The artful mind july 2017

THE ARTFUL MIND THE SOURCE FOR PROMOTING the ARTS in the Berkshires SINCE 1994 INTERVIEWS & INSPIRATION

JULY 2017

LINDA BAKER-CIMINI, ARTIST PHOTOGRAPHY BY LEE EVERETT

RUTH KOLBERT

Three Brothers Oil on Canvas

28” x 38”

“When first meeting Ben, Josh and Sam, I didn’t know they were brothers.

Each so different from the other. After meeting their parents (Phyllis and Dale Webb, owners of the MAGIC FLUKE) I didn’t see the resemblances, either.

This was a challenge! I asked if I can paint them together.

After doing several drawings - and a few individual photos for refererence I tackled the painting, alone in my studio.

They not only revealed themselves as brothers, brushstroke after brushstroke, but also as to which parents they resembled.

Amazing what happens between the brain, the arm and the brush!”

-Ruth Kolbert

I welcome Commissions rkolbert4778@gmail.com • 413-229-0380 Studio Visits by Appointment

EDWARD ACKER PHOTOGRAPHER

Time Flies D Get Pictures EdwardAckerPhotographer.com 413-446-8348

BARBARA DONCASTER

THE ARTFUL MIND ARTZINE JULY 2017 Work hard... Play hard

WALTER J. PASKO Interview...H. Candee ...10

LINDA BAKER-CIMINI Interview...H. Candee ... 20 Photography by Lee Everett

DON JORDAN Nutshell Playhouse Interview...H. Candee ...34

PETER SCHOEFFER

Interview...H. Candee ...34

FICTION: Berkshires Sampler Richard Britell ...46 Grandma Becky’s Recipes

Laura Pian ...47

Paintin’ the Town by Natalie Tyler ....51

WATERMEDIA Studio/Gallery

Contributing Writers and Monthly Columnists Richard Britell, Laura Pian, Natalie Tyler

by Chance or Appointment

Editorial Proofreading Kris Galli

“a working studio” (cell) 561-632-2017 413-528-2120

345 State Road Great Barrington, Massachusetts

www.barbaradoncaster.com

2 • JULY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND

Photographers Edward Acker, Lee Everett, Jane Feldman Sabine von Falken, Alison Wedd Publisher Harryet Candee

Copy Editor

Marguerite Bride

Advertising and Graphic Design Harryet Candee

artfulmind@yahoo.com Quote Meister Bruce MacDonald

413 854 4400 ALL MATERIAL due the 5th of the month prior to publication

FYI: ©Copyright laws in effect throughout The Artful Mind for logo & all graphics including text material.

Copyright laws for photographers and writers throughout The Artful Mind. Permission to reprint is required in all instances. In any case the issue does not appear on the stands as planned due to unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, advertisers will be compensated on a one to one basis.

SUMMER BEGINS JULY 2017 ART ORCHESTRATING ELEGANCE ALMA-TADEMA AND DESIGN Through September 4

510 WARREN STREET GALLERY 510 WARREN STREET, HUDSON, NY 518-822-0510 510warrenstreetgallery@gmail.com / 510warrenstreetgallery.com Kate Knapp: “Flowers” June 30 – July 30, 2017 (Friday & Saturday, 12 - 6, Sunday 12 - 5 or by app)

DEB KOFFMAN’S ARTSPACE 137 FRONT ST, HOUSATONIC, MA • 413-274-1201 Sat: 10:30-12:45 class meets. No experience in drawing necessary, just a willingness to look deeply and watch your mind. This class is conducted in silence. Adult class. $10, please & call to register.

CHESTERWOOD 4 WILLIAMSVILLE RD, STOCKBRIDGE, MA The country home, studio, and gardens of America’s foremost public sculptor, Daniel Chester French. Open to the public and a gift for all to see this season.

DIANA FELBER GALLERY 6 HARRIS ST., WEST STOCKBRIDGE, MA 413-854-7002dianafelbergallery.com summer show runs June 17 – July 30. (Open 11-6pm, closed Tues.)

ARGAZZI ART 22 MILLERTON RD, LAKEVILLE, CT argazziart.com Ongoing exhibit

CLAIRE TEAGUE SENIOR CENTER 917 SOUTH MAIN ST., GT. BARRINGTON, MA 413-528-l881 See the newly rehung permanent collection. Eunice Agar paintings. Regular Hours: Monday- Friday, 8:00 AM 3:30pm CLARK ART INSTITUTE 225 SOUTH ST, WILLIAMSTOWN, MA

DENISE B CHANDLER FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY & PHOTO ART 413-637-2344 or 413-281-8461 (leave message) *Lenox home studio & gallery appointments available. *Exhibiting and represented by Sohn Fine Art, Lenox, MA.

FRONT STREET GALLERY 129 FRONT ST, HOUSATONIC, MA • 413-274-6607 Kate Knapp oils and watercolors and classes open to all.

GOOD PURPOSE GALLERY 40 MAIN STREET, LEE, MA • 413-394-5045 Oil and Water -- Do mix! Marguerite BRide and Karen Jacobs, thru Aug 7

JOHN DAVIS GALLERY 362 1/2 WARREN ST, HUDSON, NY • 518-828-5907 art@johndavisgallery.com

LAUREN CLARK FINE ART 325 STOCKBRIDGE RD, GT. BARRINGTON MA 413-528-0432 Lauren@LaurenClarkFineArt.com www.LaurenClarkFineArt.com NOCA in the Berkshires, glass art work thru Aug 20; Portraits and Figures: Joan Barber, Richard Britell, Kris Galli and Terry Wise. Thru Aug 6.

L’ATELIER BERKSHIRES 597 MAIN STREET, GREAT BARRINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS www.atelierberks.com. • 510-469-5468 natalie.tyler@atelierberks.com “FADING FAUNA” Exhibition Our wildlife today faces many dangers as their habitats disappear, climates change, animals are trafficked and poached. Exhibition runs thru July 26

LISA VOLLMER PHOTOGRAPHY NEW STUDIO + GALLERY 325 STOCKBRIDGE ROAD, GT. BARRINGTON 413-429-6511 / www.lisavollmer.com The Studio specializes in portrait, event, editorial and commercial photography : by appointment. The Gallery represents Sabine Vollmer von Falken, Thatcher Hullerman Cook, Carolina Palermo Schulze and Tom Zetterstrom. (Open daily from 11-4pm closed on Wednesdays)

MASS MoCA 1040 MASSMOCA WAY, NORTH ADAMS, MA 413-662-2111 Chris Domenick: 50 Days. On view now.

MARGUERITE BRIDE HOME STUDIO AT 46 GLORY DRIVE, PITTSFIELD, MA 413- 841-1659 or 413-442-7718 MARGEBRIDE-PAINTINGS.COM FB: MARGUERITE BRIDE WATERCOLORS Original watercolors, house portraits, commissions, fine art reproductions. Seasonal scenes always on exhibit at Crowne Plaza, Pittsfield; Studio visits by appt. Opening on June 30 and running until August 7 --- Oil and Water DO MIX! At the Good Purpose Gallery, 40 Main Street in Lee, Mass. Friday, July 14, Bride will be doing a painting demo from 10 am – 2 pm at the Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio, at 92 Hawthorne St, Lenox, Mass. She will be painting under a tent on the grounds of this stunning museum...come sit for a while, get a freebie water color lesson and demo. July 29-30, as most years, she will have a booth at the Church on the Hill Juried Fine Art and Craft Show at Lilac Park, Main Street, Lenox, Mass. This show happens rain or shine (usually rain), free admission, ample parking. Hours are Saturday 10am - 5pm, Sunday 10am - 4pm.

NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUM 9 GLENDALE RD, STOCKBRIDGE, MA 413-298-4100 Reinventing America: Rockwell and Warhol, thru Oct 29 NEW MARLBOROUGH MEETING HOUSE GALLERY ROUTE 57 IN NEW MARLBOROUGH, MA A Child’s World - June 24 – July 23

4 • JULY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND

R&F HANDMADE PAINTS 84 TEN BROECK AVENUE, IN MID-TOWN, KINGSTON, NY

845-331-3112 Encaustic paints and supplies, gallery

SAINT FRANCIS GALLERY SOUTH LEE, MA Robert Forte’s work can be seen at he St. Francis Gallery thru July 31

SCHANTZ GALLERIES 3 ELM ST, STOCKBRIDGE, MA • 413-298-3044 schantzgalleries.com A destination for those seeking premier artists working in glass

SCULPTURENOW: GUIDED TOUR OF EXHIBIT THE MOUNT, LENOX Sun 1:30 PM

SOHN FINE ART GALLERY, PRINTING, FRAMING & WORKSHOPS 69 CHURCH STREET, LENOX MA • 413-551-7353 Contemporary photography by local and international artists. We also offer photographic services, archival pigment printing and framing services.

THE RIVER ART PROJECT STOCKBRIDGE STATION, 2 DEPOT ROAD, STOCKBRIDGE, MA 413-298-5163 www.riverartproject.com Up through September 4, 2017. Housatonic Valley Association Presentations: July 19, 6-7:30 pm; August 9, 6-7:30 pm. Housatonic River Initiative Presentation: August 16, 6-7 pm. Gallery Hours: Open Thursday – Sunday 10:30 – 5:00 or by appointment

VAULT GALLERY 322 MAIN ST, GT. BARRINGTON, MA • 413-644-0221 Marilyn Kalish at work and process on view, beautiful gallery with a wonderful collection of paintings

WILLIAMS COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART 15 LAWRENCE HALL DR #2, WILLIAMSTOWN, MA 413-597-2429 Lex and Love: Meleko Mokgosi, thru 9/17. In two new chapters in his Democratic Intuition project Meleko Mokgosi (Botswana, b. 1981) Williams ’07, investigates the irresolvable contradiction that is democracy. Presented together for the first time at WCMA, Lex and Love consider the daily experiences of diverse populations who occupy southern Africa.

EVENTS

BERKSHIRES ARTS & CULTURE FESTIVAL AUGUST 17-20 www.berkshiresartsfestival.com/#sthash.uloipj1K.dpuf Now in its 16th year, the Berkshires Arts Festival is recognized nationally as one of the most respected annual summer art events in the country. The festival is rated by the Berkshires Visitors Bureau as one of the top ten "Hot Spots" in Western Massand is highly recommended as one of THE places to go for family get-togethers. With its relaxed atmosphere, great food, fantastic art & fine crafts, there are plenty of things for the entire family to enjoy.

MUSIC

ASTON MAGNA astonmagna.org or 888-492-1283 Aston Magna performs Thursdays at Brandeis University, and on Fridays at Bard College, through July 8; Brandeis and Great Barrington thru July 22

BASCOM LODGE MT. GREYLOCK STATE RESERVATION, WILLIAMSTOWN, MA 413-743-1591

BERKSHIRE BASH 3 live summer music festivals in Great Barrington on the grounds of Ski Butternut: Berkshire Beatles Bash on Saturday July 8; Berkshire Blues Bash on Saturday July 29 and Berkshire Hot Summer Swing on Saturday, August 26.

The day long events include a line-up of live music featuring national and local performers including Classical Mystery Tour July 8, Roomful of Blues July 29, Squirrel Nut Zippers August 26 and more bands, musicians, food vendors, and summer fun. Tickets for the Berkshire Bash series range from $100 for VIP Package (limited quantity) with access to artists, $35 adults in advance, children 12 and under are free. www.berkshire bash.com.

CLUB HELSINKI HUDSON 405 COLUMBIA ST., HUDSON, NY Club Helsinki Hudson • 518-828-4800 Suzanne Vega: Aug 11, 9 pm show. Please go to website for complete schedule.

MASS MoCA NORTH ADAMS, MA Jul 15: Mad Max with live score by Morricone Youth Sat 8:30 PM

THEATRE

PROCTORS 432 STATE ST. , SCHENECTADY, NY The Color Purple, Oct 7-14

SHAKESPEARE & COMPANY 70 KEMBLE STREET, LENOX MA 4000 Miles, by Amy Herzog, starts May 25-July 16

WORKSHOPS

IS183 ART SCHOOL OF THE BERKSHIRES

13 WILLARD HILL ROAD, STOCKBRIDGE, MA 413-298-5252 x100 is183.org A great selection of art classes in all mediums this summer.

Start planning by checking out the schedule available on line now!

R&F HANDMADE PAINTS 84 TEN BROEK AVE, KINGSTON, NY 800-206-8088 Pigment Stick Fundamentals: Served with a Side of Experimentation: Wednesday Aug 23 - Fri Aug 25. Cost: $400.00

artfulmind@yahoo.com

BERKSHIRE THEATRE GROUP THE GARAGE 11 SOUTH ST, PITTSFIELD, MA Berkshire Theatre Group announces a brand new series, the $10 Music Garage. This series is devoted to presenting emerging musicians and regional talent.

