The Artful Mind artzine. June 2015

THE ARTFUL MIND

JUNE 2015 MONTHLY BERKSHIRE ARTZINE

ACTOR Jayne Atkinson PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANE FELDMAN

THE SOURCE FOR PROMOTING ART SINCE 1994

JANE FELDMAN

PHOTOGRAPHY JANEFELDMAN.COM

JANEFELDMANPHOTO@GMAIL.COM

JENNIFER PAZIENZA

Saint Francis Gallery Summer Skies

Oil on Canvas

96 x 144 in

1370 Pleasant Street, Route 102, Lee, MA (next to the fire dept.)

413. 717.5199 Open Friday - Monday 10 - 5pm www.saintfrancisgallery.com

jennpazienza@gmail.com

http://jenniferpazienza.com/

tHe ArtfUL MinD Artzine JUne 2015

A canvas is blank only until you set your eyes upon it.

tHe MUsiC stOre

JAyne AtkinsOn ACTOR

THE BERKSHIRES Embracing the Sacred Calling of Acting & Motherhood INTERVIEW BY JENNIFER BROWDY PHOTOGRAPHS BY JANE FELDMAN ...10

the Artful Gallery of Marilyn kalish Interview Harryet Candee Photos: Leah Sati... 15 Planet Waves JUne 2015 Eric Francis.....19

simply sasha recipe for JUne Sasha Seymour...19

Contributing Writers, Proofreading, Monthly Columnists Eunice Agar, Richard Britell, Eric Francis, Kris Galli, Sasha Seymour, Amy Tanner Photographers Edward Acker, Lee Everett, Jane Feldman Sabine von Falken, Leah Sati, Alison Wedd Publisher Harryet Candee

Copy Editor Marguerite Bride

Advertising and Graphic Design

Harryet Candee

Mailing Address: Box 985, Great Barrington, MA 01230

artfulmind@yahoo.com 413 854 4400 ALL MAteriAL due the 10th of the month prior to publication

FYI: ©Copyright laws in effect throughout The Artful Mind for logo & all graphics including text material. Copyright laws for photographers and writers throughout The Artful Mind. Permission to reprint is required in all instances. In any case the issue does not appear on the stands as planned due to unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, advertisers will be compensated on a one to one basis. Disclaimer rights available upon request. Serving the Art community with the intention of enhancing communication and sharing positive creativity in all aspects of our lives. We at The Artful Mind are not responsible for any copyrights of the artists, we only interview them about the art they create.

2 • JUNE 2015 THE ARTFUL MIND

What better way to celebrate spring’s departure than to gift yourself and those you love with MUSIC! The Music Store’s Fifteenth Year in business in Great Barrington has proven many things! We enjoy helping the community, near and far to make music which has been an enjoyable and productive enterprise for us. And we look forward to continuing this mission into the second half of our second decade.

We offer wonderful musical instruments and accessories at competitive pricing.

We have a good time serving our community, her musicians and music lovers. Come see some of the fun . . .

Composite Acoustic guitars (the forever guitar!) and their peerless travel guitar, the Cargo, a favorite of our own Dr. Easy, David Reed, made of carbon graphite and impervious to most changes of temperature and humidity. You can see it often in his hands in performance locally and abroad.

Guild Guitars - Light, powerful, affordable.

TERRIFIC UKULELES! 50+ DIFFERENT models: Soprano, Concert, Tenor and Baritone, acoustic and acoustic/electric, six string, resonator, the Maccaferri-like Makala Waterman Uke (made all of plastic for easy portability almost anywhere!) and the remarkable U-Bass! You might even hear Dr. Easy play a banuke!

How about a Cordoba Cuatro? Or a Kala Tenor Guitar?

Experience Steel Singing Drums (tongue drums with panache!!)

Or a West African Djembe with a SMASHING carry bag?

Or another Dr. Easy favorite, the Klong Yaw! Try Takamine for a guitar to suit almost any budget (Limited Editions and GREAT SALES, too)! Dr. Easy can tell you about his.

ALVAREZ GUITARS - Celebrating their 50th year with BEAUTIFULLimited Editions!

Breedlove - beautiful, American, sustainable. And so many more brands and types, including Luthier Handmade Instruments from $150-$5000 . . . .

Ever heard of Dr. Easy’s Drunk Bay Cigar Boxes?

Acoustic/electric cigar box guitars, exquisitely made, which bring the past into the present with a delightful punch, acoustically AND plugged in!

Harmonicas, in (almost) every key (try a Suzuki Hammond ‘Mouth Organ’).

Picks (exotic, too!), strings (!!), sticks and reeds.

Violins, Mandolins, Dulcimers, Banjos, and Banjo Ukes!

Handmade and international percussion instruments!

Dreamy Native American and locally made bamboo and wooden flutes and walking stick flutes!

And there is more to delight the eyes, intrigue the ears and bring warm joy to the heart!

We remain your neighborhood music store, where advice and help are free and music is the universal language. Working with local luthiers and repairmen we offer stringed and band instrument repair. And we just may have something you haven’t seen before (have you heard the Electric Cigar Box Guitars?). We match (or BEAT) many on-line prices for the merchandise that we sell, and do so IN PERSON, for the most part cheerfully (though we reserve the right to glower a little when asked if we can ‘do better’ on the price of a pick!)!

Come and see us soon and help us celebrate our 15th year!!!

Your patronage helps the community and makes it a more tuneful and happy place! Cheers!

The Music Store, located at 87 Railroad Street in Great Barrington, is open Wednesdays through Saturdays and by appointment. Call us at 413-528-2460, or visit us on line at www.themusicstoreplus.com Happy playing in the musical Berkshire SUMMER!

Artist Jennifer PAzienzA

Jennifer Pazienza’s paintings, writes Curator Tom Smart, “trace a deeply meditative process. They are formed from her intention to interpret her experience of the landscape around her home and studio on and to probe her place within it. While her paintings reflect solutions to painterly problems she sets herself in her artistic practice, they are also responses to the poetry of place and an inner landscape.” The diptych Summer Skies, a 96 in. x 144 in. oil painting from her series Landscape, Love & Longing is one such painting and is part of a group exhibition at the Saint Francis Gallery in South Lee, MA this summer.

About it Smart writes, “Working through the landscapes Jennifer explores her own myths and histories, the intuitive process, and an emotional connection to the world around her that is direct and intense; subjective and expressive; painterly, ephemeral yet profoundly human. In her hands and through her art, paradoxes and opposites are synthesized, and reimagined in new forms. In the new congruency that is her art, the land becomes more than the particular objective. It is a gloss through which reality is renewed and the eternal might be glimpsed.”

Jennifer Pazienza’s work is held in Public and Corporate Collections in the Provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and in numerous private collections throughout the US, Canada and Italy.

Website: http://jenniferpazienza.com/ Email: jennpazienza@gmail.com Magical Realism, Group Show @ the St. Francis Gallery, South Lee, MA. (Next to the Fire Station) 3 July - 4 August with an artist reception Saturday 11 July, 3-6pm. 413.717.5199

ARTFUL CALENDAR JUNE 2015

norman rockwell Museum, rte 183, stockbridge, MA • 413-298-4100 "We the Peoples: norman rockwell’s United nations" to Open June 29 at United nations Visitor Center in new york City. norman rockwell Museum commemorates 70th Anniversary of United nations through exhibition of rockwell’s Humanitarian Works

visual art

510 WArren street GALLery HUDSON, NY • 518-822-0510 / 510WARRENSTREETGALLERY.COM "June Invitational 2015" recent work by DIANE FIRTELL, SHELLEY MARKS, SUSAN LEROY MERILL, HONEY SHARP, May 29 - June 21.

BerksHire MUseUM 39 SOUTH ST., PITTSFIELD, MA • 413-443-7171 HU RENYI, Immortal Present: Art and East Asia. Represented

by Brill Gallery, North Adams, MA. Thru Sept, 2015.

CAtA LICHTENSTEIN CENTER FOR THE ARTS 28 Renne Ave, Pittsfield, MA • 413 528-5485 “I AM A Part of Art” celebration of CATA’s visual artists and writers. Reception July 9, 5pm.

eUniCe AGAr Presentation of Painting - 146 Barrington Fair - l988 by Eunice Agar to the Town of Great Barrington, Selectmen's Meeting, June 8, 7pm.

frOnt street GALLery 129 FRONT ST., HOUSATONIC, MA • 413-274-6607 / 413-5289546, OR CELL AT 413-429-7141 Housatonic Gallery for students and artists. Featuring watercolors

by Kate Knapp (Saturday and Sunday 12-5pm or by appointment) GALLery At r&f exHiBit 84 TEN BROECK AVE, KINGSTON, NY • 800-206-8088 Encaustic/Form II Works by Susan Spencer Crowe.

May 2-July 24, 2015.

GOOD PUrPOse GALLery 40 MAIN ST., LEE, MA • 413-394-5045 www.goodpurpose.orgArtist Michael Fabrizio and Mary Ellen Devanny, June 4 - 29. Reception June 5, 5-7pm.

HOUsAtOniC VALLey Art LeAGUe 79 BRIDGE ST., IN GREAT BARRINGTON, MA• www.hvart.org Opening July 1, reception July 3, the Annual Members Show will start the summer off with over 100 works on display. The HVAL prestigious Juried Show follows beginning on July 22. The Juried Show reception and award ceremonies will be held on July 24.

