic venue. “there is nothing in the berkshires like the guthrie center. when i first thought about it, i thought, ‘hey, i can’t play the guitar or harmonica. my discipline is musical theatre.’ i put myself on the audition block once more for george laye and being the pioneer and adventurer that he is…he decided to give my kind of show a try. And it has done what i most wanted it to do - help the guthrie because the guthrie helps so many others. but long before the guthrie center and even the song and film Alice’s restaurant, Sally-Jane had a strong connection to the guthrie family. “i was seven years old and won an audition to the neighborhood Playhouse in new York city. marjorie guthrie, woody’s wife and Arlo’s mother, was my first dance teacher.
At that time, she was a major dancer with martha graham. teaching 7 years olds was her day job. there was never a time in my life when i didn’t know i wanted to sing, dance, act…probably doing all three in the womb…marjorie picked up the vibe that i was determined to be the next Shirley temple. She was a great teacher and she was gentle and so very encouraging about my dreams. At home with seven other siblings, it was hard to hold onto my dreams. She was my first mentor. She taught me until i was 12 and by then, with her help, i was committed to the dream…i shall never forget her…and you think, maybe there is such a thing as synchronicity. marjorie guthrie was there from the start…and if i can do it, the guthrie center will continue to keep my dream and marjorie’s mentoring alive…” like all great performers, Sally-Jane doesn’t just give back off stage. She gives back on stage as well. each time she performs her show, she is at the same time creating a community, drawing the audience in to her and to one another. “we need to connect with each other about how similar and how different our stories are…because we are, like the snowflake, unique and the same. i love that about people…no matter how different we appear to be…there is someplace, always, where we can find a connecting link…and it won’t be by doing the electronic, iPod, iPhone, iPAd, cha,cha,cha…it will be through community and communing like on Sunday, August 19th at 7Pm at the guthrie center.” tickets for The Heit of Nonsense…A Musical Mem-
Sally-Jane Heit photograph by Annie Liebovitz
oir are $25 and include a dessert reception following the performance. tickets are available by calling 413.528.1955. All proceeds are donated to the guthrie center. For more information about Sally-Jane heit, please visit www.sallyjaneheit.com. Todd Mack is a writer, musician, and producer, and owner of the Off the Beat-n-Track recording studio in Sheffield, MA. He is also the founder and executive director of Music in Common, a non-profit organization whose mission is to strengthen, empower, and educate communities through the universal language of music. Email him at todd@toddmack.net.
Housatonic Valley Art League Pob 296, greAt bArrington, mA. 01230 www.HVART.oRG
2012 Summer Shows
August 2 to August 26, Member Show Reception Friday, August 3, 4:30 to 6:30pm Exhibits held at Dewey Memorial Hall 91 Main Street (Route 7) Sheffield, MA 01257 Open Daily 10am to 5pm, closed on Wednesday Fridays open until 6pm Sundays 1 to 5pm EXHIBITS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
the ArtFul mind AuguSt 2012 •9
Actor and Teacher Photography by Sabine Vollmer von Falken Interview by Harryet Candee
Harryet Candee: How long have you been an actor, and how did you start? Rudi Bach:i started in high school plays—30 years ago. then onto bcc and umASS Amherst for degrees in theater where i studied both production and performance. After school i moved to Seattle, an amazingly great city, and studied at the Freehold theater with george lewis and robin lynn Smith. there i learned two crucial things: one was how much tension i was holding behind a cool exterior, and therefore how much it limited my presence on stage. And secondly, what master teachers are capable of. it is there that i started to become interested in the process of teaching.
what was it like for you as a kid having to move up to the Berkshires from New York City? Rudi: we moved from a big apartment in nYc to a little old house on a dirt road in monterey mA, in 1972. it is not an exaggeration to say that the population of the block i lived on in nYc (west 86th) was significantly larger than the entire population of monterey. two entirely different worlds. one thing i had no ability to comprehend was the nature of night, its total darkness and silence. the density and quality of the forests were also very intimidating. luckily there was a golden retriever on the property named terry. She became, in no uncertain terms, my guardian angel. Rudi, when is your birthday? Rudi: February 27th, 1966.
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RUDI BACH
what kind of acting do you work best in for theater performance? Rudi: the only area of acting that i know well, and am able to teach, is contemporary and naturalistic. classical forms are out of my range. nor do i teach improv. For that you study with the incomparable barby cardillo.
what are some of the common threads that all actors share? Rudi: like all professions, actors have certain sets of skills. let’s put aside “movie stars” for a moment, and look at some of what a working actor needs to be able to have: Strong command of the way they communicate. they must comprehend the material being performed, develop the voice, deepen the imagination, strengthen the memory muscles, build a character. Actors must be able to pay incredibly close attention to what’s happening around them, to listen and see what other people are doing. they must be able to expertly manage their own mood in the face of many unexpected changes. You often hear people talk about how they don’t want to bring their work home with them? well for an actor it is also the reverse. You can’t bring your home to work with you. in other words, once you are on stage, in character, how you feel must give way to the needs of the role you are playing. if you come to rehearsal thrilled because you just got engaged to the love of your life, but the character you are playing just found out they lost their job and home, then you have to know how to alter yourself in service of the character you’re playing. this is not a case of being a good liar, something actors are often presumed to excel at. Yes, of course theater is a world of make believe, and you are pretending to be something you’re not. So let’s grant that there is a paradox going on here. but good modern performance is about expressing the truth of what the character is going through. And odd as it may seem, that requires a high degree of authenticity. Audiences can smell it when an actor is lying.
watch a great actor onstage and what you see is transformation, not lies.
okay, and what about with Movie Stars? How do they differ? Rudi: they too must have all the above skills. there are stars who are celebrities—for example we go out to a tom cruise movie to see him play a variation of tom cruise. And there are a lot of those kinds of celebrity movie stars. but there are also movie stars whose acting skills are so advanced that they become hidden behind the character they are playing. Anthony hopkins had a run of films where in one he plays nixon, the next Picasso, next a depressed math professor, next a serial killer. And in each performance you forgot you were watching Anthony hopkins. it’s like he shape shifted. but for the very famous celebrities to buckle down and stay true to the craft, it gets increasingly difficult. Fame and fortune can blunt the needed edge, as can certain kinds of over exposure. harrison Ford admits that he now works at the harrison Ford Store. he is a brand at this point, which makes it difficult for him to create a unique character separate from his persona. it’s tricky. it doesn’t necessarily make it less entertaining, but there is a difference. Pacino and deniro slip in and out of this predicament. meryl Streep seems to have transcended the entire dilemma. Very experienced actors who have worked with her speak in total awe of what she brings to the set. it seems she operates on an entirely different level. the same is said of daniel day lewis. They have perfected their art. They are their art! which is easier to get involved with: theater or film? why? Rudi: As an actor there are many more opportunities to work onstage in the theater, in the berkshires at least. there are stage productions and readings of all kinds going up year round. this gives you a chance to practice and perform regularly. getting work in
film or t.V. is quite difficult. these days though, one can make their own film, or get involved with independent video productions of all kinds.
Do you think there is any connection between psychology and the art of acting? Rudi: i do think that there are a number of natural connections between the two fields: understanding the nature of character, behavior, physical reactions to emotional memories, the power of human expression. All relate to both pursuits. that said, theater should not be therapy. they are two different beasts, living in two different jungles.
Since both of your parents were in the psychology field, do you think they had any influence that steered your way into acting? Rudi: Yes. coincidently enough they spent a bit of time as actors before they became psychologists. when i was a kid they often took me with them to grown up movies, whether it was a foreign film, or woody Allen. we would discuss it on the ride home, and the way they would unpack the story and the character’s relationships to each other had a big influence on me. You cannot be a successful actor without full training and hard work. Do you agree? Rudi: i think you are right. to become a working actor requires a great deal of training. obviously there are non-actors who get roles on stage and screen occasionally. but they are often “type” cast for a specific part, one that allows them to essentially be themselves. whereas a working actor needs to be able to audition for, and play, many types of roles. the competition is incredibly fierce, so the more limited your range is as an actor, the more limited the possibility of work.
And for certain, it far more difficult than it looks! It may be less so for those who start off at a really young age. Rudi: like all work, this work too is very difficult to do well. the actor toils away to get it right. long hours of rehearsal, study, memorization, physicality. And, like in other professions, human interactions fraught with strong feelings, rejection, fleeting success. And if we take away the applause, the rewards are quite subtle—often invisible, just some inner feeling of satisfaction, and maybe a few dollars. those who start acting when they are young have some advantages in that they get early training. but the trail of child actors who fizzled out by their late teens is a long trail indeed.
From the Mixed Company production of “Marcus is Walking” , with Karen Undeland and Rudi Bach, also Karen Lee, and Emma Dweck photo: Peggy Reeves
board. we can begin to anticipate the train’s schedule, and at some point recognize that even the caboose will pass. but it can be a good sign to hear the train, because it may mean we are close to learning something new. now we’re not looking for perfection, we’re looking for presence. And real presence requires moving towards the edge, or frontier, of what you think you know about yourself. gently out of the comfort zone, towards the unknown, expanding our range, always slowly. we do this by staying grounded, working with writing and language we can handle, and branching out from where we stand.
Rudi, a young person can perform and create with such ease. why do we lose that spontaneity and ease when we become adults? We pay to get educated just to get back what we lost! why? what are we all afflicted with, you think. Rudi: nearly every difficulty an actor faces is related in some way to tension. Somewhere in their mind and/or body, they contract. energy gets blocked, and the performance declines. A child’s relationship to tension is different. it exists more as excitement and spontaneity, which gets channeled into story telling. when adults get tense they squeeze and push, like a face squashed against glass. tension is something acting teachers and vocal coaches have to work on a lot with their students. many things can be done to work with tension. this is where preparation and training comes in. think of high school basketball players. they practice 3-4 times during the week for a Friday night game. could they just show up for the game? maybe. A rare few have that level of talent. but most must train. if we think of an actor’s main tasks as to be heard, seen, and felt, then you have a basic template for what needs to be developed. through that development, one starts to learn about where the tension lives. in class we’re on the lookout for patterns and habits that are vocally and physically restrictive, i like to invite people to welcome and embrace their awkwardness. it’s a sign that they are on the edge of what they know. we all Word X Word Festival, Hoagland, Rudi Bach have found ourselves on what might be called the “train of self doubt”. each of us in our own way can hear the engine comI think having a sense of humor also may help …. Seeing you ing down the tracks... “i’m not good enough, i’ll never learn this, MC at Deb koffman’s little theater in Housatonic, I must say i don’t know what i’m doing” etc. but by really acknowledging you have a great sense of humor! when you are teaching it, it seems easier for people to wave it along, and not climb on though, that does not come out as much. Are you also a co-
median? Is that the real Rudi? Is comedy a playful and creative outlet for you? Rudi: i guess i have gotten a bit looser at deb’s lately. her monthly open mic draws a terrific audience with a big heart. You’re right that i don’t bring that same kind of humor to teaching. i’m more serious! do you think i should loosen up a little in class? A few good laughs always lightens the air! Rudi: okay, good note. i’m on it. comedy is a very high art, and a rare gift. on the few occasions when i can make an audience laugh, it is almost always an unintended, happy accident. what is your greatest fear as an actor? Rudi: going blank before delivering a line can be pretty close to pure horror. A tomb like stillness fills the room, followed by a cavernous silence.