ISSUU.COM

SUMMER SHOW JUnE 17 — JUly 30

DAVID LOEB, BOUQUET WITH RED ONIONS

Other artists include: Ali Moshiri and Anne Servanton-Loeb 6 HARRIS ST., WEST STOCKBRIDGE, MA 413-232-7007

Beginning in May, hours will be "open daily except Tuesdays", 11am - 6 pm

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2017 • 5

Kris Galli

A Short break

Oil on canvas, 36x36

krisgallifineart.com

FRONT ST. GALLERY

Kate Knapp

Painting classes on Monday and Wednesday mornings 10-1pm at the studio in Housatonic and Thursday mornings 10am - 1pm out in the field.

Also available for private critiques. Open to all. Please come paint with us!

510 Warren Street Gallery presents “The Flowers” Come pick a bouquet that will last forever!

Paintings by Kate Knapp • June 30 July 30, 2017

gallery hours: open by chance and by appointment anytime 413. 274. 6607 (gallery) 413. 429. 7141 (cell) 413. 528. 9546 (home) Front Street, Housatonic, MA

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2017 • 7

Mary Carol Rudin

"The Lady's Back, Red", oil on canvas, 18x24

Signed, limited edition, GiclĂŠe prints available

View Mary Carol’s website for paintings on people, still life, landscapes, skyscapes, abstract and more...

www.mcrudin.com

marycarolrudin@earthlink.net

Studio Visits by Appointment: 970-275-1525

ANGELA MANNO

HAYFIELD, ST. PANTALÉON, PROVENCE ANGELA MANNO. ENCAUSTIC AND OIL ON PANEL, 28” X 36"

ART STUDIO, NEW LEBANON, NY

amanno@angelamanno.com

www.angelamanno.com

ALI MOSHIRI

DIANA FELBER GALLERY SUMMER SHOW

At the Diana Felber Gallery this summer there will be new and old friends showing their artistry. Our summer show runs June 17 – July 30.

Murray Hochman will show 3 new pieces, with their glimmering, exquisite abstraction. Ali Moshiri brings his sumptuous abstracts; rich in color and delight.

The gallery is blessed to have a French couple – the Loebs - well almost French – they live outside of Paris, and they are both talented: David paints landscapes and still lifes, and Anne creates gorgeous, elegant ceramics.

Jorge Silveira will delight you with his fanciful portraits, and Lorraine Klagsbrun is returning with more collages.

Diana Felber Gallery - 6 Harris St., West Stockbridge, Massachusetts; 413-232-7007. Beginning in May, hours will be "open daily except Tuesdays", 11am - 6 pm.

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2017• 9

WALTER PASKO

Harryet Candee: Firstly, I am deeply sorry for the passing of Anne, your beloved wife for over 50 years. She certainly left behind a legacy filled with art making and scores of various activities that helped the artist community as well as general public and colleagues. What do you believe she would like to be remembered for mostly? Were there many unfinished projects that she was heading towards accomplishing?

Walter J. Pasko: Anne was a person who could organize any life event that she believed would benefit the community. She mentored the women in her picture framing business; created the Pittsfield Garden tour Committee with her friend Sue Langman; promoted the betterment of the city of Pittsfield through participation in the Chamber of Commerce, the United Way Organization, Pittsfield Artscape and 10 • JULY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND

INTERVIEW BY HARRYET CANDEE

fund drives for the Lanesborough elementary school.

Because of her medical condition she gave up volunteering as a teachers aid at the local school. She also resigned from the Lanesborough Tree Committee that over sees the maintenance of trees along town property. She was unable to complete the process of procuring a new sculpture with the remaining money from the Pittsfield Garden tour proceeds.

All these years working side by side as artists together must have been one of the ways the two of you bonded. Did you ever critique each other’s work?

Walter: Anne was an abstract artist working intuitively in her studio while I painted representational landscape paintings on location in all seasons. However we both understood the importance of good de-

sign in the form of color harmony, arrangement of shapes and colors, etc. We helped each other in all phases of our art, this includes critiquing each others work, hanging shows, traveling to plein air art events, one and two person shows. We supported each other’s interests in all our activities involving work, learning, travel, social, and community activities.

What can you say about Anne’s personality that was reflected in her mixed-media considering it is so different then your own art making?

Walter: Anne was a spiritual person, she was part of a women’s spiritual circle which recognized the importance of women’s issues, caring for the earth and our environment, support of community well being.

This part of her personality inspired many of her art pieces. Anne loved to experiment with new materials

WALTER J PASKO GLOUCESTER HARBOR OIL 20 X 24”

and techniques. She was always looking for new ways of incorporating these into her work. She attended a number of workshops hoping to uncover new techniques.

Can you briefly give us a peak into Anne’s background?

Walter: Anne was born in Cheshire, MA. and as a youth lived on a large farm in an extended family situation of grand parents, parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Concerned about her shyness, Anne’s mother convinced the Cheshire 4H youth organization to accept Anne at age seven, the youngest member at that time. Anne always credited 4H with instilling in her the confidence to create a successful life. One of her most memorable adventures in the 4H group involved a state-wide competition in demonstrating the preparation of food, a salad in her case. This event won her a place at the National Vegetable Growers Association competition in Springfield, Illinois, where she placed 12th out of 52.

Traveling alone on the train to the event, she sat next to a man who introduced himself with “I’m Burpee.”

That’s okay, she responded.” No, I’m Mr. Burpee from the Seed Company.” This lead to an invitation to visit and participate in an event at the Burpee company and thus, began her adventure of 74 years in life.

What is your background, Walter?

Walter: I was born in Chicopee, MA. After graduating high school I moved to Pittsfield MA 1955 to work and study in the General Electric Company Apprentice Tool Making program. We met in Pittsfield and married in 1962. Shortly there after we moved to Amherst, MA., where I attended engineering school at the University Of Massachusetts while Anne supported us by working at Amherst College as Assistant to the dean of admissions. Her reputation as a student advocate resulted in her being chosen as an honorary member of the graduating class of 1968, at the time an all male school.

Walter, in the past few years, how do you think art making was used as a therapeutic tool for Anne’s struggle with her illness?

Walter: Over the last year, she created a 10-piece group of painting called “Inside My Battle With Cancer” along with a framed written description of her inspiration for each piece. She donated the collection to the BHS cancer center in Pittsfield. It is install on the first floor if any one is interested to view it.

In Anne’s early artistic life, what were her interests?

Walter: Most of Anne’s life was dedicated to community service. One of her major achievements was the creating and running of the Pittsfield Garden Tour Committee which created an annual community event where private flower gardens (an art form) were opened to the public. Proceeds from the event were used to beautify Pittsfield. One major art accomplishment of this group was the purchase and Continued on next page...

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2017• 11

WALTER J PASKO CHESHIRE LAKE OIL 16 X 20”

12 • JULY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND

ANNE W PASKO THE RED SQUARE ACRYLIC 24 X 29”

ANNE W PASKO SEEING RED

MULTI MEDIA 20 X 28

installation of a very large sculpture called “Infinite Dance” in the Pittsfield public park called “The Common”.

Have you spent time with Anne seeking out oddities & objects for her mixed collage work?

Walter: In her travels Anne was always on the look out for unique objects, old books, and papers for inclusion in her collages. These either were man made or natural objects, the older the better, especially if they represented spiritual images.

What was most fun that the two of you experienced together?

Walter: The most memorable experience we had occurred after I finished engineering graduate school.

It was a 13,000 mile, 3 month trip across the United

States in an old six-hundred Dodge van which I adapted to function as a small but efficient sleep-in camper. We traveled west to Niagara Falls than to North Dakota, south to the Grand Canyon, west to California, north to Vancouver and Vancouver Island Canada, then back east through parts of Canada. We hiked and I painted in the National Parks.

One other favorite activity was to annually spend art vacations on Matinicus island, a remote island off the coast of Maine. We flew in with our gear in a small airplane onto a gravel runway, then walked a half mile to a rented cottage along the sea shore. We would hike to a different locations and I would paint all day while Anne would read books or search for interesting objects which may be found in some of her collage pieces. Later in life we switched our art vacations to a less remote location Monhegan Island

a favorite of many artists past and present. There we engaged in socializing with our neighbors, another group of artists from Rhode Island and Vermont.

After a day of painting we would gather for dinner and a critique of our days work.

How wonderful that must have been! If you were to compare your life to a film, or novel, that is totally relatable for you, what would it be, and why?

Walter: The Film I would select would be “The Magic of Belle Island” because it shows the loving relationship that develops between a retired has-been book author and a young person looking for a mentor to help with developing story writing skills. Both mentor and student benefited from their experiences.

This film is a change from usual violence common Continued on next page...

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2017 • 13

ANN W PASKO OUT OF THE BLUE MULTI MEDIA 16 X 19

WALTER J PASKO GREYLOCK OIL 16 X 20

14 • JULY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND

WALTER J PASKO MONHEGAN ISLAND OIL 16 X 20

on TV. It reminds me of what Anne thought was important in life.

Is it a constant challenge for you to find your way through a painting when light and shadowchange from each season in New England? What techniques have you discovered works well for and help to reach your goals in your paintings?

Walter: Every painting is a new challenge. Past successes are no guarantee of future success. The light is always changing and the most dramatic effects only last a short time, but with extensive experience I can remember that effect and will call on memory to extrapolate what I want. I condition my paint with a medium that allows the paint to flow freely and yet sets up quickly to allow over painting any number of time without developing muddy colors.

With regard to technique, I have developed a broad brush approach in which I thinly cover the whole canvas with the approximate color and value before I add more pigment in a series of adjustments

toward the final statement. I paint on rigid pressboard with a Gesso priming. This surface is fairly smooth allowing the paintbrush to glide over the surface and cover large areas quickly.

It is important to note most all my paintings are approximately 95 percent completed on location. The studio is the place to clean my equipment after finishing my day’s work on location. I may also touch up bare spots or passages the are not executed correctly due to poor lighting during the execution of the painting, for example, when the easel is located in deep shadow or when the foreground is glaring from sunlit snow making it difficult to see work surface which I always keep in shadow.

For winter painting I have several goose down head-to-toe outfits depending on how extreme the temperature is. I once painted in minus 30 degree F weather. In order to counter act the stiffening of the paint in cold weather I thin the piles of paint with solvent and oil before I leave the studio. I always carry a duffle bag of cold weather clothing my van

throughout the year because long periods of standing at the easel in the warmer months on cool windy days may be otherwise uncomfortable.

If you have indeed mastered color and light and all the other elements involved in making a good painting, what further challenges might you see having?

Walter: I have not mastered the process. Occasionally I produce work that is beyond my normal ability, thus I realize that continuous study and practice are still a necessary part my future efforts.

When did you start painting, Walter? How did you first approach art and consider it to be needed seriously in your life?

Walter: I became interested in landscape painting in graduate school when we traveled on vacation to the coastal resort towns of Massachusetts and Maine.

The paintings of Aldro Hibbard, Emile Gruppe, and Continued on next page...

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2017 • 15

others in Rockport, MA. and Gloucester, MA. have been very inspirational. Since Anne and I were both avid mountain and sea coast hikers the paintings by the plein air artists of Cape Anne deeply resonated with our love of nature. These paintings recreate the moods of nature we experience together and are exciting to look at.

Did you have a career outside of painting as you developed your artistic skills?

Walter: Yes, I worked as an engineer in the advance development section of the General Electric Company in Pittsfield. I painted on location most every weekend until I retired twenty years ago. During that time I belonged to several art associations and galleries.

What is most important for an artist’s training in order to create good art?

Walter: Good art to me can be either abstract or representational or in between as long as it is based on 16 • JULY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND

strong design factors including clear values and color patterns, harmonious and clean colors, a dominant focal area, and deliberate and confident paint application.

Since I have no formal academic training in art I found it helpful to study the work of other artists. It helps to take workshops with an instructor proficient in a style that you like. Many good books are available to learn from. My favorites are the classics: John F Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Painting, Edgar Payne’s Composition of Outdoor Painting, and Ralph Mayer’s The Artists Handbook of Materials and Techniques. I have a large book case filled with other art books that I collected and studied over many years.

What do you think of the art scene that has been progressively developing in Pittsfield?

Walter: Most of the work I see is non-representational produced in a studio environment. Some of the work is extremely well done while others are still

WALTER J PASKO ICE FISHING CHESHIRE LAKE #2

evolving. This is the natural progression one expects to see in such a diverse range of artists.

What is your primary drive for painting landscapes, Walter?

Walter: My primary drive to paint landscapes is the total experience of being on location, observing the dynamic changes in weather and lighting, and executing the painting with the anticipation of success.

However Success is not always achieved. Failures drive me to try again another day. The important part for me is being engaged in the process. A successful painting a bonus.

Were you much involved in Anne’s frame shop?

Walter: I had very little to do with the operation her picture frame shop. She alone started it as a do ityour-self frame shop and later switched to a standard frame shop. My only job was to fix the framing equipment when a problem occurred, and to frame my own paintings which were displayed in her store.

She did not start to create her own art pieces until she

ANNE (RIGHT) WITH COUSIN AT SARATOGA RACEWAY

retired from the framing business. Her 20 years of selling framed art and designing frames for her customers contributed to her sense of good picture design which she applied later to her own art work.

While she ran her framing business she dedicated her efforts to promoting the success of the Pittsfield down town community through participation in the chamber of commerce, the Berkshire United Way organization, The Pittsfield Art Scape organization, and the Legacy Bank board of directors.

