INK MAGAZINE - JULY 2023

Finally, your back pain can take a hike.

Thanks to recent advances in less invasive surgery options and faster recovery times, you don’t have to live with neck and back pain anymore. Whether it’s physical therapy, pain management, behavioral health or surgery, Middlesex Health has an entire network of specialists ready to provide the best care for your needs.

MiddlesexHealth.org/Spine

Essex Meadows

Let me in, I Hear Laughter

Departments

singer/songwriter

Josi Davis

Genuinely Revolutionary

Artist Barbara Hocker’s Meditative Media 28

During one new moon at perigee, I stood on high ground, watching salt ponds overflow, cover the beach, and meet the ocean. Because the moon was invisible, the water was black as it drowned the sand, and the event felt primal - which in fact it was, because it was nature.

— Luanne Rice

There is always a sense of amazment and amusement when we put together an issue of INK and an unforeseen pattern emerges. In most cases it is completely outside our purview and is not a planned thing. In this issue a “salt” theme has organically developed.

The salt pond image on the cover provided by Josi Davis, Salt Pond Poets also originating from there. Saltwater Farm, a pinch of salt in your drink to strike that one magical note. While putting this issue together I could not help noticing it just kept coming up.

We are fortunate to live where we do. For many, our coastline and waterways are a large part of what it means to be here. It is our past and also our future. It takes a certain kind o f person to enjoy the primordial smell of the salt marsh. For me it has always sparked something deep, ingrained, and familiar. The salt air transcends anything “of the mind” but more a conjuring of a very old feeling.

Artist Cooperative Gallery of Westerly All Aboard!

The place where the water meets the land. That one place, the single intersection where two elemental forces meet and become one. The water’s edge has capitivated humans as long as there has been history. It should come as no surprise that a day at the beach is a healing experience. Salt, the only rock we eat on a regular basis. A pinch of salt is rejuvinating, a cup of salt destroys life. I find that balance interesting. My wish for all our readers is a summer filled with new memories and of course plenty of sun and salt air.

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Contributors

Laurencia Ciprus- editorial

Susan Cornell - editorial

Rona Mann - editorial

Ellen Lessard - editorial

Nancy LaMar Rodgers - editorial

Advertising

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Carolina Marquez-Sterling - design

Gregory Post - columnist

A. Vincent Scarano - photos

John Tolmie - photos/editorial

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Richard Malinsky - Shoreline richard@inkct.com - 215.704.9273

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Barkley L. Hendricks, (American, 1945–2017), Untitled (Self-Portrait) , ca. 1975. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 24 inches. © Barkley L. Hendricks. Courtesy of the Estate of Barkley L. Hendricks and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

Essex Meadows: “A Wonderful Balance of Pampered Independence”

Essex Meadows: “A Wonderful Balance of Pampered Independence”

by

by

Rona Mann/ Photographs by Jeff Lilly/Courtesy of Essex Meadows

Rona Mann/ Photographs by Jeff Lilly/Courtesy of Essex Meadows

The Friars Club is a time-honored private fraternity made up mostly of entertainers. Well-known famous comedians, actors, writers, and performers of all stripes have filled the membership rolls over the years. Names like Sid Caesar, Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, Buddy Hackett, Milton Berle, Phyllis Diller, Alan King, Lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra...the list goes on and on. And because the Friars Club was always known to most of the world for their often risque and hilarious roasts, the membership decided in the early 2000s to put together a video edited from thousands of hours of their most famous moments. They called the finished product, “Let

Me In, I Hear Laughter” because it was so representative of who these people were and what this place offered. Much like Essex Meadows.

First, let’s disabuse you of any misconceptions. No, Essex Meadows is not another assisted living facility because, well, Essex Meadows is not assisted living. It is a luxurious, yet down-to-earth place for fully independent vibrant people who just get a real kick out of living life to the fullest. Many were captains of their own industry, others continue to work, some right from Essex Meadows; still others commute daily, weekly, or on an as-needed basis to other towns within the state. This is

a place of exploring, of growing, of choice, and of real friendships cemented with learning and laughter...a place where growth is not optional, it’s a chosen way of life!

Essex Meadows is not a “retirement community” either because the staff and residents are far from retiring and absolutely not shy in letting you know what they have, what they do, and what they create. Yes, “they” create because the administrative staff at Essex Meadows listens at all times to the people who live here. It is their job to constantly create new programs, initiatives, and ways for everyone to expand their reach and explore new horizons.

Ink Magazine was fortunate enough to spend a spring morning with Kathleen Dess, Executive Director, Karen Hines, Marketing Director, and a handful of residents to discuss exactly what goes on here. Walking into the brightly lit conference room, we heard the happy chatter and frequent bursts of laughter in the distance as we approached, and like the Friars, we wanted to be let in!

All were anxious to start talking about Essex Meadows and everything they found here, brought here, and created. Dorie, a former President of New Canaan’s branch of the American Association of University Women, was first to say, “My mother was here from 1989 to 2003, and when I decided I wanted to move somewhere where I could make new friends and keep learning, find plenty to do, and still have a voice, I never looked anywhere else. Essex Meadows was it!”

There are many committees at Essex Meadows, and if a resident has an interest and that committee doesn’t exist, they are encouraged to take the initiative and start one! Others quickly respond. Dorie, for example, is on the Health Committee, the Resident Council, and Scholarship committee. A big part of this committee is employee appreciation, and the way it’s shown and administered is unique. Then again, so are the people who live at Essex Meadows. Throughout the year, money is raised for the employees of Essex Meadows, who Kathleen Dess says are truly “team members.” Recently $160,000 was raised enabling the residents to award over 30 scholarships to these full and part-time employees and/or their family members to further their education. Where, exactly, does all this money come from? Dess answers quickly and with a smile, “From the residents. It defines who we are. It’s a gift of the heart.” Then she adds, “Since 1993 our foundation awarded more than 2.5 million in over 800 grants to our employees and their families.”