How did you discover your niche in acting? was that a long journey? Rudi: As i mentioned, it seems my niche is as a teacher, more than as an actor. my upbringing gave me a knack for supporting a student’s interior process, and then helping them get their work on its feet, out in front of an audience. there are some acting roles that i’m a good fit for, but even then, i have to work very hard to get rudi out of the way and allow the character to come through. what does come more naturally to me, because of a strong voice and a certain comfort in front of an audience, is reading or reciting short pieces. little biscuits that run between 2-6 minutes. And even more specifically, modern narrative poems and short stories. which is a narrow niche indeed! in this i am forever indebted to my friend and mentor taylor mali. he is a world class performance master of the highest order. Also, i continue to learn a great deal from david whyte.
what’s your opinion of the growing theater groups and companies now surfacing in the Berkshires? Rudi: it is quite the scene here these days isn’t it? A lot of opportunity for writing, acting, stage craft. Audiences have a great choice of quality productions throughout the year. of course the financial challenges are quite difficult, and not all the groups make it long term. but that may not be the point. For example, new Stage Performing Arts in Pittsfield just closed their doors after two years. but if you look at what they, nicki wilson,
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So, learning from you, is like learning from the best because you know how these artists think and work. You may even know their secrets for success! what have you done in acting that you feel is noteworthy? Rudi: As far as a particular performance, a recent gig at the mahaiwe came off well. i read two stories written by the great Sanjiban Sellew, in front of a packed house, without flubbing.
THAT’S good. where else have you performed? Rudi: over the last few years i’ve had the good fortune of being able to work on the mahaiwe, colonial, unicorn, berkshire Fringe, and tanglewood stages. A few years ago i created a show based on the work of the poet tony hoagland. in it i recited 22 poems in about 45 minutes. hoagland came for one of the shows, and that was quite memorable for us. during the run, with carrie Saldo and James bill, there were a few performances where something particularly excellent happened. the actors and audience completely clicked. we all became part of a lush conjured world through the language, memory, and imagination of the writer. the seating was set up in the round, so the audience surrounded the actors; but they could also look at, and be seen by, other members of the audience at the same time. i think we all experienced ourselves in a way that computer entertainment has yet to match.
Rudi Bach photo by Sabine Vollmer von Falken
were able to do in that time, you’d have to call it a success. new Stage generated a lot of very good theater, seen by many people, employing local actors and theatre professionals, telling stories that needed telling. they were an important part of north Street’s resurgence at a vital time. theater is ephemeral, and so too, are theater companies. but the impacts ripple, long after the show is over.
Joan Ackermann, owner, director, writer, and actress, of Mixed Company theater in Gt. Barrington has been an important connection for you. why? Rudi: well, speaking of master teachers, Joan is as good as it gets. i’ve been at mixed co. since 2006 running lights/sound, and as an actor. oddly enough, it is through running tech, even more than being on stage, that i have learned the most. when running lights/sound for a show of 20 performances and a slew of rehearsals, what you learn is...well it is like graduate school multiplied by ten. mixed company attracts high quality actors, and maia robbins-Zust designs the lighting scheme. So one is immersed in live, intimate, professional theater at its best. And when a scene does not work, or a line flops, that too can be an opportunity to learn. Sometimes it is a mystery when aspects of a show, or performance, go flat. but then you watch Joan tinker with something a little differently, and pow, the truth of the scene/character reveals itself. this is often subtle stuff: a slight shift in the tone of a line, a lingering glance pulled away at just the right moment, and all of a sudden the right mood falls into place. there is also the effect that a sound or lighting cue has on the scene. An almost imperceptible shift in timing or volume can make the whole moment click, or not. Another thing that can make or break a play is the degree to which the performers are genuinely listening to each other, and not just waiting their turn to deliver their lines. this is not an easy thing to learn or teach. when Joan is on stage as an actor, you can’t help but be mesmerized. even when she isn’t speaking her lines her presence on stage makes a scene incredibly real. this has a lot to do with her ferocious listening ability.
what has she made you aware of that has helped you to be a better actor? Rudi: So many things. An important part of rehearsing is being able to “re-hear” what you’re doing. but it is not easy to listen to yourself without the thunder of self criticism raining down. As a director, part of Joan’s job is to give the actor notes about how the character is coming along. her ear is attuned to listen for what’s honest, and what’s fake or pushed. giving notes to actors requires a high degree of emotional intelligence, professionalism, nuance. Also, timing is very important; an important note given
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in the tenth rehearsal might not have made any sense to the actor in the fifth rehearsal. Since i am privileged to watch show after show with Joan sitting next to me as i run the light/sound board, i get to see the effects of good direction. i remember once she gave an actor a note, and the actor didn’t take it for whatever reason. And that part of the scene constantly fell flat every show. then one night the actor applied the note, an emotional color Joan thought they might try to play, and shazam! the scene came together. what fascinated me was that the biggest change was not just what happened with that actor, but how it affected the other actors in the scene. they came alive in a way they couldn’t before. why do you think that happened? Rudi: For all the work an actor needs to do internally to prepare themselves, they also need a target outside themselves to work off of. imagine your stomach is empty, you’re hungry, but have no food in your apartment. no matter how often you search the refrigerator, it remains bare. the only place to get food is outside. the actor who finally took the note gave the other actors a fresh target to feed off of, and he in turn was given new reactions from them to work with. the results were electric. Actors are nourished and energized by what they see in the world outside. the word theatre comes from the greek word theatron, which means, ‘a place for seeing’.
Another influence of yours is John Hadden. who is he? Rudi: like Joan, he has an incredible ear for the truth of a scene. when it comes to the grit of performing in a naturalistic style, John knows how to remove the varnish, and get the action down to bare wood. Sometimes an actor’s personal issues (vanity, fear) get in the way of allowing the character’s flaws to come to light. And a character’s flaws, when carefully revealed, are a big reason we go to the theater. we’re there to see people face situations where the stakes are high. theater helps us explore extreme feelings in a controlled situation. we may not like the stakes so painfully high in our private worlds, but we go out of our way to see other people experience these polarized intensities. we can witness what we dare not live in the security of a group and the reassurance of make-believe. John brings so much personal experience to the game—from his life as an actor, director, and teacher. his talents are off the chart. the other local director who is top notch is Jim Frangione. he, like Joan and John, is an actor’s director. which is to say he knows how to craft his notes with great economy—knowing exactly where to apply the needed acceleration, and where to let off the gas.
I hope computer entertainment will never be a match. what was it like for you working at Tanglewood under the direction of James Levine and Ira Siff? For three Rudi: Summers i performed at tanglewood. though not a singer, i was cast as a supernumerary with other local actors. the “super” is a non singing actor in an opera. So you might be the doctors assistant, a prison guard, a waiter. little bit parts that flesh out the scenes for the primary performers. in an opera that lasts 3 hours you might play 5 different roles, be on stage for 30-40 minutes, in front of 1,200 people. You’re working with a group of singers whose voices are so outstanding, and two directors who know their stuff as well as anyone in the world. So as a student of performance these were master classes for me. levine’s notes on movement and breath were brilliant, and Siff’s ability to stage complicated scenes with 20 things happening simultaneously was mind boggling.
Going into the place of Rudi Bach being an acting/voice teacher, I wonder, people may want to be in one of your classes because they may need speech therapy, or have an issue with their verbal communication. How do you go about assessing what they need that you can help them with? Rudi: my classes are 90 minutes, set up as two 45 minute periods. in the first half we warm up with a variety of vocal exercises. the idea is to strengthen and focus the whole vocal system...articulation, breath, tone, volume, etc. this reveals a lot to both the student and myself around where their challenges lie. that is, where the tension/restriction/avoidance lives in them. it can be in the way they breathe, how they push or slur words, perhaps a very specific emotional obstruction, many things. carl Jung referred to the vocal area as “the ring of fear”. So there is often much to be done on a basic level of simply speaking in public, and getting your message out. but there are also unique strengths a student shows up with as well. A soft spoken person can access humility and vulnerability, but might need to bolster their more assertive side. conversely, a rambunctious student can really energize a room, but will need to work on accessing their more intimate side. A very intellectual person can figure out exactly the meaning of the text, but maybe we need to work on their emotional range a bit. did you see the movie “the king’s Speech”? Of course. that paints a very good picture of the some of the technical aspects of this type of work. in the second half of class, each student reads a short piece out loud. usually they pick from a selection i’ve compiled (or it can be something they bring in). less than 3 minutes in length, contemporary, often narrative work that is not hugely complicated to read or understand. here is where we get to work on stage presence, text interpretation, body language, expressing the heart and mood of the writing.
what would a therapist do, that you do not? Rudi: A trained Speech therapist can work with the physiological obstructions to speaking clearly. they have the anatomical and structural understanding of how sounds are made, plus an extraordinary amount of patience. my training is not therapeutic in that way, although i do often work with people with minor speech impediments. For most people whose basic speaking voice is reasonable, there are many things we can do to train and strengthen their voice. okay, so describe the essence of what you are helping your students achieve. Rudi: the great director Peter brook put it something like this: Voice and actor training is not about how to do it, but how to permit it. the goal is to help the student become free from the tension that holds them back so they are able to speak and react with vitality.
How would you describe your vocal coaching classes, as apposed to your acting classes? Rudi: non-actors come for many reasons. to strengthen their speaking voice, to become more comfortable presenting their ideas at work, or to just gain confidence. one student recently came for the sole purpose of figuring out how to deliver her final thesis paper in front of her professors. Another came, believe it or not, because she knew her husband was cheating on her, and she was too soft spoken to confront him about it. She couldn’t get the words out, her jaw was very tense, breathing was limited. many things can get in the way of being able to express oneself clearly. there’s a lot that makes us “bite our tongue”. everything from being overly polite, to living with someone who has a dominating personality, can create a great deal of tension in the jaw, throat, chest, gut. i was speaking with a medical doctor recently, and she thought that certain thyroid issues may be, in part, due to chronic suppression around the vocal chords. how we articulate our thoughts and feelings effect what kind of life we will live. indeed, you could make the case that it is a primary factor in shaping our very existence. it can be a big deal for some of us to finally learn how to speak up for ourselves, whether or not we have any notion of performing on stage.