Your paintings are beautiful, Walter. Who was your mentor?

Walter: While I was in engineering graduate school at the University of Mass I discovered art colonies

ANNE W PASKO ABSTRACT THOUGHT MULTI MEDIA 19 X 16

on Cape Ann and Cape Cod. This lead me to experimenting with plein Air oil painting in the manner of the Hudson River school. While looking for some painting instructions I found the artist Maurice Kennedy living in the Amherst area. He was an outstanding plein Air Painter working in the post impressionist manner and was connected to the artists on Cape Ann. He became my mentor and introduced me to the material, tools, and methods for outdoor painting on location. His methods and tool are so perfectly suited to my way of working that I still use the same setup today but with small hardware refinements resulting in my current equipment which is all home made in my machine shop.

Have you been a mentor yourself to someone yearning to learn about art?

Walter: I ran a few plein air workshops but have not done any mentoring.

As a wise man has thought: What would you say is your wisest thought you can share and we can uphold and feel is true?

Walter: Developing yourself as an artist is a life long journey. If you have the desire to succeed as an artist you should start early in life, set priorities, not wait for more leisure time later in life.

THANK YOU, Walter.

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2017• 17

JENNIFER PAZIENZA WORK IN PROGRESS, MAY 2017

Out Beyond Ideas Out beyond the ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I’ll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about.

Ideas, language, even the phrase each other doesn’t make any sense. Rumi

Work in progress, May 2017 pictured here (on the left) in my studio is the first of four canvases in a new series, the title of which is too early to know. What I do know is that Rumi’s words in Out Beyond Ideas speak to me in profound ways, perhaps even more so given the current political landscape.

While love and longing continue to be themes within my landscape work—feeling states I somehow recreate in paint on canvas that unconsciously rely in large part on memory and intuition—there is much about making and experiencing paintings that cannot be said. Words simply fall short, or worse get it wrong. The earth, air, light and life that surround the studio that surround me, grant endless possibilities for me to make sense of things, and I am ever grateful.

With little correspondence to literal patches of land, the images I make take shape in fields beyond knowing. They may begin with marks made about branch and brush, but their sensibility betrays colour and sound that emerge in the course of painting—in the dance between seeing and marking, marking and seeing—in paint on, paint off. Between ability and inability, knowledge and ignorance, somewhere out beyond ideas, beyond wrongdoing and rightdoing.

My work is held in Public and Corporate Collections in Canada and in numerous private collections throughout the US, Canada, the UK and Italy. Although my primary residence is in eastern Canada I regularly exhibit in the Berkshire area including St. Francis Gallery, Good Purpose Gallery, Diana Felber Gallery and 510 Warren Street Gallery. Designs

by Jennifer Owen, Great Barrington also represents my work. To learn more about my paintings, or for inquiries please visit my Website & Blog: http://jenniferpazienza.com/, or Email me: jennpazienza@gmail.com

Advertise in the August issue.

Be seen this summer!

Call for rates: 413 854 4400

artfulmind@yahoo.com

18 • JULY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND

PHOTOGRAPH BY SABINE VON FALKEN

STOCKBRIDGE TRAIN STATION THE RIVER ART PROJECT

We face a time when our efforts to protect the environment and our rivers is more important than ever and water and air are of prime concern. Artist and gallerist Jim Schantz has organized an art exhibition for this summer that will honor the river. The River Art Project is an exhibition that features several nationally recognized painters who work with the river as their subject matter including; Bart Elsbach, Mary Sipp Green, Stephen Hannock, Scott Prior, and Jim Schantz.

The central mission of this exhibition project is to raise awareness of the beauty and importance of the river environment and offer opportunities to educate on how we can protect this valuable resource. The exhibition includes an educational component to present programs with environmentalists who can speak about protecting our water and air, and offer ways to be proactive in this regard.

On Wednesday, July 19 from 6:00 – 7:30 pm Housatonic Valley Association’s Berkshire Outreach Manager, Alison Dixon, will give a presentation entitled “What is the Quality of Our Rivers?” which will highlight simple ways in which we can help to keep our lakes and rivers healthy. On Wednesday, August 9th from 6:00 – 7:30 pm Housatonic Valley Association’s Berkshire Director Dennis Regan will discuss his experiences and adventures from his 10 day 150 mile paddle from Hinsdale MA to the Long Island Sound. Tim Gray, Housatonic Riverkeeper, presents “An Introduction to the Housatonic River Initiative” on Wednesday, August 16 from 6:00 – 7:00 pm. Go to www.riverartproject.com/river-resources for more details on upcoming presentations and to listen to The River Art Project’s first River Presentation, President and Hudson Riverkeeper Paul Gallay’s “Who Doesn’t Want Clean Water?” Half of the net proceeds of the sale of each painting will be donated to these River organizations that are actively working to protect and preserve the Housatonic and Hudson Rivers.

The exhibition runs now through September 4, 2017 at the Stockbridge Station gallery space. The historic station was designed by architect Frank Waller. Built in 1893, it last served as an operating railroad station in 1960. The interior of the station has been slightly renovated to present the works with proper lighting and additional wall space.

The River Art Project, Now – September 4, 2017.Gallery Hours: Open Thursday – Sunday 10:30 – 5:00 or by appointment .Stockbridge Station, 2 Depot Road, Stockbridge, Massachusetts 01262 Tel: 413-298-5163 www.riverartproject.com

MARGUERITE BRIDE, WATCH HILL LIGHT, WATERCOLOR

MARGUERITE BRIDE SUMMER EXHIBITS

Marguerite Bride will be exhibiting at a number of venues during the summer months.

Oil and Water DO MIX! at the Good Purpose Gallery, 40 Main Street in Lee, Mass. is running until August 7. This is a duo exhibit including the oils of Karen Jacobs; this is the second time they have collaborated on a project. Bride’s new watercolors include New England and Berkshire scenes, farmlands, barns, seacoast, lighthouses and some incredible skies. Preview of new works on Bride’s website. Also see Goodpurpose.org for hours. Bride will also be doing some painting demos at the gallery, dates to be announced.

On Friday, July 14, Bride will be doing a painting demo from 10 am – 2 pm at the Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio, at 92 Hawthorne St, Lenox, Mass.

She will be painting under a tent on the grounds of this stunning museum...come sit for a while, get a freebie water color lesson and demo.

July 29-30, as most years, she will have a booth at the Church on the Hill Juried Fine Art and Craft Show at Lilac Park, Main Street, Lenox, Mass. This show happens rain or shine (usually rain), free admission, ample parking. Hours are Saturday 10am - 5pm, Sunday 10am - 4pm.

August too is a busy month…on Saturday, August 5, Bride will hold her 3rd annual Home Art Sale, front yard at 46 Glory Street, Pittsfield from 10am – 3pm (raindate August 6). Here you will find some older framed paintings, also prints (collographs), drawings, and lots of unframed originals.

August 19-20 --- Stockbridge Art Show - Main Street, Stockbridge, Mass. Juried fine art and craft show sponsored by the Stockbridge Chamber of Commerce. This is Bride’s 3rd year exhibiting in this show. Held rain or shine, free admission, ample parking. Hours: Saturday 10am - 5pm, Sunday 10am 4pm.

Anytime is a great time to commission a house portrait or favorite scene you would like captured in a watercolor. Paintings (or even a personalized gift certificate, then I work directly with the recipient) make a cherished and personal gift for weddings, retirement, new home, old home, anniversaries…..any occasion is special. Commission work is always welcome.

Marguerite Bride – Home Studio at 46 Glory Drive, Pittsfield, Massachusetts by appointment only.

Call 413-841-1659 or 413-442-7718; margebridepaintings.com; margebride@aol.com; Facebook: Marguerite Bride Watercolors

548 West 28th Street, New York, NY

www.ROBERTFORTE.COM

ATLANTIC GALLERY

Opening Reception July 13 • 5 - 8:30PM

JULY 11 THROUGH JULY 29

Resolution, oil on canvas, 18"x18"

ROBERT FORTE

Conflict, oil on canvas, 18"x18"

LINDA BAKER-CIMINI INTERVIEW BY HARRYET CANDEE

PHOTOGRAPHS OF ARTIST BY LEE EVERETT

Harryet Candee: Describe please for me what medium you use and how does this particular medium directly help you bring your thoughts with clarity and satisfaction on paper? I know your line art is very detailed, and I know using a rapidograph pen must be used, or similar?

Linda Baker-Cimini: For as long as I can remember I have been enthralled with line. When my gaze rests on a mountain range its silhouette travels through me.

A hawk might describe a lazy spiral above me. I feel the arc of its flight curve through my chest and my whole body experiences the ephemeral shape of flight. All of this movement combines with emotional elements and spills into a gesture, the gesture leaves a mark on the page. Language has always fascinated me as well and text is quite often incorporated into my drawing. These past decades of working in pen and ink have made visible an inner narrative that con20 • JULY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND

tinues to surprise me as, truth be told, I really have no idea what I am doing. The last rapidograph pen I used was flung with great force across the room with a trail of expletives after it. They were designed to clog. The pen I most often use now is a Pigma Micron .005 felt tip.

I find these Pigma pens excellent, too. What do you think viewers and supporters love about your artwork?

Linda: Paradox and contradiction are fundamental to human experience, these elements paired with largely irrational behavior provide a fecund breeding ground for all manner of absurdities. Absurdity is one of my specialities. I think it’s safe to say that people who are drawn to my work have a sense of humor and are able to laugh at themselves as well. We share this predicament of being human. It is in the spirit of this

shared experience of being simultaneously sublime, ridiculous, imperfect, poignant, tragic and silly that connects people to their authentic selves. Humor has a way of eliminating artifice, at least momentarily. In this way humor fosters a feeling of connection, of having a shared story, it is the story that people respond to. I really don’t think I can single out one drawing that is most popular but there are a few that seem to tickle a universal funny bone.

When you create a drawing, do you think about what your viewers will love, or do you forget about the others, and just create what you need to get onto paper, and you come first. I know it depends on public art shows you are in, how does that affect your creative process?

Linda: Oh no, nothing as premeditated as that. Creating for the public would require a clear intention.

Linda Baker-Cimini MAN

My intentions are never that clear. It is a personal struggle always, I thrash and gnash and then sit very still. Waiting for a drawing is similar to waiting for a cat to jump on your lap. Wholly unpredictable and not until they’re damn well ready.

Oh, well said, Linda! Your family members are / were outstanding artists. Thank you for showing me the book with your great grandfather’s paintings. Do you think the talent you possess is inherited?

Linda: As a kid I spent summers at my grandfather’s home in Maine. His father, W.W. Gilchrist JR was an impressionist painter, many of his canvases were scattered throughout the house. He studied under Cecilia Beaux, Thomas Anshutz and William Merritt Chase. He also received instruction from Winslow Homer during his summer holidays in Maine. My great aunt Nell was a favorite subject of his and he did several paintings of her when she was a young girl. Nell became an artist also, and she enjoyed making sculptures out of glass. Some of my brother’s prized cat’s eye marbles found their way into her kiln to be transformed into brooches. The drafting table I use today belonged to my grandmother who worked as a textile designer and a house designer. During the fifties she drew the schematics for Hi Fidelity Mag-

azine. I naturally assumed that everyone made stuff, art and life were never separate in my mind.

Maybe some talent trickled down but of my great great grandfather’s musical ability I have none.

What do you think are the similarities and differences between the artists’ work in your family, and what you create now?

Linda: Well there are more differences than similarities but I think there is a common thread running through, a sort of humanism born from a compassionate eye.

What initially inspired you to become an artist?

I don’t think it was a matter of becoming, I just was one.

Are you finding the artist’s market today difficult? These are tough times.

Linda: I’m fortunate to have found a niche in a couple of local galleries. Both The St. Francis Gallery and The Good Purpose Gallery continue to sell my books and prints. I would need to sell a lot more to make a living wage but I really can’t blame the market….I suppose I am the stereotypical artist, somewhat challenged by the business end of things.

LINE ART

PHOTO BY LEE EVERETT

Please choose one of your drawings and interpret the meaning you intended.

Linda: Hmmm, well, I’ve never been accused of being overly subtle though I do have leanings toward the nonsensical. I like to leave the meaning open to interpretation, I kind of like the fact that I have no control over that, the realm of possibilities is so seductive. Text often appears in my drawings so that part is quite literal but my drawings are more about Continued on next page...

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2017 • 21

emotion than meaning. I just feel my way along. I think I have a knack for capturing a mood in a gesture or in a glance. I almost always begin a drawing with an eye. If the eye starts looking back at me I continue the drawing. I’ll give you a blow by blow account of how “He Was A Man Of Ideas That Did Not Fly” came into the world. He was conceived on a city bus...I was living in Pittsfield at the time and had no car so I found myself on the BRTA one day sitting behind a man with a lovely bald head. It was not just round, it had a really interesting shape to it.