A recently formed committee, because the residents felt it necessary and important, is the DEI Committee (DiversityEquity-Inclusion). Priscilla, who is 95 and still driving, is a member and says, “It’s important to have it, to be aware, and to be current.” Some of the other 21 committees include Marketing, Decorating, Art Gallery, Movies, Golf, Food/ Dining, and “Meadowords,” the monthly newsletter written and produced by the residents. Judith, who still owns a company, enjoys bringing her business acumen to the

Finance Committee as other residents contribute their talents and strengths to committees they have joined.

The residents cannot say enough about the staff. “Team member” is not a catchphrase, it’s the way everyone looks at everyone else, and there is true appreciation that flows both ways. Paul added, “They (staff and administration) don’t know the word ‘no’ here.”

When it comes to food, the residents around the table could not say enough. From Executive Chef, Steve Ponte to Director of Food Services, Matt Whitbeck to the other eight chefs on staff, there is nothing but praise. Tom mentioned, “There is a standard menu every day plus a menu of specials,” and if anyone has certain wishes, they are always honored.” Marilyn chimed in, “They even remind you not to eat certain things you’re not supposed to have,” then she laughs and adds, “But they never scold you.”

Skip, who owns an active marketing business, loves the current events, lectures, theatre, and exercise classes, the latter of which are broadcast over Essex Meadows’ own TV channel daily. So if a resident does not wish to attend a live class, they can participate in the privacy of their own home. Running the gamut from stability ball core class to yoga and “boot camp,” residents love participating. More exercise options are found at the beautiful, warm, saltwater indoor pool with water walking and water dancing classes led by Courtney.

Main Entrance Salon, heading Outside

Paul says, “You don’t stop living when you move to Essex Meadows, you add to it.”And Marilyn voices, “I have twice as many friends as I had before I moved here from Virginia. I had my own business there, and that was my whole life. My daughter urged me to come to Essex Meadows telling me I could have a different life...and I do! There’s stimulation every day, and I just wallow in it.”

The residents know that independent living promotes living to old age, and they relish the lack of stress. Skip said. “No one ever says that they moved here too early,” a comment that evokes more of that infectious laughter from the group.

“We do have a health center here if anyone needs care. I think it’s as much a gift to our children as to us,” Paul said; and while there is no assisted living wing, it is brought to the resident’s apartment, if necessary.

What the residents seem to like the most is that the administration “listens” to them: to their wants, needs, and suggestions. And “they know we’re happy,” adds

Life at Essex Meadows simply allows you more time to enjoy the things you love.

Main Entrance Salon, heading inside

Celebrating Chinese New Year with festive decorations, music and an incredible menu.

Follow your passion; In honor of “Plant a V Veegetable Garden W beautiful Essex Meadows garden. W We e offer raised beds, standing our residents who continue their passion of gardening. From Pe is full of wonderful surprises. Hard work, love and dedication.

our

beds and ground beds

W Wiith a little guida the Races! Great d

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for eas to Peonies, the garden

ance from our friends at the Florence Griswold Museum, these ladies were ready to Head to day had by all.

Commit to Fit: Routine gets results.

se who sacrificed while

As we celebrate M serving this great Memorial Day at Essex Meadows, we remember thos nation.

Dorie. From the stark hallway local artists because of one p hiking trails, it has all been th

ys that became an ongoing galleryfor person’s idea, to the clearing of land for hanks to resident suggestions.

Kathleen Dess points with p established at Essex Meadow acre forest with the Connect not far awayy, , they look upon generations and therefore ha

pride to the Green Initiative recently ws. Abutting The Preserve, a 1000ticut River and Long Island Sound n this as their responsibility to future ave implemented the following:

* Solar paneling for natu

ural energy generation

* High-efficiency geother

* Irrigation using non-po

rmal heating & cooling

otable water

* Low-flow plumbing for

* Eco-friendly laundry

r preservation

*Recyclingprograms

* Recycling pr

* Purchasing locally grow

* Naturalizing meadows

* Establishing a Green C

wn food to reduce transport s for wildlife and reduced irrigation ommittee

These special people who liv and talk about hip replacem exercising, swimming, atten green, joining committees to equityy, , and inclusion, drivin concerts, and signing on eve of the human race. They lea togetherr, , have lively argume most importantlyy, , grow toge

ve at Essex Meadows don’t sit around ments. They’re too busy being hip nding current events lectures, staying o be fully cognizant of diversityy, , ng to work, attending theatre and ery day as a full-time vibrant member yy , dine together rn togetherr, r, , play ent events together ents over curr r, , and ether.

This is Essex Meadows...pro you ever visited and proud about taking a big bite out o smile, “It’s a wonderful bala

obably very different from any place of that difference. It’s a place all of life, or as Skip would say with a ance of pampered independence.”

Do you hear the laughter? W

Weell, c’mon in!

www.essexmeadows.com (860) 767

okum Road, Essex and just halfway between 7-7201

The newest art displayed in ou opportunity to view Kathy’’s s ar ur art gallery is that of resident Kathy Axilrod. Residents and staff had an rtwork during a reception held in the gallery.

Essex Meadows is located at 30 Bo NewYYoorkandBoston

Always up to learn chance at trying ou Knoop were just th and other non-imm

ning about something new, residents eagerly awaited their ut a little virtual reality. Students Bailey Hilliar and Onno he ones to offer up a couple of hours of virtual safaris, games, mersive, and semi-immersive virtual simulations.

NORTH STONINGTON, CT

Jim Laurino Lobster Landing, Oil, 13 x 12”

Leonard Mizerek, Moonlight Gathering, Oil, 18 x 14”

Jeanne Rosier Smith, High Rollers, Pastel, 20 x 60”

Neal Hughes, Summer Garden, Oil, 9 x 12”

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Josi Davis Photo By T m Kaszuba

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to the illness and my husband, and of Josi's tragic end and hope as I see into the future.