Mid-August will see the Artist’s Choice Show August 17-Labor Day with the opening reception August 21 LAUren CLArk fine Art 25 RAILROAD STREET, GREAT BARRINGTON, MA • 413-528-0432 / www.LaurenClarkFineArt.com; Lauren@LaurenClarkFineArt.com SIX from SPAZI, July 11-Aug 2, reception Sat. July 11, 4-7pm

MArGUerite BriDe NUARTS STUDIOS, STUDIO #9, 311 NORTH ST., PITTSFIELD, MA MARGEBRIDE-PAINTINGS.COM • 413-841-1659 Original Watercolors, house portraits, commissions, lessons.

Silent auction at the Welles Gallery, Lenox Library; July 3, 4, and 5 – Berkshires Arts Festival at Butternut Mountain in Great Barrington

MeetinG HOUse GALLery RT. 57, NEW MARLBOROUGH, MA (NEAR THE OLD INN ON THE GREEN) NEW MARLBOROUGH 18th SEASON ARTISTS SHOW: Fine Lines: A Juried Show of Drawings, June 20 through July 12 & Juried by Jacob Fossum; Idols and Icons: a multimedia theme show, runs July 25 -August 23; The New Marlborough Artists Show runs August 29 - October 4. Hours: Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays 11-4:00pm MOrrisOn GALLery 8 OLD BARN RD., KENT, CT • 860-927-4501 Don Gummer on Broadway, NYC, thru October 2015

sCHAntz GALLeries 3 ELM ST, STOCKBRIDGE, MA • 413-298-3044 schantzgalleries.com A destination for those seeking premier artists working in glass. sCOtt tAyLOr STATIONERY FACTORY, 63 FLANSBURG AVE. DALTON MA. • 413-443-4660 Scotttaylorpaintings.com / scotttaylorpaintings@nycap.rr.com “Into the Woods”on view.

tHe eMPOriUM 319 MAIN ST, GT BARRINGTON, MA • 413-528-1660 www.EmporiumGB.com Amy Cohen Banker, featured artist for the month.

tHe HOtCHkiss LiBrAry 10 UPPER MAIN ST, SHARON, CT • 860-5041 www.karenlesage.com Solo exhibit of new work by artist Karen LeSage from July 1 through August 31. A reception will be held on Saturday, July 11 from 4-6:00pm

st. frAnCis GALLery RTE. 102, SOUTH LEE, JUST 2 MI FROM THE RED LION INN “The Naked Truth” exhibition with artist Paul Solovay June 12 June 29. Reception June 13, 4-7pm; Opening July 3: “The Magic of Realism”. Hours: Friday thru Monday 10-5pm

WenDy rABinOWitz:LiVinG tHreADs JUDAiCA THE WELLES GALLERY OF THE LENOX LIBRARY 18 MAIN STREET,LENOX,MA Judaic Weaving/Mixed-Media Artworks. Exhibit July 17-Aug 13 YAHI OR: LET THERE BE LIGHT Reception: Thursday, July 23, 3-5 pm

events

BerksHires Arts festiVAL SKI BUTTERNUT, RTE 23, GT. BARRINGTON, MA • 854-355-2400 200 jury selected artists & designers. Fri July 3, 10-6pm, Sat July 4, 10-6pm, Sun July 5, 10-5pm

music/theatre

AstOn MAGnA MUsiC festiVAL DANIEL ARTS CENTER, BARD COLLEGE AT SIMON’S ROCK GT. BARRINGTON, MA • 888-492-1283 / ASTONMAGNA.ORG Saturday, June 20, “Monteverdi’s Warring Lovers,” operatic madrigals sung by soprano Dominique Labelle, and tenors Frank Kelley and William Hite

MAHAiWe PerfOrMinG Arts Cneter 14 CASTLE ST., GT. BARRINGTON, MA • 413-528-0100 Paul Taylor Dance Company, July 9-July 12, 8pm , Pink Martini, Monday, July 13 at 8pm, Don McLean, Saturday, August 8, 8pm

workshops/classes

BerksHire festiVAL Of WOMen Writers BERKSHIREWOMENWRITERS.ORG / INFO@BERKSHIREWOMENWRITERS.ORG The Butterfly Effect: Be the Change. Live the Change. Love the Change. July 20 – 24, The Mount, Lenox.

sABine VOn fALken PHOTOGRAPHIC WORKSHOPS • 413-298-4933 www.sabinephotoart.com, info@sabinephotoart.com Photographic one on one workshops, scheduled throughout the winter months: BEHIND THE CAMERA - Sabine’s eye for detail provides the students with everlasting creative tools. Explore the beauty of patterns, textures, layers, depth of detail in the real. Participants learn how natural light can create dramatic or lyrical images. Designed for the serious learner who is interested in improving her/his skills. The hope is to concentrate on the artistic and critical eye. You are asked to bring a digital SLR camera. thru Sept 21, 2015

issUU.COM

Send in Calendar listings no later than the 10th of the month ArtfULMinD@yAHOO.COM

in print and also online at

tHe ArtfUL MinD JUne 2015 •3

EUNICE AGAR

FRONT ST. GALLERY hOuSATONic, mA 01236

presents

recent WorK

146 Barrington Fair, 1988, oil on linen, 24 x 36, 2015

Painting commissioned by the artist’s supporters for donation to the Town of Great Barrington UNVEILING, June 8, 7 PM

Selectmen’s Meeting, Town Hall

Patti alles sue arkans Joan burkhard nancy ghitman roberta haas Maron Jansen

barbara lafer eleanor lord Marybeth Merritt Jeannine schoeffer doris simon

may 30 - june 28, 2015 opening reception saturday, june 6 • 3 - 6 pm

gallery hours sat. & sun 12-5 PM or by aPPointMent gallery 413-274-6607 • hoMe 413-528-9546 eMail frontststudio@aol.coM

AMY COHEN BANKER

It is my pleasure to exhibit new small works at the emporium, Main street, Great Barrington,Mass.

June 1-30, 2015 Amycohenbanker.com 4 • JUNE 2015 THE ARTFUL MIND

Amy Cohen Banker resident and artist Massachusetts and New York City.

ARTIST

eLeAnOr LOrD

Lauren CLark Fine art

Six From Spazi PRESENTS

Cynthia Atwood Richard Britell

Reggie Madison Geoffrey Moss

Gabrielle Senza Joe Wheaton

JuLy 11 through auguSt 2 510 WARREN STREET, HUDSON, NY

WWW.510WArrenstreetGALLery.COM

518-822-0510

reCeption For the artiStS Saturday, July 11 • 4-7 pm

lauren clark fine art

25 railroad St., great Barrington, ma 413. 528. 0432 lauren@laurenclarkfineart.com www.laurenclarkfineart.com

the hotchkiss library of sharon, ct Presents

karen lesage

A PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPLORATION OF TRUTH AND DARE (WITH THE HELP OF BARBIE & KEN) BY PAUL SOLOVAY

JUNE 12 - 29TH

high July, 44” x 56” oil on canvas, 2015.

neW Paintings July 1 - august 31

reception: saturday, July 11 4:00-6:00

the hotchkiss library, 10 upper Main street, sharon, ct. open 7 days. 860.364.5014 www.hotchkisslib.org www.karenlesage.com

Saint Francis Gallery

ARTIST’S RECEPTION JUNE 13 4PM - 7PM

LEE. MA (next to fire dept.) complete schedule: www.saintfrancisgallery.com 413.717. 5199 open fri-mon 10-5 pm

1370 Pleasant street. route 102

Gallery suppports creative humanitarian work in Kenya

tHe ArtfUL MinD JUne

2015 •5

Thanks to the ever-expanding, enterprising efforts of musicologists, instrument builders and adventuresome musicians, the world of “early music” gets wider, deeper and earlier with each passing year, despite its supposed chronological limits. More and more musicians are experimenting with historically appropriate instruments, thanks to pioneering programs at conservatories, colleges and museums. Craftsmen are using historical models to build excellent copies of wind, string and percussion instruments, even as they are restoring some the best older instruments, refitting them for longevity while revealing their original sonic character. Scholars are discovering long-lost music in libraries, churches, and private collections, and making them easily available to musicians online, and thus to enthusiastic audiences worldwide. Collected editions of better-known music are giving us all a sense of the truly awesome scope of composers like J. S. Bach, his son C.P.E. Bach, Monteverdi, Rameau, Marais, Vivaldi, Purcell and many others.

Bach’s greatness is underlined and better appreciated when we hear his contemporaries’ music alongside the master’s. Monteverdi’s very modern take on love, war and realpolitick - now so easily available for listening - is proving revelatory, helping us to better understand the very historically conscious and selfconscious 17th century. Monteverdi illuminates what has changed with time passing, and more importantly, what hasn’t.

His music keeps us from being chronologically provincial, from thinking we have necessarily progressed in our perceptions and sensitivities through the centuries. We are indeed the beneficiaries of what came before us, and never has the past been so available than to us. But its too-easy access too often renders us blasé. Our sense of recent technological advances blinds us to the sophistication of human thought and ingenuity of the past.

Hearing great music is one way to counter our indifference and lack of historical perspective. For me it has offered a window into mythology, religion (Christianity, Islam and earlier Pagan thought, as well as my own inherited Judaism), notions of ceremony and the eternal human aspects of wonder, love and sadness.

Each summer it is my goal of the Aston Magna Music Festival to present a wide range of music from the late Renaissance through the early romantic eras. Our mission involves period instruments and vocal styles, but that supposed delimitation has proved to be an inspiring expander of thought and discovery.

This was a golden age of my instrument, the violin (its music as well as its physical development). But it was an equally fertile time for singers, wind and keyboard players. As more and more of the past’s music comes to light, our perceptions become richer and more suggestive of a possible future.