Do you use any of Joan Ackerman’s techniques in your classes? Do you also create your own to make things more interesting, more of a variety? Rudi: i certainly try use everything i’ve ever seen work! And although each class has a set of exercises that build on each other, i’ll often try and throw some surprises in. For example, you might be getting ready to recite something to the class, and i’ll put you behind the steering wheel of a prop car, or put your pages in an old typewriter, or give you some clean laundry to fold while you perform. there are all kinds of ways to jiggle us into fresh territory, and nudge us out of our comfort zone.
Do you think it should be standard practice for actors to learn Shakespeare? Rudi: it is universally understood that Shakespeare is the foundational training for actors. And there is a serious case to be made for that. his plays, characters, language, the universality of it all anchors you in just about everything you need to know about the craft. many great actors have been steeped in the work. we are quite fortunate to have Shakespeare & co. nearby. they really know their stuff. unfortunately for me, i was not able to get my head around the language and meaning when it was introduced in high school—simply could not understand what was being said. many years ago i signed up to take a workshop with a terrific Shake & co. instructor, and he made such a huge effort to help me. in the end, all i could do was fake it, which was pretty obvious for all to see. i wasn’t able to figure out how to make it real. today when i see a great Shakespeare play i understand about 50% percent of what is being said, and 100% of how they feel about what they are saying. the emotional aspects are incredibly clear; i am hugely impressed and totally daunted by what those actors are capable of.
Amy Tanner and Rudi Bach, Tuesday evening class von Falken
How does it differ from other acting methods, like those of Stanislavski, or Lee Strasberg, or others…? Rudi: Strasberg was the godfather of acting teachers, taking charge of the Actor’s Studio in the early 1950’s—a very important theater school in new York city. he was inspired by the work of Stanislavsky, who, around the turn of the 20th century, brought a psychological sensibility to the craft of acting. Prior to Stanislavsky actors tended to do a lot of posing and preening on stage, melodramatic, self-conscious, broad strokes. his new system focused on expressing emotional truth onstage by teaching actors how to experience the character while rehearsing and performing. he emphasized the actor’s use of imagination and belief in the given circumstances of the text. it might be a play, but we’re going to pretend and behave as if what we’re doing is real. we put a “fourth wall” between the actors and the audience, and we live within, and are committed to, the world on the stage. that’s why when a cell phone goes off in the audience, they say the fourth wall is broken. All of a sudden everybody is pulled out of the imaginary world. what is the most challenging part about being an actor just for you personally, Rudi? Rudi: For me, it’s getting loose enough in my body so that my brain isn’t forced to make all the choices. when i over think a performance or presentation, my body gets rigid. this really stifles any chance i have to be entertaining or enjoyable. it’s like a dry apple. no juice. blah.
what do you think are the main ingredients for a successful and well-admired actor? Rudi: i took a class with Jayne Atkinson and michel gill last year and they boiled it down beautifully: be heard, be Seen, be Felt. if you can be competent in those three things, you’ve gone a long way towards doing your job. then, understand what you are saying. listen well to the other actors/characters, and to the audience. Finally, if you are playing a role, there is this other little thing one must do, which is build a character! words on a page are only that, words. it’s like reading the ingredients in a cookbook—one cannot lick the word honey and get the taste of sweet. the words have to come off the page and become something real. the actor is trying to figure out a way to see the world through a character’s eyes, and react accordingly. great language in the hands of a competent performer can come alive in a profound way. then again, i remember seeing a video clip of the actor richard burton simply reading random names out of a phone book on a talk show. because his voice was
photo: Sabine Vollmer
so groomed, so fully grounded in his emotional and imaginal life, the random names came to life—simply through the qualities of his voice.
Communication is the key to so much. Rudi: Yes! look, other than giving directions to a tourist on how to get to the local grocery store, nearly all our daily conversations are an ernest attempt at expressing a series of thoughts, feelings, and needs. even if disguised, suppressed, or seemingly irrelevant, we are almost always putting words together with thoughts that are connected to a feeling. equally important is the non-verbal ways we communicate through our body language and gaze. often times we can literally see another person’s feelings. then there’s the power of silence, which can be utterly astonishing. For the aspiring actor, what advice do you have? Rudi: every good actor is an aspiring actor, no matter how much or little they have accomplished. Again, like most professions, the learning is lifelong. laziness leads to poor work. if you want to develop as an actor, observe and learn about the nature of human relationships. when that is no longer a path of fascination, then it’s probably a good idea to do something else. even in societies and states that try and produce homogeneous populations through cultural pasteurization, the multi dimensional resume of each human life has such a particular imprint. So this is a long winded way of saying what an actor, and perhaps to some extent all of us, must consider constantly working on: staying attentive to the human condition...our own, and those who are not us. it also doesn’t hurt to spend time reading out loud.
Rudi, it’s time to change hats….I would like to bring in your other line of work, equally important and enjoyable for you. You professionally move, hang, and set up art work in public and private places. How did you get involved with this? Rudi: i first learned theatre trade craft from bob boland and Sam Slack at bcc; and at umass my focus was in scenic design. there is a great deal of overlap between that and working in museums. my first job out of school was handling art. And when i moved to Seattle i continued to find work as an art installer. that was in 1990, i was 24, and have been doing it ever since. what is exciting about art installation for you? It must have been a run in with a great experience you had sometime in
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Rudi, Jenny and Frank, acting class Photos: Sabine Vollmer von Falken
the early stages of doing this kind of work? Rudi: my first day at the national gallery of Art in washington d.c. i was being shown around, being introduced to the art handlers, registrars, conservators and the like. on one of the big work tables was an unframed, remarkable painting. An incredibly delicate yet very vibrant portrait of an old man. i turned to the person showing me around and said “wow, amazing portrait”. to which he nonchalantly said “Yup, it’s a rembrandt”. more recently i worked in walton Ford’s studio for a year and a half. there i really got the chance to see first hand the enormous intelligence, labor, and nuance that fine art requires. combine a matador, a neurosurgeon, and a librarian, and you’ll start to have some sense of what his presence is like in front of a canvass.
what kind of art do you appreciate, and would consider hanging on your own walls? Rudi: i like seeing the hand of the artist in the work. Art that doesn’t hide the process of how it was made turns me on. the sweat and grit of the effort. i also like when old and new crash into each other. Some years ago i bought a series of computer chip boards that had ancient hieroglyphs delicately hand painted on their surface. they were framed and partially buried using desert sand, as if found in an archeological burial site. love them.
Something about acting and art installation must gel for you. or, not gel at all… Rudi: Acting and voice deal with human beings, whereas art handling deals with inanimate objects. but other than that fundamental difference—there are actually a few parallels. they both are essentially about story telling of some kind. they often both seek to find, or at least address, truth. Also, both can have a remarkable ability to speak to power; and in so doing, expose the shadow sides of what we suppress within ourselves, and the society at large. remember that historically, when totalitarian regimes and dictators take charge, it is the poets, actors, and artists who get sent away to the prison camps first. there is a good reason for this. i think you can figure out why.
Rudi, it seems like you have no problem doing as much as possible in your life! I see you love your work, (as if it wasn’t considered work), and I should ask you, is there anything else you want to add to the list of things you enjoy that’s work related to complete your professional background? Rudi: i’m also lucky enough to work at the railroad Street Youth Project in several capacities.
The Railroad Street Youth project in Great Barrington is a great organization! Lucky kids to have you there. what do you do at the Youth project? Rudi: i’ve been with rSYP in a variety of ways since 2004. education, outreach, drop in center staff, odds ‘n ends. their legacy and mission is inspiring and important. they have an incredibly dedicated staff, and board of directors, all working to keep the organization relevant in the lives of young people. this year we’ve begun a Youth Art gallery, with rotating exhibits every two months. we’ll be matching professional artists with young artists in a mentoring capacity. By the way, I was just wondering, what are your favorite films and books? Rudi: Films that i have loved: “beautiful”, with Javier bardem. “the lives of others”, a german film. “being there”, with Peter Sellers. books: Poems by tony hoagland, charles bukowski. marina tsvetaeva. the letters of r.m. rilke. with all the knowledge you have acquired as an adult; living art, music, performance, drama, etcetera, can you reveal a few lines from your favorite author, artist, or person that we may all learn something from. Rudi: here are the last lines of a piece by tony hoagland titled “how it all adds up”: ‘Happiness’, Joe says, is a wild red flower plucked from a river of lava and held aloft on a tightrope strung between two scrawny trees above a canyon in a manic depressive wind storm. Don’t drop it, don’t drop it, don’t drop itAnd when you do, you will keep looking for it, everywhere, for years. While right behind you, the footsteps you are leaving, will look like notes
of a crazy song.
Is that memorized? Rudi: Yes.