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space of every r a box ry eye o the s an chieves its objective.

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Let us be clear

What is Greg Drinking?

Ido not hate lakes, let us be clear (pun intended) about that. One could say that it is my humble opinion that (like Irish butter), salt makes everything better. A pinch of salt draws out nuance in edible and potable pleasures alike. So logically why would a little salinity not add a dash of awesome to aquatic activities? In today’s divisive times it is important to acknowledge bias, in that context I propose that for the best month of the year you have to drive past the ponds to the shoreline for sure. This month we will wade into the wild Atlantic waters of Maine for a beer that rises like the tide to meet your mouth with merriment: Saison Aquatic, by Oxford Brewing.

Oxford Brewing, located in Newcastle Maine, ‘gets the assignment’ as the kids say. In this scrumptious and easy sipping saison they showcase the veracity of the ‘Vacation State’ title with a funky and friendly farmhouse style ale that needs no justification in July. Six weeks is a lifetime in summer terms, and that is how long it takes the brewmasters up north to turn this from recipe to refreshment. What sets this beer apart is the aftertaste, it is as clean as the air in Acadia National Park, and similarly worth savoring. It immediately transports you to the best beachside memories that make New England living worth loving. For me, a splash of this cervesa ships me to Sandy Point off the coast of Stonington. Younger Greg would scale the lopsided ruins of the ‘Rhodes Folly’ off the backside of the island that would define my youthful years, just to bask in the view of our coastal corner before jumping into what could best be described as ‘wavering water levels.’ I can still taste the sediment and splashes of the sound that forced itself upon all of my senses and subsequently my soul, and this beer brings out a more vivid version of that than anything I have ever had. The secret? Ingredients that Maine is hardly scrounging for: sea salt and sugar kelp from the abundant coastline that has been the…MAINE-stay…of the ski slope adverse tourists. Sand dunes and bars alike could not better make the case for seaweed and sodium. It is taffy on the boardwalk but for beer, soft serve in a waffle cone in a can. Summer can best be defined by what it is, a release from the normal routines of life in favor of the flavor found only when school is not in session. This beer grips you like hands on a boogie board and promises to carry you as long as the wave you just caught.

If you have ever casually looked into the history humanity has had with water, you know that it was a problematic courtship at best. We knew we wanted and needed water to survive, yet the darn stuff was as likely to kill you as it was to quench your thirst. In the case of Saison, French speaking Belgian communities made the fruitful decision to use the winter months to create a beer named saison (season in French) to prepare for the following year. This beer became as unique to each location as the ingredients they had available.This is where the seemingly endless styles of the modern interpretations are justified from: there simply is not really a wrong way to make these sessionable suds! Throughout the United States you will find saison diversity from sea to shining sea. Varying in color and flavor, the journey is unique to the brewery and often whether Brettanomyces (wild yeast) is making a guest appearance. Fruit can often be found, but not a prerequisite for partaking. Often a farmhouse style beer, with or without Old MacDonald. These beers are meant to be the stuff wildest dreams are made of, word to T Swift.

As far as Oxbow Brewing Company is concerned: the aforementioned acreage is quite apparent at their Newcastle headquarters. The barn on the 18-acre estate has been given the glow up treatment, and owner Tim Adams has focused squarely on delivering a very European beer experience to anyone on their way to L.L. Bean or lobster roll lunches. Big on Belgian, these beers range from prickly to pungent. Aromas unlike anything you have inhaled this side of the Atlantic. If you are touring Bowdoin or Bates with your future freshmen, or just Air B&B hopping from Belfast to Bangor, try and to route your road trip to Oxbow Brewing.

July is a big birthday month in my household. My partner and forever favorite person Kimberly, Jess Saltwater Farm’s manager (and dear friend), Robby one of our long standing concierges you might meet in the parking lot (or on a water side patio pouring rosé), myself and of course the United States of America all have birthday cakes coming this month. Join us in the frivolity of beating the heat with a beverage as funky and flippant as the one Clinton we can all agree on: George Clinton of Parliament Funkadelic! Make saison your beer choice, if you want to get funked up!

Editorial and photo by Gregory Post

This summer at the Pequot Museum we will be offering a variety of culture-filled fun and educational programs, workshops and events for families and friends of all ages. Join us each Wednesday–Saturday in July and August for some of the best experiences that Mashantucket has to offer at the largest Native American museum in the world!

Mystic River Aquarium

By John Tolmie

Atthe end of the street is a simple, yet popular wooden dock. The sixteen by eighteen foot square platform is lagged to the shore against a battered seawall built in the early 1800s. The small pier is located in Noank Village, a peninsula that offers unobstructed views of the lower Mystic River, Ram Island and Mason's Island, as well as a slightly hazed Fishers Island in the distant soutb. A small beach next to the dock and picnic area welcome folks to enjoy the refreshing salty breeze. Parking is close with handicap spaces adjacent to a level access sidewalk that smoothly transition onto the dock.

Making way across the weather beaten planks, an orange string can be seen tied to a corner post where the water is at its deepest. Pulling on the string draws an algae covered fish trap from the silt laden bottom. It’s a wire framed tube covered in mesh that drips briny ocean water. Bubbles sing a watery yarn as droplets release from the matrix of the traps outer webbing. When the bottom of the trap breaks free from the Mystic Rivers watery hold, feverish sloshing and skittering can be

heard as the creatures inside become alarmed. Whatever has found their way inside are not happy to be hoisted unbeknownst to the foreign land above the waves.

The trap is gently placed on the smooth weathered deck. Surprise has turned to silence as the critters inside the traps belly hold still for a terrible moment. The poor things must be terrified. But, the confounding human curiosity prevails. A zipper is opened at the top of the trap giving the viewer a fascinating scene of frightened finned and cautious clawed river fauna entrapped inside. The ruckus of squirming and click-

ing commences again as a giant hand reaches into the trap.

