HARRISON LEVENSTEIN

CERAMIST / WOODFIRE POTTER

“My work exists on the threshold between the influence of my hand and the beauty my materials confer on their own. I draw on the language of fine historical craft and functional pottery traditions, and imbue these familiar objects with a sense of wonder evoked by the effects of the woodfired kiln. My training in woodfiring has offered me the working knowledge to harness the technique to my advantage, and the humility to know that the credit for its aesthetic boons can never be wholly mine; it is an elemental collaboration. The process of woodfiring offers the perfect venue for this dance of intention and chance.”

Harryet Candee: How would you describe your relationship with clay and creating works of art from this material? Many have described working in clay as a poetic rush of sensual experiences, a complicated, sensitive art form from start to finish.

Harrison Levenstein: The word relationship is fitting for how I tend to work with clay. I love to create my own clay bodies–mixtures of several materials formulated for specific technical needs and aesthetic goals–and each one asks of me a particular way of working with it. Some coarser stoneware bodies call to be handled heavily, with strength and gesture. Some porcelaneous bodies ask for a more delicate attention to detail and refinement. I ask of the clay to perform in certain ways and it will work with me only if I am open to hearing what it needs as well.

Do you wear many hats to make ends meet and to support yourself as an artist?

HL: Over the years I’ve worn many hats to support my studio practice, and I’m grateful for the broad sets of skills and experiences they have afforded me. I’ve worked as a substitute teacher in public schools, a server in a pub, and laid boards for a decking company. I worked as a barista and a bathroom tiler. I was a local handyman for a moment, building and fixing things around a tiny mountain town. I was also an asphalt sealer, and a snow sports instructor. Right now I am so grateful to have part-time work at Simon’s Rock as the Lab Tech, and as adjunct faculty. This consistent paycheck, and access to the studio, equipment, and kilns has helped me live a stable life in the Berkshires while working toward my goal of building my own studio and kiln.

What other artistic talents do you put to work these days?

HL: As far as the traditional “Arts” go, I am always drawing and sketching as they help me see more clearly. I play the guitar and write songs. You may catch me out in downtown Great Barrington playing the Berkshire Busk! I love to write, and do so on occasion for the Studio Potter

Journal. Generally, I find there can be an art to anything that one does, whether making pottery, drawing, or something not generally regarded as artistic like washing the dishes or folding the laundry. It is a practice of mine to strive to make all experiences artful ones.

I get the impression you have a gypsy spirit. Can that be correct?

HL: I am unaware of having any real Romani blood in me, but I can certainly appreciate an itinerant lifestyle. Between finishing undergrad in northern California at Humboldt State University in 2014, and moving to the Berkshires in 2020, I never stayed in one place longer than about a year. Clay guided me across states and countries through a smattering of truly special places in search of a well-rounded life and education. I always thought that seeing as many places as possible would make it easier to find the right place to settle down. What I learned, though, is that all places have something unique and special about them, and no single place has all of the things.

What was one amazing experience you had working with clay that was life-changing?

HL: In 2019 I had the opportunity to travel to the famous town of Pondicherry on the Coromandel Coast of southeast India to work as an artist in residence at the Golden Bridge Pottery. Every day for 5 months I would wake up and ride my bicycle 2.5km through the bustling streets of Pondi to the inconspicuous, walled-in, palm and banyan-covered pottery compound which had only gained access to electricity in recent years. Working at GBP in the subtropical heat, within the vaulted ceilings of one of Ray Meeker’s famous fire-stabilized structures, surrounded by the work that he and Deborah Smith built from scratch was unforgettable and humbling to say the least. Ray and Deb are forces of nature, whose vision, commitment, and execution have been fuel for my soul ever since.

What pros and cons have you discovered about living in the Berkshires?

HL: Living in the Berkshires has also been life- changing for me. Until living here I don’t believe I truly understood, with my whole body, the meaning of community. The folks that I have met and grown to know and love around here are some of the best in the world. There is unconditional love and support for one another. There is community involvement and care, and a sense of empowerment that comes along with it. Unfortunately, the Berkshires are not very diverse, and are becoming less and less accessible for younger folks like myself to afford to sustainably live in. I hope that we as a community can take steps to change that. My friends and I are working on this in Sheffield right now.

On your list to do, what do you want to try or see that you still need to do in the Berkshires?