6 • JUNE 2015 THE ARTFUL MIND

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, DANIEL STEPNER

The labels that we give to past epochs (“Baroque,” “Rococo,” “Classical,” “Romantic”) help us parse our historical perceptions. But just as today’s music is a jumble of popular and complex styles, music of the past was a spaghetti-tangle of styles, usages and purposes. Music that has survived persevered for various reasons: demand for repeated performance, publicity, publication, etc. More telling, though, are those mysterious, unquantifiable musical qualities – say, of Monteverdi’s Orfeo, Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, Brahms’s Lullaby, Barber’s Adagio — which catch our ear and emotions, and speak to our collective consciousness.

Aston Magna’s opening weekend, June 18-20, features music of Monteverdi, including madrigals for two tenors, the affecting Lamento della ninfa (with soprano Dominique Labelle), and the dramatic setting of Tasso’s Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda – an early study in Middle Eastern culture clash, set amidst the 11th Century Crusades. Our Saturday afternoon program precedes the Boston Early Music Festival’s Monteverdi Vespers and Orfeo concerts, all in Great Barrington.

Our second weekend, June 25-27, is made up of character pieces for viola da gamba and continuo (here the theorbo) by Marin Marais, and dance movements graced by two dancers and narrator illuminating the steps, costumes and implied mores of Louis XIV’s world.

The penultimate weekend, July 2-4, features Schubert’s wonderful Octet for strings, clarinet, bassoon and horn; plus an oboe quintet by Boccherini, and Mozart’s arrangements of Magic Flute arias for instrumental duos.

Our season finale, July16-18, features Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons - four dazzling violin concertos inspired by Vivaldi’s own sonnets, and presented this summer with four different violin soloists, plus a recitation of those sonnets, and projections of pertinent artwork. This program begins with a Bach cantata and a lament by one of Bach’s own favorite uncles.

Please join us in our forward-looking perusal of the past.

Daniel Stepner is Artistic Director of the Aston Magna Music Festival, which runs from June 18-July 18: Thursdays at Slosberg Auditorium, Brandeis University; Fridays at Olin Hall, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson; Saturdays in Great Barrington MA at Daniel Arts Center, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, and The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center.

Information: www.astonmagna.org

frOnt st. GALLery

reCent WOrk through June 28 featuring eleven students. Opening June 6, 3 - 6pm. Come join us!

Pastels, oils, acrylics and watercolors…..abstract and representational…..landscapes, still lifes and portraits….a unique variety of painting technique and styles….you will be transported to another world and see things in a way you never have before…. join us and experience something different.

Painting classes continue on Monday and Wednesday mornings 10-1:30pm at the studio and Thursday mornings out in the field. These classes are open to all...come to one or come again if it works for you. All levels and materials welcome.

Classes at Front Street are for those wishing to learn, those who just want to be involved in the pure enjoyment of art, and/or those who have some experience under their belt.

A teacher for many years, Kate Knapp has a keen sense of each student’s artistic needs to take a step beyond. Perfect setting for setting up still lifes; lighting and space are excellent.

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 open by appointment or chance. 413-528-9546 or 413-429-7141 (cell).

Artists can color the sky red because they know it’s blue. Those of us who aren’t artists must color things the way they really are or people might think we’re stupid. ~Jules Feiffer

Photo: Jane feldman

AstOn MAGnA MUsiC festiVAL 43RD SEASON SOPRANO, DOMINIqUE LABELLE

ART WORK BY KATE KNAPP

A most wonderful placeto meet, eat and drink!

RTE 20, NEW LEBANON, N Y

kAren LesAGe HOtCHkiss LiBrAry

neW MArLBOrOUGH Artists sHOW

ANTHONY NORDOFF

MeetinG HOUse GALLery

This summer the Meeting House Gallery celebrates its 18th season of showcasing regional art. Located on Rt. 57 in New Marlborough near the Old Inn on the Green, the gallery will present the work of over fifty artists in three exciting exhibitions.

Fine Lines: A Juried Show of Drawings, June 20 through July 12 is the Gallery’s first show devoted exclusively to drawing. Participating are many returning artists as well as artists who are showing in the Gallery for the first time. Juried by Jacob Fossum, artist and drawing instructor of Bard College at Simon’s Rock, this show features both traditional and nontraditional mediums.

Idols and Icons, a multimedia theme show, runs July25 through August 23. Some of the thirty artists taking up the challenge of this theme in mediums that range from wood , and fabric through paint and photography are: Ann Getsinger, Joan Griswold, Pat Hogan, Maria Gay, Elmer Orobio, Anthony Nordoff, Barbara Mulholland, Lucinda Tavernise and Lee Backer.

The New Marlborough Artists Show runs August 29 through October 4. This is a showcase for a limited number of talented local artists to show a larger number of works. Chosen this year are: Abbe Steinglass, Jennifer Ellwood, Holly McNeely, Brian Mikesell, James Singelis, Timothy Sleeper, Walter Simons and Hope Schreiber.

Gallery open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11 - 4:00.

GOOD PUrPOse GALLery MARY ELLEN DEVANNY

Spring into Summer with The Good Purpose Gallery.

The Good Purpose Gallery makes a SPLASH with the magnificent art of Michael Fabrizio and Mary Ellen Devanny. This stunning abstract show will be exhibited in the Gallery from June 4 until June 29.

Michael Fabrizio’s paintings are “despite their abstract nature, representative of the dialog we all have with living, of the contact between us and our world. They are an art made of many moments of observations of life, long and short, sweet and stinging. They are a collection of impressions, messages from living and thoughts from the heart. They represent expressions and impressions of my reaction, wonder and interaction with my world”.

Mary Ellen Devanny’s “motivation to live through her art was derived based on her own environment with strong influence from every person who created something. She particularly follows and remains influenced by the abstract Expressionists of the 40’s and 50’s for their courage to break a traditional mold and “follow”.

She thrives on the work of artists who break through any mold of tradition and has courage to be different.”

SPLASH opens on June 4 with a reception on Friday June 5 from 5-7pm. All are invited for Live Music, Refreshments and h’orderves.

Good Purpose Gallery - 40 Main Street, Lee MA, Gallery hours: 9:00 am to 3:00pm everyday. www.goodpurpose.org gallery@cipberkshire.org, 413-394-5045.

The Hotchkiss Library in Sharon, CT will host a solo exhibit of new work by artist Karen LeSage from July 1 through August 31. A reception will be held on Saturday, July 11 from 4:00-6:00.

The new exhibit continues LeSage’s tradition of large, atmospheric, minimal landscapes in luminous colors. Of them she says, “This work explores the territory between landscape painting and minimalist color-field painting. The Berkshire Mountains continually inspire. They provide color displays that change by the season, the day, the hour.”

LeSage was formerly represented by Sanford Smith Fine Art on Railroad Street in Great Barrington, where she was their topselling artist for the past four years. The gallery closed in December 2014. “I am extremely grateful to Jill Bokor and Laura Reid for introducing my work to countless collectors who love the same region I do.”

LeSage was born in eastern Connecticut and studied at Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. She lived and worked in New York for over a decade before moving to the hills of Litchfield, CT. Her sold-out shows and regional recognition have since evolved into a growing following throughout the US and Canada.

The Hotchkiss Library, 10 Upper Main Street, Sharon, CT. 860-364-5041. Open 7 days. Call or check website for hours. hotchkisslib.org Artist’s website: www.karenlesage.com

THE ARTFUL MIND JUNE 2015 • 7

LeADersHiP institUte

TEEN GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN BERKSHIRE FESTIVAL OF WOMEN WRITERS THIS SUMMER

This July, girls and young women ages 13 – 18 will have a chance to create community, write from the heart, speak their truths and step into their potential as a leaders on the issues they care about at a new writing-intensive leadership institute led by founding Festival director Jennifer Browdy, Ph.D., and college senior Grace Rossman.

The program, called “The Butterfly Effect,” will give girls the tools, strategies and confidence they need to step into leadership roles as they pursue their interests and passions. It will be held at The Mount in Lenox July 20 - 24 from 1 - 5 p.m.

“We’re invoking the image of the butterfly both as a symbol of transformation, and because of the saying that the wind from one butterfly’s wings can change the world,” says Dr. Browdy, a professor of literature, writing and media studies at Bard College at Simon’s Rock. “Our aim is to awaken teen girls and young women to the power of their own voices, both written and spoken, and to give them techniques they can take out into the world to make a difference on issues they care about. And to have fun doing it, too!”

The weeklong summer program will be a springboard for new monthly Leadership Circles for teen girls and young women, to be held under the Festival banner at different locations in the county during the 2015-2016 school year. The Festival will also be inaugurating a new Berkshire Festival of Women Writers Teen Advisory Council in the coming year, to help plan events by and for girls and young women.

The program cost is $500; some full and partial scholarships available.

Applications, due by June 21, 2015, available at Berkshirewomenwriters.org

8• JUNE 2015 THE ARTFUL MIND

ROBERT HOUGHTON

HANS HEUBERGER, SENTINEL

sAint frAnCis GALLery PAUL SOLOVOY, PHOTOGRAPH

HOUsAtOniC VALLey Art LeAGUe NINA RITSON, BEHIND THE BARN, ETCHING

SUMMER SHOWS IN GT. BARRINGTON

The HVAL, one of the largest and oldest regional art leagues in the Berkshires, will host three major art shows this summer in the old Searles school gym, at 79 Bridge St., in Great Barrington. After many years in Sheffield at Dewey Hall, the gym, across the street from the Co-op Market, will be the backdrop for this season’s shows thanks to the generosity of Jane Iredale, who donated the use of the space.

Opening on July 1, with the reception on July 3, the Annual Members Show, will start the summer off, with over 100 works on display.