It brought to mind the cranium of a dolphin, very aerodynamic but in an underwater kind of way. So yeah, I stared. He didn’t notice. I finished my errands with kidneys a little worse for wear due to Pittsfield potholes and poor suspension. Later that evening I sat down with pad and pencil and commenced to doodle. I begin drawings with pencil then ink them in. Well, a face soon emerged followed by a familiar bald head. It had promise but I had begun the drawing really close to the bottom of the page. Hmmm, where to put his body?! Ah, I’ll make him lying down! (Indistinct dialog between Right brain and

22 • JULY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND

Left brain…..”Yeah but WHY is he lying down?”

Left brain,”Um, he crashed?” Left brain, “So, he was flying?”).....And so on. Then the text emerged from the murky depths. So you see….meaning is simply a by product of a completely arbitrary process.

What are the most challenging parts in art that has come up for you? What challenges in your creative process have blossomed and become easier?

Linda: Is there an obvious reason? Balance. Now there’s the challenge.

Are you inspired by books you have read, films, travel, etc?

Linda: Oh yes, of course, everything ends up in the stew.

What do you enjoy the most when not at your drawing table?

Linda: Ah, wandering around in the glorious forests here, that is the place I feel most at home. I have a wind-up brain. It is necessary for me to move my feet

LINDA BAKER-CIMINI ANXIETY

in order for it to work at all.

What was the most beautiful place you have ever spent your time?

Linda: All I have to do is step outside my door. Each day surrounds me with beauty, it seems there is an endless supply here in the Berkshires. I feel so incredibly fortunate to live here.

So many of us feel that same exact way. Do you spend time in the community and interacting at social functions such as the plethora of gallery openings?

Linda: Art making has always been a solitary endeavor for me, the social aspect is the sharing of that work. For the past six or seven years I’ve been exhibiting work at The St. Francis Gallery. I’ve met so many wonderful people, I love being part of group shows there! Phil just packs the place to the rafters with fantastic art. I also am really grateful to be able to contribute in a small way to the work he does with Continued on next page...

LINDA BAKER-CIMINI POSSOM

LINDA BAKER-CIMINI GOAT

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2017 • 23

LINDA BAKER-CIMINI WILLIAM

ARTIST LINDA BAKER-CIMINI

PHOTOGRAPH BY LEE EVERETT

The SAWA SAWA Foundation. A percentage of art sales support his work in Kenya. Their mission is to help communities there grow and thrive with sustainable success. If my work can support the tiniest bit of positive change in the world that makes me very happy indeed!

Can you tell us about a turning point in your life that had a direct effect on your creating your illustrations?

Linda: When I was in my mid-twenties I was living and working in Manhattan. I loved the excitement of the city, it was the polar opposite to my rural childhood home. I was the classic country kid, absolutely agog. I worked at a little cafe on Hudson St. and met all kinds of interesting characters there. One day I met Jack Levine, He was the first working artist I’d ever met. He lived right around the corner from the cafe in a three story brownstone on Morton St.. He’d come in for an espresso and we got to talking. Jack asked me to sit for him and so commenced a three

24 • JULY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND

month art history intensive. He was a font of knowledge and every time I sat for him I’d learn something new. During this period I can remember being really impressed by his dedication and his work ethic. It was the “work” part of artwork in action. It began to dawn on me that NYC was not an environment that would support my art-making it was just too much of a sensory overload and when I was honest with myself I knew I was just too distractible to be able to focus there. As much as I loved it I decided to move back to the Berkshires. Jack provided me with a little oasis of calm where I could work that out for myself and I will always remember him with great warmth and gratitude.

Who’s art thrills you?

Linda: Durer, Klee, William Steig, Goya, Edward Gorey and others too numerous to mention.

What part of art history do you love? Would you like to have lived during this time period?

Linda: The work of Durer, Bruegel, Leonardo, Van Eyck, these Renaissance artists have always astounded me with the scope of their work and their incredible intellectual curiosity. The first time I saw a German wood engraving I thought, Oh, I would love to be able to draw like that! I didn’t realize that it was not actually a drawing. I loved the richness of tonal values and discovered the process of stippling quite by accident. As far as time travel is concerned I prefer the vantage point of Now. The richness of the past informs the present, plus we have indoor plumbing and women have the right to vote.

How does love in your life support you mentally and physically?

Linda: Ah well, it certainly adds perspective because what is more important than love? Love teaches compassion for ourselves and our beloved, the broken bits…..and we all have broken bits….become more integrated. It shows up in the art. How could it not? Love is our life lesson.

LINDA BAKER-CIMINI PEEKABOO

LINDA BAKER-CIMINI FOOL

How do you describe how art soothes a negative mood for you? Do you find yourself drawing more, or less?

Linda: Some of my best drawings were done during the worst times in my life. For me drawing has always been deeply personal. I dredge the swamp of my psyche, it never fails to yield an equal measure of monsters and other more benevolent creatures.

Drawing is not a logical process. Many conflicts are resolved on a purely unconscious level. They say REM sleep has a part in that also, I have been an incurable insomniac for most of my life so maybe the drawing acts as a substitute for dreaming. The act of drawing itself, making marks on the page, is very methodical and soothing. Each speck of ink requires a decision. This kind of focus quiets tumultuous thoughts.

Do you have another job aside from artmaking?

Linda: I’ve been extremely fortunate to have been able to focus solely on my art for the past few years.

I have had a multitude of different jobs. I think the strangest one I had was not here in the Berkshires but in Hollywood, Florida. Ya, I can say I worked in Hollywood! I got a job in a law firm, my job description was, “Floater”. I copied depositions, sorted mail and admired the geckos on the wall. It was the first and last office job I ever had.

What was your growing up years like?

Linda: In many ways I grew up outside of time. Popular culture did not infiltrate my boondocks experience, I was a member of a lost, stone age tribe. This was largely due to the absence of television reception in New Ashford, Massachusetts. The only visual media I was exposed to were books. I fully inhabited my visual experience as opposed to watching pro-

LINDA BAKER-CIMINI OWL

jected images flicker across a screen. This has had a lot to do with how I experience the world. I spent a lot of time by myself wandering through fields and forests, that was my primary form of entertainment.

We lived on a dead end road in a town of 176 people.

There was plenty of room for an active imagination to grow!

What do you think a top priority will be for you in five years from now?

Linda: Protecting our precious earth is the first priority, without that we are lost.

What do you believe is true? … Every day is filled with miracles if you pay attention.

Thank you, Linda!

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2017 • 25

collins | editions

BARBARA DONCASTER

On a hilltop overlooking the Berkshire Hills is Barbara W. Doncaster at Cranberry Hill a working studio. Barbara’s watercolors are unique. Her landscapes capture the beauty & reality of the Berkshires and the Maine coastline. Her abstract views that are simmering just below the surface is her landscapes, come to full bloom with her rendering of the world of botanicals. Her florals leap from the watercolor paper and immerse us in a boundless array of color.

Her wonderful sense of color makes each painting uniquely different from another, sending the viewer into a vast garden of shape, form, and design.

Barbara Doncaster’s working studio is located at 345 State Road, intersection of Routes 7 & 23. Take Rte. 23 East, one mile on left, Great Barrington, MA. 413-528-212- / cell: 561-632-2017. www.barbaradoncaster.com

26 • JULY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND

Opening in 2005, as Berkshire Digital, did fine art printing mainly for artists represented by The Iris Gallery of Fine Art before opening our doors to the public. We do color calibrated printing on archival papers. These archival prints, also known to many people as Giclée prints, can be made as large as 42” x 80”. Photographers & artists also use us to create limited editions of their images.

In addition to the printing services, collins | editions also offers accurate digital reproduction of paintings and illustrations for use in books, brochures, magazines, websites and postcards. Our website, www.CollinsEditions.com has a complete overview of services offered, along with pricing.

The owner, Fred Collins, has been a commercial and fine art photographer for over 30 years having had studios in Boston and Stamford. He offers over 20 years of experience with Photoshop™ enabling retouching, restoration and enhancement to prints and digital files.

The studio is located in Mt Washington but dropoff and pick up is also available through Frames On Wheels, located at 84 Railroad Street in Great Barrington, MA (413) 528-0997. Digital files can be easily loaded up to our FTP site. collins | editions studio - 220 East St, Mt. Washington, Massachusetts; 413-644-9663, www.CollinsEditions.com

RUTH KOLBERT, UMPACHENE FALLS, OIL ON CANVAS, 28” X 34”

RUTH KOLBERT

RUTH KOLBERT, UMPACHENE FALLS, DRAWING, 8 5. X 11”

I’ve been drawing and painting since I was a child.

I was born in Karlsbad, Czechoslavakia. A place not much different than the Berkshires, culturally as well as the surrounding countryside.

I was fortunate to have studied with Oskar Kokoschka ( a renowned German Expressionist) in Salzburg, Austria, and with Nicolas Carone and Charles Cajori (New York Abstract Expressionists) as well as at the Art Students League in New York City.

I have lived in the Berkshires for 27 years and have shown in several galleries. Most of my work is usually in brilliant color: oils, pastels, and surprisingly some in charcoal and graphite. Sometimes I will work from an “inner dialogue”, personal experiences, and imagination.

For a long period, I was painting people, often life size, within their personal environment. At that time I was also painting “portraits” of barns and the landscapes surrounding them.

During this last year, I have been diving back to some early paintings of mine and thoughts of nature and its quirks. I’ve been working on a series of drawings and paintings of Umpachene Falls and the hidden and mystic qualities this special place reveals to me.

My paintings, drawings and pastels are in private collections. Some paintings have been commissioned work.

I welcome you to a studio visit, by appointment.

Ruth Kolbert - rkolbert4778@gmail.com, 413-2290380.

JENNIFER PAZIENZA

Work in progress, May 2017

Oil on Canvas, 54 X 72 inches

jennpazienza@gmail.com

http://jenniferpazienza.com

DON JORDAN NUTSHELL PLAYHOUSE INTERVIEW BY HARRYET CANDEE

I like the idea that your theatre company, Nutshell Playhouse travels to libraries, community centers and schools. Do you have a home base?

Don Jordan: No. We have ongoing relationships with various venues for rehearsals, including Berkshire Pulse in Housatonic and The Spectrum Playhouse in Lee, MA.

What training do your actors have?

Don: My actors come from all backgrounds. Most of them have had some movement, mime or clown training, but for our shows they need to sing and do puppetry as well. Some of them have special skills, such as tap dance or proficiency on a musical instrument, so I try to take advantage of whatever they bring when I create the show.

Where did you get your training?

Don: I trained at the Jacques Lecoq School in Paris, and continued to study different theater styles as I 28 • JULY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND

travelled in Europe. I did have the privilege of being a teacher at the Juilliard School, where my students included Robin Williams, Christopher Reeve, Kevin Kline and many other talented actors who became famous despite my influence.

Is there any other kind of work that you do?

Don: Producing, writing, directing and performing for Nutshell Playhouse is more than a full-time job.

I’m a family man, as well, and spend as much time as possible with my wife and two children.

As far as being a teacher, what is the difference for you when you were in Europe, and being here?

I understand the education level in Europe is on a higher level then here and more demanding for students and educators.

Don: The biggest difference between my U. S. and European teaching experience comes from the vastly different role of the arts. When I teach here, I know

that most of my students will never make a living in the arts. When I teach in Europe, I know that many of my students who really have the desire will be able to apply his or her trade and make a reasonable living. This makes my teaching far more rewarding, and allows me to focus on realistic goals and needs.

What is your current project you have lined up?

Don: We have just finished creating and rehearsing a new show. In fact, it is so new that it doesn’t have a title yet. We premiered it under the name “Nutshell Jamboree” at the Spectrum Playhouse on June 3d.

During the summer, while we are performing other shows from our repertoire, we will continue to develop and hone the new piece.

What is most wonderful about a live performance in today’s world?

Don: The great thing about a live performance is that we’re all in it together. The audience reacts to the ac-

CAPTAIN FANGLE

tors, the actors react to the audience, everybody reacts to each other, and the whole event becomes a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I love to watch and listen to the children watching the show. They have never been taught how you’re “supposed” to behave at the theater, so they let out all their feelings spontaneously. This inspires the actors to be more involved and inventive and -- shazaam! -- magic is created. We build our shows with simple materials, and we leave lights on in the audience so that everyone really feels like part of the show.

How do you encourage and stir up the audience’s imagination?

Don: From the very opening moments of the show I try to let the audience know that we are in another world and that the usual rules don’t apply. I usually try to invite the audience into this world, often by having the characters introduce themselves and in the process – usually through comedy – reveal their idiosyncrasies. Nutshell shows have no heroes or villains. Characters don’t fall into types or categories.

Each one has different qualities, strengths and weaknesses. We look for the humor that comes from unique characters being themselves.

What was your most successful production? Why do you feel passionate about this particular experience?

Don: I love each of the shows we’ve created – much the same way you love all your children. Each one Continued on Next page....

SHIPWRECK SALLY AND CAPTAIN FANGLE

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2017 • 29

Donut

has something particular. Perhaps my favorite is “Pirates!” because I have a passion for everything that relates to ships and the sea. The show has some very interesting theatrical innovations, including a “lost in the fog” scene, shadow puppets, an underwater journey, a ghost, and the inimitable Taco Caramba.

It also has a strong theme, which I would sum up as: it’s not the goal, dude, it’s the adventure along the way! The production also gave me a chance to collaborate with a wonderful puppet maker, Mike O’Brien.