Several green crabs of varying size are plucked, examined, and tossed unceremoniously back into the river. The Green Crab, otherwise known as the European Green Crab, are one of the most abundant and common creatures that crawl along shores of Connecticut. This species is classified as one of the top one hundred invasive species on the planet, successfully dispersing the glkbe from it’s native homeland in the British Isles. Once the crabs have been plunked back home, excavation of the larger finned creatures begin.

It’s a typical haul with a conger eel weighing in as the biggest capture. Conger eels are associated from the genus of Congrid eels, a stout and large family off eels that are spread across the world’s oceans. Similar to the green crab, conger eels populate the waters of Britain as well as the north east coast New England. Conger eels have a propensity to attack when threatened. They have two rows of razor sharp teeth that have sunk into the flesh of swimmers and divers alike. With this knowledge comes power, as the conger in the trap is coaxed cautiously into a temporary vessel for it’s own personal photo shoot.

The conger was freed as another smaller serpentine creature slithered into the holding tank, a small Rock Gunnel. Gunnels are often

misidentified as eels, looking very similar in appearance. Fully grown adults can reach twelve inches in length. This specimen is only six inches long and will be a perfect addition to the indigenous reef tank at home. It is a beautiful fish with a long dorsal fin that spans the body from just behind its head. Placing it into the temporary tank, soft spiny rays can be felt along it’s back. Compared to the conger eel, the gunnels head is rather small, with its lower jaw protruding out akin to a striped bass. The colors are a perfect camouflage blend, it’s body covered in hues of yellow, brown, and crimson. A row of nine dark spots, each surrounded by a pale ring, lines its dorsal fin. It will come home for a week or so to be enjoyed at the Mystic River Aquarium.

The last of the traps aquatic booty comes in the form of several colorful Cunner. These beauties are part of the wrasse family, a genus of fish that congregate in rocky reefs. They are close cousins to one of Connecticut’s favorite sport fish, the tautog. The cunner, also known as the blue perch, choggie or sea perch is native to the northwest Atlantic, from the Chesapeake Bay to Newfoundland. These little brightly colored fish feed on crustaceans, mollusks and worms that bespeckle the undersea reefs. The smallest of the lot goes into the holding tank alongside the equally stunning rock gunnel.

While the two get acquainted, it was time to gather some food for them while they visit their temporary vacation in the home aquarium. Native ghost shrimp are easy to catch. Simply place a hand in an area

where they congregate and they will crawl toward the warmth emitted from the human body. Keep still as a few gather in the palm and slowly raise them up and dump them in a jar. With a dozen shrimp in the jar it was time to head home.

The Mystic River Aquarium had been running for two weeks. It’s a small seven gallon basic set up: a small glass tank, lid with LED lights plugged into a timer, and a bubbler for oxygenating the water. The aquarium was lined with sand and gravel from the mouth of the Mystic River, as well as barnacle covered rocks and a few small stones with seaweed anchored to them.“Fresh” sea water was then added that was drawn from the same location as the reef accouterments. As the tank settled for several days, tiny larval stage fish began to appear. The water itself was teaming with microscopic organisms such as shrimp, crustaceans, and worms. The barnacles gulped the miniscule morsels with a symphony of fans that disappear a reemerge from their white coned beaks. Seaweed danced happily in the oxygenated water. The timer switches the lights on and off to simulate day and evening. A photo period is not only

important for the plant life, but for the animals as well. The gunnel and cunner are primarily Nocturnal species, so viewing them in action will most likely occur after lights out.

The two new friends were gently placed into there vacation home. The shrimp were added to be hunted later. However, hermit crabs and small green crabs came out of hiding that hadn’t been seen before. They were accidental by-catches having stowed away in the seaweed and rocks gathered for the base of the aquariums reef. The small stowaways alongside the gunnel and cunner will be enjoyed for a week or so and then returned to their proper home under the dock. Until then the television will remain silent as the small reef and it’s intricacies hold my imagination as if transported to the bottom of the sea.

“Have you also learned that secret from the river; that there is no such thing as time? That the river is everywhere at the same time, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the current, in the ocean and in the mountains, everywhere and that the present only exists for it, not the shadow of the past nor the shadow of the future.”

Water Course I: Lake.River.Stream archival pigment prints, gampi/kozo/cotton papers, watercolor. Draognscale binding, 2022 Photo Courtesy of Barbara Hocker

— Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha

arbara Hocker’s work mines the depths of a well examined life. Her artist statement describes a highly introspective interior world, complex motivation, and ongoing visual conversations on duality.

“Viewers have often told me that my work is very peaceful, quiet, and serene. I think this comes from my love of being alone in the woods or at the shore and trying to bring that feeling to my art making.

My ongoing practices of Tai Chi/meditation and study of East Asian metaphysics and aesthetics also inform my art practice. Yin and Yang, being and non-being; stillness, and movement, light and dark; sea and sky, surface, and depth; artist and viewer; self, and nature – I am interested in exploring how one can see beyond polarities to sense the invisible and mysterious unity underlying them.”

Lasting first impressions of Barbara Hocker’s work cycle back to Real Art Ways (RAW) 2019. Sea & Sky Library is a vivid experience – an accordioned mixed-media ocean, spanning the gallery floor, with pools of people forming around her work. Transfixing and experiential –her memory of water is made into an artform...an indoor ocean you dive into. There is a kinetic component woven into these blue waves. Shift your position and a subtle element grabs the light. You’d swear the tides moving! Hocker’s work is a meticulous exercise with duality and contradictions in nature; it deviates from traditional bookmaking despite the reference to over leaves and

Water Verse X, archival pigment print, monotype, mulberry papers, encaustic wax, 12" x 12", 2019, Photo Courtesty of Barbara Hocker

pages. Despite painterly strokes of color and mark-making, this piece – and the rest of the works in the Downstream exhibition – are not paintings. Photographic images and printmaking elements included in her visuals exceed simple picture-taking. Barbara Hocker crafts a freshly minted language bringing nature indoors. The takeaway from the exhibition is a contrail of ghosted images that lingered throughout the Covid years – when nature became a necessity and exhibitions went dark.