The HVAL prestigious Juried Show follows beginning on July 22. This show will feature both HVAL member and non-member artists in the area whose submissions have passed the scrutiny of the show’s judges. The Juried Show reception and award ceremonies will be held on July 24.

Mid-August will see the Artist’s Choice Show – an unlimited series of individual selections by the artists themselves, and will run from August 17 through Labor Day with the opening reception on August 21.

The Gallery exhibition and sale has no entrance fee, the space is handicap accessible and families are encouraged to come and visit the shows. Everyone is invited to meet the artists and join in for some refreshments at the opening receptions. Opening hours are Sun. – Thurs., 11am until 5pm, Fri. & Sat., 11am until 7pm.

Besides putting on exhibitions, the Housatonic Valley Art League sponsors workshops, demonstrations and lectures for it’s members, offers grants to art programs in area high schools, and is a strong promoter for the creation and appreciation of visual arts.

Housatonic Valley Art League - for more information about the League, visit their web site: www.hvart.org, or Facebook page: www.facebook.com/HousatonicValleyArtLeague

PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGINATION

Opening in June will be a collection of refreshing and imaginative photographic work that is bound to stimulate conversation and interest.

Central to the gallery is “The Naked Truth” a simple but ambitious series created by Paul Solovay. Provocative social commentary and relevant questions are artfully delivered with nostalgia and wit. It is a series of narratives and memories recorded in a way to generate conversation and surprise; after all they are just Barbie, Ken and their friends whom we all know. All of these photographs and work he has previously displayed in the gallery are masterfully executed and of high quality demonstrating his skills as a photographer, his eye, his imagination and in this series his sense of humor. Listening to Paul as he describes these photographs it is easy to feel the joy and the creative energy involved in bringing them to life. People who have seen his previous works in the gallery can still remember his ability to capture light, movement and the joy of people in celebration to its fullest. Because of this beautiful skill Paul’s previous work will be featured in the Berkshire Gateway Jazz Festival at the Lee Congregational Church throughout the concert hall this June as well. This is especially fitting because they visually capture the sound of the music that dances in his work and captures the essence of the soul of jazz itself.

Echoing the same creative process will be work by other local photographers and artists also on display in the gallery.

The works of all of the gallery artists contain an energy that can best be described as beautifully intoxicating and yet so varied in their execution.

All of the work will be on display from June 12 thru June 29 with a reception for the Solovay exhibit June 13 from 4-7pm.

Opening July 3 will be The Magic of Realism—beautifully executed works that echo the talents of old masters but also contain a mesmerizing mystery within each painting that will keep you exploring each one.

Please come and enjoy…The gallery is open Friday thru Monday from 10am to 5pm …with profits supporting the arts and creative humanitarian work in Kenya as well.

St. Francis Gallery - Rte. 102, South Lee just 2 miles east from the Red Lion Inn. Gallery hours: Friday thru Monday 105pm.

CAtA

KORTNIE STONE, CROPPED FROM ORIGINAL PAINTINGS

Community Access to the Arts (CATA) presents “I Am a Part of Art,” a celebration of CATA’s visual artists and writers. The month-long exhibit at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts in Pittsfield features over 115 works of art created by artists with disabilities from Berkshire County. The opening reception, which is free and open to the public, is Thursday, July 9 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“This art show is the culmination of the program year for CATA’s many visual artists, who have been developing their artistry in workshops in painting, drawing, and sculpture all year long. CATA’s exhibit at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts is a tremendous opportunity for us to share this vibrant work with the public, and to realize CATA’s mission of shining a light on the capabilities of people with disabilities,” reflects CATA Executive Director Margaret Keller.

The exhibit includes a variety of media such as acrylic, tempera, watercolor, oil and chalk pastel, charcoal, India ink, and mixed media, and features abstract and representational paintings and drawings. CATA artists receive a commission on all works sold, and proceeds will also support CATA visual arts programs. CATA visual arts faculty members are artists in their own right: Jeff Gagnon, Pat Hogan, Marlene Marshall, Janice Shields, Stefanie Weber, and Michael Wolski.

CATA offers a wide range of visual and performing arts workshops, serving 600 people with disabilities in 38 residences, day programs, and schools throughout Berkshire County as well as in CATA’s studio space in Great Barrington.

CATA will also hold a poetry reading on Friday, July 24th at 5 p.m. that includes selected works from CATA’s Writers Workshop. Three writing faculty rotate throughout the year to offer CATA’s writers with disabilities a rich and varied experience in creative writing and poetry.

“I Am a Part of Art” is made possible through the generosity of Berkshire Gas, Pittsfield Cultural Council, and individual CATA supporters. The exhibit runs through July 25th at the cityowned Lichtenstein Center for the Arts located at 28 Renne Avenue in Pittsfield’s Upstreet Cultural District. It is open Wednesday-Saturday 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. For more information, visit communityaccesstothearts.org or call 413-528-5485.

MArGUerite BriDe

MARGUERITE BRIDE, HANCOCK SHAKER VILLAGE, WATERCOLOR

BERKSHIRE SCENES IN WATERCOLOR

Marguerite Bride will be displaying a wide assortment of Berkshire-themed original paintings and fine art limited edition reproductions at the Berkshires Arts Festival July 3, 4, 5 on Butternut Mountain in Great Barrington. This is Bride’s first time ever exhibiting in this popular outdoor/indoor art and fine craft show. This is a juried show, with over 185 exhibitors; more information can be found at their website www.berkshireartsfestival.com.

Bride will also be exhibiting some of her works at the Berkshire Gateway Jazz Weekend on Saturday June 20. This art show is just part of the festivities, and more information about all concerts and exhibits can be found at their website: www.berkshiregatewayjazz.com.

Can’t get to the shows? Fine art reproductions and note cards of her Berkshire images and others at Red Lion Inn Gift Shop (Stockbridge), Lenox Print and Mercantile (Lenox), St. Francis Gallery (South Lee), Hancock Shaker Village (Hancock) and Bride’s studio at NUarts Studios. Seasonal scenes of Bride’s paintings are always on display in the public areas of the Crowne Plaza in Pittsfield. Visits to Bride’s studio to see originals are by appointment and are always welcome…just call or email.

Commissions for vacation and house portraits are welcome at any time. It’s not too soon to think about 2015 holiday gift giving.

Marguerite Bride, NUarts Studios, Studio 9, 311 North Street, Pittsfield, by appointment. Call 413-4427718, or 413-841-1659 (cell); website: margebridepaintings.com email: margebride@aol.com

sABine PHOtO Art

Photographic one on one workshops, scheduled throughout the Spring and Summer months: BeHinD tHe CAMerA May 1-september 21, 2015 Sabine’s eye for detail provides the students with everlasting creative tools. Explore the beauty of patterns, textures, layers, depth of detail in the real. Participants learn how natural light can create dramatic or lyrical images. Designed for the serious learner who is interested in improving her/his skills. The hope is to concentrate on the artistic and critical eye. You are asked to bring a digital SLR camera.

A published and collected fine art photographer, she has a number of specialties. One of these is a focus on commercial and editorial portraiture, collaborating with professionals to provide their publishers / labels with an image portfolio. Sabine’s talent lies in both choosing the location and working with the subtleties of lighting. Her eye for the “Yes Moment” results in timeless imagery. She has the talent to bring introspection to the art of life style photography. She is the interviewer, catalyst and image-maker. Her INSIDE and OUT studio is located in Stockbridge, MA. Signed books: “WOODLAND STYLE” and “ SHELL CHIC “, M. H. Marshall, published by Storey, all photography by sabine. She is a member of ASMP, The International Center of Photography ICP, and the Wedding Photojournalist Association, WPJA.

Sabine Vollmer von Falken - For more detailed info please contact Sabine Vollmer von Falken Photography at info@sabinephotoart.com tel. 413-298-4933.

Great Selection!

-Shorts -Pocket T-shirts -Pants -Sweatshirts -Caps and more!

THE ARTFUL MIND JUNE 2015 • 9

the actor Jayne Atkinson lives in Great Barrington with her husband Michel Gill and son Jeremy Gill, both also actors. Jayne has appeared in starring roles on and offBroadway, including Our Town, Blithe Spirit, The Rainmaker and Enchanted April. Her feature film credits include Free Willy, Free Willy 2 and Syriana. On television she is known for her guest appearances on the hit series The X-Files, Law and Order, Gossip Girl and White Collar. As a recurring character, she has played karen Hayes on the award-winning 24, erin strauss on Criminal Minds and, most recently, secretary of state Catherine Durant on the netflix original series House of Cards. she and Michel also frequently star in local productions at the Berkshire theatre festival. in addition to acting, Jayne runs Jadana Productions, which specializes in entertainment development. she also directs, teaches acting students and coaches professionals in public speaking and project presentation. in her spare time, she loves to travel as well as to promote and fundraise for women’s causes.

The Artful Mind caught up with Jayne recently to find out more about the woman behind the celebrity glamour.

First of all, Jayne, tell us about your childhood.

I was born in Bournemouth, England. My parents are English; my father worked for a butcher and my mother was a secretary.

My father was in a little rock-n-roll band and my mother’s sister was in the Royal Shakespeare Company, so we had theater and music running through our veins. My parents were pioneers and brought me and my sister to Connecticut when I was one and a half. We moved to Long Island and then to North Miami Beach, Florida, where I spent most of my childhood.

My parents did community theater for fun together, so I was a theater rat; I would help my father run his lines and my mother learn her songs. I was the oldest of three daughters, and one year the whole family did “The Sound of Music” together. I loved it! I was the leader of the pack, and when my father promised us a spot on the Merv Griffin show if we could come up with a good routine, we came up with a routine that, believe it or not, we still do sometimes at parties!