Where did you grow up?

Don: Born and raised in Connecticut.

What was it like to perform with Mummenschanz on Broadway?

Don: Mummenschanz was a very innovative show, and a real challenge to perform. Eight times a week we had to engage our audience and make them laugh without any words, without any sound and without

30 • JULY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND

ever showing our faces! As an actor, it taught me to push my expressive capabilities to the maximum.

There was a “craft” element to the show, as well. We always arrived at the theater several hours in advance to prepare the different masks – drawing faces, molding clay, arranging different mask elements of wood, yarn, and certain secret ingredients that even we weren’t allowed to know about. If anything was not properly prepared, then the number could fall apart.

There were only three performers, and we depended on each other completely. We each had elaborate tasks, stuffing each other in and out of costumes, leading each other off and on stage in the pitch blackness, tossing surprise props. It was fun, exhausting, frustrating (oh how we longed to open our mouths) and deeply rewarding.

What did you love about Mummenschanz that had to be incorporated into Nutshell Playhouse?

Mummenschanz was very much a product of the Lecoq school, so we are really drawing from the

Engelburt

same vocabulary. The strongest element that echoes from my experience with the Mums is the idea of visual storytelling. Visual storytelling is one of the strongest tools of live theater, and much neglected in this country (despite our heritage of silent film.) The visual story hits people directly, whatever their ages.

I think that is why the parents seem to enjoy our shows as much as the children. In our new show, we have a very “Mummenschanzy” number involving a bunch of cutout shapes that morph into different expressions and eventually into different creatures. It was a fun challenge to see if we could make it work, and see what story we could tell with it.

Is music an integral part of the acting at Nutshell Playhouse?

Don: I’ve been involved with folk music all my life.

Indeed, it was music that first got me on stage. Nutshell Playhouse gives me the opportunity to indulge both my love for theater and for music. The songs have become an increasingly important part of the

The Snoof

shows and provide yet another way to engage the audience in our story.

What do you enjoy most about living and working in the Berkshires?

Don: Berkshire County possesses a rare and magical combination: a rural setting with beautiful countryside, and a lively and exciting cultural scene. There is also a strong feeling of community. I love all these aspects.

What makes a good actor?

Don: There are many different kinds of actors that reach audiences in any different ways. To me a good actor is one who creates a life, tells a story, takes us on a journey and leaves us with something that we can carry with us once the performance is over.

Do you have a favorite theatrical venue?

Don: There are many. Laurence Olivier doing Shakespeare; a one-ring circus performed entirely by one

family in Italy; the Paul Taylor Dance Company; an original solo performance in a tiny theater in Switzerland. What amazes me about theater is that it comes in all shapes and sizes.

Are you connected with other current music and dance venues and artists in the Berkshires?

Don: Aside from our ongoing relationships with Berkshire Pulse and the Spectrum Playhouse, we have done performances at Barrington Stage, and I have taught and given lecture-demonstrations at Shakespeare & Company, among other places. Our company is made up of local professional actors who perform on their own and with other companies all over the county on an ongoing basis. In the Berkshires, it’s share and share alike.

What is it you enjoy most about acting and having a theatre company?

Don: There is something very family-like about a theater company that creates and works together for

more than a single production. We really nourish each other’s creativity. I enjoy building new productions, discovering the hidden talents of my collaborators, trying out new ideas and figuring out how to make them work. And most of all, I like performing right here in the community where I can feel the effects of my work.

How should a student look at the challenge of becoming a good actor? What tests do you think he must pass to achieve a sense of greatness?

Don: I think the hardest challenge to any actor in this country is to get in front of audiences – a lot! One can theorize, analyze, methodize and criticize until the cows come home, but what the actor really does is play with an audience. The best way to become “great” is to get in front of as many audiences as possible – big, small, in theaters, in the street -- wherever the opportunity arises.

Continued on next page...

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2017 • 31

The Ductionary

What are your responsibilities as Artistic Director of Nutshell Playhouse?

Don: You name it! As director of a small non-profit, I have to wear many hats: I write and direct the shows, write the songs, build puppets and props, arrange performances, and do the marketing and fund raising as well. Do I do it all well? Not by a long shot.

My primary efforts go into the artistic side of things, and, frankly, the rest sputters along as best it can. I really admire those rare people who are good artists and businessmen as well, but, alas, I’m sure not one of them!

Tell us a little about the current actors you have that work in Nutshell Playhouse?

Don: I have a tremendous group of actors, some new and some who have worked with me for many years.

What I like about them is that they are all artists in their own right. Lex Trainor, who has been with me the longest, was the artistic director of Main Street Stage in North Adams, and has acted in shows all over the county, most recently in Shakespeare in the Park in Pittsfield. Stefanie Lynx Weber is well known for her tap dancing and intriguing Creatures Of Habitat Physical Poetry Performance Project. Mark Hohlstein and I have worked together in various capacities for many years, and he is a visual artist and

32 • JULY 2017 THE ARTFULMIND

animator as well as an actor. Chris Brophy is a founding member of the improv troop The Whitiots, among other endeavors. Our newest member, Maizy Scarpa, has performed in Shakespeare in the Park, and created and performed in her own experimental theater pieces. The richness of their experiences helps make Nutshell Playhouse productions so successful.

What has been some of the challenges Nutshell Playhouse encountered and successfully came through on?

Don: There are two major challenges to keeping Nutshell Playhouse chugging along. One is something common to us all in the modern world: time. Scheduling sufficient rehearsal and performance time, when everyone can come together, is a major headache. It’s a tradeoff I make for having such active and accomplished actors. The other problem is also common in the arts: money. Nutshell Playhouse offers all its performances free of charge to the public. It’s a choice we’ve made to make good theater accessible to all. We are a professional company, which means the actors are paid each time they perform. Hmmm, there’s a problem here. Where does the money come from? Grants and fund raising. I like to remind people that the difference between a forprofit company and a non-profit company is that, the

more successful a for-profit company is, the more money they earn; the more successful a non-profit company is, the more money they need.

Has the challenges changed over the years?

Don: No. It’s an age-old problem. The only difference is that grants are increasingly hard to come by – especially in Berkshire County where many large non-profits compete for the same funds.

When creating a theatre project, especially for the young audience, what are the bottom line rules and goals for structuring an original production?

Don: There are many things I keep in mind when creating a new show. Children like imaginative theater; it sets their own imaginations free. We are always looking for new and imaginative ways to make our stories come alive. We have made use of movement, masks, all kinds of puppets, dance, song, clowning - always trying to find how to reach people in the most direct way. Children like interesting characters.

They love conflict and the emotion that conflict brings out. They much prefer stories that challenge them to think rather than stories that tell them what to think. Children are quick to recognize themselves and laugh at their own flaws.

Mambo

How was the musical character TACO and the Ductionary created?

Don: Surprisingly, they each had a very different genesis. I knew that I wanted a parrot for the pirate show, but the actual character of Taco developed over a period of years. He really began to fly (ha ha) when Mike O’Brien created the current puppet. Suddenly I realized that Taco was a new incarnation of the “braggart soldier” of ancient comedy. Then he took on a life all his own.

The Ductionary sprang from the word itself, which just popped into my whacky imagination one day.

Once I built the puppet and Wendy Walraven began to animate it, we found out who she was. The Ductionary puppet defies the emotion-versus-intellect myth. She is passionate about words. Note the lyrics: “I’m studious and beauteous and sing like a canary… .” She’s intelligent, she’s artistic, and she’s a babe!

And the bluesy melody reveals her sensual side. Message: don’t pigeonhole people (bad pun!) – you can have it all.

And how did the name of the company, Nutshell Playhouse come about?

Don: We really liked the image of a seed that great things grow from. It seems to be a good metaphor for the children in our audience, as well as for our little company.

Teaching children through theatre is one of the best ways for them to absorb, reflect and remember. But as there is joy, there is also sadness to be learned about since they often fall together. What is a positive way to teach sadness or anger, but still remaining a positive approach?

Don: Children love conflict and strong emotions. I believe in giving them a real experience, one that moves them, makes them ask questions, and does not paint the world in simple black and white. Theater works through metaphor and poetic means, and children grasp this even more readily than adults. For example, the puppet Jazzy Lafleur represent our earth.

However, Jazzy can be a metaphor for anything that is special, unique, beautiful and fragile, and that needs nurturing in order to survive. She is art, she is peace, she is you. But, shhh! Don’t tell anybody.

What was for you the hardest lesson you have learned in life?

Don: That things are never perfect, but that perfection is always worth seeking.

Have you come through so far with flying colors, and ready to experience more joy that life offers?

Don: It’s been a bumpy road, and that has made it all the more fun. Can’t wait to see what happens next!

Thank you!!!

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2017 • 33

PETER SCHOEFFER INTERVIEW BY HARRYET CANDEE

Congrats on opening your Lenox studio to the public! Why would you take a step in this direction?

Peter Schoeffer: Hey, thank you for this opportunity, Harryet. It feels serendipitous to take that step of opening the space up more and being able to sit here with you now. The choice to do that was really simple and informal. I needed a way to be as pro-active as possible in terms of connecting with others and honing my ideas in light of the alternative points of view that those with no knowledge of my practice may have. The language of abstraction I’ve been focused on growing in the paintings hovers in a strange space between what is representational, figurative and sensorial -so it helps to test it and use this process as a catalyst for efficient development. Since I’d returned from my MFA course in 2012, I wanted to do something like this. I also would like to put 34 • JULY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND

on art projects by others, offer workshops, gather groups interested in life-drawing, and to invite critical discussions around one-another’s works.

I’d like to utilize the space in a more communal way. I’m going to have an open studio “gathering” to kick off these goals on Thursday the 6th of July and all your readers and friends are invited! It will be pretty mellow and I’ll be there all day from 3pm- cooking a vegetable curry and offering some refreshments... I’m located upstairs at 29 Church St. looking out at Alta from right behind the library. Take down the wall!

There is also an artist downstairs, Marcie Isaacson, who is opening up her studio similarly. Both of us now have passed the town’s sign hearing wherein they say yay or nay. We have sign permits!

That is exciting, and seems like a simple but important decision- could you tell us a little bit about what drives your practice in that space between the abstract and the discernablewhat does the work demand from you as far as process?

Peter: I guess at the end of the day I am interested in getting at questions around how visual information stored in painted marks adds up to take on new form or coalesces into some sort of meaningfulness. Or, alternatively, how it might disintegrate and elude any sense of order. The world we are tethered to is both dauntingly mediated and naturally pervasive in its unadulterated variety. Patterns emerge and information repeats itself and folds into versions of experiences we remember. There is a fair amount of interest in memory that feeds how I approach painting. In nature symmetry and its patterning seem to be

king, informing how we humans make sense of our encounters. I love exploring the edges of symmetry, kind like an off-beat rhyme. I draw on images and shapes to both build up and obfuscate representations.

Ok, I follow, sounds somewhat of a poetic probing of the world we live in- is there a format that you have chosen or a methodology you employ to give structure to these interests as you go?

Peter: My strategy in this process always includes a beginning point where I draw a visual perspective system to use as a framing device.

This creates a container of sorts to then fill. Often these beginning points are sort of like transparent shelf units, kind of like refrigerators that long to be filled with flotsam. Then I decide on whether these “flotsamical” objects have weight, and a light source. More recently floating vectors have supplanted shelves, helping to delineate more airy open spaces without the notion of gravity.

Much of the decisions on how to fill in the picture come as a result of research I do online and in taking day-to-day cultural notes. We consume a lot of images frame by frame in our lives and I guess I’m trying to make some sense of them with a good balance of humor and care.

PETER SCHOEFFER DETAIL FROM A PAINTED WORK

Interesting! - and in terms of your studio what structure have you created for yourself that makes it function uniquely and efficiently? I do realize that you live there also, and I wonder how you organize your space?

Peter: If my space is unique, it will be in its shape and disposition. It is a working space shut off from my tiny living space at the opposite side.

There is a sort of controlled transparency where half of the studio presents what is closest to being

resolved work, and the other side of the studio is more defined by works in progress. It is a small space, but not cramped. Although at first I was self-critical about opening it up, the light is wonderful, and I’m kind of an ascetic too in terms of my spartan living style, so there is no really distracting evidence of domestic life hanging about like dirty dishes, dogs or dusty danishes. Suffice to say it’s just a small simple workspace with a Continued on next page...

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2017 • 35

PETER SCHOEFFER INFORMATION HIGHWAY OIL CHARCOAL AND RESIN ON CANVAS 34” X34” 2016

kidney bean shaped white cube feel. As to my own efficiency, hehe, umm- well, the efficiency is getting better. In the past, arriving through the end of a work could feel like dialing random phone numbers to locate some childhood friends, in order to get them to build you a house, not knowing if they can... This is to say I had less of a methodology developed to streamline ideas into paintings and sculptures -something of a long wild ride, now is becoming a more tightly woven process. Building rigor and structure into my practice has been important. Reflecting on our contemporary predicament, building notes and drawing out ideas first makes the execution of work surprisingly methodical now. Each step is provisional.

Who has been your main influence and inspiration throughout your life in art, and why?