There was more to this story: fast forward to 2023 and a long-delayed studio visit. More of these works line the walls and conversation deep dives under the surface of these waves. Hocker is all about movement as she travels through her space. There are coils of her deconstructed photographs – shot at local bodies of water and capturing images of the varied trees and plant life. Her creative process is never formulaic, but includes carefully pieced images woven with beautiful papers and unique materials. She then adds color and comments with liquid media. Encaustic – a process of glazing with layers of liquid wax – merges the visuals together, blurring the surface, and provoking conversation. Each of Hocker’s waves or freshwater currents reflect the Eastern concept

of Wabi Sabi – our fleeting connection with nature, and the necessity to let go of permanence, i.e., that nature is a fleeting impression. John Dewy summarizes the concept beautifully, emphasizing the emotional experience of art versus a traditional overthought control on a canvas.

With years of study in Eastern disciplines and an immersive practice of Zen Yoga, Qi Gong and Tai Chi, her artistic output is an imprint of her relationship with nature. Flip through each of her blue pages...riffl e through one of her impossible rushes of waterfalls and it is a moment. The space is fi lled with shapes describing movement: blue coils and helixes; softly stacked pages inviting a touch. View it again as the light shifts and it changes from that moment ago. It’s stated that,

“Sabi beauty reminds us of our own connection with the past, of the natural cycle of life, and of our very own mortality.”

uty th n mortality

“ with th very ow

Woven Water Quartet installation view, archival pigment print, monotype, watercolor, mulberrypapers, encaustic wax on hardbaord panal, each 30"x 20"x 2", 2022, Photo by Barbara Hocker.

Woven Water XXXIII -Detail, archival pigment print, monotype, watercolor, mulberry papers, encaustic wax on hardboard panal, 2022. Photo by Barbara Hocker.

Photo by Lauencia Ciprus

How did Hocker arrive at this highly developed sense of place? She explains her origin story, and an evolving process.

“I grew up near the water in a beach community in Norwalk...then Storrs... then Bolton Lake. Always near the water – from salt to freshwater.”

Water is her conduit and constant... the elusive imperfection that each pass of the brush, wax, or lens grabs with one stroke in that moment. However, it was more than accidental. A BFA from Syracuse University’s College of Visual & Performing Arts inTapestries and a minor in Printmaking; a stint at Cranbrook Academy of Arts, and yearsof practice in applied Eastern disciplines was the proving ground for her sense ofduality. Equally, a keen sense of observation and investment in nature and movement –especially of water – is the constant and consistent muse.

In 2014 there was an exhibition at The Vernon Arts Center, funded through the Roberts Foundation. Tankerhoosen in Eagleville, CT is a waterfall 10’ from the body of water and the physical space morphs throughout the seasons.

“I love the Willimantic River because it is so very sensitive and responsive to environmental changes. Too much water will alter the landscape. I remember in 2007-08 taking photos early in the morning when my subject matter centered around trees. There was such an abundance of water that the energy around the place was strange in the early morning fog. Vines weren’t coiled; they were pulled.

(Again...the duality in the work...the push pull of nature.) there were leaves in the trees and the path had turned black. The water had risen to 7’ when a bridge was washed out...the life of the water had taken over. This was the beginning of my waterfalls.”

Clockwise: Detail ofBlackledge Falls and Blackledge Falls archival pigment prints, mulberry paper, handmade cotton paper, book board. Single Flag binding. Edition of 3 - 6.75"x10.25"x.25"closed, 68"x10.25"x.25" hung, 2018. Photo by John Groo Waterfall Detail, Photo by Laurencia Ciprus

One of these iconic pieces from the series embodies all of the theory into art. Whirlwind Waterfall Library 1: Tankerhoosen Falls - View 27 is stunning in scope. There are seven whirlwind bound panels – each 22” x 48” x 1” as hung; capturing the essential experience of a waterfall when viewed in situ. With extensive bookmaking experience, Hocker’s whirlwind binding is a Westernized interpretation of an ancient Chinese bookbinding technique and a multi-paged affair. The elements are bound at the top; each page is a different size, and the assembled elements exquisitely mimic the movement of water. The piece also brings together the artist’s use of mulberry paper, sumi ink for mark marking, encaustic wax, bamboo, kozo paper cover and waxed linen thread. ...and yes – each piece merges a unique set of ideas and impressions through unique artistic media.

The process is remarkable and varies from piece to piece:

“Sometimes I include Monotype prints, suminagashi marbling, and/or watercolor paintings with the archival pigment prints of the photos in my work. Monotypes are basically ink paintings on plexi that are allowed to dry and then are pulled off with damp rice paper. I also do direct watercolor paintings on rice paper and suminagashi which is Japanese paper marbling. I begin each painting session with a Tai Chi practice.”