So it sounds like your parents were supportive of you going into show business as a career?

My parents were my champions. They were behind me onehundred-plus percent in pursuing an acting career. They left the UK with barely a penny in their pockets and two children, with another on the way. They didn’t have much support from their own parents, and I guess they understood how important that was for them to give their children. They brought me to the land of opportunity and when they saw that I was good at acting, they believed in me, as they believed in and supported all their kids. There’s nothing quite like that kind of support.

You can’t buy it; it has soul currency.

JAyne AtkinsOn Embracing the Sacred Calling of Acting and Motherhood Interview by Jennifer Browdy

10 • JUNE 2015

THE ARTFUL MIND

Photography by Jane Feldman

When did you start performing regularly?

In high school I had a wonderful mentor, Ron Krikac, who gave me the basics of acting. He was quite the taskmaster but he really knew how to seed me with important information and grow my talent and encourage me. He stretched me: I played young women and grandmothers, lead roles and side roles, he had me play big and he had me play small. And then when I went to college at Northwestern, he was there too, getting a Master’s degree, and he kept on mentoring me.

Northwestern was a much bigger pond than I was used to, and I was scared, but he was there to tell me I could do it. I remember once I was supposed to audition for the role of a pregnant mother, and I was afraid to do it because I didn’t know anything about being a pregnant mother. Ron said, that’s why you’re going to do it—because acting isn’t about what you know, it’s about what you’ll find out. And it’s all just pretend, and you’re just scared. He helped me handle my fear of failure and understand that it wasn’t about getting the part, it was about doing my best.

I acted and sang and danced all through college. Megan Mullally was at Northwestern at the same time I was there— she later starred on Will and Grace—and because of her I didn’t pursue musical theater. I just wasn’t as good at singing as she was, and that helped me because I was able to concen-

trate on my acting. In the theater department at Northwestern, there were people who were good, but there was no one I couldn’t match.

I hear a little of your competitive edge speaking there, can you talk a bit about that?

With acting, or any profession really, to be a success you need that competitive edge, you need to feel like you’re the best in the room. When I go to an audition, I take my competitive spirit and I use it to get what I want. I’m totally focused at auditions, I’m not there to sit in a room and schmooze with people, I’m there to do my best and get that job.

The competitive spirit in me was always encouraged in a positive way. As a kid I did track and high jump; my father was very influential in teaching me how to jump high and run fast. When I was a sophomore in high school I was the best high jumper in the school. I was even better than the boys. I remember one day I beat the best boy in my class, and when I came to school the next day none of the boys would talk to me.

So at the next competition I twisted my ankle so badly I couldn’t jump anymore, because it scared me to have the boys mad at me.

What about in theater? Do you ever face that kind of unfriendly competition from male actors?

In theater I haven’t had to deal with competition with men except for the question of parity in pay—there isn’t any. For the most part, a man doing the same job as me, at the same level as me, will get paid more. I don’t know why. I’m just glad Meryl Streep and Geena Davis are out there fighting for parity in pay for actors. I hope in our lifetime we’re able to stop talking about gender equality because it just becomes a nonissue—everyone is paid equally for their skill, and that’s it. It’s just ridiculous to have it any other way.

I have always had a strong personality. I don’t shy away from making things happen, and I enjoy my successes. I remember in my senior year at Northwestern I wrote, directed and starred in a one-woman show about Flannery O’Connor. I didn’t understand her writing at all, but then I read her autobiography and just I fell in love with her humor and the way she used language. One of my favorite lines in the show was from her autobiography; she developed lupus as a young woman, and when she described how she had to use crutches to walk, she said: “I shall henceforth be a structure with flying buttresses.” The show was a big success, and it helped me engage what some might call my “masculine” side. I was doing what I loved and being respected and praised for it, and I was just having a great time. When was I going to be more famous? I was THE girl on campus, I was THE girl in the acting department. It wasn’t a perfect show, but I did it, I made it, and that experience helped me take ownership of my career and believe in my ability to be successful.

A lot of successful people say it’s important to experience failures along the way. Do you agree?

Oh yes. That’s why I think acting on stage is so important, because it teaches you to stomach imperfection. On the stage, you just know something is going to go wrong—it has to! You have to learn compassion for yourself when you fail, and in fact, some of my greatest moments on stage have come from failure.

For example?

I remember in college I was playing Phaedra in the Greek tragedy; I had long flowing robes on, and there were these tall winding stairs I had to walk down, and in one performance I fell down the whole flight of stairs, just head over heels. When I got to the bottom I landed on my knees and looked out at the audience and I just dared them to believe I hadn’t done it on purpose. Nobody knew it wasn’t part of the show! I’m getting sweaty just thinking about it, but my teacher said it was the tour de force of my performance. By making that mistake I learned how to be a queen: you fake it til you make it, and dare anyone to believe you haven’t done it on purpose!

This is why I love the stage the most, because the stage is most like life… things happen, you think you know what you’re doing and then suddenly the prop isn’t there, or the

JAYNE ATKINSON CAUGHT IN A LAUGH, PHOTOGRAPHED BY JANE FELDMAN

words aren’t there, and you just keep going anyway. If you make a mistake one night, the next night you slow down and do it better. Some actors can’t bear to make a mistake, but I’m not like that. I roll with whatever happens, it’s what makes me alive on stage, and alive in life. And it’s great to be able to laugh at yourself once in a while!

What happened with your career after you finished college?

I went to graduate school in theater at Yale—Meryl Streep went to Yale, so I wanted to go to Yale too. And then my career just took off, and I ran with it! My mother always said to me, don’t get tied down, don’t be fettered. Don’t accumulate a lot of things—all you need is a suitcase and yourself. My father was of the mind that I would get married and have babies; his view of women was that that was their job, their lot in life. And my mother kept telling me don’t get married, don’t have children.

My first husband was an actor and he didn’t want children, which turned out to be a good thing. But then there came Michel and I knew that I wanted to have a child with him.

I had this real watershed moment while I was doing “The Rainmaker” at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. The director told me one night that we were going to take the show to Broadway, so I’d better not get pregnant. He was just kidding,

but at that time Michel and I were thinking about having a child, and the night he said that to me, I was actually ovulating.

I mean, you can’t make this shit up! I got really upset and when I talked to Michel about it, he said “What do you care what he says?” I went for a walk and had this internal battle within myself about deciding to become a mother. It was this convergence of events and I realized that inside of me there was a voice that represented my mother and that director, telling me I couldn’t have both a child and a career. I was so angry, I just kept saying ‘Why, why can’t I have both?’

I decided that I wanted a baby, and if that meant that I couldn’t have a career, well—who made that rule up, anyway? That was the first act of motherhood for me, deciding that I was going to have a baby, and if that meant not going to Broadway, so be it. I actually got pregnant that night. The next day I came into work and told the director, I’m having a baby! He just looked at me and said, How long do you need?” So I didn’t lose anything! I went to Broadway with “The Rainmaker,” I acted with Woody Harrelson and breastfed my baby between acts, and I got a Tony nomination out of it too! I didn’t lose anything, and I didn’t have to compromise.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE....

THE ARTFUL MIND JUNE 2015 • 11

JAyne AtkinsOn, ACtOr

Jeremy, happy pup, Jayne and Michel, living room shot by Jane Feldman, the Berkshires Your son is about sixteen now. Has it been challenging to balance motherhood and your career?

Of course, being a mother and a working actor has its challenges. Sometimes Jeremy lets me know that I’m not paying close enough attention to him, and when that happens I have two really big words I use: I’m sorry. I’m human, I make mistakes. The choice to be a mother influences my choice of roles, when and where I work. I see my role as an actor as a kind of sacred storyteller, and I go deep into the roles I play. As a mother, there are certain roles I won’t play, like ones that involve rape or child abuse, because I know that I can’t turn off the negative energy I have to summon to play those roles well, and I don’t want to bring that home with me.

What about your personal and professional partnership with your husband? I imagine that has its own challenges too?

It’s not for sissies, any of it, especially when Michel and I are so often acting on the same stage or in the same show. It’s been challenging for me to allow myself to shine and trust that he’s okay with that. For a long time, I didn’t trust that. In my background, my mother took care of my father so he could shine.

There aren’t a lot of role models for the opposite kind of partnership, where the women are the ones who are out there shining. What should happen, I believe, is that the diamond is the woman and the man is the setting. He gives of his bounty and he holds that beautiful diamond so she can shine. For most of my life I down-played myself and my abilities. In some ways I gave my success away so I wouldn’t be threatening to the men in my life. Michel never asked me to do that—it was something I did to myself, because of my cultural conditioning as a woman.

So you think in some ways being a woman has held you back?

You know, it’s interesting that in order to be successful, I somehow felt that I had to let go of being womanly. And by that I

12 • JUNE 2015 THE ARTFUL MIND

mean letting go of being soft, but also letting go of solving all the problems. I had to let go of juggling all the plates because I could, letting go of wearing the pants, even though I’m really good at it. To be successful as women, we often had to prove to the world that we could do everything, but that’s really lonely and I don’t think we really want that. What we want is for our men to be strong and successful and we want to stand by them.

But they have to work too. They have to listen.

I changed a lot over time. First I gave up my softness, then I claimed my power in the marriage and everything I’d worked for, and then I had to go back into partnership and re-vitalize the woman in me. For me to admit that I’m feeling worried, that I’m confused—for me that kind of language feels like it belongs to a dumb blonde, and I’m most certainly not a dumb blonde! But when I allowed myself to talk about my feelings, and to let my husband take the lead on finding solutions, I found a balance in me between my masculine and my feminine side that was good for my marriage. I didn’t lose the get-it-done girl, she’s still there—I can still man up with the best of them. But by allowing myself to tap into and express my feelings, what I gained was a level of security in my softness as a woman, which I needed. I’m fortunate that my husband is a guy who is going to hang the sun, the moon and the stars on me because he loves me, but independent of him and our marriage, it was important for me to find that balance.