Rudi, installing a famous face on the wall, by Rembrandt in the National Gallery of Art, in DC
14 • August 2012 the ArtFul mind
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BERkSHIRES ARTS FESTIVAL RETURNS IN AUGUST
The 1st August Berkshires Arts Festival, held August 24, 25 and 26 at Ski Butternut on Route 23 in Great Barrington, Mass., will provide a stylish summer sendoff. A juried show of 125 American artists and artisans from the Berkshires and beyond, it will feature works for sale in ceramics, painting, jewelry, glass, wood, mixed media, sculpture, fashion and photography. The festival will also include ongoing workshops, demonstrations, live music and children’s activities. This inaugural event is a sequel to the well-established July Berkshires Arts Festival at Ski Butternut, offering a cool summer’s end grand finale to everyone who missed the July 4th show. Although the July show has been a huge success, there are many artists who cannot attend the show that weekend and hundreds of locals who traditionally are not in town either. This new addition to the Berkshires arts scene will introduce an entirely new group of artists to the Berkshires. The producers of the Berkshires Arts Festivals are Richard and Joanna Rothbard, artistic directors of American Art Marketing and owners of An American Craftsman galleries with locations in NYC, Savannah, GA., and Stockbridge, Mass. And, there is art education up close and personal, so bring the kids…in fact, the Berkshires Arts Festivals are a must for the kids. Aside from the entertainment that is child specific, there is no better opportunity for young children to learn about art and how all of those wonderful things are made. Hours are Friday, August 24, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, August 25, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, August 26, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is $9 for adults; $8 for seniors; $5 for students; children under 10 free! A weekend pass for the three-day festival is available for $11. The show will be held, rain or shine, under tents, outdoors, and in the airconditioned lodge at Ski Butternut. Free parking is available. For more information, visit august.berkshiresartsfestival.com or call 845.355.2400. Berkshires Arts Festival – for complete information, directions & hours for all of the Berkshires Arts Festivals, visit www.americanartmarketing.com
MARY DAVIDSoN
mArY dAVidSon, From the Shoe SerieS
try walking a mile in mary davidson’s shoes and you may discover why she paints whimsical acrylic portraits of footwear never designed to touch the ground. mary davidson is a berkshire native who left the area to go to collage, become a designer, run a fashion business, and eventually return as a fine artist. After honing her skills as a designer of clothing, mary made the leap from wearable art to wondrous art. intensive study with painters like gloria Arnold, Jim Schantz, Pat hogan, don Andrews AwS, and Judi betts AwS, helped mary synthesize all she had learned and loved onto the paper and/or canvas. She found it was the berkshires, not the fashion-conscious cities, which inspired her stylish shoe art. even as a child, growing up around berkshire barns and cows, mary had an interior landscape teaming with imaginative, intricate design, which led her to experiment in many mediums. but mary’s quirky thinking, love of repetition and pattern-on-pattern, all blossomed into a vision that is hers, alone. davidson has been juried into shows locally and regionally. A few of her painting’s can be seen at the lenox gallery of Fine Art, 69 church Street, lenox, mA. She is a member of the housatonic Valley Art league here in the berkshires and also a juried member of the cambridge Art Association, in cambridge, mA. She currently paints in series, consisting of shoes, cats, ladies with hats, dancers and her flower series. She shares her website and her studio with her husband keith davidson who is also a painter. Some of keith’s flower painting’s can be seen at SAti, clothing store in lenox. Keith and Mary Davidson, Studio: South Egremont, MA. Call 1-413-528-6945 for an appointment; www.davidsondesigncompany.net
GEoFF BELL-DEVANEY
geoFF bell-deVAneY, Free bird, AcrYlic on cAnVAS, 16 x 20
geoff bell-devaney is a self-taught artist who works with acrylic on canvas and mixed media on paper. originally from western canada, he currently lives with his wife and son in the berkshires. his approach to art is grounded in a moment to moment inner awareness, based on the artist’s long time practice of mindfulness meditation. Says the artist, “my artwork and the style in which i engage it is quite unique in that when i am in the studio, i have no idea of what final image will come forth. i simply, moment by moment, do my best to be aware of whatever creative impulse might be arising within me and allow it to come to life on the canvas. by following this process, each painting is an unfolding object of mystery, slowly emerging line by line, and color by color. geoff bell-devaney is also the author of two books: “the inner Path: Awakening to A more Spiritual life” and “A mindful Approach to Parenting: insights on raising our children with wisdom, Awareness, and Acceptance.” his work can be seen throughout the month of August at the J. Peter Scolforo gallery at the lee, mA library. the artist will also be having a one day show on August 18 at the welles gallery at the lenox, mA library. Visit the website for more information about his works. Geoff Bell-Devaney - www.gbd-art.com
the ArtFul mind July 2012 • 15
CoNSCIoUS EXERCISE wITH SHARoN TRUE ShAron true on PilAteS APPArAtuS
SABINE  pHoTo ART
the Artful mind showcases Sabine’s work since 1994, the very beginning of the monthly berkshire Artzine. Still young at 20 something, Sabine's studio has become a brand for contemporary, unobtrusive, relaxed photography in the european style. did you have a “Sabine� experience, yet? A master of the subtleties of lighting and the nuance of background, her eye for detail provides imagery to be treasured for a lifetime. Assignments are tailored to meet her client’s needs- a remembrance for a special occasion or a logo image to create an authentic professional online presence. it is to no surprise that she is a sought-after wedding photographer, as well. Photo Art and book Signing by appointment “woodlAnd StYle� and “ Shell chic “, published by Storey Publishing, author marlene h. marshall, all photography by Sabine can be purchased from your near by book stores. Signed fine art prints are directly available through her studio. For more info please contact Sabine Vollmer von Falken Photography Studio www.sabinephotoart.com, info@sabinephotoart.com tel. 413 298 4933. Sabine is a member of The American Society of Media Photographers asmp. The International Center of Photography ICP and the Wedding Photojournalist Association, WPJA.
regular exercise is an essential component of optimal health and functioning. conscious exercise with Sharon true, owner of wholePerson movement, takes exercise to a whole new level. in the personalized one-on-one workouts she creates in her Pilates studio she guides her clients to become masters of their own body movement. they learn to become conscious of the inner experience and process of doing an exercise, as well as of its precise outer form. conscious exercise workouts stretch and strengthen muscles, promote concentration, reduce stress, and deepen understanding of the body. who needs conscious exercise? Artists whose art-making process involves doing painful repetitive movements are one group of people who can benefit from true’s conscious exercise approach to Pilates workouts. For them, true teaches specific therapeutic exercises that promote comfort and healing, and coaches them in finding internal support and other strategies for reducing pain when creating in their art form. more broadly, conscious exercise empowers people to make the most of the body they have. this includes individuals who currently enjoy active lifestyles, such as performers, athletes, gardeners, and those who love all the outdoor activities that the berkshires has to offer, and who want to maintain or expand on their physical fitness through a challenging Pilates workout. it also includes individuals who are confronted with impediments to their enjoyment of movement, such as injury or chronic pain, stiffness, difficulties with balance and coordination, or lack of body confidence. Sharon true welcomes the opportunity to find a way to help your body function at its best, no matter what age or condition it is in now. true is a registered somatic movement therapist, certified laban movement analyst, and a certified Pilates instructor. She has been teaching Pilates-based workouts for over 15 years, first at canyon ranch in the berkshires and then in her own fully-equipped Pilates studio in great barrington. these years of teaching, together with her commitment to continuing her own education, give clients the benefit of a vast array of experience to effectively address their goals and concerns. She is an expert partner and guide in the discovery of an exercise program that works and is a pleasure to do. Call now to start making the most of the body you have with a Conscious Exercise workout with Sharon True. Contact her at sharontrue@roadrunner.com, or phone 413528-2465, 9 am-9 pm.
16 •August 2012 the ArtFul mind
413.528.YOGA (9642) www.528yoga.com 274 Main Street, Great Barrington located in back of main St., adjacent to the triplex theater
pETER ALVAREz SALoN
ever had an ultraSonic Facial? what is an ultrasonic facial? the machine we use, the dermaSound Plus is a brand new aesthetics technology based on a medically proven process that uses low frequency ultrasound to loosen and remove dead cells and debris from the skin’s surface, gently restore the natural electrical charge to individual skin cells, and produce tiny, temporary openings into skin tissue. the ultrasonic Peel with dermaSound Plus gives you thorough, consistent exfoliation with no irritation or inflammation. it uses no crystals, salts or chemicals, making it the perfect, gentle alternative for sensitive skin or for anyone who needs superficial resurfacing for common photo-aging skin damage. Antioxidant infusion takes place when low frequency ultrasound waves, produced by the special dermasSound Plus wand applicator, coax open microscopic pathways between cells through which nutrient-rich treatment compounds can flow. Antioxidant vitamins and other necessary elements gain access to the deepest layers of the dermis, where new cells are forming new skin, to make it healthier and more resilient than ever before. microcurrent therapy with dermasound Plus is a simple, painless process of supplying extremely low level electrical current, such as that found naturally in the body, to the surface of skin where it reaches injured cells and restores them to normal balance and function. this process can put cells back to work doing what they do best: growing, reproduction and protecting the body from age causing environmental day age. the wand applicator can penetrate the skin 200 times better than your hand. in other words, you would have to rub in your facial moisturizer 200 times more to get the same effect as the ultrasonic wand applicator can successfully achieve. our skin care products by bioelements are paraben-free, and have no artificial colorants or synthetic fragrances in any formulas. treatments can be further tailored to suit your needs with our custom blending ingredients – this creates an infinite number of solutions for any skin conditions. highly individualized formulas treat your skin, target complexion concerns, and discourage skin aging. we offer an introduction special facial. our salon CLASS SCHEDULE also offers various services for hair, skin, and nails Mon-Fri 8:30 - 9;45am - Uma including everything from specialized ultrasonic faM-W-F 10:00 - 11:15am - Uma cials, corrective coloring, and Shellac manicures. Tues. 6:00 - 7:15pm - Uma Peter Alvarez Salon, 48 Main Street, Lenox, MasThurs. 6:00 - 7:15pm ... Jenna O’Brien sachusetts. Salon Hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Sat. 10:00 - 11:15am ... Jenna O’Brien Friday, and Saturday 9am – 5pm and Thursday CLASS FEES ... from 11am – 7pm. The Salon is closed on Sunday $15.00 per Class $120.00 for a 10 class card and Monday. (good for 8 weeks) 413-637-4488. www.peteralvarez.com $75.00 month unlimited (Uma only)
Owner - Uma McNeill
House part 3
"mrs. Symington?" the young man on the phone apologizes for disturbing her so early in the morning. She feels embarrassed, aware that she somehow fallen asleep on the couch and slept there all night. She looks at the clock – it was already eight-thirty. he appears not to notice her hesitancy, explaining quickly that the architectural office was moving and a box of personal items belonging to her husband -- 'mr. colin Symington,' he says deferentially -- was found in the basement of the old building. "could i return them now?" the box is full of drafting tools and drawings and rolls of old house and office projects, many themselves long since torn down or renovated beyond recognition. She unfolds each drawing carefully. Yellow cracks spread like veins across the dull blue surface. each plan is a variation on all the others. She opens the last rolled up set of plans. this, then, she thinks, is a man's worth, his life's output. A single box of crumbling drawings. She unrolls the plans. could it be? Yes; it is their house and these are the plans he had worked on so diligently just before his death. the porch, the towers, the parlor, the great room, the kitchen, the wide staircase, the many bedrooms - all there. everything had been carefully drawn in colin's deliberate hand. he had even placed the garden next to the house, taking care to locate it accurately. All the structural elements line up from floor to floor. exterior walls were stacked with comfortable predictability one on top of the other all the way to the roofs. but as she scrutinizes the first floor plan she sees that something appears to be wrong with it. near the center of the floor colin’s precisely drafted lines are partially erased, replaced by numerous hesitant lines, some drawn and erased many times themselves, each a fraction of an inch apart as if colin were trying to reconcile conflicting measurements. She understands immediately why he hesitated. the last lines he drew – the darkest lines -- reveal the unmistakable presence of a room located nearly in the middle of the sprawling floor. A small room, no more than six foot by six foot, but a room nevertheless. A room she – and he -- had
Architecture & Arcadia Stephen Gerard Dietemann
not been aware existed. She is stunned. how could they, after decades in the house, have missed the presence of such a room? the possibility filled her with both wonder and fear. She must have walked by it ten thousand times. walls that she had always assumed to define the kitchen and the adjacent staircase actually conceal this secret room. confused, she walks down to the basement, past the small finished family room and through the removable panel connecting it to the unfinished section of the basement. the dim light bulb provides just enough illumination for her to make certain that there is no access to the room from below. A few quick measurements on the second floor convinces her that this previously unknown room must be located below the landing at the top of the stairway. She also understands that this is a room without an entry. in fact, no entry or exit. no light. Anyone inside would hear only muffled sounds – the ordinary noises of her life with and without colin -- alternating with absolute stillness. A room existing apart from night and day, oblivious to spring's emergence or winter's arrival. A room apart from everything. She returns to the parlor and sits down. why had colin said nothing to her about his discovery? She suddenly wonders if there were not other rooms, other places concealed by walls pretending other purposes. She quickly places all the other drawings back into the box. As she lifts the box she notices a handwritten note stuck to the bottom, the ink now faded and barely legible. “darling -- please don’t be mad. meet me tonight.” colin. * in her bedroom margaret arranges and rearranges the pieces of her life. outside the sky is clear, illuminated by a thousand stars, many more than she can ever recall seeing before. it seems to her that the light of each arrives here meekly, without any
trace remaining of the cataclysm of its origin. turning the light off margaret imagines the small, still room somewhere below her. She visualizes herself surrounded by a soft darkness and a silence so complete she can finally relax, untethered to the past or the future. Free. V
the ArtFul mind AuguSt 2012 • 17
Planet Waves August 2012
Aries (march 20-April 19) there’s this concept from psychology that everyone would benefit from knowing about: projection. Projection is when you see your qualities, issues or challenges in another person. it’s called ‘projection’ because it’s like having a light on your forehead that shines your material onto them, rather than being anything that comes inherently from them. this kind of transaction makes relationships difficult because when it’s happening, it verges on impossible for anyone to take responsibility for what is really their own, and thus open the way to have two people make their way through the world as conscious adults. this month, i suggest you listen to any accusation or claim you might make about another person and ask whether it has something to say about you. if you find yourself in any form of conflict, pause and do what’s called ‘withdraw your projections’. Start with taking full responsibility for being in the situation, and take ownership of your responses to it. give others the opportunity to do the same thing, without pushing them in any way to do so; your example is enough. You’re likely to discover that this reveals the conflict for what it is, and puts everyone in a position where it can be resolved. the problem with identifying projection is that it can be psychologically uncomfortable and vulnerable. it can feel weird to observe what you’re doing, much less admit it. it’s easier to go on projecting, which only pushes the conflict deeper.
