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Page 1: The artful mind oct 2014

Artist MAGGIE MAILER Photographed by Jane Feldman

OCTOBER 2014 MONTHLY BERKSHIRE ARTZINE THE SOURCE FOR PROMOTING ART SINCE 1994

THE ARTFUL MIND

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Painting Classes on Monday and Wednesday mornings 10 - 1pm at the Studio and Thursday mornings 10am - 1pm out in the field. Open to all.413-274-6607 413-429-7141 (cell) 413-528-9546

Gallery Hours: Saturday and Sunday 12-5 or by appointmentFRONT STREET, downtown HOUSATONIC, MA

FRONT STREET GALLERY

The Manhattan PaintingsK AT E K N A P P

510 Warren Street GalleryHudson, New York

November 1 - 31Opening Reception

November 1, 3 - 6pm

ALL WELCOME!Kate Knapp, 3 Madison & 35th, 30 x40”, Oil

Kate Knapp, Calder at 57th St, 30 x 40”, Oil

Kate Knapp, Sunset 125th St, 24 x 30”, Oil

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Vault Gallery413-854-7744 BEAUTIFUL MINDS Marilyn Kalish

marilynkalish.com

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1 • OCTOBER 2014 THE ARTFULMIND

Isabeth HardyJOYOctober 4 - December 14

Reception: Saturday, October 4, 2 - 4pmSanDiSfielD art Center5 Hammertown road, Sandisfield, [email protected] www.isabethhardy.com

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THE ARTFULMIND OCTOBER 2014 •3

museums & galleries510 WARREN STREET GALLERYhudson, nY • 518-822-0510 nina lipkowitz, Poppies & Pixels, month of October, reception Oct 11, 3-6pm

ART ON MAIN, THE GALLERY AT BARNBROOK REALTY271 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA"flora After frost: Photograghs by Marc Goldstein",Sept 5 - Oct 31. Opening reception: friday, September 5, 5-7 pm

BACKYARD HEIRLOOMS525 South Main St, Gt Barrington, MA • 413 528-3095Architectural Sculpture for the home and garden. featuring cus-tom birdhouses, tree houses, kid scapes & natural functional art

BERKSHIRE ART GALLERY80 Railroad St., Gt. BArrington, MA • 413-528-2690 /www.berkshireartgallery.comThe Berkshire Art Gallery is exhibiting paintings by Americanartists Edwin Burrage Child (1886-1937), Samuel W. Griggs(1827-1898), Marion huse (1896-1967) and Alexander C. Stuart(1831-1898), and others. European artists include Robertlaroche (1895-c.1960), Claudio Simonetti (B. 1929) and SilvioMarchesan (B. 1930).

CHAIWALLA TEA HOUSE1 Main St, Salisbury, CTMarguerite Bride’s paintings from her winter scenes, and thosefrom her trip to ireland will be in the gallery to be enjoyed themonth of november

FRONT STREET GALLERY129 front St., housatonic, MA • 413-274-6607 / 413-528-9546,or cell at 413-429-7141housatonic Gallery for students and artists. featuring watercolorsby Kate Knapp (Saturday and Sunday 12-5pm or by appointment)

GOOD PURPOSE GALLERY40 Main St., lee, MAJennifer Pazienza, un-Earthed Selected Works, Oct 2 - nov 17.Opening with live music, fri. Oct 10, 5-7pm.

JANET COOPERwww.janetcooperdesigns.comSept 5 - Oct 16: Janet’s Bricolage Assemblage dresses, fine CraftShow at the Albany Center Gallery, 39 Columbia St, Albany, nY;Also fabric sculpture “Waiting for Judah” on display, Sept 27-nov 8, Barrett Art Gallery, Poughkeepie, nY

KNOX GALLERY at MONTEREY LIBRARYJean Germain, Photographer: “Before Photoshop” a retrospectiveexhibition of 35mm film photography using a range of special ef-fects to create uncommon images. Show runs Sept 26–October25 (Mon 7pm–9 pm, Tues 9am– 12:30 pm, Wed 2pm–5 pm,Thurs 4pm–6 pm, fri 4pm–8 pm, Sat 9:30am–12:30pm & 7pm–9pm

LAUREN CLARK FINE ART25 Railroad Street, Great Barrington, MA• 413-528-0432 / www.laurenClarkfineArt.com; [email protected]

MARGUERITE BRIDEnuarts Studios, Studio #9, 311 north St., Pittsfield, MAmargebride-paintings.com • 413-841-1659Original Watercolors, house portraits, commissions, lessons

THE MORRISON GALLERY208 Old Barn Road near the inters. Rts 7 & 341 in Kent, CT.• 860-927-4501 / [email protected] / www.morrisongallery.comGeorge-Ann Gowan, reception from 5–7pm on Sat=, Oct 18 andwill be on display until nov 16.