HL: There are still many ski resorts that I’ve yet to ride. I’d also love to hike the full Massachusetts section of the AT.

Have you ever made something from clay resembling someone in your life, or have you made something from clay and realized it was a response to an experience you went through?

HL: Absolutely. I love to make pots in direct response to my lived experiences and environment. For example my Bulb Cups are based on the bulbous shape of a small wildflower that grew outside my studio in Wisconsin. My Acorn Bowls were inspired by the gorgeous lids of acorns that can be found peppering the trail on a deciduous Berkshire hike in the Fall. These low, wide bowls are also a nod to the Uruli, a pot that I encountered often in India. The Uruli was traditionally made of terracotta and used to cook over flames, but is now more often found as a decorative object, placed in a foyer or entryway filled with water and a beautiful floating flower arrangement. These objects are formal reimaginings of things that I’ve encountered with thoughtful observation. I’ve also made a more literal reference to a decorative motif on my own body, using the pattern of a surgical scar to decorate my first batch of pots made after returning to work from the injury that caused the surgery. Continued on next page...

You fire your pottery inside a wood-burning kiln, in firings that can last up to 5 days in length, with someone at the kiln 24/7 to feed the fire. That is not the way most folks make pottery, right?

HL: Certainly not in the modern era. For thousands of years, wood was the only source of fuel used to fire pottery. The type of long, and very hot firing that I do has its origin in Japan, via Korea, via China. Teams of people - this is an important point. These types of firings are nearly impossible to execute on one’s own. They rely on cooperation and community - would work in shifts around the clock to stoke the enormous kilns that contained several villages worth of pottery, crockery, storage containers, art, and trade commodities. The knowledge of how to build and fire these kilns was passed down from generation to generation. In the mid-late 20th century, a handful of dedicated American potters traveled to Japan and apprenticed under these legacy pottery families, and brought the knowledge back home with them. This includes Monterey’s own Sushi Chef and Potter, Michael Marcus. Since then, the US has grown its own vital woodfiring community and culture, but relative to potters who use more modern technology, our community is still quite small. I’m grateful to the potters in the area who have invited me to fire their kilns with them, particularly my colleague Ben Krupka here in Great Barrington, as well as Susan Kotulak and Andrew Sartorius at the Oki Doki Studios in Germantown, NY

There are centuries worth of history attached to ceramic arts and pottery making. What location and period have you based some of your work on?

HL: I’ve always felt a strong draw to the historical pots that I’ve seen in books and museums. Shapes and forms that stand the test of time and feel beautiful no matter where or who you are, but also carry with them a cultural moment and story. There is a connection that I feel when I experience these works of potters of the past that makes me feel part of something much bigger and significant than myself. If one has a keen sense for historical ceramics, you might be able to identify several references in my work. The idea of connecting to the beauty of a pot exposed to the intensity of burning wood with melted ash, varied kiln atmospheres, and flame markings is owed to Japanese potters. In my slipped and carved works I make a nod to the Buncheong potters of Korea who used white slips and carving techniques to adorn elegantly shaped pots. Lately I’ve been exploring jug forms that are a direct response to medieval English and German pots, and pots made by the skillful black potters (both enslaved and free) in America in the 1800s like David Drake and Thomas Commeraw.

I know many standardized, formal steps and processes involved in creating ceramic art must be learned and studied for years. In what ways have you seen fit to alter those formal training skills and shape them to fit your vision and signature style?

HL: I think there are a lot of ways of approaching the making of art, particularly when there is a traditional craft involved. Many people may choose to learn the technical ins and outs of a medium and process and become proficient in them so that they can take full ownership and control of the process; learn the rules before you break them. Others boldly choose to declare that there in fact are no rules to be broken and work on pure intuition. I think both approaches are valid and I find myself somewhere in the middle. Although I have spent many years honing my craft, I find it important to maintain reverence for moments of happenstance and an openness and appreciation for discovery and chance. Hamada Shoji, a famous Japanese potter whom I’ve looked up to since I began, said that a potter spends the first half of their life learning to make pots, and the second half of their life learning to forget.

Including all the elements and processes involved in making a ceramic vessel, for example, which and foremost do you find most challenging to you?