Taurus (April 19-may 20) love is a gentle experience and needs to be handled delicately. when we say love and really feel it, i believe that most of the time what we really mean is trust. trust is about being on level ground with someone, and sharing mutual respect. much of what we call love exploits inequities between people. though we’re told these are economic issues, i’ve observed that most of them are emotionally-rooted. whose needs are ‘more important’ than the other’s? who is an inherently more supportive or generous person? who can handle crisis better? i suggest that as August progresses, in matters of the heart, you go for the slow, conscious evolution process. make sure that you’re proceeding with trust first and affection second. when your affection runs ahead of your ability to trust someone, that’s the moment to pause, because it’s the moment when you’re most likely to feel like you’re out of control, and thus respond in ways that don’t make sense (to you or to anyone). if your life emphasis is currently on a relationship, i suggest you take a couple of weeks and focus on your own inner emotional needs — the ones that can only be met by growth, not by the presence of another person. be aware of the unusual intensity that may be gathering around resolving a childhood issue centered on the theme of trust (particularly in communication). this will be far easier to resolve as apart from a relationship than as the focus of one — for example, i suggest you address it with a therapist or counselor rather than a lover or partner.
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) the past few weeks have been an introspective time for you, and you may have gotten to know yourself in a whole new way. it seems you’ve made some deep commitments for how to proceed with your life; you’re willing to make adjustments. Flexibility is an excellent property for you to develop, yet it’s easy to have these experiences and then forget them. to remember, i suggest you begin making decisions based on what you have discovered to be true about yourself. that’s the best way to reinforce learning: to use values and self-discovery as a practical tool. this will come in handy midmonth, around the time of the new moon in your sign, when you face what seems to be an especially significant choice. if you have the feeling that this is about a relationship, you’re correct, though really there are a lot more than two people involved. there is a family or a metaphorical family in the picture, and you have to be clear about how much emphasis to give their needs or their opinions. You might use mr. Spock’s analysis — the greatest good for the greatest number of people. or you might decide that what’s best for you is best for everyone by default, because you have to be happy. in any event, this seems bigger than it really is. if you’re feeling pressure, weigh and balance the two sides of the equation for a while and you will have the clarity you need. trust that you’re well-aligned with your truth.
Sagittarius (nov. 22-dec. 22) Your relationships are like seeing your reflection in one of those mirrors that magnifies whatever you’re looking at, which in this case is yourself. relationships tend to reveal our inner nature to both parties. however, what we see reflected is usually mistaken for some property of the other person involved. though this may have an element of truth, i suggest you do an experiment where you take full ownership of whatever personal material you’re presented with. mainly i mean your responses to someone, the choices you make, the words you say, and the ways you feel about yourself — in the context of the relationship. i am proposing that you assume this is all about you — not about anyone else. in case you’re inclined to be selfcritical (a quality of your sign that’s described only in the fine print), remember that who you truly are is a lot more than the tally of your faults and your assets. who you are exists alongside those qualities, though you are not them, no matter how much you may feel like it. one of the happier challenges you have now is to relate to others as that ‘who you really are’ factor rather than all of the details — and when you do that, it’s what you will feel mirrored back to you. the key to this is not to get distracted by judgment of any kind. this may seem like walking across coals, though at the moment, you have plenty of support.
Libra (Sep. 22-oct. 23) when the time comes to break free from your shell, do it gently. given the astrology of the past month — particularly, mars in your sign after spending eight months in one of the most introspective angles of your chart — you seem determined to not just think independently but be independent. Yet going back longer than this, you’ve been struggling with the authority principle: you simply don’t want other people setting your limits, telling you what to do, or rearranging your boundaries for you. And, after spending a lot of time dealing with various shades of lurking fear, you’ve started to adjust the circumstances in your life to reflect this basic truth. As the astrology of August develops, you’ll discover that you’re not done making changes — though as you consider your situation, i suggest you reflect on two things. one is the extent to which you’re adjusting your inner psychological and emotional landscape rather than the world around you. You’re in a challenging maturing process that, at the moment, is compelling you to see that in truth you live your life from the inside out. it’s not always so obvious and there’s plenty of evidence to the contrary, though as you strive to set yourself free from someone or something, remember that most of what you’re liberating yourself from is from you. Second idea — that something is a past concept of who you are. the past is gone, though now you’re finally challenging one of its most enduring emotional artifacts.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Pay attention to everything in your life that seems to be running in a cycle. there are two kinds of cycles to watch for. one is when something keeps happening repeatedly, such as the sensation that you keep having a similar kind of experience because you don’t ‘get the lesson’. the second is when you’re involved in a series of events wherein one thing leads to another — and the buck stops with you. when you have experiences like this, it can be frustrating and distracting, though apropos of your current astrology, it can shake your faith in your ability to make long-term plans and carry them out. You might feel like you’re involved in a pattern that specifically makes believe that something you can envision and want to work for is unavailable to you. this is the time to challenge your beliefs, rather than feel like you’re limited by them. one indication that you might be up against a belief that you want to challenge is that you’re angry, though the anger isn’t directed at any one person. it’s more like being ‘angry at god’. this is another way of saying ‘angry at existence’, which i would say is a fertile state of mind — the kind of mental or emotional space where you know you want to make a change, but you may not be sure what change you want to make. Perhaps this question will help. You are someone who lives with a purpose, but do you have a mission?
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) Your solar chart looks like you’ve been having a beautiful experience of admitting to yourself what you really want, moving through often-impossible-to-access territory, as if you’ve been able to enter a dream consciously and ask all of the characters in that dream what they really think, and what they have to say about you. if your dream activity happens to be more prolific than normal or even if you’ve had one of those ‘big dreams’, make sure you write it down. it seems to me like you’re doing some of the deepest exploration of self-acceptance in many years. there is, however, a chance that this has felt like facing all kinds of unpleasant truths about yourself or your past: things that happened do you that continue to stress you out or knock you off balance, if even in subtle ways. the solution set remains the same: this material is coming up for review and awareness, and you’re situated perfectly to go into those places that you may have never accessed. if you seem to be stalking ‘the truth’ or if it seems to be stalking you, it’s not as dangerous or disturbing in reality as it may be in your imagination. in any event to resolve the material, or even to find out what it is, you have to bring awareness there. i will say this: what happened to you in the past matters, and it influences your life more than you may think. that is, until you do something about it.
Gemini (may 20-June 21) You may be inclined to push your luck in a relationship situation. this could translate a few ways, and will apply equally to established situations, new ones or ones that you are reaching for. You may want the situation to develop faster than it’s currently moving, which could involve wanting someone to change or grow. You might be emphasizing the sexual aspect of a relationship when you’re not quite ready for that. You may be feeling frustrated and experiencing an impulse to break free, wishing it could be with someone rather than from someone. i suggest you get clear what you’re experiencing, then proceed to investigate the source of the feeling. the first question is, who is stuck? who is experiencing inhibition? the chances are it’s equally distributed among the people involved. take ownership of your part. i also suggest you account for anger. what might look like desire is more likely to be a form of resentment, and it’s likely to predate this situation — all the more reason for you to be well-versed in the deeper roots of what you’re experiencing. last, i suggest you do a review of your relationship to risk. go back about two years, and consider the kinds of chances you’ve taken, and why you’ve taken them. do a little audit of how each of these has worked out, and why you think that is. the game of life is easier to play when you understand yourself, and when you stack the cards in your Scorpio (oct. 23-nov. 22) favor. what you learn this month will help you do both. commitment is a dance, rather than a fixed entity. in our quest for permanence in a world that seems to change ever-faster every day, there’s an idea Cancer (June 21-July 22) that commitment is about grafting yourself to someone or something in a You seem to be outgrowing something — your physical space, your emo- way that will never change. when you dance with someone, you hold them tional orientation, a job, a relationship. You may be stoked and impulsive intentionally but gently, and with enough flexibility to move, and to let go to make a sudden change, though i suggest you take a balanced approach and rejoin in another configuration. i suggest that this is the way to think to your situation. the change you make has to be the right change, and at of your relationships. remember too that there are two things happening: the same time, it’s essential to use a moment when you’re really aware of one is the relationship or arrangement, and then there are your ideas about what you want to change. this is the balance that you must reach, which it. Your ideas will tend to dominate your reality, often obscuring the actual comes down to knowing your priorities and keeping a focus on matters of experience they’re supposed to be describing. the good news is that your timing. You may not be able to act at a moment of frustration, and it would ideas are flexible, as are you — and that’s your most useful asset this month. be unwise to do so. Yet a mature person can keep a focus on what they need Probing a bit deeper, you seem to be unraveling a question: what is your to shift or rearrange in their lives, and look for an opportunity to do so. At point of contact with another person? what’s the basis of the relationship? the same time, the world is changing around you, and events that take place is it a conscious healing process, or is it an obsession with wounding? is it a bit later in the year, especially in october, may provide the ideal circum- an experience of emotional exchange, or is it more like a projection? often stances — or arrive with even greater changes that obviate the things you one of these will masquerade for the other. this phenomenon is something want to adjust now. that may seem like a long way off, though in truth it’s worth investigating, even if you think you’ve gone down that road before. right around the corner, and you may be able to get a sense of the trajectory Your ability to take command of your life, something you now seem deterof your life when mars enters Scorpio later this month. You will, at least, mined to do, depends on your knowing and understanding the difference get a taste of the territory you’re going to be entering, and if you’re paying — and using the information consciously. attention you will learn enough to see, and address, certain obstacles well in advance of when you actually encounter them.