Photo by Lauencia Ciprus

Sea & Sky Library, sky side view. Photo Courtesy of Barbara Hocker

Whirwind Waterfall Library: Tankerhoosen Falls archival pigment prints, sumi ink, encaustic wax, bamboo, waxed linen thread, vegan leather cord. Whirlwind binding, 48"x160"x2" hung 7 scrolls each 48" x 22" x 2", 2022 Photo by John Groo

Sea & Sky Library, water side view. Photo Courtesy of Barbara Hocker

There was a personal challenge triggering a delay in the Vernon exhibition. Shortly after the Roberts Foundation Creation of New Work Initiative grant was released to her, Hocker suffered a herniated disc that halted the work. Finally ready to bring the body of work for the show, she was rear-ended by a drunk driver eight weeks later and further delaying the process by another 12 weeks. When she returned to the studio, Hocker created “The Book About My Back” – a full-scale model of her spine that reflects the injury to her back. The mixed media conversation is an arcing column study in ivory, suspended from a steel hook, gracefully rendering her damaged spinal column. Crafted from pigment prints, cotton paper, book board, copper, waxed linen, and a glass shelf; the piece is stunning in its simplicity. The exposed connective tissue of the spine is a packed cord binding. A definite departure from her narratives on nature, this piece is designed to be interactive, inviting the viewer to bend and twist their bodies to better understand injury and handicap through shared experience.

In December 2022, Hocker mounted a spare and sleek array of works in an optimal setting for this artist. The soaring gallery space and ceiling-to floor-glass curtainwalls of ARTWALK at Hartford Public Library is exceptional – flooding the space with the changeable light from the natural world and fickle shifts in winter weather. Nature becomes part of the interior story in the gallery. The library’s architecture is a prime exemplar of biophilic interior design – architecture bringing the interior and exterior world together in yet another duality. This exhibition included the addition of some vertical pieces with visually exciting, coiled elements presented in exciting statements

Sea & Sky Library in the slip case, pigment prints, various papers, book board, ribbon. 13"x9"x6"stored 2018

Photo by John Groo

Triptic Photos of interior of books Photo by Laurencia Ciprus

– think of crashing waves in a gale, or a Shagbark Hickory shedding bark in beautiful helixes.

Scheduled around the Christmas holidays, three weeks in the show was already a rave until nature – with its predictably unpredictable sense of humor – tapped Hocker on the shoulder. There was a catastrophic roof leak at the library, flooding a portion of the building, and pulling the plug on the entire exhibition. Hocker smiles when she talks about it. For her, this was simply another Zen exercise...putting up the show...taking down the show – the work somehow escaping any damage... the entire experience becoming the purpose. The water in the library paused, thought about its journey, and took an alternate route. It must have recognized itself in the work. Nature is like that...in its duality.

Immerse yourself in the singularly natural world of Mixed Media Artist Barbara Hocker:

www.bahocker.art

Clockwise: Studio Interiors, Artist Barbara Hocker. Photos by Laurencia Ciprus

e

The Westerly Train Station at 14 Railroad Ave. now houses Artists’ Cooperative Gallery of Westerly. Photo by Jan Tormay

The Westerly Train Station on Railroad Ave., circa 1914. Photo is courtesy of Westerly Library & Wilcox Park

“In the late 1990s, the state of Rhode Island purchased the Westerly station. The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT), working with the town and Amtrak, proceeded to plan and execute a full restoration of the building that returned it to its 1920s appearance while making allowances for modern mechanical systems such as air conditioning and electrical,” according to greatamericanstations.com/ stations/westerly-ri-wly/. Additionally, “accessibility improvements” were completed at the Westerly station during the summer of 2022, the site states.

estled within Westerly, Rhode Island’s charming downtown area brimming with restaurants, clothing stores, antique shops (one with a cat that can often be found sleeping amidst its window display), a library, Wilcox Park and United Theatre, is the Artists’ Cooperative Gallery of Westerly (ACGOW).

Situated within an historic, Spanish-Renaissance-designed train station, its exterior features a beautiful two-tiered roof system with red tiles, curved arches supported by columns and a cream-colored stucco and red-brick façade. Imagine the hustle-bustle of arrivals and departures and the throng of horses and buggies, and later Model-T Fords, Mercedes and Rolls-Royce cars, waiting outside the Westerly Train Station during the early twentieth century. Wealthy vacationers, summer residents, celebrities (including Scientist Albert Einstein), actors, actresses and legislators from Boston, New York, Washington, D.C. and Cincinnati probably disembarked at the Westerly Train Station on Railroad Ave., which was built by the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad Company and opened for business in 1913, according to Westerly Railroad Station – Westerly Rhode Island Historical Evaluation Report, provided by the Westerly Historical Society (WHS).

“There was no Gold Star Bridge in New London, so you had to go all points farther around. There was no (Interstate) 95. So it took quite a while to get where you wanted to go,” WHS President Thomas Gulluscio said.

In contrast, he said the train made shortcuts, going over rivers and through towns. “I don't know how comfortable it was, and it might have been a lengthy ride, but it was convenient,” hopping on with baggage, taking a seat and just waiting until one arrived. Of course, trains were also critical for transporting granite for over 40 Westerly quarry owners and probably essential to other local businesses as well, Gulluscio said.

Since August 2018, the train station has been home to ACGOW, which features fine art by its members and periodic rumblings as the trains go by.

Feel your senses come alive as you enter this warm, welcoming space with high ceilings and two wings - all filled with ever-changing oil, acrylic and water-colored paintings, photography and prints of landscapes, seascapes and people, as well as mixed-media art, hand-thrown ceramics, glass art, wooden pieces, metal sculptures, jewelry, encaustic art (mix of hot wax and pigment), collages, origami, pen-and-ink drawings and books. Prices range from $15 for prints and books to $300 to $600 and up for other works. The gallery shop (left wing) offers a section with many smaller, less expensive items.

The Westerly Train Station is a beautiful space for a gallery, said ASGOW Member/Webmaster Janet Maher. “It's majestic. The ceilings and the space, it's very human and real.”

“I love old buildings being reused and anything being recycled.”

The trains that periodically pass by add to its “soul,” said Maher, a collage/mixed media artist and emeritus professor, who directed Loyola University Maryland’s Studio Art Program for a long time. “Everything is interconnected,” she added, referring to people coming and going now, and those recommending places to each other.