HL: It’s a funny question! There are so many challenging parts to the ceramic process. Especially if you are not using the factory-made products, clays, glazes, etc. It could be the technical challenges involved in formulating glazes or clay bodies. Building large-scale works using coil-andthrow methods. Or the intense planning and work that goes into loading and firing a large wood kiln. But honestly, the perennial challenge, as simple and humble as it may seem, is to make a truly good coffee mug; The mug that is perfectly balanced, feels good in the hand and on the lip, holds the perfect amount of coffee, and does so while simultaneously treating the eyes to their very own aesthetic experience. Think of all of the senses involved in that process! An object meant to bring all of your senses into harmony.

Tell us a bit about your training in becoming a potter. What was a humbling learning experience looking back?

HL: My training in becoming a potter has been an incredible and fulfilling journey; one that continues to this day. I’m humbled when I think about all of the people I have crossed paths with along the way that have helped me grow and get me to where I am today. High caliber artists, mentors, nurturers, role models both good and bad. So many people have shared their stories with me and through that helped me shape my own story. est in working primarily with clay? What did you then do with this new and exciting focus?

I was primed for an interest in pottery because as a kid growing up, we ate from beautiful pottery that was made by my mother. She made pots casually for many years from college up until about her second or third child. I never made pots with her, but found clay in highschool when I took my first ceramics class. I followed it through undergrad, deepening my respect for the art and craft and realizing I wanted to pursue an apprenticeship rather than continue with higher education. I apprenticed under Peter Olsen in the Cascade Mountains of Washington state, and with Simon Levin in the sprawling midwest. Both exceptional woodfire potters. After apprenticeship I completed a variety of artist residencies which eventually led me here to the Berkshires.

When did you first realize you had a strong interContinued on next page...

HL: I realized I loved clay very quickly in my first ceramics class in high school. I figured out that I could turn my funny drawings into 3-dimensional objects! I remember making a sculpture of an acoustic guitar whose neck and fretboard terminated in a hand making the rock and roll gesture. Then I learned to throw on the potter’s wheel, and there was nothing that captivated me more.

What do you envision, and what has transpired for you in the Berkshires regarding your ceramic work so far? Have you found your own studio and wood kiln yet?

HL: I arrived in the Berkshires in the Fall of 2020 to take a year-long artist in residence position in the clay studio at Simon’s Rock. When I arrived I thought I’d only be here for a year and then promptly on my way to the next adventure. Here we are now in the spring of 2023 and I am dreaming of settling in to finally build a studio. I am envisioning a large wood kiln with a community of potters who fire it together. I see communal firings and meals, unloading parties, live music and events, classes and workshops; a new beautiful cultural hub in the Berkshires! I haven’t found the place yet, but I am currently working toward manifesting it. It is coming to me, I can feel it!

How do you achieve the rich and abstract, natural and earthy glazing effects and surfaces on your work?

HL: This question gets to the foundation of my work. As I mentioned before, when I fire a wood kiln, the work is exposed to several days of burning wood at extremely hot temperatures. Over the course of the firing, the flames rush through and around all of the pots in the kiln which have been carefully placed with the imagined path of the fire in mind. At high temperatures, the surfaces of the work in the kiln become receptive to the volatile minerals, burning gasses, and melting wood ash that are swirling around within the kiln’s chamber along the flame’s path. The pots become imprinted with the path of the flame, creating oneof-a-kind marks and surfaces that tell you the story of the particular firing and how the pot was placed within the kiln. Important aesthetic considerations include clay choice, wood choice, placement of work in the kiln, duration of firing, style of firing, temperature of firing, and style of cooling. Making intentional choices in all of those areas result in circumstances that set us up for these types of incomparably rich and enigmatic effects. tions are imbued with the spirit of place. Some do so through forms that serve a particular placebased function. Some achieve it by showcasing a particular place’s unique geological boons through thoughtful use of local materials. Some communicate with words, letting you know where, how, why, or by whom they were made. These are ways potters have been serving and creating culture over the millennia. American-made jugs and other crockery were often stamped with their place of origin. On this large jug, I wrote in cobalt script the kiln in which it was to be fired; the “OkiDoki Anagama”. A little slice of history.

Can you jump into one body of work you have produced and tell us about it, please?

HL: Recently I have been really into jugs. I’ve visited the jug now and again on my journey, and have always found it to be exceedingly difficult to nail down. It is an ostensibly simple form (aren’t they all), but when you really get down to it, there is so much to unpack. Jugs used to be a common household object. They were what you stored your liquids in; beer, water, milk, oils, wines... Strictly functional and built to last, with extra-thick handles and rounded, chip-resistant edges. Nowadays the jug is just about eradicated from our daily lives. The closest things being your plastic gallon of milk, or your factory-made glass craft beer growler.