Peter: Tough question- I think there were like a whole bunch! I definitely know at each stage of 36 •JULY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND

my way, people from my mom and dad to my teachers who encouraged inspired me on different levels of thinking about art. It’s funny how those small bits become gas pedals to the present.

My professors at UVM: Frank Owen, Cami Davis and Michael Oatman opened up a lot of possibilities for me. It wasn’t until I hit the ground running at Glasgow School of Art, MFA in Scotland, that I really broadened and questioned my practice. All the folks who sat down with me in my studio over there both probed and directed my interests to reading materials in the vast library of philosophy. I really got a lot of influence from the writings of Guy Debord, Walter Benjamin, Deleuze, Hal Foster and Frederic Jameson. Post-modern questions are a fascinating trip to embark on and critical writings are really inspiring. I like the feeling that you are part of this whole history, and by meeting people immersed in it as you aspire to be, a common space emerges regardless of time. I love this, and draw

an almost overwhelming fire from it. Then it is the balancing act between thought and action that is perpetual, sort of synergistic.

Living in NYC must have been challenging and fun. What were your observations and thoughts about life in the city? Can you tell us your story about what you did, how you lived, what did you discovered, and why did you return to the most loveliest place on the planet: here. The Berkshires.

Peter: Well, When I moved to NYC it was just after 9/11 happened and I just wanted to spy on the art world to ready myself for post grad candidacy. I absorbed quite a bit in doing so, and by the time five years past I was fed to the gills and headed to North Adams to complete a body of work to use for my application to MFA programs.

Going from Vermont to New York City, then back to the country was a good series of steps for me to take.

PETER SCHOEFFER

In your undergrad, being a political science major with an art minor must have been an interesting combination. Did you drift towards painting for reasons such as loving to just chill and explore the world of paint?

Peter: Ha-ha, yeah I did go to UVM, so, honestly chilling and exploring were part and parcel with learning. This certainly did become my impetus in the process of pushing around paint initially, as it opened a door to a lot of questions I otherwise didn’t have an outlet to ask. I guess I totally needed to find a way to push back somehow. I came to the realization that all the peaks and troughs in the tapestry of information I was getting from political science studies could be linked in art. Very seductive possibilities emerged, and my teachers helped me notice them. It’s funny how in art learning is a delicate thing. It seems to happen more through osmosis and less so with directing one’s influences or championing craft over questioning.

UNICORN GAMES OIL RESIN AND BEESWAX ON CANVAS 32X37.5 2016

What are the pluses and minuses of going to art school versus working away on your own, outside the world of institutions? It sounds like you came to your MFA with an outsider point of view.

Peter: Art school is good in its ability to help inform a more meaningful practice, I like the level of criticality it encourages. There is a lot of art in the world, and I think there should be a lot of the world in art. I am biased here in that my undergrad studies begot a late intro to post-modern questions. After graduation from UVM in 1999 I was brimming with a need to reconcile my understanding of how the histories of political thought shaped us, with vague notions of where art and contemporary culture was moving. I didn’t even know really what kitsch meant at that point, and the pluralistic nature of contemporary art practices was lost on me. I suppose the result was a sooped-up authenticity that gave me good, curious momentum. This worked well because I

was hungry to fill in the gaps that needed to be tempered by time and research. Taking eight years out helped. Having popped out the other side now, to be blunt, I think art schools may be a wee bit dangerous in that they can create closed circles of understanding. Ideas might be realized in manners exclusive to one’s peers, and that can be limiting or feel pretentious, sometimes vacuous. This is not often the case, but seems sometimes symptomatic of the art world itself.

What was it like to live in an artist’s environment, the factory space in North Adams at Beaver Mills before heading to Glasgow school of Art? Do you suggest this experience to others?

Peter: Hmmm, well, the mill was huge. I used the space previously occupied by the C.A.C. (contemporary art center) that was in the process of moving to Troy. I had a great big studio rented to Continued on next page...

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2017 • 37

PETER SCHOEFFER T .M .I OIL AND RESIN ON CANVAS 36’X36” 2016

PETER SCHOEFFER

38 • JULY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND

DETAIL OF CAT IN CABINET MURAL 3 X 1 ‘

PETER SCHOEFFER SOME OF ALL PAIRS OIL AND BEESWAX ON CANVAS 4X4

me by Eric Rudd who owns the spot. He enabled me to forge the work and narrow the scope of my viewpoints. Being in an art community I also got to meet others around Mass MoCA who became friends and leakers of art secrets to me. Leakers! (ha-ha.) This helped me quite a bit to temper my views. They were post-grad art students who were executing the Sol Lewitt room in 2007’ish.

They were following his beautiful instructions and concepts post mortem— which is wild. I think that experience of having a workplace to make a mess and not worry is totally worthwhile.

In any case whether it is your home or your warehouse it helps to switch gears creatively in a space designated for that act. It lends a sense of certainty to separate life and work. It’s a legitimizing feeling to have a place with specific purpose even when it may not feel like you’re properly finding it...

How does your personal life overlap into your artistic life? Do you have time for a social life?

Peter: Yes, I paddle board and swim in the Stockbridge Bowl a lot. Just got a free windsurfer and my friends and I will get hours of decompression time horsing around at the lake. As a bartender with an art problem at this point in my career, I enjoy using a totally different part of my brain to multi-task in a totally different way. It also becomes a great way to meet others and expand my network. Sometimes tunnel vision takes over making art and it is crucial to reset your eyes and get out of that “rabbit hole” which staring and thinking can lead you into.

Where have you shown your work?

Peter: I have done shows in mainly pop-up projects facilitated by friends and peers. Fogstand Gallery, run by friends of mine from the MFA

UNTITLED

gave me a solo show at their space in the Hualien province of Taiwan. This show was called ‘Harvest’ and was essentially to do with reproducing a painting I made but destroyed only after photographing. The copy I made of the failed painting for the show was derived from the photo, and small drawings were made from details in the final painting. I enjoyed using this process and it was interesting to send work overseas to a tiny island. It got a good reception, too. There were a number of large-scale mural projects in Glasgow, Scotland I did which were executed on-site in public spaces. This way of working is one of my favorites and the ideas in my paintings that relate to “cabinets of curiosity” are well suited to big walls. Crowd-sourcing often helps to decide the content of these mural projects. I love meeting and taking notes and ideas from others to Continued on next page....

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2017 • 39

PETER SCHOEFFER DETAIL OF A COMMISSIONED PIECE REGARDING MUSICIANS AND THE SOUND AND PRESENCE OF STAND UP BASS OIL AND BEESWAX ON CANVAS 3.5X2.5’

build an image. In one case it became a collaboration that went on for five months!

What music do you favor while working, while in the car, seeing on stage?

Peter: All depends on my mood! Hip Hop, Dub, metal, Robert Glass, funk, Afro-Cuban jazz, prog rock. Otherwise, I am a discussion junkie; an armchair astro-physicist and I have found a great channel on youtube called the World Science Festival where super egg heads talk about the universe and the quantum mechanical conundrums of particle behaviour. I like this stuff because it makes me feel plugged into the mysteries of the unexplainable.

It sounds like you have found lots of ways to feed the well of your creative impulses! In terms of the opportunities to do so otherwise in the Berkshires, as opposed to a city life, what do you think some of the limitations and advantages of being an artist are?

Peter: The limitations are more market driven than I would like, but I feel like wherever you go there is a way to connect. It depends on what you want and how willing you are to think outside the box while being in several boxes at once. I am not a city person, but I do love the energy and re40 •JULY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND

spect that it is easier to navigate toward having security if your work is supported there. I would enjoy some level of financial security, and if the advantage of being in the arts is in its creative self determination, then time is on our side.

Communication can be trying at times. These days we all can be misunderstood so easily. In art, what do you find a serious need to express and let be known in terms of your beliefs, ideas and how the world should be?

Peter: Hard to say, really. I think in art and the critical discussions that go hand in hand around it, we have what can be seen as a good model for how to treat others at a basic level. In empathizing with one another’s ideas, concerns and efforts we do become more patient and supportive. Art by definition even in its capacity to be oblivious or obnoxious, seems to have an inherently constructive nature and that is good evolution I think.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Peter: In five years, that’s one of my favorite David Bowie tunes! I guess in five years anything can happen. I see myself teaching more; working with others more closely in art, having more friends and increasing the value of my re-

lationships to others continuously. I think I may be in the Berkshires then, as it is truly well close to perfection here. Although, I do love big mountains and sliding down them sideways is part of my self-help happy place therapy, so who knows!

Thanks again Harryet for giving me this opportunity! And all are invited to pop through Thursday the 6th of July upstairs at 29 Church St. 3pm onward. The sign will appear quite soon. It is next on my list-to-do pre-July!

Thank you Peter!

“Fantasy, abandoned by reason, produces impossible monsters; united with it, she is the mother of the arts and the origin of marvels.”

--Francisco de Goya

ASTON MAGNA DOMINIQUE LABELLE

ROBERT FORTE

ROBERT FORTE, CHASING THE DARKNESS

Robert Forte's paintings continue to explore themes and ideas drawn from experiences in his life and in the world around him. The canvas used as a vehicle of expression as opposed to representation provides Forte with the excitement that makes painting an ongoing adventure and a source of limitless possibilities. Antecedent artists that inspire are the great expressionists Soutine and Schiele, Beckmann, Kirchner and Kokoschka. Forte also enjoys the minimalism of contemporary artists such as Alex Katz and the unique imagery of Bacon, Guston and Kitaj.

The politically catastrophic events now in progress in this country, and the social upheavals worldwide have reinforced Forte's need to give vigorous expression to ideas and emotions that resonate both personally and universally. The anticipated assault on human rights and dignity make it all the more imperative to use the canvas forcefully, both as a reaffirmation of oneself and a reaching out to others. There are many ways and media with which to achieve this, but Forte has concentrated his work on oils, adding acrylics for their adaptability to rapid brushstrokes.

In 2016, Forte was accepted into Atlantic Gallery in the Chelsea arts district of New York City. Accordingly, Robert has been focusing on works for the Atlantic Gallery exhibition schedule for 2017. The first exhibit, which opened in January, was a members' group show in which Robert exhibited three new works in oil and acrylic. A second members’ group show followed, its theme, freedom of expression, sought to channel the fears and emotions created by the current political scene into an artistic outpouring.

The show at the Atlantic Gallery will be opening July 13, 5 - 8:30 pm, and this show runs from July 11 - July 29. Atlantic Gallery is located at 548 West 28th St, in New York City.

Some of Robert Forte’s work can be seen locally at the St. Francis Gallery in South Lee, through July 31. robertforte.com Robert Forte - www.robertforte.com

PAGANINI, BEETHOVEN, AND SONG

Aston Magna Music Festival brings Brazilian violinist Edson Scheid, and David Hyun-Su Kim, fortepiano, to Saint James Place, along with vocalists Dominique Labelle, Aaron Sheehan and Deborah Rentz-Moore. Concerts are Saturdays at 6 p.m., preconcert talk at 5 p.m. with Aston Magna Artist Director Daniel Stepner; wine and cheese reception with the artists follows.

On July 1, soprano Dominique Labelle joins Aston Magna for an evening of “Arias, Sinfonias and Biblical Oratorios” with the Aston Magna string ensemble performing Caldara, Handel, Purcell and Clerambault. This event is followed by a reception at the Aston Magna estate in Great Barrington, marking Aston Magna’s 45th birthday.

On July 8, the brilliant Edson Scheid performs “Paganini: The 24 Caprices for Violin." On July 15 “Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata and its Mozartean Models” are performed by Daniel Stepner, violin, and David Hyun-Su Kim, fortepiano. Sonatas by Beethoven and Mozart.

On July 22 “Voices and Viols: Music from the Court of Isabella D’Este” features mezzo-soprano Deborah Rentz-Moore and tenor Aaron Sheehan, with a consort of viols. Music by Josquin, Agricola, Obrecht, Busnois, Isaac, Tromboncino.

Tickets $40; $45 at the door; "Under 30" guests $15; students $5 with ID; children with ticketed adults are free. July 1 reception: $60. Aston Magna performs Thursdays at Brandeis University, and Fridays at Bard College through July 8; at Brandeis and Great Barrington through July 22.

Aston Magna - Information and tickets, astonmagna.org or 888-492-1283.

PETER DELLERT, EVOLUTION 4

LAUREN CLARK FINE ART STEEL, COPPER, ALUMINUM, BANDSAW

Lauren Clark Fine Art, in partnership with Mary Childs, presents “NOCA in the Berkshires”, works from the renowned North Cambridge Glass School and Studios, Cambridge, MA. This group of dedicated artists and educators present glass art work varying in style and technique, and includes pieces

by David J. Benyosef, Carrie Gustafson, Peter Houk (Director of the MIT Glass Lab), Caleb Nichols and more.

These talented and innovative artists are core members of the thriving Boston based glass community, and we are proud to bring their work to the Berkshires.

Also premiering is the opening of Lauren Clark Fine Art Sculpture Garden, a presentation of the best New England Sculptors working in exterior and interior installations. Among the sculptors in the show are Peter Dellert, Wendy Klemperer, Shelley Parriot, Robin Tost and Joe Wheaton and others.