NO. SIX DEPOT ROASTERY AND CAFÉ 6 depot Street in West Stockbridge, MA• www.sixdepot.comJames napoleon, paintings and drawings. Oct 1 - 31, receptionOct 5, 3-5pm.

NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUMRte 183, Stockbridge, MA .8 413-298-4100American Masters: ROckwell and hopper, thru Oct 26

SAMUEL DORSKY MUSEUM OF ART State university of new York at new Paltz1 hawk drive, new Paltz, nY • 845-257-3844hours: Wednesday-Sunday: 11 am - 5 pmdick Polich: Transforming Metal into Art. Curated by daniel Be-lasco. Morgan Anderson Gallery, howard Greenberg familyGallery, and Corridor, August 27 - december 14, 2014

SANDISFIELD ART CENTER5 hammertown Rd, Sandisfield, MAisabeth hardy, “Joy”, Oct 4 - dec 14. Reception Oct 4, 2-4pm.

SCHANTZ GALLERIES3 Elm St, Stockbridge, MA • 413-298-3044 www.schantzgalleries.com A destination for those seeking premier artists working in glass.(11 - 5 daily)

ST. FRANCIS GALLERYRt 102, South lee, MA (2 mi. east from the Red lion inn)“About face” Sept 12 - Oct 19

THE OXBOW GALLERY273 Pleasant St., northampton, MAoxbowgallery.org • 413-586-6300 (Thur-Sun 12-5)Ongoing exhibit

music/theatreHUDOST AND ELIZABETH & THE CATAPULT'S BERK-SHIRE RETURN CONCERT Whitney Center, Pittsfield, MA. Sat, Oct 11 at 7:30pm

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH MUSICThe Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Gt. Barrington, MA• 413-528-0100 / www.cewm.orgOpens 23rd season with “Mozart: Rejoice/Exult!”, Sat. Oct 25,6pm. Roman Rabinovich, piano and celesta; Tara helen O’Con-nor, flute; James Austin Smith, oboe; daniel Phillips, violin;Xiao-dong Wang, viola; Yehuda hanani, cello

events20Th AnnuAl PARADISE CITY ARTS FESTIVALwww.paradisecityarts.com / 800-511-9725October 11, 12 and 13 at the Three County fairgrounds innorthampton, MA. One of America’s top-ranked shows of finecrafts, paintings and sculpture, Paradise City features 275 out-standing artists in four buildings, sensational cuisine, live music,creative activities, demonstrations and an outdoor sculpture gar-den.

workshopsSABINE VOLLMER VON FALKENPhOTOGRAPhiC WORKShOPS • 413-298-4933 www.sabinephotoart.com, [email protected] light with a Critical Eye - explore the beautiful light of theBerkshires by taking a weekend photography workshop. dates:October 11,12 2014

Send in your calendar submissions by 10th of the month prior to publication ...

see us on ISSUU.COM

Calendar of EventsRENAISSANCE ARTS

CENTERSTUDENTART EXHIBITION

Renaissance Arts Center announces the third Student ArtExhibition in their beautiful new gallery September 15- Oc-tober 15. The exhibit features artwork by students enrolled inthe Summer Arts Programs: Mask Making, Printmaking, Pho-tography, Short Stop Motion films and Clay.

The upcoming October 17 exhibition will feature painting,drawing, collage and photography by instructors: Karen dol-manisth, dana Ehninger, Michael lavin flower, John law-son, Patricia navarino, danny Odell also video danceperformances by Ruslan Sprague, Olivia Wilber.

Renaissance Gallery is located at Renaissance Arts Center,420 Jenifer House Commons, Great Barrington, MA. 01230.413-528-9600. Our gallery is open to the public Mondaythrough Friday from 12 pm - 6 pm. Weekends from 11 am – 4pm and always by appointment.www.renaissanceartscenter.org.