18 • August 2012 THE ARTFUL MIND
by Eric Francis
Capricorn (dec. 22-Jan. 20) handle issues involving authority like you’re on the bomb squad. rule one is, assume the thing is real. You don’t want to provoke any conflicts with anyone who has authority over you, such as traffic cops, the irS or your boss. if you’re in a position of authority, carefully mind your ethics, your sense of fairness and most of all, your boundaries. if you practice a policy of holding the line, you will know where the line is. this is vital information if you find yourself arriving at a situation where you have to cross a boundary of some kind, exceed your authority or stand up to someone because the ethics of the situation demand that you do so. do not do this casually or unconsciously. rather, hold off on using this particular expression of power for when it’s clear that it’s your best (but not your only) option. that may happen once and once only in the next month. meanwhile, if you feel anything like this brewing, i have one other suggestion. Additional information that may influence your thinking will emerge after mercury stations direct on Aug. 8, and a second revelation is coming with the new moon of Aug. 17. in the situation you’re in, knowledge is power, and you don’t have to impress anyone in order for that power to work. Your primary job is to know the facts, and to see the patterns develop as more information becomes available — which it will. till then, bide your time.
pisces (Feb. 19-march 20) many have commented on the dualistic nature of Pisces — you know, the two fish swimming in opposite directions, though connected to one another. this property runs deep in you, though it has its origins in the angle of your chart occupied by gemini, the angle involving security and your emotions — which aligns with the sign of the twins. For the past 18 months or so, you’ve been making special progress resolving various splits within your emotional body. As you’ve done this, you’ve encountered those inner divisions in a more direct way, with the purpose for this being recognizing your situation and doing something about it. now, you’re starting to see that these divisions that dominated your life for so long, are beginning to heal. elements of your nature that seemed to oppose one another are now more harmonious. Your living spaces are starting to feel more like you want them to feel, and you’re more at home there — the most significant living space being your presence within your own skin. there’s a real gift here for you, as you embark on a time when you’re much more likely to be in harmony with yourself than at odds with yourself. You will save time and energy, it’ll be easier to determine what you want — and to pursue that specific thing. And there is most certainly something that you want, which is the feeling of a settled life and a true home. the more you feed your passion for this, the more realistic it will seem as a creative goal. Read Eric Francis daily at PlanetWaves.net.
FENG SHUI
Horizontal and Vertical Items in the Home
which is best? that depends on how you’re feeling when you’re in your home, trying to make changes, and staying motivated to do so. having an imbalance of the two can greatly affect your energy level. there are two elements in placement design – earth and wood – that represent the two directions. the earth element is represented by a horizontal and flat direction, close to the ground, much like plateaus and low-lying fields in nature, like the soil in the earth heavy and grounding. the horizontal level keeps us feeling more stable. Vertical directions are more prevalent in the wood element through the trees around us, as well as metal, since metal can also build tall, upright buildings in cities. A vertical direction can give us more confidence and help us to get moving.
if you are feeling sluggish and bogged down, unable to really move forward or gather enough energy to tackle a project, take a closer look at what you have in your home
Elisa Cashiola
dows will counteract that feeling and make you feel more secure. this horizontal and heavy crystalline piece is a perfect example to add to a console table for added weight. if there is a noticeable number of the above characteristics in your surroundings, then add vertical items to give you an uplifting, energizing, stand-up-straight feeling to give you that extra surge of energy. there is nothing like adding tall items to really lift the energy in a home. examples include tall, upright plants (bamboo is an excellent one), tall floor lamps, floor to ceiling windows, high bookshelves, floor length mirrors, free-standing sculptures, and long candlesticks. even a winged back chair is considered tall, since it goes beyond one’s head when leaning back in the chair. Stripes in wallpaper or wall panels are also great examples of adding a vertical look to a room, since they run parallel like trees in a forest. what other horizontal and vertical examples can you think of?”
that is seen horizontally – examples include long, rectangular picture frames, long sofas, console tables, books lying down flat, long benches and ottomans, wide dressers that are close to the ground, and plants that spread around instead of growing upright. too much of that can keep your energy level down and low to the ground – heavy and grounded like the soil we find in the earth element. however, if there is an excess of vertical items in the home, often there is a scattered, spacey, and “head in the clouds” feeling. it can also leave you feeling anxious and nervous. too many floor-toceiling windows can make you feel uneasy, so adding a heavy, solid, grounding piece of furniture in front of the win-
Simply Sasha
Elisa Cashiola invites you to her website: www.elisacashiola.com. She can be reached via email at: elisacashiola@gmail.com
“I have the feeling that I’ve seen everything, but failed to notice the elephants.” -Anton Chekhov
by Sasha Seymour
P-town Rainbow!
Tom and I were in Ptown for a magical 36 hour whirlwind stay this past June. We were there for the Portuguese festival where the Berkshire Bateria were performing.. On the afternoon we arrived a freakish storm was brewing, and after all the thunder, lightning and rain we experienced, we were gifted with the most magnificent full double rainbow! I had never seen one before, and all of Provincetown was in awe of it. The rainbow got me to thinking about the colors of vegetables (food is always on my mind!) and since then I have been experimenting with rainbow colored food combos. Here is a recipe I’ve adapted to fit the multicolored hue concept. Naturally vivid and bright food is healthy for you too! Enjoy! ALL VEGETABLES SLICED THIN! ~RED: 3 large tomatoes ~ORANGE: 4 medium carrots ~YELLOW: 2 Yellow squash ~GREEN: Leaf lettuce ~BLUE: A sprinkle of blueberries, cut in half ~PURPLE :Red onion and/or cooked beets (amount to your taste) lemon juice mixed with olive oil to drizzle FRESH DILL 1. Oil small glass pan, and start the layering process lasagna style. 2. In between each layer, drizzle a little lemon juice and olive oil, and fresh dill. 3. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight, for best results. p.s. Start and end with the green leaf lettuce. It’s just easier that way!
the ArtFul mind August 2012 • 19
ART oN MAIN PeonieS bY robert Forte
THE GALLERY AT
BARNBRook REALTY
this will be robert Forte’s second exhibition in the berkshires, having recently concluded one at the Front Street gallery. the new show will run July 7 – August 31, with an artist reception on Saturday, July 21 from 5-7pm. Painting is Forte’s passion; the road to exhibiting, has been neither direct nor readily foreseeable. indeed, it was not that long ago that i was hard at work briefing a major case before the united States Supreme court. in other words, i practiced law, a life far removed from that of a painter. the artistic “seed”, however, was planted at a very early age, when i literally drew everything in sight, grew up on (for those who remember) Jon gnagy’s tV art lessons, and subsequently attended the high School of music and Art in new York city. toward the end of my legal career, i decided to cultivate that dormant seed. in the intervening years, i met and studied with two new York artists, minerva durham and cornelia Foss, each supreme in her craft – durham ’s wizardry drawing the figure and Foss’s incomparably beautiful paintings. these artists formed the foundation of my art. now living and painting in his studio in new marlborough, Forte has a new life devoted to painting. Art on Main is located on Main St., in Great Barrington, MA.