ASGOW is also unique, because it’s a cooperative, said President Richard Inserra, an oil painter who creates seascapes, landscapes, and abstracts. “So, all our members provide time and services to make it work. In exchange for that, we don't take a commission like most galleries. Members generally work one four-hour shift a month.”

Additionally, members serve on hanging committees, because they “turn over” every month, the Westerly resident said. “The first Friday of the month is generally the opening and that committee is also responsible for getting everything together for that and cleaning up afterwards.”

Interior view of westbound pedestrian underpass shelter, facing east, 1996

Detail view of south elevation of station showing arcade, eaves details, and ornate parapet, facing northeast

Interior view of main passenger waiting room sowing original benched and ticket booth, facing east

Reacting to ACGOW’s annual regional juried show in May (which is open to members and nonmembers), Ellen O'Hara of Plattsburgh, New York said, “It's marvelous. I see a lot of pieces that if I had wall space, I would add to my wall…I think it's a lovely show (with) some wonderful pieces.”

“I'm coming to support Janet (Maher), but I just love art and I love color, and I just love looking at other people's ideas and thoughts, so it does inspire me,” said O’Hara, a potter and quilter.

Visitors often discover the gallery accidentally while attempting to purchase tickets, which ACGOW doesn’t sell, Inserra said. Still, he said they say they’re glad they discovered them and will come again.

Describing how talented ACGOW members are, Inserra said about half of its 55 members were accepted into the regional show. He said the nonprofit gallery’s future goals include reaching out more to the community, possibly senior centers, retirement homes and schools, and offering artistic lectures, thereby increasing awareness and appreciation of the visual arts.

“Morning Light” Oil painting by Artist Richard Inserra, President of ASGOW

ASGOW Member Artist Janet Maher (pictured) with her work, “Emergence #10, Mixed Media, Hand-Marbled, Paper Collage Drawing.” She received The Nancy Virbila Memorial $100 Award for this piece. Photo by Jan Tormay

Kyle’s Kimono by ©Gail Giancasparo

“I think part of the communication would be, ‘Maybe it's not going to be your full-time job, but don't lose sight of the fact that you have talent, because later on, when you have the time, you might want to invest more fully in it,’” said Inserra, a former Ridgefield, Connecticut resident who retired from insurance and risk management work for Fortune 500 companies.

The Artists’ Cooperative Gallery of Westerly is located at 14 Railroad Avenue. It is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.; it is closed Monday and Tuesday. Admission is free; donations are welcomed. Enjoy a glass of wine/ hors d’oeuvres and meet featured artists the first Friday of every month from 5 to 8 p.m. For more information about upcoming events, demonstrations, lectures, classes, and workshops, go online to westerlyarts.com, call 401-596-2221, or go to Facebook: ACGOW2018 or Instagram: @ acgow2018.

ASGOW Member Artist Janet Maher (left) shows childhood friend, Potter/Quilter Ellen O’Hara of Plattsburgh, New York “Salt Marsh Mixed Media Collage” by Artist Linda King. Maher said she and her husband retired to Westerly, Rhode Island, because it is a beautiful area and also because of ASGOW. Photo by Jan Tormay

“Emancipation – Hydrocal” statue by Serena Bates.

Photo by Jan Tormay

Hello Again ©Lynn Anderson

ACGOW is featuring Artist Tammy Blais’ “Palette Knife Painting Workshops” held the second and fourth Tuesdays now through August 22 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Choose any class. Students will create a 6-by-6-inch painting in one session with the use of a palette knife and oil paints. Preregistration required. Fee: $50 per class. Pre-registration is required. Email Tammy@tammyblaisart.com.

Ninigret , by ©Laurie Gavitt

Artist Nancy Nielsen with one of her many prints. Photo by Jan Tormay Caddie, by ©Carol Mossa

Other works by ASGOW members in May. From left, “Trip Trick - Sculpture” by Artist Richard Abarno, as well as Artist Thomas O’Connell’s “Radiation – Slumped Glass” (center) and “Fireworks – Fused Glass.”

Photo by Jan Tormay

Fun Time ©Tammy Blais

©Rosemary-Posy-Webber

Where magic happenS Where magic happenS Where magic happenS MB

Old-time Barbershop in Stonington Borough

By Jan Tormay

azz and big-band music set the mood at M.B. Barbering Co. in the Velvet Mill in Stonington Borough, Connecticut, while walls of celebrities smile back at visitors - including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Louis Armstrong, Joe DiMaggio, Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe and Rita Hayworth, among others.

Its décor is filled with antiques: radios, phonograph, cash register, pharmaceutical cabinet brimming with products and another filled with old barber shears, razors, neck dusters, brushes and a 1940s barber handbook.

“I'm like the history of it,” said Michael Brinson, 53, barber and sole owner of M.B. Barbering Co., which has five-star reviews on Google. “This is a reflection of who I am. I go to all the big-band concerts. I watch all the old black-and-white movies...I'm just an old soul.”Two game areas in the loft offer foosball/hockey tables and a checkerboard for children who opt to challenge themselves instead of sitting still.

While two men wait their turn in mid-May, Brinson focuses on giving Dante Pezzolesi a skin-fade haircut.

“He always takes the time for the little details,” said Pezzolesi, 30, of Waterford, referring to Brinson, who he said “always shows a lot of professionalism.”

“He gives you the full service. He's not just trying to trim as many people as he can, like a factory, and push 'em out the door."

Pezzolesi said there’s always great conversation to be had here. “It’s a true barbershop. One of the few left, I think.”

“It’s actually a community barbershop. Everyone talks to one another. You see people that you haven't seen in a long time. That's the magic of a barbershop,” said Brinson, who believes the only shop like his is in the Netherlands.

Barbershops lost generations of men because they started letting their hair grow long in the 1960s as part of the hippie movement and going to salons, he said. “Now people are experiencing the barbershop for the first time” and “they’re like, ‘I love this. This is great.’”