Jugs lost their elegant and full bellies to the demands of capitalism and industrialization. You can fit more straight-walled bottles together in a box (and a kiln) than you can bottles with voluptuous curves.

I also love the way in which many pottery tradiContinued on next page...

What are you experiencing as far as showing your work to the public? Have you been a strong promoter of your work and find that you are receiving recognition and positive feedback? Being a functional art form, you must get many orders from people.

HL: I’ve always felt a bit squeamish when it comes to promotion and sales. It pains me to conceive of myself as just another addition to the modern human’s daily deluge of content and adverts. I try to be selective about the way that I show my work and offer it to the public. Over the years I’ve built a loyal base of collectors across the country and abroad, who eagerly await the few times in a year that I contact them through my email list to announce the availability of new work. I’m endlessly grateful to those folks who have supported me and continue to do so in that way. It makes my day when I get a sweet message from someone letting me know how their “Harry pot” is making a positive impact on their day-today lives and experience. I am open to taking orders, but tend to prioritize making the work that excites me personally first.

You have been writing about artists. Are the literary arts also a primary part of your artistic life? Everything I have read that you wrote has been done well and engaging, informative and clever. Can you tell us about one of those artists and why you selected to write about them?

HL: Thank you, Harryet! Yes, I do enjoy writing, and often feel more comfortable on the page than I do out loud. In the most recent piece that I wrote for the Studio Potter Journal entitled, An Unconventional Life, I highlight a midwestern woodfire potter whom I’ve admired for a very long time and had the opportunity to get to know when I was living in Wisconsin and Illinois. Linda Christianson is one of those genuine, salt of-the-earth Minnesotans whose work-ethic, grit, and dedication are matched only by her humility, kindness and generosity. The piece was about how difficult it is to make a living as a woodfire potter, the myth of rugged American individualism, and how hard work and grit must be paired with cleverness and unconventionality to create the strange brew of a successful career in woodfiring. It’s a piece of writing that I’m quite proud of, and I hope your readers might like to check it out!

Are you following trends in today’s world of ceramic art?

HL: I do try to stay somewhat in tune with the state of the field of ceramic arts. Ceramics and pottery in general seem to be trending at the moment. More and more I am seeing and hearing references to pottery in pop culture. I think that’s wonderful! Many contemporary ceramic artists are breaking those “rules” that we spoke of earlier in order to bring their ideas and experiences to life. There was recently an incredible show at Mass MoCa entitled Ceramics in the Expanded Field, featuring 8 artists who use clay in ways that challenge the traditions of the field. There were larger-than-life figure sculptures, ceramic furniture, and enormous abstract sculptures hung from the ceiling with steel cables. The work was no doubt very impressive. Admittedly, however, my main interest remains on the humble functional pot and the important place it holds in our lives, as well as the unending challenges and explorations involved in firing them with wood. A worrisome trend that I have been observing in the last few years has to do with our culture’s increasing addiction to screens. I’m noticing a shift toward image-based work that is made to look good on camera by way of instagram or online gallery shows, but sadly leaves the intimate aspect of touch and use to afterthought. My friend Jack put it poetically in an email when he said, “...the haptic is necessarily negated in an online show. Texture - the weighty presence of things - is needed to confirm the eye’s susceptibility to allurement, if such a word there is.” It is so important to me that my work be experienced physically and in person. There is no photo that will ever do it justice.

Readers wish to hear what one of your favorite phrases, sayings or parts of songs you love are, and what they mean to you.

HL: There is a quote that I often find myself coming back to. It was said by the Portuguese Nobel Prize winner, Jose Saramago. It is very short. It goes, “Chaos is order yet undeciphered.” For me this quotation is filled with wonder, awe, and hope; a reassurance that just because we don’t understand something, or can’t put it in a box using a name or a label, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have purpose or validity. It acknowledges the limits of human intelligence and modes of perception, and with that brings humility. I think of this quote in the microcosms of my work, and also on a broader socio-political level. There is a hint of faith, and trust in process; a letting go that can feel both scary and liberating at once.

What are three most important things you would put on a wish list?