20 •August 2012 the ArtFul mind
from left: Laura Jeppesen, John Gibbons, Daniel Stepner (program: Bach's Musical Offerings, Sept. 1)
Daedalus Quartet (program: Sept. 8)
Maria Rivas (program: Jazz, Latin and World Fusion, Sept 29)
MUSIC AND MoRE
FESTIVAL 21ST SEASoN
As the summer music season winds down in late August, music lovers can postpone their withdrawal for several more weeks: top-shelf classical, jazz and world music continue into late summer and early fall with the lively music & more Festival, now in its 21st year. tucked in the rural village of new marlborough, in the historic meeting house on the Village green, music & more will mount intimate music performances of the highest order: this year the boston classical trio, the daedalus Quartet, vocalist maria rivas (with a world music ensemble) and others will perform; the season program includes a choreographed performance of Stravinsky’s l’histoire du Soldat for dancers, narrator and musicians, bach’s musical offering and the complete violin sonatas of brahms. running Saturdays from Aug. 4-oct. 6, 2012, the festival opens with the annual free-admission berkshire writers’ Free For All murder mystery contest read-aloud event. the season concludes with three renowned authors discussing their newly published works: liza mundy (“the richer Sex”) and Andrew nagorski (“hitlerland”) and Peter cameron (“coral glynn”), moderated by mitchel levitas of the new York times. All events are at 4:30 p.m., and each is followed by a reception at the meeting house gallery. in an intimate contrast to the scale and crowds of tanglewood, music & more provides an up-close, personal experience of musical delights, off the beaten path but just 12 minutes from downtown great barrington. the 4:30 p.m. concerts on Saturdays are in an ideal time slot for an country drive and an early stroll or after-concert dinner on the green “the world-class quality of these events and the lovely surroundings are a combination that has drawn people back year after year,” said festival director harold lewin. lewin has lured some of the finest classical musicians to this summer haven, including such renowned ensembles as the Apollo trio and the Shanghai, daedalus and manhattan string quartets. LITERARY: music & more: mystery writers read Aloud Aug. 4: “berkshire writers Free for All: murder mystery writers contest,” a free open reading culminating the annual murder mystery writer’s contest, 4:30 p.m. this year’s theme: murder by organic food and killer clichés, hosted by Peter bergman. meeting house, route 57, new marlborough. wine reception follows in the meeting house gallery. A presentation of music & more 2012. (413) 229-2785. MUSIC: Aug. 25. “A celebration of music, dance and the Spoken word,” featuring a re-imagining of Stravinsky’s l’histoire du Soldat (A Soldier’s tale). narration by robert olsen, berkshire Pulse dancers choreographed by tom masters. Joanna maurer, violin; Paul green, clarinet; doris Stevenson, piano. Also, music by debussy, Fritz kreisler and Paul Schoenfield. 4:30 p.m., meeting house, route 57, new marlborough. Post-concert reception at the meeting house gallery. tickets online or at the door, $20/$25. A presentation of music & more 2012. (413) 2292785. MUSIC: Sept. 1: bach’s musical offering and other music From the court of Frederick the great. christopher krueger, baroque flute; daniel Stepner, baroque violin; Jane Starkman, baroque violin and viola; laura Jeppesen, viola da gamba; John gibbons, harpsichord. 4:30 p.m.; free pre-concert talk, 3:30. meeting house, route 57, new marlborough. Post-concert re-
ception at the meeting house gallery. tickets online or at the door, $20/$25. A presentation of music & more 2012. (413) 2292785. MUSIC: Sept. 8. daedalus String Quartet, a new-generation string ensemble performs quartets by mendelssohn, george Perle and dvořák. 4:30 p.m. meeting house, route 57, new marlborough. Post-concert reception at the meeting house gallery. tickets online or at the door, $20/$25. A presentation of music & more 2012. (413) 229-2785. (publicity photo attached photo credit lisa-maria mazzucco.) MUSIC: Sept. 15. boston classical trio, in berkshire debut, performs the music of haydn, mozart, Schubert and beethoven’s “ghost” trio on instruments from the period. Susanna ogata, classical violin; guy Fishman, classical cello; ian watson, fortepiano. 4:30 p.m. at the meeting house, route 57, new marlborough. Free pre-concert talk at 4 p.m. Post-concert reception at the meeting house gallery. tickets online or at the door, $20/$25. A presentation of music & more 2012. (413) 229-2785. muSic: Sept. 22: brahms: the Violin Sonatas; mendelssohn: Selected Piano music, featuring pianist robert levin and violinist daniel Stepner. 4:30 p.m., meeting house, route 57, new marlborough. Free pre-concert talk at 3:30. Post-concert reception at the meeting house gallery. tickets online or at the door, $20/$25. A presentation of music & more 2012. (413) 229-2785. MUSIC: Sept. 29: A performance with latin-jazz vocalist and composer maria rivas, clarinetist Paul green and the Jewish Jazz Project ensemble combines Jazz, latin, klezmer and Sephardic music. meeting house, route 57, new marlborough. Post-concert gala wine tasting hosted by domaney’s, in the gallery. tickets online or at the door, $20/$25. A presentation of music & more 2012. (413) 229-2785. LITERARY: oct. 6: three award-winning authors, liza mundy (“the richer Sex”), Andrew nagorski (“hitlerland”), and Peter cameron (“Someday this Pain will be useful to You”) discuss the rewards and challenges of writing and will take questions from the audience. hosted by mitchel levitas, 40-year veteran of the new York times. meeting house, route 57, new marlborough. Post-concert reception and book signing at the meeting house gallery. tickets online or at the door, $10/$15. A presentation of music & more 2012. (413) 229-2785. About Music & More, a Late-Summer Arts Festival Directed by its founder Harold Lewin and in its 21th year, Music & More hosts outstanding established and next-generation actors, musicians, writers and other creative artists in performance in a beautiful New England setting. In 2012, Music & More will present eight events in the historic Meeting House on the Village Green in New Marlborough, Mass. Please visit www.newmarlborough.org or call (413) 229-2785 for information. Music & More is sponsored by the New Marlborough Village Association; NMVA membership provides reduced ticket pricing. For the 2012 schedule and ticket information, visit www.newmarlborough.org. For all Music & More music events, enjoy a 10% discount for a post-concert dinner at The Old Inn on the Green just next door. Reservations required. New Marlborough Village Association, 154 Hartsville-New Marlborough Road, New Marlborough, Mass. 01257 On Facebook.com/newmarlborough
Notes From a Novice Gardener
on it: when i asked him to kindly scoop out a hole and toss into it for later consideration, the big evergreen bush sacrificed to make room for the addition, because i didn’t want to ‘lose it’, he eyed me quizzically but complied. needless to say, we were soon left with bare branches attached to a sturdy trunk. now you know, i had no idea where or how to begin.
ruth heuberger
one blustery november day, twenty years ago, we finally moved into our new/old home, purchased nine years previously, from the rental apartment up the street. mercifully, we could abandon our sleeping bags after three months of being sorely tested. the updates and expansion on our home were nearly finished and we happily bid adieu to assorted contractors. the dateline of a newspaper announcing… Al Jolson’s review… king karol of rumania … local dry goods… lugs and nuts… oat for sale… retrieved in bits and pieces from wall spaces, suggested the small sturdy house might have been built in 1923. the cottage was likely that of the owner’s or caretake’sr of the large old inn on the other side of the tall trees. (Just minutes ago, i learned from a musician who was there, that numbers of classical musicians looked forward each summer to ensemble playing at the spacious old inn in its inviting setting. it was torn down in the 1970’s alas, to be replaced years later by a 20-unit condominium and an immense-piece garage facing our cottage; the board and we agreed on a bank of hemlocks to screen it from view which, finally, it more or less, has.) the cottage is set so far back that people are still surprised a house is there and and they can hardly believe that we share property boundaries with six other street numbers and potentially 30 neighbors. it’s situated at a very pleasant walk down to the library, post office, grocery store, etc. Anyway, who grew up with a car? As former city-dwellers we would not have felt at ease living isolated in the middle of the woods, either. but it was pure joy to own for the very first time, our own little house and piece of earth in the u.S. though
Hans Heuberger
often new and exciting, the family averaged about four to five years in a rental apartment before relocating to another city or town. Serendipity had brought us to the berkshires and i believe there’s a landscape to suit every soul. this was mine and the anticipation of growing my own garden was a stronger motivation than my ignorance. the yard was a mess; churned up mud, like your average two-year-ld’s artful successful sculpture with his mashed peas. i watched the burly but friendly driver of an earthmover wield his machine with amazing finesse and expertly ‘scatter’ excavated boulders around the yard. i told him i loved rocks and figured planting them would give me ideas to follow up with, in due time, for the garden of my dreams; for i had nothing more substantial than that to go on. i’m sure he sensed my despair, confronted with all that mud, and ignorance too, not to put to fine a point
but not all our waking hours were spent doing what had to be learned and effected. when my husband wasn’t hammering and sawing, he painted delightful watercolors and i was motivated to put my thoughts on paper of what those big trees might have seen and what might be. An early light verse was an ode naming every contractor who worked on the house: carpenters, electricians, painters, plumbers, wallboard installers, excavators, etc., followed by these beginning stanzas, after another few weeks musing: Old house, with tales to tell Shadowed by trees who knew you then When all your sap was young. Your height beside them pales.
Your owner owned the gracious Inn (succumbed to condominium) That shared the lawn With hemlock, maple, oak and elm, Shagbark, spruce and wading stream Shade enough and sprawl To tempt up Sunday diners and their kin. No more apples now from Caligari’s orchards tumbling down the nearby hill- nor his tenacious hands and heart that laid down roots and built his house and one besides of stone. They’re lived in still….. -ruth hueberger
the ArtFul mind August 2012 • 21
FRoNT STREET GALLERY kAte knAPP, trAPeZe ArtiSt, houSAtonic, mA, 30 x 30”
July 7-Sept 3: the circus is in town! watercolors studies of the local summer circuses….lions elephants horses… come one come all come see the circus!!! oPening to be announced. 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….please come join us and experience something different. For those seeking collectable, great art, Front St. gallery is where you should head next. A huge selection of art work, all reasonably priced. who said art was not affordable? easy to make an appointment to see for yourself. classes at Front Street for those wishing to learn and those who just want to be involved in the pure enjoyment of art and who have some experience under their belt. Perfect for those seeking fresh insight into watercolors, and other mediums. kate knapp has been teaching for many years, and 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 is excellent. Peak in to see! kate knapp’s paintings are also on display at 510 warren St. gallery in hudson, nY. Please stop by to see all the many works of art by exceptional artists. Front Street Gallery – Front Street, Housatonic, MA. Gallery Hours: Saturday & Sunday, open at 12 pm or by appointment or chance. 413-274-6607. 510 wArren St., hudSon, nY 518-822-0510 www.510warrenstreetgallery.com
NINA LIpkowITz A YEAR IN THE LIFE
510 warren Street gallery in hudson, nY is featuring a new exhibit, “A Year in the life”, with new works on paper by eclectic, many faceted, artist nina lipkowitz, August 3 – 29; artist reception on Sunday August 5, 2-5 pm. the exhibit includes luscious, brilliantly colored botanicals, often portraits from her garden, exquisitely rendered in ink and watercolor along with her intensely pigmented chickens and roosters peering or glaring out of the paper they are painted on. check out their toe-nails polished to perfection coordinating with their stylish red combs. her latest, experimental works are abstract light paintings created on her iPad and printed in limited editions with inkjet, archival inks on archival paper. nina lives in great barrington, mA where she gardens, paints, teaches yoga and travels as much as possible. originally from new York city where she was a sculptor, a potter, an arts administrator and a museum guide. nina’s paintings have been exhibited at the Front Street gallery in housatonic, mA and the housatonic Valley Art league. this is her second featured artist show at 510 warren Street gallery in hudson, nY. her pottery and sculpture has been exhibited in galleries and private collections in the united States, canada and europe. Visit nina’s website at ninalipkowitz.com besides nina, other artists exhibiting at the gallery include John william clark, diana Felber, Joan giummo, iska kenney, kate knapp, John lipkowitz, eleanor lord, hannah mandel, Joel mark, Peggy reeves, Jeannine Schoeffer, doris Simon, and antique prints from mill river Studio. 510 Warren Street Gallery – Hudson, NY; Gallery hours: Fri & Sat 12-6pm, Sun 12-5pm, or by appointment; 510warrenstgallery.com; 518-822-0510.