Brinson offers a variety of short haircuts for males of all ages – as young as two if they “sit well.” Popular styles include the slickedback look, “messy” style and the 1940s gentleman's haircut, which is either cut shorter and tapered in the back with clippers or styled a bit longer and cut with shears.

“And every man that comes in for a haircut also gets the hot foam and the razor cleanup around the ears and on the back of the neck,” an old-time thing that nobody does anymore, Brinson said. He also trims men’s eyebrows and the hair in their ears and noses.

No matter how long the waiting line, Brinson said he focuses “on the person that’s in the chair” and providing him the perfect look, so he can feel good and confident once he leaves the barbershop. “We talk about everything under the sun that men talk about. Fishing, hunting, you name it. It's an experience.”

Customers travel from Massachusetts, Rhode Island and all over Connecticut for Brinson’s services, which he said is “very humbling.” Many of his customers are current U.S. Army, Navy, Coast Guard and firehouse personnel. Others are seniors who arrive with wheelchairs and walkers.

“Usually if anyone comes in here and gets a haircut, they’re here for good. I'm probably doing 25 to 30 haircuts a day and between 40 and 50” hot-towel-straight-razor-shaves a week, which is unheard of because no one around here does that, Brinson said.“A barbershop has always been a place for men. It's their place to come in, talk about man things” and a lot of men want to be able to vent, talk about whatever they want and maybe even curse, “and American men are not accustomed to talking a certain way around women.”

He said, “It kind of changes the dynamic a little bit (to have women there).”

“This is an escape for us,” said customer John Piper, 53, laughing. Women are welcome to stop by and say hello, Brinson said. He just doesn’t cut their hair, because he isn’t a hairdresser and doesn’t know how. Open at his current location for two years, Brinson accepts walk-ins only, no appointments, which he said is how a real barbershop runs.

“He’s quick. He’s very good at what he does. Very thorough. I just love the whole atmosphere about the place,” said Piper of Alton, Rhode Island, who has been coming to Brinson for five years – since he worked at Barber Lounge in Downtown Westerly. There for a “gentleman’s cut,” Piper said he has never seen Brinson give a bad haircut

Barber Michael Brinson gives customer John Piper a gentleman’s haircut. “It's all about the person sitting right here in the chair. It's about his experience. He's paying for an experience. That's what it's all about. Old fashioned stuff,” not about those waiting – which can sometimes be as many as 15, Brinson said.

M.B. Barbering Co.’s case features antique razors, shears and barber’s 1940s handbook. All donations deposited in the Shriner's container on top of the case are given to Shriners Children’s Hospitals International.

and he doesn’t mind waiting.

He said he loves the nostalgia of the decor and pictures in the barbershop and looking around the Velvet Mill (filled with small shops, art galleries and restaurants).

Ben Kepple, 43, of Stonington said he has been coming for a shave once weekly for two years, because it is good for his skin and a treat. He also likes the unique atmosphere.

A hot towel shave is very relaxing and like a spa experience for men, after which they don’t have to shave for two days, Brinson said.

While set back in the chair, he applies a pre-shave lotion and places a hot towel (soaked with witch hazel) over the man’s face. This is followed by a very “tight” shave going with and against the grain with a straight razor and an old-fashioned witch hazel steam (a natural astringent that cleans everything, sets into the skin and takes away razor burns and pimples).

Newly arrived, Stonington resident Paul Hallinan, 28, said, "He gives me a mid-fade and he trims up my beard.”

“I like how professional Mike is. Every time I come in, it feels like an experience. It's relaxing. And he gives the best haircut in the area."

Owner/Barber Michael Brinson utilizes products from the 1940s. Note the wooden barber poles on the far left and right. It is a European symbol (originally red and white) brought to this country (when blue stripes were added) that symbolized blood and the gauze needed during bloodletting, a practice by barbers of removing blood for therapeutic purposes - popular until the late nineteenth century. Barbers also removed teeth, which was phased out in the early 1800s, when “dentists, barbers, and surgeons, were separated as professions,” according to historydaily.org/history-dentistry-barber-surgeons-dentists.

While waiting his turn for Michael Brinson’s barber chair, Stonington, Connecticut resident Paul Hallinan, 28, said, "He gives me a mid-fade and he trims up my beard.”

Antique pharmaceutical cabinet.

Even though Hallinan said he never purchased products before coming to Brinson in 2022, the barber told him what they do. “I’ve been trying different things ever since. And I love them. They're great products."

Brinson said he sells all the grooming products, toiletries and accessories he uses on his customers, including aftershaves, shaving creams, pomades and beard balms/oils that have been available since the 1940s. “It's just really, really good stuff.”

Men like coming to his barbershop, because it reminds them of the place they used to go to when they were a kid, said Brinson, adding he went to such places as a child in Connecticut and Pensacola, Florida, with both his grandfathers.

Barbering also runs in the family. Pointing to two small black-and-white photos in his case, Brinson said, “My grandfather was a barber on USS Missouri during World War II, which is the boat that the Japanese surrendered on.”

Throughout his 30-year career, Brinson has also been providing his services to seniors who are housebound, due to health reasons or lack of transportation, and continues to do so. For about two years, he also offered his services to residents at StoneRidge senior living community in Mystic. Asked if he feels a bit like a therapist, Brinson said, “Oh, absolutely. Talk about everything under the sun in here in 10 hours. You wouldn't believe it.”

M.B. Barbering Co. is located at the Velvet Mill, 22 Bayview Ave., Stonington Borough, Connecticut. Hours: Open Tuesdays and Thursdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Use the North Bay entrance close to the shop, which is handicapped-accessible. Look for the spinning barber pole and his logo sign. For more information, call 860-949-9285.

Barber Michael Brinson with Humphrey Bogart cutout in one of two entertainment areas on the loft level where children can play while waiting.

M.B. Barbering Co.’s entertainment room.

Antique Radio