HL: The tippy top of my selfish wishlist is a beau- tiful and affordable piece of property that would provide me the space to set up my dream studio and wood kiln here in the Berkshires (or somewhere close by). Land, studio, kiln! www.hlpottery.com, instagram@harrison_lev gettincentered@gmail.com

If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would that be and what would you be doing?

HL: Right now my mind goes straight to big mountains and warm beaches. I could be back in Red Lodge, MT riding fresh, light powder with my buddies, or somewhere in Baja or Southeast Asia soaking up the warm sun, surfing, and eating fresh fish on the beach. Sounds like this guy wants a vacation!

Thank you, Harrison!

Marguerite Bride Commissions

Is there is a significant occasion in your future….a family wedding, a special anniversary, graduation, retirement? A commissioned painting of that memorable setting is a treasured gift….one that will bring back cherished memories and last a lifetime. I am now accepting commissions to paint your special scene.

Here in the Berkshires, we have so many stunning sites for weddings and other memorable events, from rustic farm settings to glorious mansions and everything in between. An unusual guest book idea is to have the painting of the scene done ahead of time and have it on display at the reception for guests to sign the mat surrounding the painting. I have also painted scenes of college campuses for new graduates and a very special painting of “where he proposed”.

Visit the page on my website (under “Commissions”) to see many examples. I love painting cherished memories. A custom watercolor painting of a wedding venue, a home or other special location is always a thoughtful gift for any occasion.

Or, are you interested in a Berkshire original or reproduction? My website has my full portfolio of images available. Visit and be in touch.

Marguerite Bride – Home Studio in Pittsfield, Massachusetts by appointment only. Call 413841-1659 or 413-442-7718; margebride-paintings.com; margebride@aol.com; Facebook: Marguerite Bride Watercolors.

Berkshire Digital

Since opening in 2005, Berkshire Digital has done fine art printing for artists and photographers. Giclée prints can be made in many different sizes from 5”x7” to 42” x 80” on a variety of archival paper choices. Berkshire Digital was featured in PDN magazine in an article about fine art printing. See the entire article on the BerkshireDigital.com website.

Berkshire Digital does accurate hi-res photoreproductions of paintings and illustrations that can be used for Giclée prints, books, magazines, brochures, cards and websites.

“Fred Collins couldn’t have been more professional or more enjoyable to work with. He did a beautiful job in photographing paintings carefully, efficiently, and so accurately. It’s such a great feeling to know I have these beautiful, useful files on hand anytime I need them. I wish I’d called Fred years ago.” - Ann Getsinger

We also offer restoration and repair of damaged or faded photographs. A complete overview of services offered, along with pricing, can be seen on the web at BerkshireDigital.com

The owner, Fred Collins, has been a commercial and fine art photographer for over 30 years having had studios in Boston, Stamford and the Berkshires. He offers over 25 years of experience with Photoshop, enabling retouching, restoration and enhancement to prints and digital files.

The studio is located in Mt. Washington, but drop-off and pick-up is available through Frames On Wheels, 84 Railroad Street in Great Barrington, MA (413) 528-0997 and Gilded Moon Framing, 17 John Street in Millerton, NY (518) 789-3428.

Berkshire Digital - 413 644-9663, www.BerkshireDigital.com

Paradise City Arts Festival Memorial Day Weekend

It’s Springtime in Paradise! The best way to spend some of your holiday weekend is in Northampton, the cultural heart of New England, at one of America’s most spectacular fairs of fine craft, painting and sculpture. The Paradise City Arts Festival (literally) rolls out the carpet for this season’s splendidly curated collection of hundreds of artists and fine craft makers, coming from every corner of the country. It’s three great days of astounding visual arts, eye-popping design, scrumptious food and, of course, great fun!

The Festival is held inside three carpeted, airy new buildings connected by covered walkways, keeping patrons comfortable and protected, rain or shine. The 12,000 square-foot Dining Tent commands a grassy lawn surrounded by outdoor sculpture. With scores of brand-new artists, sensational food by local chefs, a craft cocktail bar and the eye-popping exhibit “With Flying Colors!”, attendees are kept entertained, enthralled and well fed all weekend long.

The Silent Art Auction benefits the International Language Institute of Massachusetts (ILI). They provide free English classes for new arrivals from all over the world so they can utilize their skills in this country and successfully integrate into the local community.