The glass show runs from July 22 through August 20. The sculpture show is ongoing. Please join us for a Reception for the Artists, Saturday, July 22 from 5-8pm. Free admission.

For more information please visit LaurenClarkFineArt.com or for personal contact email Lauren@ LaurenClarkFineArt.com or call the gallery at 413.528.0432.

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY • 41

FRONT STREET GALLERY

KATE KNAPP,SUMMER CABBAGE, 16X20” OIL

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

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

All levels and materials welcome. Private critiques available.

Classes at Front Street are for those wishing to learn, those who just want to be involved in the pure enjoyment of art, and/or those who have some experience under their belt. Perfect if you are seeking fresh insight into watercolors, and other mediums. A teacher for many years, Kate Knapp has a keen sense of each student’s artistic needs to take a step beyond.

Perfect setting for setting up still lifes; lighting and space are excellent. Peek in to see!

Front Street Gallery – Front Street, Housatonic, MA. Gallery open by appointment or chance anytime. 413-528-9546 at home or 413-429-7141 (cell).

42 • JULY THE ARTFUL MIND

LAUREN CLARK FINE ART JOAN BARBER, INSIDE OUT, OIL ON CANVAS

Lauren Clark Fine Art is pleased to present “Portraits and Figures” with Berkshire Artists, Joan Barber, Richard Britell, Kris Galli and Terry Wise.

These four artists are represented by Lauren Clark and each have produced a new body of work for the occasion. The show opens with a reception for the artists Saturday, July 8 from 5-8 and runs through August 6.

Each of these artists are well known for their distinctive styles. Joan Barber for her moody, realistic yet detached women and girls, Richard Britell for his lovely soft focus, monochromatic works and Kris Galli for her luminous portraits of everything from girls and old women to voluptuous fruit. And have you ever seen how Kris paints hair? Exquisite.

And lastly, though Joan Barber, Richard Britell and Kris Galli are well regarded for their figurative and portrait paintings, Terry Wise, known mostly for her inspired still life paintings will surprise the viewer with several sublime figures. Applying her well known and very singular painting techniques to the subject at hand, the artist blends straight forward painting with a dash of the printmakers mark.

Opening Saturday, July 8 with a reception for the artists, from 5-8 pm,. The show runs till August 6.

For more information visit our website LaurenClarkFineArt.com or call the gallery at 413.528.0432.

MARY CAROL RUDIN THE LADY’S BACK, RED, OIL ON CANVAS, 10 X 24

Mary Carol Rudin likes to produce work that allows viewers to come up with their own stories. Inspired by metaphors as well as the things she witnesses, she will often use titles that are only part of the story; the rest is for the viewer to decide.

“As a visual artist I love exploring materials and the ever-growing number of mediums. It is exciting to see the variety of drawings, classic oil painting, mixed media, technology, found objects, and installation art. There is a boundless combination of things.

And, there is an audience for everything.”

Rudin has worked with charcoal, pastel, oil paint, watercolor, and acrylic. “Now I am moving toward my first mixed media. I am excited to explore the combinations of materials. The adventurer in me cannot help but want to go to another place and find new experiences in art.”

Mary Carol Rudin grew up in Southern California where she began painting. She now lives and works in the Berkshires and New York.

Signed, limited edition, Giclée prints of Rudin’s work are available.

Mary Carol Rudin - www.mcrudin.com

MARGUERITE BRIDE, EAGLE MILL

OIL AND WATER DO MIX! WATERCOLOR

L’ATELIER BERKSHIRES GALLERY JOHN RYAN, SUMATRAN RHINO

5 X 8”

Good Purpose Gallery is thrilled to present Oil and Water – DO MIX!, a colorful collaboration between two artists whose painting styles could not be more different and yet share a striking synergy together.

Marguerite Bride’s realistic and almost architectural watercolor paintings depict farmlands, barns, country towns, lighthouses and other rural locations. Karen Jacobs’ oil paintings express vibrant and warm skyscapes and abstract landscapes. The exhibition runs from Wednesday, June 28th through Monday, August 7th. We hope you’ll join us in the gallery on Friday, June 30th from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm for a much-anticipated opening reception and an opportunity to mingle with Marge and Karen and hear about their art processes and passions.

Marguerite Bride has been painting watercolors of the Berkshires and New England for over 20 years.

She currently works from her home studio. A resident of Pittsfield having moved here in 1995, she has been painting ever since. Her artwork displays the beauty of the Berkshires and includes paintings of recognizable Berkshire and New England scenes including Hancock Shaker Village. Besides traditional watercolor on paper, she will also be showing watercolors on canvas, allowing for looser and more textural treatment of the subjects Karen Jacobs is an accomplished painter of contemporary landscapes. Her paintings and prints are of specific moments of her favorite places and she uses the landscape as a metaphor to express emotional moments in life. Since moving to the Berkshires in 2013 her work has taken on new depths, not just using sky, horizon lines and bodies of water, but also tree tops, mountains, and sunsets over rolling hills. Karen takes an “ordinary” Berkshire setting and makes it her own.

Each new work displays more than just the natural flora and atmosphere of the location. Her artwork shows life moments exploring mood and meaning beyond the setting alone.

The Gallery is honored to host this extraordinary exhibit of two well-known and well-loved local artists. We look forward to seeing you and enjoying this exhibit together!

Good Purpose Gallery - 40 Main Street, Lee, Massachusetts. 413-394-5045; gallery@cipberkshire.org.

Gallery hours: 9am – 3pm daily. For more information on the Gallery, visit our website: Goodpurpose.org or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

ANGELA MANNO SUMMER STUDIO VISITS AND CLASSES

URN WITH GERANIUMS © ANGELA MANNO ARCHIVAL PRINT

Internationally exhibited artist Angela Manno will be creating, exhibiting and teaching this summer out of her studio in New Lebanon, NY. She welcomes all visitors by appointment.

Manno’s art reflects her life-long personal, spiritual and ecological journey. She has devoted her diverse œuvre to portraying her sense of the depth, joy and generosity of nature, from vibrant lavender fields, to the mystical high desert of the American West, to the stunning image of the whole Earth from space.

Manno’s works reside in prestigious collections such as NASA and the Smithsonian Institution and have been exhibited internationally, from the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. to museums from Mexico City to Moscow. Her virtuosity in a number of painstaking media both east and west, ancient and contemporary, encompasses pastel, oil, encaustic, egg tempera and gold leaf, abstract photography, batik and mixed media.

Angela is a recipient of the Award for Excellence from the National Park Academy of the Arts and is featured in the French documentary film, Voyage aux pays des lavandes (Journey to Lavender Country).

Her landscapes reside in private collections throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

From July 20-23, Angela will be teaching a plein air workshop to students at all levels, from beginner to advanced, in a method that traces itself back to the French Impressionists. Classes will be held out of her New Lebanon studio.

Angela Manno Fine Art: www.angelamanno.com amanno@angelamanno.com; 970-275-1525 Classes: http://www.angelamanno.com/classes.php

FLORA & FADING FAUNA ART EXHIBITION

L’Atelier Berkshires Gallery is proud to present Flora & Fauna Art Exhibition. Profound artworks by masterful contemporary artists who are inspired by nature. Gemma Di Grazia large scale soft pastel oil paintings of peonies are full of color. Captivating paintings by Marshall Jones and Melanie Vote who both investigate the human and their relationship with the earth. Claudia Alvarez’s sculptural installations explore relationships of curiosity and nature, depicting children and flowers. Nicholas Mongiardo uses organic lacquer and eggshell inlay to create artworks of timeless nature. John Ryan is a sculptor and a puppeteer who carves animals out of wood who are at risk of endangerment. Natalie Tyler’s glass sculptures raise nature to a state of preciousness. The artwork is evocative of the beauty inherent in our natural world.

The exhibition will be up through the end of August 2017.

“Scientists tell us that most animals present today—including humans—will not survive our massive presence on earth without our immediate intervention. They also predict a ripple effect on human health and society. Artists deepen our understanding of this interdependency, and help us explore how we feel about animals and our relationships with them.

Together, art and science reach a wider audience with a more inclusive message.” -Dr. Lucy Spelman Our wildlife today faces many dangers as their habitats disappear, climates change, animals are trafficked and poached. The extinction rate is higher than ever in recorded history. “FLORA & FAUNA” is an exhibition of artworks by artists who believe in protecting our natural world. Join us as art and science come together for environmental conservation.

Discover timeless original artworks by cutting edge contemporary artists in a historic Great Barrington building.

Our website is www.atelierberks.com and our address is 597 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230. For more information contact: Natalie Tyler, 510-469-5468, natalie.tyler@atelierberks.com

Reach your audience!

Advertise this season in THE ARTFUL MIND 413. 854. 4400 artfulmind@yahoo.com

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2017 • 43

ELIXIR SUMMERTIME!

FINE LINE MULTIMEDIA STING PHOTOGRAPH BY LEE EVERETT

LIVE PERFORMANCE PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO

Fine Line Multimedia provides single or multicamera video of music, dance and theater performances. Services include: scripting and storyboard art, videography with professional high definition cameras, high quality audio recording, sensitive lighting design and creative editing with the latest non-linear editing system.

For the past 45 years Fine Line Multimedia has provided audio/video performance production for The Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood, Berkshire Performing Arts Center, National Music Foundation, Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, United Way of the Berkshires, Arlo Guthrie, Rising Son Records, Bobby Sweet, World Moja, Phil Woods, Grace Kelly, Heather Fisch, Opera Nouveau, Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company and many more.

Fine Line was established in 1970 by Lee Everett in Lenox, Massachusetts. Everett came to the Berkshires after studying Advertising Design and Visual Communications at Pratt Institute and working for years as an Art Director in New York. He taught Art in local schools and began a full-service multimedia studio in Lenox specializing in the Performing and Visual Arts and other business and industry.

With Photography, Graphic Design, Advertising, Marketing, Audio/Video Production, Website, Social Network Creation and Administration together under one roof, Fine Line can satisfy the artistic communications and promotional needs of a wide range of clients.

Please look at some examples from our portfolios of work on our website and use the contact information on the site to get further information, to see more samples, photographs or video reels, for professional and client references or for a free project consultation.

Fine Line Multimedia - 66 Church Street, Lenox, MA; www.finelinelenox.com Contact: Lee Everett, 413-637-2020, everett@berkshire.rr.com

AMELIA'S HOLISTIC FACIAL REJUVENATION WITH REIKI LEVEL II

Not your ordinary facial....

Your Extraordinary Facial....

Some Results: *Calming the Nervous System; *Balancing Hormones (great for PMS sufferers and Menopausal concerns); *Releasing TMJ problems (pain or tightness in the jaw near the ear; grinding teeth during sleep); *Lymphatic stimulation and drainage; *Sinus concerns.

The experience: I start with warm, organic tansy tea compresses to relax the face and help let go of negative energies held in the face. Followed with massage of the neck, shoulders and upper arms, releasing the tensions that many of us carry.

While I'm working, my clients often go in and out of a sleep state (meditation) finding deep rest and time to restore the inner being.

FACIAL REJUVENATION is a gentle healer, revitalizer and restorer of well-being. Clients let go of the physical as well as the emotional stresses they have been holding, unaware of its presence.

The face assumes a lightness after releasing the tensions held and worn in the face, allowing a more youthful, vibrant freshness to emerge.

I finish with my organic (locally sourced) herbblend-honey-based mask to exfoliate and gently dissolve blackheads and help heal concerns.

Again, Not your ordinary facial....

Your Extraordinary Facial.....

AmeliasHolisticFacials@gmail.com - For appointments/ Gift Certificates, call 518-310-8314.

“Actors must understand each other, know each other, help each other, absolutely love each other; must, absolutely must.”

--Sir Laurence Olivier, 1975 44 • JULY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND

Thunderstorms,fireflies,picnic s,swimming,wildflowers,tomatoe s worth eating and longer hours of light!!

Spring was wonderfully long,rainy,and crisp and the results are the lush beauty we are enjoying now.

On the Solstice ,we celebrated ELIXIR’S 2nd YEAR ANNIVERSARY! Moving into our 3rd year is exciting!

We are happily now offering various retail items related to health and well being,bulk herbs and teas,and a full array of prepared foods and beverages to pick up when you are not able to stay.Our new prepared foods fridge arrived last week and as of July 1st will be filled with all of those delicious treats!

If you are not familiar with ELIXIR,we are a magical, cozy tea salon serving 100% organic fare prepared with fresh ingredients, with love and healing intention. We take our health and well being and YOURS quite seriously.

For this reason, we do not use any ingredients that can harm us,you,or mother earth and her creatures in any way.

Some people may wonder how food can be delicious without meat,dairy,and sugar!

We invite you to come in and sample our internationally inspired dishes bursting with flavors from organic herbs and spices.

We have a passion for tea and serve perfectly steeped pots of loose black,green,oolong teas and tisanes and celebrate the art of tea and teatime all day!!

We believe that not only what we take into our bodies for nourishment ,but also HOW we take it in is of great importance. When we take the time and relax with our meals alone in quiet reflection or in conviviality with others, we assimilate more nutrients from the sense of well being we feel from doing so.