SePtember FEATURED ArtiSt JEANNINE SCHoEFFER Reception for Artist: Saturday, September 1, 2012 3:00 - 6:00 PM
510 Members include: will clArk diAnA Felber JoAn giummo iSkA kenneY kAte knAPP John liPkowitZ ninA liPkowitZ eleAnor lord hAnnAh mAndel PeggY reeVeS doriS Simon muSeum QuAlitY Furniture bY Joel mArk AntiQue PrintS & PoSterS From mill riVer Studio
Friday and Saturday 12-6, Sunday & Mon 12-5, or by appointment
22 •August 2012 the ArtFul mind
MARGUERITE BRIDE GALLERY 25
mArguerite bride, red lion inn, Summer, wAtercolor
gallery 25 will feature the works of marguerite bride in a solo exhibit during the month of August. the opening reception will be held on Friday, August 3, 5 –8 pm, in conjunction with Pittsfield’s First Fridays Artswalk activities. the theme of the exhibit will be food….colorful produce, bustling marketplace scenes, restaurants, and other wonderful places to eat, crockery, and still lifes. the exhibit will run through August 26. A regular exhibitor in local and regional art shows, her paintings appear regularly in magazines throughout new england. last year, her painting, christmas on Park Square 1912, was selected to be the official holiday ornament for Pittsfield’s 250th birthday and also adorned the cover of mary Verdi’s christmas cd. her paintings will also appear on the berkshire carousel which will come to life next year. bride was recently named the new artist to create the yearly image for the Pittsfield Parade. For this year’s theme of “movie classics”, her painting depicted movie icons viewing the Pittsfield Parade while standing in front of the old Palace theater. bride, who resides in Pittsfield, paints and teaches at her studio at 311 north Street in Pittsfield; she has specialized over the years in scenes of the berkshires (“local color”) and also custom house portraits. She has now completed over 130 scenes of the berkshires and 100 plus custom house portraits. gallery 25, 25 union Street, Pittsfield is located across the street from barrington Stage. hours are thursday through Saturday, 12-5Pm, and also 1/2 hour before every barrington Stage show and during intermission. more information about the artist may be on the artist’s website: www.margebride.com. the opening reception and exhibit are free and open to the public. Visit bride’s website to see her full online gallery, for details about commissioning or purchasing a painting or fine art reproduction, for updated exhibit information and for information about lessons; or you may contact the artist directly. Marguerite Bride, 311 North Street, Pittsfield, Studio #5. Open for First Fridays Artswalks, and by appointment only. Call 413-442-7718, or 413-841-1659 (cell); website: www.margebride.com, email: margebride@aol.com
mary davidson Represented by
THE LENoX GALLERY oF FINE ART 69 church Street, lenox, mA 413-637-2276 Open year Round www.davidsondesigncompany.net Studio appointment: 413. 528. 6945 South Egremont, MA
BERkSHIRE ART GALLERY J. J. enright, glouceSter dock, o/c, 24 x 30”, 1911-2001, AmericAn
GEoFFREY MoSS LAUREN CLARk FINE ART "blue melt", 18" x 24", Pigment, wAx, lithogrAPh Pencil
poD NAUMkEAG CHARCoAL oN pApER SARAH HoRNE
lauren clark Fine Art presents “Pop Art”, new work by After a period away from her painting and exhibiting in geoffrey moss, July 14 through August 13 with a reception berkshire county, Sarah horne has reunited with her art in for the artist on Saturday, July 14, 4-7 pm. a new studio in Stockbridge. her latest work which will be it is now official; the twin Popsicle like the twinkie, and on display at naumkeag from August 3 – September 3 is inwonderbread has heard and tasted the bitter death knell. spired by her proximity to naumkaeg, a large acreage of prohowever, lest history forget, artist geoffrey moss has tected land she had been observing for many years. grabbed the gauntlet and given homage to America’s Sarah has worked “en plein air” before when she collabbeloved historical icy treat, firmly frozen in time at lauren orated on “the river Project” at the melville barns in Pittsclark Fine Art! field with a series of paintings that investigated the flow of geoffrey moss is a conceptual artist known for his colthe housatonic river in sensual color. with her new work orful and quirky choice of subjects ranging from chinese “Pond, Pods, grasses,” Sarah’s focus is on black and white acrobat sofas, eroticism, Flying dogs, Phantoms & Saints, drawing, not as outline but movement, gesture. tides and optical machines. on Saturday July 14, lauren drawing traditionally encases what is seen via tactile clark Fine Art will launch moss’s tribute to that all-Amerimemory, like a finger moving across a form. instead, Sarah can icon, the Popsicle, in all flavors and conditions. Folworks with the visual imprint of the seen, translating from lowers of moss’s work will remember being charmed by his brush to paper the impact of the landscape on her sensibility. three Sheeptacular creations, a hewespaper, and a rocketthese drawings are the tracings of winter’s brutal transforsheep, created as fundraisers under the auspices of the namation; sparse remnants of nature define the landscape. tional cowparade project. most significantly to the artist at “the fields have wild things growing everywhere. it is that time, a Sheepsicle, dominating in mascot proportions pastoral and dramatic at the same time. there are hills, long the lawn of Pittsfield’s berkshire museum was a vote of rows of pine, manicured gardens. And wild life: fox, coyote, confidence, as is common to most artists, to explore further. deer. i have walked through here for nearly 25 years because According to moss, there’s a back-story to that first “dounaumkeag is on the way to my house. it is sort of my terrible stick” Pittsfield installation. “my friend Peg wieldlein, tory. gifted me two ‘frozen’ treat facsimiles; an orange wax popPaper is new for me. i always loved to draw but never sicle and a melting vanilla and chocolate pop...unfortunately considered a body of work of drawings. Paper makes me the rubber chocolate actually disintegrated melting beyond keep my stroke light and free, unlike paint. Paper is soft and its intentional illusion in nY city’s toxic air; should have also strong. the stroke i make on paper feels transitory. And kept in my berkshire studio. the Sheepsicle only deepened although a drawing is finished, it still keeps the element of a my curiosity of how things look and work and react. then sketch. You can rework and erase. i like to see what i erased. again, i emerged as a working artist in late sixties, certainly the history of what i made is important to me. i don’t mind American “Pop” and its forerunner dAdA were of the molines that are fuzzy and are finding themselves. i see feeling, ment purposely unadorned icons, trendy, strong enough to impression, in these black lines rather than a realistic reprostand the test of time centered in your face, icons led by duction. these drawings are about movement, warhol, and oldenburg, thiebaud, and even hopper’s early gesture, like a dance. ‘ salutes to mobil’s Pegasus, and chop Suey.” Sarah Horne’s work can be seen at the Dairy included in the exhibition will be moss’s preliminary Barn, Naumkeag, Trustees of the Reservation, 5 working drawings for this show, giving the public an intiProspect Hill RD, Stockbridge MA. mate first look at the process of making the pops PoP. Lauren Clark Fine Art, 402 Park Street (Route 183), Housatonic, Massachusetts. Business hours are Thursday through Monday from 11:00 until 5:30 and Sunday from Noon until 4:00. For more information call 413-274-1432, Placement Designer or visit www. laurenclarkFineArt.com Specializing in the Art of Feng Shui and Color
the berkshire Art gallery, located at 80 railroad Street, great barrington, is featuring a gloucester dock scene painting by caspar hjalmar “cappy” Amundsen (1911 – 2001). Also known as J. J. enwright, Amundsen was born in new York city, the son of a prominent illustrator. As a young boy Amundsen spent many hours in his father’s art studio learning firsthand the basics of drawing and painting, followed later by studies at the grand central School of Art. Amundsen had a life-long interest in the sea, sailing and fishing, and began painting these subjects seriously in his early twenties. he lived a bohemian lifestyle in greenwich Village where he was a founder of the noted washington Square outdoor Art Show. Amundsen sold many awardwinning paintings there, a venue that became a mainstay of his livelihood, and he supplemented his income by illustrating covers for motor boating magazine. Amundsen concentrated on the new england coastline in the 1940’s and 50’s after being inspired by time spent in gloucester, rockport and Provincetown, depicting cape Ann harbor and dock scenes, sail boats and fishing boats, and historically accurate whaling vessels, many signed Amundsen and others signed enwright. he is believed also to have painted under other pseudonyms. in 1946 Amundsen moved to Sag harbor, long island, opened a studio there, and became an established and picturesque figure in the community, renowned for his compelling nautical paintings, and known as well for local pool hall prowess that added to his artistic earnings. the Sag harbor historical Society recognized Amundsen’s standing as the town’s unofficial artist-in-residence in 1993 with a retrospective exhibition that confirmed his reputation as a fine artist and a distinctly colorful character. Amundsen paintings are in collections of the new bedford whaling museum and the Sag harbor historical Society, and numerous private collections. The Berkshire Art Gallery, 80 Railroad Street, Great Barrington, Mass. Gallery hours are noon to 5PM, Saturdays and Sundays, or by appointment or chance. Parking for patrons is available in front of the Gallery. For information, 413-528-2690 or berkshireartgallery.com
Elisa Cashiola
“The day is lived and the evening comes, and then there is the wonderful time when the lights are it, and that’s when the theatere is needed!” - Joan Littlewood
Elisacashiola@gmail.com
413.717.5559 (text only - deaf) www.elisacashiola.com
the ArtFul mind August 2012 • 23
THE DoN MULLER GALLERY
the don muller gallery, located in the heart of northampton, massachusetts, features an outstanding collection of museum quality crafts and fine jewelry from over 400 American artists. niche magazine has recognized the gallery as one of the top retailers of American crafts every year since 2003. the gallery was also awarded the prestigious top 10 design retailer by Jeweler’s circular keystone (Jck) in 2009, and is a member of Preferred gallery Program run by American Style magazine. in 2010 the don muller gallery won coolest Small Store in America by instore magazine. the gallery is committed to providing a venue for awardwinning artists, local talent, and emerging artisans. the don muller gallery focuses on distinctive handmade jewelry, glass, wood and ceramics. it is also a destination for those seeking unusual and designer wedding rings. the gallery’s one-of-a-kind interior also reflects and complements the exceptional artwork it presents. At the gallery, customers are assured of the finest and most thorough service. whether you are seeking a diamond engagement ring, birthday present, or a corporate gift, you will surely enjoy your unique experience. Don Muller Gallery, 40 Main St., Northampton, MA 413-586-1119 donmullergallery.com Open Mon-Wed. 10-5:30, Thurs-Sat. 109, Sunday 12-5
GooD pURpoSE GALLERY RoBERT SCHECTER robert Schecter
the good Purpose gallery is exhibiting the work of the prestigious artist, robert Schechter, in the upcoming exhibit “American Fauve” which runs from August 4 - September 17. the public is invited to attend a special opening event at the good Purpose gallery on Friday, August 3rd at 6pm. robert Schechter celebrates life in big bold strokes with his vibrant abstract paintings and sculpture. he lives and works in manhattan, nY and lenox, mA. 75 of robert’s works are on permanent display in new York city- columbia Presbyterian, nYc cornell, beth israel, Alan Pavilion. 2 large monoprints made on monster Press, north Adams, are exhibited at the entrance of the berkshire medical Arts building, Pittsfield, mA. robert Schechter’s sculpture is on exhibit June 30 – october 8 at the 2012 contemporary Sculpture at chesterwood. kendra lichtenwalner, beaver mill gallery director says, “All of his work that’s done in new York city is made with dark colors,” she said. “the work that’s created here, in the berkshires, just has this explosion of color”. Artist statement: “i get my inspiration from all around. it can be from anything — a cardinal flying overhead, a play, a dance performance, a walk. i get it from life in general.” The Good Purpose Gallery, 40 Main St, Suite 1, Lee, MA. For more information contact Dianne Steele at 413-3945045 or visit www.goodpurpose.org
FRONT STREET GALLERY
july 7 - september 3
Kate Knapp
Watercolor studies of local summer circuses 413-274-6607 413-429-7141 (cell) 413-528-9546 Gallery Hours: Sat. and Sun 12-5 or by appointment
24 • August 2012 the ArtFul mind
FRONT STREET, downwtown HOUSATONIC, MA
Photography: Jane Feldman www.janefeldman.com janefeldmanphoto@gmail.com