I hope that the next generation of girls doesn’t even have to think about that—I hope they get to be both strong and soft.

And for our boys, I hope that they learn that they don’t have to run when a woman roars, they can just stand in it and let the wave ride over them. We women can be pretty scary when we’re in our big power. We’re actually the strong ones, as most men will admit. I would love it if I could make a difference by playing roles in film and TV that show strong women and celebrate good men. I want to play a wonderfully strong, sexy, loving, deep-hearted woman that shows this journey that I’m

talking about, that has that awakening. I would love to show the chrysalis, the butterfly coming from the cocoon. That’s the journey, that’s life. As a woman actor, I want to inspire women to open up to that journey, and I’m working on creating those possibilities for myself.

You’ve had a long and illustrious career, Jayne. What have been some of your favorite roles to play?

I’ve been lucky because I’ve had the opportunity to play characters that have some interesting complexity. On the TV show 24, I played the head of a counter-intelligence unit who was a smart woman with a very strong woman’s heart. And I had a lot of positive feedback from women on that, complimenting me for being a woman in the part, not a man-woman. I think being a mother prepared me for that role. As a mother, you have to hold your ground, but you also have to let your children know that you value them. That’s the way I talked to my team on the show.

My character on Criminal Minds was also complex in that she was a woman in power, trying to dance in the world of men, and not handling it very well. She had a secret problem with alcohol. Basically I think that if as an actor I’m going to be the purveyor of human experience, I have to be able to claim all facets of human experience. You have to be able to recognize yourself in me. Even if I’m playing a perfect alabaster queen, which sometimes I do have to play, I’ll be showing you the cracks in her façade. We all have those cracks.

Honestly, of late, I like my character on House of Cards but I really haven’t had a part in a long time that gives me a chance to show my full complexity. For me, part of that might be my age… when you get older, it’s harder to get work, and I’m very nervous about all the things I see women having to do to themselves to stay relevant—face lifts, cosmetic surgery. With the advent of high definition TV it’s just awful. And then, thank heaven, you have Patricia Arquette who doesn’t do any of that

and yet wins an Oscar for Boyhood. She’s not super-young, she’s not skinny-skinny—to me she represents the new wave of woman who’s saying I’m just not doing that shit, and she’s got enough gravitas in the business to pull it off.

Jayne, why have you chosen to live in Great Barrington MA, rather than Hollywood or New York?

I have to admit, this past winter it was so cold, I started looking at the possibility of moving to L.A. But I love living in the Berkshires. We moved here initially following my best friend Hope Fitzgerald and her family, and at this point it’s really become our home. I live here because it’s normal. There are a lot of wonderful creative people here and I love that they don’t need a lot of hoo-ha. Of course, people here know that we do this and that and I’m not going to say it doesn’t mean anything, but we have a normalcy that we wouldn’t necessarily get elsewhere. I want to be in a world where I can talk with a writer, an artist—different kinds of people, not just actors and people in the business. Everybody comes here to the Berkshires, so I have the best of the best by living here.

In our culture, stardom is often put on such a pedestal. I love when someone uses their star power for good in the world, but it can imbalance what’s important. For me it’s really important to be with people who are doing what they do because they love it. As a mother, I appreciate the Berkshires as a kind of cocoon to grow our son’s life skills. I want my kid to be able to go out the door, ride a bike and jump in the lake. I grew up in a little pond and I found it gave me confidence. If you can be successful in your little pond, you can be successful in the next bigger one, and all the little failures that you might encounter are in scale.

Do you do any mentoring of young people locally?

This year I’m doing a wonderful after-school project called “Bring Me A Woman,” with Monument Mountain Regional High School, where Jeremy goes to school. I’m working with Jolyn Unruh and other faculty in the English and theater departments, and what we’re doing is having the girls research a woman who is not well-known, and the boys research such a woman and find a man who was significant in her life. The kids will write a monologue from the point of view of that person, and I’ll come in and help them perform their monologues. If they’re shy about performing, they can read—the idea is that this is an acting class for kids who might not take a theater class. Public speaking is a skill you can use in every career, after all!

I’m also involved with a group based in Washington DC called Running Start, which encourages young women to run for office. They give scholarships for girls to come to Washington for a training, and they explore what they’re passionate about, and get fired up with the possibilities of doing something for their communities, using their voices and taking leadership roles.

Michel and I are also hoping to offer a local class in acting and public speaking for adults, drawing on our training at Juilliard and Yale—sharing what we know about how to relax your

body, how to breathe, how to use whatever you’re afraid of to your advantage.

Does your son want to follow the family business and go into acting?

It seems like Jeremy does want to be an actor. He’s loved working with Enrico Spada in the Shakespeare & Company Shakespeare in the Schools project, and he loves to sing and to write. I’m pretty sure he’s going to do something creative, and he’s very clear that he wants to be successful. He’s going to study acting for the camera at Interlochen this summer.

What excites you about your life and career as you look forward into the future?

Right now I’m sitting back a bit, focusing on raising Jeremy.

Michel and I tag-team with him, and since I’m holding the fort at home, I can only take the supporting, peripheral roles. I still get to play, but it’s not hard work and it doesn’t require a lot of time and energy. That’s why I haven’t done theater in New York lately. But in a way it’s perfect because I can see it as a cocooning time for me; I have time to germinate the next version of myself, where I’m doing fundraisers, I’m directing, I’m mentoring. One door may be closing but another one is opening. I’m starting to think about stepping into my queen years and celebrating the beauty of everything that’s there lying fallow, waiting to be developed and experienced. I’m preparing for that.

Brava to you for fundraising for good causes, Jayne! Can you talk about the local organizations have you been drawn to support?

I am very interested in supporting organizations that help get women’s voices and visions out into the world. So I’ve done several fundraising events for WAM Theatre, run by the marvelous Kristen van Ginhoven—WAM stands for Women’s Action Movement, and Kristen is all about bringing to the local stage works by women playwrights, featuring strong women’s roles. I’ve also supported the Berkshire Festival of Women Writers, which has a similar mission in terms of wanting to nourish and encourage women of all ages to get their voices and perspectives out to broader audiences.

For the past two years, I directed these fabulous plays for the March Festival of Women Writers, Motherhood Out Loud by Susan Rose Lafer in 2014, and Can You Hear Me Baby? Stories of Sex, Love and OMG Birth by Lisa Rafel in 2015. In both cases, the plays brought women’s voices front and center, talking about what really matters to them.

In Motherhood Out Loud, we also had local women—

Amber Chand, Hope Fitzgerald, Anni Crofut, Suzi Banks Baum and others—contribute and perform monologues. It was fantastic! And not only did the audiences love the shows, but we also made some much-needed money for these women-focused organizations. A win-win all around.

Any final insights you’d like to leave us with?

I believe that acting is a sacred calling. Someone said once it’s not open-heart surgery. But on some level I think I am an openheart surgeon. You come and see a show, and if I’ve committed to this person’s story, you get to watch this woman open up to a part of life that you wouldn’t have been able to gain insight into any other way. I know a lot of surgeons who could use the skills actors have—empathy, compassion, the ability to put oneself in another’s shoes.

In the long run, I want to give back what I’ve learned about being a successful woman. I’ve just come to understand what that means in a more balanced way. I want to support women who are giving voice to other women; I want us to feel that we are holding each other’s hands and saying yes we can, we can have it all. You know, I love the Dr. Seuss story Horton Hears a Who—that’s the one where Horton the elephant is able to hear the Whos of Whoville, who live on a bit of dust on a clover blossom. No one else can hear them, and the whole city is about to be destroyed, until one little Who speaks up, yelling “Yopp!” and is able to make his voice heard. The reason I am all about women’s voices is that I believe that every woman who dares to raise her voice has the potential to make a real difference to her community and to the world. We just never know which “Yopp!” is going to provide the tipping point, opening the gates to a new paradigm.

It would be a very dried up world without the creativity and intuition of women. If I can help younger women realize that they can be both strong and soft, and not have to compromise— that they can have it all, then I will be happy.

h

THE ARTFUL MIND JUNE 2015 • 13

Richard Britell

SPAZI

In October of 1989, a loft space became available to rent on the third floor of the Barbieri Lumber Mill in Housatonic, Massachusetts. It was a 4000 square foot space, and looked like a bricked-in and roofed-over football field with huge windows on all four sides. There was no electricity, no heat, and no running water. It was rented for a few hundred dollars a month. The entire space was full of piles of junk, dead birds and dead mice. It was rented to be an artist’s studio space.

Housatonic then and now is a strange place. There are mill

14 •

JUNE 2015 THE ARTFUL MIND

towns and there are industrial cities, but Housatonic was a mill village. The mills had closed in the sixties, and from the seventies on, the town had filled up with artists. It was an unknown artist village.

FIRST SHOW: It was decided to use the huge loft space to present an art exhibit of the works of all the artists who happened to be living in the village at that time. It was a show of 13 artists. They were all neighbors and friends. The show was a gigantic and unexpectedly successful event for all involved.

Nothing was sold, but it was the sudden birth of an art gallery

and an artist community. That is how Spazi began. Below are some anecdotes from that time and place.