So when you have a chance,stop by and relax over a nourishing delicious meal,pick up a fresh pressed juice and some prepared foods for your family picnic,have a steaming pot of tea and a naturally sweetened baked good over a good book, or let us help you make a dietary/lifestyle plan for your health and well being! We offer a cleanse package for your individual needs as well as our ongoing 21 day restorative cleanse.

We wish you all a delightful summer of good food,family and friends in our amazing Berkshires!

With Blessings from the ELIXIR staff and, NancyLee ELIXIR CHEF/OWNER 70 Railroad Street(next to the Triplex) Great Barrington 413.644.8999 www.elixirgb.com/ organictearoom@gmail.com facebook elixir instagram elixirllc

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2017 • 45

A BERKSHIRE SAMPLER FROM THE BLOG

RICHARD BRITELL, IMAGE + TEXT

This drawing is called “a Berkshire sampler” because it contains nine small drawings of things or places in Berkshire County that are particularly interesting. Berkshire County in western Massachusetts, is a summer resort area with numerous serious cultural attractions. Tanglewood is here, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. As its name implies, Tanglewood is a grand area of beautifully landscaped grounds with gentile hills, large meadows, and ancient trees of great beauty. It not a manicured beauty, but a beauty rough about the edges like a Hudson River School painting.

The first image in the set is Hawthorne Street looking south. The big hedge on the left is over twelve feet high and forms the border of the Tanglewood property. Out of the hedge rises a large tree part way down the road, this marks the Lion’s Gate entrance to the grounds, so named because of the lion sculptures on top of flanking pedestals at the entrance. This view is especially interesting because it contains the entrance to the grounds used by nonpaying teenagers, attending popular music concerts.

At the extreme left bottom of the hedge is a little tunnel through the hedge which also passes safely through two chain link fences which run down the center hidden in the foilage. I have never used this secret entrance; my daughters pointed it out to me one day.

The second image is one of the lion faces from the lion’s gate entrance. The third image is what you see if you look to the right when you are looking at image number one. This is the view looking to the south from Hawthorne Street. Here the land falls sharply away cut by rows of trees at intervals, formerly the borders of farmer’s fields. These big fields are also giant parking lots whenever there is a concert. There are three of these fields bordered by trees and then your eye gets to Stockbridge Bowl, a very round lake that can be seen right in the middle of the drawing. After the lake the landscape rises up again with a series of receding hills. It is just this tendency of the Berkshire landscape, to rise up and down, cut

46 • JULY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND

by open fields and variegated patched of various types and colors of trees that makes these views so famous.

Hawthorne Street, of the first three images, is so named because at one time Nathaniel Hawthorne lived there. I decided to do a drawing of the famous Hawthorne House that is almost directly across from the Lions’ Gate, but I was amazed to find that the original house burned down over a hundred years ago. The house in the drawing is the very next house south from where the Hawthorne house once stood.

It is a modest little house but one of my favorite houses in Berkshire County. It is old, unpainted stucco, with an orange Mediterranean tile roof. What looks like two entrances is really a door and a symmetrical opening for a porch.

I thought if I made mention of Hawthorne in my set of drawings I should also include another equally famous American author who lived here. In Pittsfield is Arrowhead, the home of Herman Melville. He lived in a large very ordinary looking New England farmhouse. I went there but could find nothing I wanted to draw. When I was leaving however I came across a wonderful piece of sky at the back of the visitor parking lot, so I have included that. It is drawing number five, right in the center. Here again, as in the Tanglewood images, the landscape shows the sky to best advantage by dropping down a long way into a valley, and then rising up again in the distance clothed in blue like the sky itself.

The next image is more up to date. This is the Lenox Coffee Shop in the Town of Lenox. This is my favorite place to drink coffee and read a book on a summer afternoon. I am sure there are many people who believe two dollars is too much to pay for coffee but I am not among them. To have an equivalent coffee drinking experience you would absolutely have to fly to someplace in Europe, and that would cost at least $1200 by today’s rates. So every time I have coffee there I feel that i have saved myself a thousand dollars at least, and soon, at the rate I am going, I will

be able to buy the little stucco house on Hawthorne Street.

The seventh drawing brings us back to Hawthorne Street again but this time looking north. I put this view in for three reasons, first because it shows how in just one spot there are interesting views in all directions, but also because of a detail. The trees and foliage grow over the road in a full simple arch and the road passes through a tunnel of foliage as it dips and turns around a bend. As an experience, if you are driving, this is equal to the most sophisticated VW commercial. Also, this view has a hill in the distance where once stood the gigantic summer home of Andrew Carnegie. The Carnegie estate was called Shadowbrook, and it succumbed to a huge fire long ago just like the Hawthorne house. Carnegie was just another one of a great many famous people past and present who chose to live here, though they could have lived anywhere.

No survey is complete without a restaurant recommendation, and for this I include my favorite. The eighth image is the former D’Amico hot dog stand just South of Great Barrington, on Route Seven. This is the best place to eat, complete with picnic benches of peeling red paint under the shade of five or six towering pines. Across Route Seven, and just a few steps north of the hot dog stand is an old piece of rusting farm equipment, I only noticed it because I was walking up the highway looking for a good place to do the Hot Dog Stand drawing. It is down in a depression and I include it because I was reminded of how there used to be farms and old farm equipment all over this landscape and now there are almost none, the same is true of the hot dog stand, this is the only one. ~ Richard Britell

Grandma Becky’s

Give a look....

Authentic Old WOrld Recipes by Laura Pian

Grandma Becky’s rule of thumb #1: “Never throw perfectly good food away, it’s a shonda!” (a big shame) she would say. “ No matter what is leſt over, we will turn it into something ingatsn ney (brand new), something gashmak (tasty & delicious); into a perfectly renewed moltsayt (meal) of its own.” And without fail, that she did!

Last weekend my family and I were enjoying a lazy Sunday at home, there was nothing planned to cook for dinner, and no one felt like getting dressed to go out. I knew they were all growing hungrier by the minute, and it would be only a short moment away where they’d come asking “what’s for dinner?”. What would Grandma Becky have done in a situation like this? When it came to feeding hungry children, she’d never fail. However, I doubt she could have easily run out to the grocery store with five children at home in order to grab some organic salmon at $20.00/lb.

So, ok, think Laura, think! I peered into the refrigerator. There were plenty of ibbigublibbins (leſt-overs) to work with. There was a full box of beytsim (eggs), and there were various fresh vejtabalz (vegetables). With that alone, I knew there was dinner! Suddenly, it came to me, a dish my grandma made a meal from any time of day. It was most common for supper and we all loved it. Some of you may remember this dish from your own kitchens, and some may think it sounds unappealing, but truly, its taste is amazing. That said dish was fried kosher salami and eggs. With a one-pound log of soſt beef, kosher salami, Grandma would peel away the outer plastic wrapper, cut it into circles and throw onto the frying pan. The sizzle was music to my ears. The highly seasoned aroma would pique my salivary glands.

The taste was classic; slightly spicy with just the right amount of garlic. She would make it in a skillet with oil, not butter, the eggs would be perfectly fried with crispy edges.

Last week, I didn’t have any kosher salami, but knew I could certainly bring all of the ibbigublibbins to life! This brought to mind a new twist on an old recipe. I whipped up what Grandma would have called a faynkukhn, or what many modern day cooks today refer to as a frittata, or just simply… an omelet! This dish turned out so well, the family loved it and I know Grandma Becky would have proudly devoured it as we did. I took a few pictures of my version of an old-world twist and wanted to share it here with you. A perfect, summertime meal; fluffy, light, and meatless. Please note, the ingredients I used below are easily interchangeable. Use whatever veggies and/or protein you have in your kitchen, be creative!

GRANDMA BECKY’S “NEW WORLD” VEJTABAL-FAYNKUKHN ~ 1 bag of fresh spinach, cleaned & trimmed ~ 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips ~ 1 medium onion, diced ~ 1 dozen eggs, scrambled ~ 2 tablespoons milk, any sort will do ~ 1/2 cup low fat cheese, shredded, any sort will do ~ salt, to taste ~ pepper, to taste ~ olive oil, enough to coat pan

*Note: A cast iron skillet works best for this, however if you do not have one, use a frying pan and then transfer to any pan which could be placed in the oven for cooking. Remember to grease oven pan before transferring eggs into it.

Preheat broiler. Add oil to frying pan and heat on stovetop. First sauté onion and bell pepper until soſt approximately 8-10 minutes. Add spinach and blend. Meanwhile, break eggs and scramble in a separate bowl along with milk, salt, and pepper. With wooden spoon, be sure the vegetables are evenly spread throughout the pan. Then gently pour egg mixture into pan. Turn heat to low-medium and let cook without disturbing for approximately 10-15 minutes until it looks set and slightly brown. Carefully transfer eggs into greased oven pan (or leave in cast iron skillet). Sprinkle cheese all along the top of the eggs and place under broiler for 5 minutes, allowing top to brown. Keep a watchful eye on it so that it doesn’t burn!

Remove from oven, let sit for 3 minutes, and cut into wedges or squares. Enjoy and esn gezunt (eat to your health)!

I’d love to hear from you. Please share your ideas with me at laura.pian320@gmail.com.

Perhaps your recipe will be featured in an upcoming “Grandma Becky’s Recipes” column!

AMELIA'S HOLISTIC FACIAL REJUVENATION COMBINED WITH REIKI LEVEL II Not your ordinary facial....

Your Extraordinary Facial....

AMELIA ia a Licensed Aesthetician, practicing in the Berkshires for 20 plus years.

For Appointments and Gift Certificates: AmeliasHolisticFacials@gmail.com 518.320.8314

GOURMET ORGANIC VEGETARIAN FARE WITH AN INTERNATIONAL FLAIR! New Summer Hours!

Monday 8am-6pm Tuesday closed Wednesday closed Thursday 8am-6pm Friday 8am-10pm Saturday 8am-10pm Dinner by reservation!

Everything is always lovingly and consciously prepared with fresh organic ingredients

70 railroad street great barrington, ma www.elixirgb.com organictearoom@gmail.com 413. 644. 8999 48 •JULY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2017 • 49

just as interesting and compelling as the flowers themselves. Where these flowers are, in a garden or in her studio, is important to Knapp and she invites us into that world with artistic, sometimes abstract, description. Indoors or outdoors, in a vase or in a field each painting is a bouquet that will last forever.

We welcome you to come pick one!

510 Warren St. Gallery 518-822-0510 510warrenstreetgallery@gmail.com 510warrenstreetgallery.com

TANGERINES AND FRENCH CHAIR, 30X 30”, OIL

THE FLOWERS

510 WARREN ST GALLERY JULY 2017

Kate Knapp’s studies of flowers are not pretty pictures, they are beautiful paintings. Her paintings are filled with a life force that she channels from the flowers onto the canvas. There is tension and depth and a sense of wonder in these bouquets. Knapp has gotten “comfort and healing” from flowers all of her life, she has been painting them for the past 50 years.

With glorious Impressionistic color and Expressionist design these flower paintings are filled with excitement as Knapp’s brush dances quickly across the canvas loaded with oil paint, intense feeling and the inherent understanding she has of complex composition. The Interior rooms or outdoor spaces become

…Art is not, like science, a logic of references but a release from reference and rendition of immediate experience: a presentation of forms, images, or ideas in such a way that they will communicate, not primarily a thought or even a feeling but an impact.

-Joseph Campbell

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANE FELDMAN

www.janefeldman.com JANEFELDMANPHOTO@GMAIL.COM 917-710-5546

ELEANOR LORD ELEANORLORD.COM

50 •JULY 2017 THE ARTFUL MIND

AND... Eleanor will be exhibiting her art in the show “A CHILD”S WORLD” Thru July 23, 2017 THE NEW MARLBOROUGH MEETING HOUSE GALLERY NEW MARLBOROUGH, ROUTE 57, MA. Gallery hours: Fri - Sun 11 - 4 pm

Paintin’ The Town!

by Natalie Tyler

STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. (June 5, 2017) – For 39 years, Chesterwood, the summer home, studio and gardens of America’s foremost sculptor of public monuments, Daniel Chester French (1850-1931), has presented exhibitions of contemporary large-scale artworks that have been diverse in both their content and theme.

This year’s iteration of the annual contemporary sculpture exhibition, Out of Site: Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood on view June 16 through October 9, celebrates Chesterwood as a site for creativity.

Chesterwood Emeritus Board Member Anita Heller and Executive Director Donna Hassler

Artist Yael Erel, Avner Ben Natan, Curator Sharon Bates & Sculptor Michael Oatman

Daniel Chester French’s Studio in view

Blue landscape by Roberly Bell

Sculptor Derek Porter and his new son Rigel

Adam Zambarletti and Lincoln statue by Daniel Chester French

Portia Munson

Enjoying the view

An artist reception for “Out of Site: Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood” was held on Sunday, June 25 from 3 to 5 p.m. The exhibition features the work of 14 artists invited by guest curator Sharon Bates to develop new projects or to adapt existing works that directly respond to the environmental, cultural, and aesthetic attributes of the landscape at Chesterwood.

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2017 • 51

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