Paradise City keeps its visitors’ hands, eyes and brains busy. Stephen Procter of Brattleboro, Vermont is an acclaimed teacher, and his demonstrations of throwing enormous ceramic vessels is something to see! Alan and Rosemary Bennett, known for their life-sized, realistic renditions of fish and sea creatures, lead very popular clay sculpture workshops for children (and the young at heart). Plus, the changing installations and large-scale sculpture along the Sculpture Promenade are catnip for kids, Instagram heaven and full of fantastic decorating ideas for the attendees’ own gardens.

Paradise City Arts Festival, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, May 27, 28 & 29, at Northampton’s 3 County Fairgrounds, on Old Ferry Road off Rt. 9. For complete show and travel information, advance online tickets and discount admission coupons, visit www.paradisecityarts.com

RUBY AVER

Ruby Aver 413 854 7007

Housatonic Studio open by appointment rdaver2@gmail.com

Instagram and Facebook

“It’s up to you to decide who my ladies are and what they are thinking. They only came to me with the first stroke of a brush and a little paint. I don’t know their stories or where they hale from. I only know that they now exist, and some will love them, and some will not. Such is the life of a woman.”

-Mary Ann Yarmosky

For Rick Costello, Berkshire astronomer, the sky is limitless. Rick is enthusiastic and generous about sharing his life-long passion for learning about the universe. All year round, on clear nights, he sets up his telescope at various locations throughout the county and invites anyone interested to stargaze with him.

With loving attention to detail and accuracy, Rick also paints celestial images. The Connector Gallery at Kimball Farms is honored to offer twelve of his paintings in its upcoming show; The Sky’s the Limit, opening on May 20 from 2-4 pm.

The Connector Gallery, literally connecting two wings of Kimball Farms, hopes with this show to connect viewers with the heavens.

As well as Rick’s paintings, there will be sweeping vistas in the lush paintings of Ghetta Hirsch, heavenly moments captured in Lonny Jarrett’s photography, and the beautifully uplifting, thought-provoking World Views of Richard Alan Cohen.

Joel Hotchkiss’s original mobiles delight, and the elusive and popular, sometimes Berkshire artist Jill Johnson, flies in with spectacularly colorful birds!

Grounding us in granite are six lovely sculptures by Binney Meigs, three of them newly installed on the grounds of Kimball Farms.

Be prepared to be enthralled, uplifted, and delighted.

Kimball Farms Life Care Continuing Care Retirement Community is the only Life Care community in Western Massachusetts. Based in Lenox, Kimball Farms includes Independent Living, Assisted Living, the Life Enrichment Memory Care Program, and the Kimball Farms Nursing Care Center. Kimball Farms is owned by Integritus Healthcare, a leader among not-forprofit, post-acute care organizations in Massachusetts.

Integritus Healthcare (IHC) (www.integritushealthcare.org) is a national leader among notfor-profit, post-acute care organizations in Massachusetts. IHC operates 14 skilled nursing facilities in Berkshire County, the Pioneer Valley, the North Shore, South Shore and Cape Cod; Kimball Farms Life Care in Lenox; Linda Manor Assisted Living in Northampton; Day Brook Village Senior Living in Holyoke; East Longmeadow Memory Care Assisted Living and HospiceCare in The Berkshires as well as Pioneer Valley Hospice & Palliative Care (Greenfield) for those with life-limiting illnesses. For more information, visit www.kimballfarms.org

The Connector Gallery at Kimball Farms235 Walker St, Lenox, Massachusetts. Come by to see the art! Close to downtown Lenox; easy parking; lovely grounds, inspirational art perfect for our Berkshires springtime!

Sean Hutcheon Photography

I’m a fine art and product photographer based in the Hudson Valley and New York City, NY.

My imagery stems from a background in filmmaking, writing, and music. I got my start in early 2000 and have numerous awards for my short films, and my photography has been showcased in numerous group and solo shows throughout the years.

In 2005, I relocated from Bucks County, PA, to NYC, where I have thrived in the photo industry as a product and on-figure photographer for numerous clients such as Amazon Fashion, Tumi Luggage, New York and Company, Bloomingdales, Macy’s, Target, Ralph Lauren, Fairway Markets and Labucq.

At the end of 2021, I started a new venture as a fine art and furniture photographer who has shot a variety of mediums for Christie’s in NYC, Stair Galleries, and Naga Antiques in Hudson, NY.