THE NAME: The name came from an article in a magazine about art spaces. It was an Italian magazine and the article title was “Gli Spazi Delle Arte.” It means “The Spaces of Art.” That was the original name of the gallery, but since nobody could pronounce it or knew what it meant, it was changed to simply Spazi.

Archival photos of SPAZI gallery Harryet says ‘Hi Gabrielle!’

MICHELANGELO: For many months the gallery had no lights, and it was not until about ten months had passed until there was enough money to illuminate the space. The sunlight from the windows was the only light, and it was so bright that it was almost impossible to view the art hung on the brick walls of chipping black and white paint. Visitors were annoyed that there was a gallery with no lights, but we would always say, “Just like it was for Michelangelo.”

AT FIRST IT WAS FREE: People would get to the top of the three flights of stairs and gape in wonder at the gigantic space that was so awesome and spellbinding. Over and over again the first thing visitors would say was, “Great space, how much is the rent.” The answer was always the same, “At first it was free, but now they pay us to be here.”

WALKING NAILS: The gigantic floor of the space was crudely top-nailed. Over the years as the floor was used, the nails would creep up little by little, until after a hundred years the nail heads could be found here and there, sticking up from the floor by a half an inch. The local schools got in the habit of bringing classes to visit the gallery to see the art, but when the children arrived they would always shout, “Show us the walking nails.”

THE TITLES: During the history of the gallery there were a total of 59 exhibitions, talks, and musical performances in the space. Here are a few of the titles: “Locomotion/Local Motion/Low Commotion/Loco Motion,” “The Eclectic Chair,” “From Paradise to a Crazy World,” “Domestic Chaos,” “Growing Up Racist,” “Death of Marat,” “87 Inches of Toast.”

YO-YO MA: Yo-Yo Ma never came to Spazi, and I am sure he never heard about it, but he had an important effect on the gallery’s decisions about what to do and what not to do. Twice there were concerts of cello music in the space. The high ceiling, the cavernous space, and the brick walls combined to created perfect acoustics. Admission was charged, and the performers were paid. When the box office was tallied and the artists paid there was a profit of exactly one dollar, so it was a big success. Since it was a cello performance, after the event was over all the guests stood up and began talking about Yo-Yo Ma. From this the gallery learned an important truth.

Tanglewood is like a gigantic wonderful tree in full leaf, underneath which anything small and local tends to shrivel up.

PHOTO OPEN: Of the 59 shows presented, the most successful was an annual show called “The Photo Open.” This has never been done before or since. The gallery published an announcement asking that anyone who wanted to could submit framed photographs. There was to be no jury, and all works would be accepted and hung. There were hundreds of entries, and the show opened to thousands of guests. The entire community became involved. It was simply amazing to experience what it was like to let people show their art without any fear of being judged. For many it was an experience of a lifetime. It expanded the Spazi community from Housatonic to all of Berkshire County. Also, and not surprisingly, it made a lot of money.

THE GRAND TOUR: Spazi was an amazing space open to all. The old mill architecture was often more interesting to the gallery’s visitors that the art hung on the walls, just like Mass Moca or Bilbao today. But the gallery space was not as fasci-

nating as the town itself, in which one could wander around ruined 19th century industrial buildings with not a single “keep out” sign to be found. By far the most interesting building in the town was Cook’s Garage; always open day and night. Cook’s was a ramshackle mill structure featuring cars stored years ago and never claimed, artist’s studios, and a constantly running artesian well of limewater. The water came up from an aquifer four hundred feet underground and overflowed into three huge cement catch basins in the middle of a cavernous room lit only by one greenish, moss covered window.

THE SOUND: In the gallery, and around the village all day, could be heard the sound of the lumber mill in operation, its four-foot circular saw endlessly cutting up the logs piled outside its doors. That sound, and the smell of the pine saw dust permeating the air gave us the pleasant illusion that we too were doing important work like our parents and grandparents did.

What occurred at Spazi was a perfect combination of the right time, the right place and a certain group of people that came together to create a true artist community. Those three things—time, place, and people—happens sometimes by accident, and it is a wonderful thing to be lucky enough to have been a part of it. ~ Richard Britell Pittsfield, May 16, 2015

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Denise B Chandler Fine Art Photography

home Studio & gallery Visits by appointment new lenox rd, lenox Ma 413.637.2344 (Home) 413.281.8461 (Cell) denise b chandler fine art Photography is represented by sohn fine art gallery

www.denisebchandler

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info@denisebchandler.com

T he Ar tful of Galler y

Marilyn Kalish

Marilyn, it seems as if your artwork and your surroundings in Great Barrington, MA. are growing in more ways than one.

Can you comment on that?

Marilyn Kalish: Thank you for asking. Yes, a lot is going on in my life and my work. Since the GB Reconstruction Project, I’ve had to accept that intrusion as a challenge. Rather than resist the change of our town, it became crucial to adapt and be flexible. I don’t remember jokes, except this one: “Do you know how to make God laugh? Tell him your plans.” In retrospect, this speaks to my whole life. At first I didn’t welcome these changes. However, now I am adjusting to the surroundings. Rather than run from the construction, I am hitting it head on.

The two significant changes for me in the Berkshires: I have expanded The Vault Gallery, which has been there for over 12 years, by acquiring the second, adjoining space. The new gallery is inspired by the French Salon manner of exhibiting artwork installing the paintings ceiling to floor, layering, weaving in antique furniture and classic carpets, exquisite vintage frames, art books, orchids… integrating the artwork with these other elements. It’s important to me that the new space is not a traditional gallery. I want this to be a place where people can visit, feel welcome, and experience the historical perspective of a salon.

The second change is that I have opened my studio at 11 Railroad Street to the public for the first time—only on weekends to begin. Traditionally, artists work in solitude and isolation, as I have for 25 years.

I am fortunate to have a large studio space. I am usually working on 20 to 30 paintings at the same time, and this keeps me fresh, avoiding artist blocks. My visitors are seeing the pieces in process. I had no idea this would be of such interest. I am appreciating the conversations and the relationships that are being established.

It is very different from the gallery experience, which is more about business. I enjoy sharing my process. I was born to a family

interview by Harryet Candee

photographs by Leah Saty

MARILYN KALISH, SECOND SERIES, FREE FALL

of artists—this is all I’ve ever done. Still, it was never about the end product, the paintings… it was always about the process. That is what interests me. This new effort is very much like a painting of sorts, in an unexpected way. I think it is informing my work.

I’m open to the new surroundings, the new people, dialogues, and most important the energy!

i am so happy to have this chance to talk with you, Marilyn. you’re now showing in a gallery in england; expanding your gallery Gt. Barrington. What do you truly feel you have done to make all come together? Was it just a matter of time?

Whatever it is, i think you share something with many worldly and successful artists. All of you do something that surpasses other artists, what can that be?

Marilyn: Hard work times 10. I always believed in that philosophy. I taught my children that thinking. You can have whatever you want, but you have to work very hard… X 10. It’s the times 10 that I think becomes a challenge for many.

In regard to the exhibit in England, yes that show is happening now. It is the Lily Clifford Gallery in East Sussex, England. They found me. They will be representing me. Of course, the European attention is very flattering, but my interest remains the same—to create better, stronger work. I’m almost never satisfied… There is a quote that I like very much… “Don’t seek what your sages found, seek what they sought.” I’m very interested in the masters and what came before me. I don’t think that’s a contemporary focus. Every day I look at Leonardo, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Picasso, etc… to try and get my taste up. I will never reach the heights that these masters reached, because of the European tradition of apprenticeship, the support at very young ages. Young people were encouraged to be artists. I don’t often find that to be the truth, in my experience.

I don’t compare myself to others. I don’t have the time. I don’t Continued on next page... look back, I don’t stand still to see what other artists are doing or

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THE ARTFUL GALLERY OF MARILYN KALISH

MARILYN KALISH, PORTRAIT, OIL ON WOOD PANEL, 36 X 48”, FRAMED

not doing… I just keep pushing forward. Everything is forward.

Again, it’s about never being satisfied…always wanting the work to be stronger. This is not an easy feat. For every good day there are 5 or 6 disappointing days. But every now and then things I have learned converge, and I’m looking at a painting that works… That is not a comfortable place for me—a place that feels like, “I’ve got this, I know how to do this… I can come in tomorrow and attempt to summon it up.” Ha, I even believe I have cracked a code. And then, in the studio the next day, it’s gone. I have had years to think about this, which in itself is damaging—that thinking piece. The best way I can describe it is: just stop thinking, keep doing. Even the idea that a piece works… I must keep moving ahead.

What makes your style of painting unique?

Marilyn: With every artist, it’s like a fingerprint. As far as I know, every artist has their own style. I’m working on two different series right now. One series is portraits; I’ve resisted portraits for many years because my grandfather was a recognized portrait artist. I was not encouraged to take that path. And then they simply appeared. They’re difficult for me because I’ve always worked in an ambiguous way. The portrait has to say a lot, they are specific, while at the same time being still and quiet.

The second body of work I am working on are free-falling birds. Very chaotic oil paint applied thick, tools I have purchased that I cannot even identify; trying to make these birds in motion.

Physics has always appealed to me, so I like the idea of energy… creating a balance of chaos and order. The birds are allowing me to do this. Free, liberating. No two are alike. Liberating. I feel comfortable there, living with uncertainty. The portraits have a more cerebral element to them.

I’d just like to sum it up by saying it’s a good time to be painting right now for me. I painted every day for as long as I can remember. What is important to me is being in a state of excitement, juxtaposing this chaotic way of working, while at the same time having the stillness of the portraiture. A balance has been struck.

I have found a place I can push, a fertility to travel. I’m excited, and most of all I feel alive. I refer often to Woody Allen’s quote, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” It’s very true. I create rituals, and my rituals create a momentum. The momentum helps me to show up, face a blank surface and hope something something might happen.

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i am sure it’s not an easy ride. All this work you do, non-stop—busy all the time, buried in your art. Do you ever have time to stop to smell the roses, or stop to hear yourself vent on something that you need to eventually work out?

I am a mother. That’s the most important work I’ve ever done. My grown son and daughter have filled any need for outside activities, other than the painting. The painting was always secondary.

Being a parent remains the most important thing in my life. I’m very fortunate as well, privileged really, that I have assistants and interns, after many years of not having that. I’ve had them for the past several years. There is a mentoring that happens and that is very rewarding. It is also very communal. I do also enjoy cooking. I cook almost every evening for my husband and friends. I enjoy an occasional movie. Traveling has never held significant interest for me. It’s always been somewhat of a nuisance… Waiting, waiting, waiting… for the plane to arrive… for the hotel room to be available. This may change one day but I feel there is work to be done, and I need to do this work.

How are you going to get people off the streets and into your studio gallery this summer if construction continues to be an interference in the town of Great Barrington?

Marilyn: It is my understanding that in July and August the construction will halt, and not resume until the fall. I must stay positive. Opening the studio to the public is huge for me. People coming and going, some I know, most I don’t. It’s exciting.

Marilyn, just so we get a good look at you and your life, tell us where you grew up, and what life was like for you as a child?

Marilyn: I grew up in Massachusetts and I am a child of the woods. I know that sounds like I was raised by wolves, but I literally grew up in the woods. Nature was my playground. I watch children now and I feel bad for them that woods are not as available or appealing to them. I learned so much—mostly exploring. I learned so much that I feel feeds my work… the art of exploring. When I’m in a painting it’s quite similar to being a child playing in the woods. Or my night science—I would bring home jars that I would scoop up from ponds, of guppies and little fish, and bring them home in this swampy dirty water and set them up in the garage. You’d see these amber jars glowing at night. This was my night science.

Unfortunately, yes, there were deaths. But I was a child filled with curiosity in the woods. Nature put me in touch with something much larger than myself—the same feeling and experience I have when I’m painting. I don’t remember when I stopped playing. I’m still that child in the woods… I bring play to my work.

have been watching for years. It is still is very hard for me to believe I’m on the walls with them.

How it came to be? They found me. Social media has made this possible for all artists. A powerful exposure. The experience of social media is entrée, having our work seen by thousands, maybe millions of people. It’s a good time to be an artist. The Lily Clifford gallery is very well respected.

About your technique and style, Marilyn… how has it changed and developed over the years?

Marilyn: I experimented, just as all students have. Eventually you discover your own voice. The influences of the masters certainly… I’ve been influenced. My hope is only to be better. The idea is to always move forward, always get better, learn, be better.

Over the years, I became stronger. There is an authority, an evolution…there is a confidence from doing it for so many years.

Confidence is key. if everything was to run a smooth course for you, what would you like to see happen in the not too distant future? for you, your painting, gallery, home and family?

Marilyn: It is important to me that my family is healthy and happy. That’s my priority. And in terms of my work, I am interested in more exhibits in Europe. Perhaps that is my travel.

And lastly, can you tell me what you think makes an art community work together, and what suggestions can you make that can help people join the same force and work towards similar goals?

Marilyn: I think the Berkshires have always been doing that.

Artists know how to work together. They’ve been doing it for so many years in all the different disciplines… film, dance, theatre, writers, painters… it’s good to be an artist in the mountains, with a force that’s larger and more important than we are—Nature. I have no suggestions for people. It’s already working. We have a lot of advantage in the Berkshires. I believe that’s why a lot of artists are making work here.

Come visit me on Saturdays from 11 to 5 in my studio at 11 Railroad Street in Great Barrington. Expect connection! I would like people to feel free to visit!

To the younger artists—don’t forget to Play.

-Thanks Marilyn!

Did you know you would be a serious artist at some point in your youth?

Marilyn: Yes. I really don’t know how to do anything else.

I do it out of necessity.

tell me what is one of your deep desires that you may be depicting or visualizing, or symbolically including through your paintings?

Marilyn: It’s very hard to articulate. I get glimpses of work I would like to make or be able to make. The bar is high and I’m reaching very high pragmatically, and I will probably never achieve what I am reaching for. But that’s what creates the momentum; that’s why I “show up.”

Getting back to your show at Lily Clifford Art Gallery in eastbourne, england… How did this connection to be in the group show take place? tell us what this gallery is like, and how you feel about it in terms of how it represents you as an American artist.

Marilyn: I like that I’m the only American artist in the show.

I have heard of the other artists, these are artists I respect and

MARILYN KALISH, NEW PORTRAIT, OIL ON CANVAS

planet waves JUNE 2015

Aries (March 20-April 19) Focus on your family and home and everything else will seem to fall into place. If you build your life from the foundation up, you will know you're on solid emotional ground, and your confidence will reflect itself in every other aspect of your life.

Before you invest too much energy worrying, remember that you are safe and strong within your own soul. tAUrUs (April 19-May 20)

You can afford to push your luck, because you're so in tune with your sense of mission and with the knowledge you possess. Indeed you are a reservoir of wisdom, though it's going to spring from the inside out. You don't need to seek the reassurance of others, or to have them second-guess you. Be aware of where you stand with yourself at all times, and you cannot go wrong.

GeMini (May 20-June 21) When Mercury stations direct in your sign on the 11th, any doubts you may have will vanish as if they never existed.

Until then, they might be convincing or even paralyzing -- but don't fall for that illusion. There's no such thing as a problem that cannot be solved. There are no honest questions that don't have answers. You will be told everything you need to know.

CAnCer (June 21-July 22)

If you find uncertainty rules your mood until the Sun enters your sign on the 21st, I suggest you question whether that's really true. Currently you're being granted a kind of inner vision that's allowing you access to deep intuition. Tune into that and you will teach yourself a great deal; then as the solstice approaches, you will light up your world with passion and grace.

LeO (July 22-Aug. 23) How would you feel if you had no secrets? I reckon you would feel liberated, honest, authentic and alive. Concealing anything about yourself, whether justified or not, consumes energy, and makes you question yourself. Yes, it seems easier to live behind a veil, though any experiment requiring bravery will be rewarded handsomely -- if only with the abundant courage to try again with confidence.

VirGO (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)

You can live as if you have a legion of angels guarding you - because you do. Yet for that to matter, you must be open to their gifts and their blessings, and listen to the wisdom they offer you. So listen carefully and know they will not only guide you away from danger, they will guide you toward love and abundance.

LiBrA (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) You're standing in the midst of astonishing resources, in the form of your colleagues, your community and most of all, the rewards of your work. There's clearly money in the stars, though you have available even greater rewards for your efforts at making the world a better place. One of them is clear confirmation that you can indeed guide yourself and others to freedom and sanity. sCOrPiO (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) You are in professional leadership mode, and from the look of your chart you could inspire a whole forest to burst into song. Your success and positive outlook are proof of what is possible, and people are looking to you for just that kind of guidance. Remember, more than anything, you are providing an example to others -- one that will shine out like the Sun.

ERIC FRANCIS

sAGittAriUs (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) You know what's true and you know what's possible -- anything at all. Step into your broadest horizons and begin some new bold experiment. You can only do this if you believe in yourself with the absolute confidence of the true Sagittarian that you are. You'll only know for sure if you try -- and you seem destined to do just that, in a rather grand style.

CAPriCOrn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) Your emotional intelligence is at a peak right now. This will confer on you a form of perception that sometimes seems supernatural. Of course, you are a wholly natural phenomenon, which includes your instincts and your intuition. Take that as far as you can, trust your knowledge and imagine that you really can see the future. Vision is perception, and it's also your ability to build your life.

AqUAriUs (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) You may be given the opportunity to solve problems you thought would never go away. Seize the moment and apply your brilliance and clarity to whatever puzzles you, particularly if it's been lingering for a while. This may feel like unraveling a knot, or it may feel like working out a complex equation. Summon your streak of genius and it won't let you down.

PisCes (Feb. 19-March 20) All your work will pay off, so you can afford to do it joyfully, and with faithful expectancy. Go lighter on the effort, and depend more on subtler qualities like cooperation, goodwill and your distinct ability to manifest a winning idea out of thin air.

When in doubt, ease off on trying. Instead, focus your observational skills, ask others what they think and make bold decisions.

Simply Sasha

Smoked Salmon with Scrambles!

by Sasha Seymour

it's finally June! For me, summertime screams seafood! Salmon is rich in omega 3's which provide a number of health benefits, such as improving heart health, and aiding in regulating cholesterol levels. Wild caught salmon, combined with local happy eggs, will make the most awesome Sunday brunch or Father's Day fare. Show Dad you are concerned about his health, and create a meal for him this Father's Day exploding with healthy omega 3's! this dish is filled with love and goodness! peace and happiness to you! ~ 4 slices of brown bread ~ 1/2 cup of salted butter, plus more to butter the bread ~ 12 organic happy eggs ~ 1/4 tsp salt and black pepper to taste ~ 2 Tbsp heavy cream ~ 4 oz thinly sliced wild caught smoked salmon ~ Spoonful of cream cheese (optional)

1. toast and butter the bread and cut each slice into a cross to create four separate pieces. set aside 2. Whisk eggs together with salt and pepper 3. Melt 1/2 cup butter in a skillet, and add the eggs 4. if using, add the cream cheese and the cream, and scramble the eggs with a wooden spoon until firm 5. remove from the heat and fold the salmon into the eggs. serve on toast and presto! you're done! Enjoy!

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