In my spare time, I enjoy working on photography, playing guitar, spending time at my house with my partner, and going on hikes with my Border Collie.

Please contact me directly for projects or to inquire about purchasing my work.

Sean Hutcheon - sean.hutcheon@gmail.com

The Magic Fluke

The Magic Fluke Company designs and builds innovative musical instruments in the Berkshires. Dedicated to our community using locally sourced materials whenever possible, our agents are engineered with modern methods and materials for quality sound, playability, and legendary durability.

In addition to our renowned Fluke, Flea, and Firefly ukuleles and banjos, we offer four or fivestring acoustic/electric travel fiddle, mandolin, and five-string banjo. Customized top printing, laser engraving, and repairs of most stringed instruments are available. We’ve recently added experienced violinist Nora Carvalho for violin setups, repairs, and lessons. Local jazz guitarist Michael Junkins is also on staff for all expert guitar setups and repair.

The Magic Fluke - 413-229-8536 - Factory and showroom on Rt. 7, Sheffield. Hours: M-F, 9 to 4:30, or call for an appointment.

FRONT ST. GALLERY

Pastels, oils, acrylics, and watercolors…abstract and representational…..landscapes, still lifes and portraits….a unique variety of painting techniques 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 10-1:30 pm 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 are welcome. Personal critiques are available.

Classes at Front Street are for those wishing to learn, those who want to be involved in the pure enjoyment of art, and those with some experience.

Front Street, Housatonic, MA. Gallery open by appointment or chance anytime. 413-5289546 at home or 413-429-7141 (cell) www.kateknappartist.com

MARY ANN YARMOSKY NOW SHOWING PAINTINGS AT DOTTIE’S CAFE IN PITTSFIELD MA

We long for a way to be heard from the moment we are born. For some, words suffice; for others, there needs to be a deeper form of expression.

That is how artists are born. Where one might send their message through an instrument in the form of music, another might write poetry or prose. Still, others speak in something more tangible through painting, photography, pottery, or sculpting. Words only bring us so far…art is the language of longing…a longing never fulfilled.

I have always found expression through art. At age five, I began speaking through the piano that sat waiting expectantly in our den, an instrument that brought me peace throughout the years. Later I took to creating through fashion design, dreaming up and constructing costumes for the Boston Opera Company and outfits for the fashionable elite of Newport, Rhode Island. From there, my path took many twists and turns as I lived as a wife, mother, caretaker, and professional career.

When my youngest son passed away unexpectedly several years ago, my longing to be heard returned with a vengeance. Words did not suffice. There are no words to express grief and hope for what is lost. On that journey of anguish, I met other women who had or were experiencing their style of pain. I marveled at their resilience and ability to go on despite different types of loss or simply dealing with the uphill complexities of life’s challenges. I began to recover my voice through paint and a bit of canvas, but it was not just my voice. The women I create in paint are a composite of the many amazing women I have met and continue to meet. I paint their humor, joy, hidden heartbreak, and longing. These women do not exist except on canvas, and their stories are yours to imagine. Hear them.

Mary Ann Yarmosky-maryannyarmoskyart.com

Carolyn Newberger

Watercolor painting, mixed media, and a practice of drawing from life form the body of Carolyn Newberger’s work, with an emphasis on human connections and experience.

An avid and award-winning artist in her youth, Carolyn returned to art after an academic career in psychology at Harvard Medical School. Her work has received many awards, including from the Danforth Museum of Art, the Cambridge Art Association, Watercolor Magazine, and the New England Watercolor Society, of which she is a signature member.

Many of Carolyn’s performance drawings and plein air paintings accompany reviews and essays she writes, often in collaboration with her husband, Eli, for “The Berkshire Edge,” a publication of news, arts and ideas in Western Massachusetts.

Carolyn Newberger -617-877-5672 www.carolynnewberger.com cnewberger@me.com

Mark Mellinger

Practicing art for 60 years and psychoanalysis for 40, Dr. Mark Mellinger’s careers concern what can be spoken of and what transcends language. In painting, collage and constructions of wood and iron he is drawn to the physicality of materials.

Avoiding predictability of style, Mellinger explores the possibilities of matter and media. Our lives and our world are transient. We must seek meaning in truth, creativity and connectedness.

Mark V. Mellinger, Ph.D.-

71 S Church St, Pittsfield MA / 914 260-7413