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Saint Francis Gallery1370 Pleasant street. route 102 LEE. MA (next to fire dept.)

complete schedule: www.saintfrancisgallery.com413.717. 5199 open fri-mon 10-5 pm

AboutFaceSEPTEMBER 12

THRUOCTOBER 19, 2014

525 SOuTh MAin STREET, GREAT BARRinGTOn, MA413. 528. 3095

WWW.BACKYARdhEiRlOOMS.COM And fOund OnhOuRS: SAT. & Sun. 10 - 5PM & BY APPOinTMEnT

ROBERT lAROChE, 1895-1960, Red Sails, O/C, 25 X 30”, fREnCh

BERKShiRE ARTGAllERY

80 RAilROAd STREET, GREAT BARRinGTOn, MA413. 528. 2690

OPEn SATuRdAYS And SundAYS, OR BY APPOinTMEnT OR ChAnCE

www.berkshireartgallery.com

TROY YULFO

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FRONT STREET GALLERYKATE KNAPP

Pastels, oils, acrylics and watercolors…..abstract and repre-sentational…..landscapes, still lifes and portraits….a unique va-riety of painting technique and styles….you will be transportedto another world and see things in a way you never have be-fore…. join us and experience something different.

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

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

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

Kate Knapp’s paintings are also on display at 510 WarrenSt. Gallery in hudson, nY. Please stop by to see all the manyworks of art by exceptional artists.

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

JAMES NAPOLEON PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS

nO. SiX dEPOT GAllERYJames napoleon lives and paints in Kent CT, and on long

island’s north fork. James studied painting at School of VisualArts in new York City. his works are in private and corporateart collections, and have been shown in solo and group exhibi-tions, including the Parrish Art Museum (Southampton nY),and the Westport Arts Center. This exhibition at no. Six depotGallery combines a series of “Obsession” drawings as well asa series of fantasy paintings and will be on display October 1-31. An artist reception will be held on Sunday, October 5, 3-5pm.

The Obsession drawings are based on a performance of com-poser Gino Paoli’s il Cielo in una Stanza, by italian vocalistMina Mazzini. The artist has construed Obsession as a singlework, essentially an extended drawing on 18 panels. Obsessionis about watching, and fixation, and drawing—in which the ex-perience of two artists is expressed.

The fantasy paintings recognize that we are here for what-ever reason. “And how we and the things we create – clothing,tools, furniture, roads, boats, dwellings, and so on –interact inways that find a resonance in us that will not be silenced,”napoleon explains. “i use art materials and tools and tech-niques to ponder these resonances as refracted through the gen-erations and experiences that formed me. These paintings areessentially a language about my experience of painting.”

No. Six Depot Gallery is located in historic train station inWest Stockbridge, adjoining No. Six Depot Roastery & Café,serving house-roasted coffee, breakfast and lunch and hostingFriday night events. www.sixdepot.com

ART ON MAINFLORAAFTER FROST

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARC GOLDSTEINThis show, flora after frost, examines the somewhat neglected

formal beauty of plant life as full bloom wanes and seeds ready fortheir next cycle. The photographs will be on view until October 31.Thus, the images in the gallery will correspond to the seasonalchanges occurring outside. The opening reception is on friday, Sep-tember 5 from 5 to 7 pm.

Goldstein himself confesses that he was (and is) a bit surprisedby his sudden interest in the subject of the weathered forms of latefall. having been an active photographer throughout his many tripsto exotic destinations where landscapes are seductive and photog-raphy something of a mission, the flora after frost images beganas nothing more than the unexpected results of testing a new camera.“After fall foliage has passed,” he explained, “there’s not that muchout there to aim a lens at except for seed pods and dried flowerheads. So, that’s what i shot. fortunately, their muted colors, theirlines and textures made every moment spent in snow and freezingrain well worth the trouble.”

Author, retired professor, department chair at Massachusetts Col-lege of liberal Arts, Goldstein found within the narrow rage of hissubject what turns out to be a visually rich and rewarding world.This is a world where photography can invite contemplation of theprofundity of nature, its naturalcycles of growth and decay re-minding us of our own tran-sience. Art On Main The Gallery at

Barnbrook Realty is located at271 Main St., Gt. Barrington,MA. www.artonmain.blogspot.com

MARC GOldSTEin, MilKWEEd #2, PhOTOGRAPhKATE KnAPP, nYC

JAMES nAPOlEOn, nOn BlOndES GRAndE

Advertise your art!Be Seen!!!

[email protected]

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Planet Waves for OCTOBEREric Francis.....14

Artist Maggie MailerJane Feldman...16

The Tree FortRichard Britell ... 20

Simply Sasha ...20

Contributing Writers and Monthly Columnists Eunice Agar, Richard Britell, Jane Feldman,Eric Francis, Sasha Seymour, Amy Tanner

Photographers Cassandra Sohn, Jane Feldman

Sabine Vollmer von Falken

PublisherHarryet Candee

Copy EditorMarguerite Bride

Advertising and Graphic Design Harryet Candee

Box 985, Great Barrington, MA [email protected]

READ THE ARTFUL MIND on ISSUU.COM at this link:

http://issuu.com/theartfulmindartzine/docs/the_artful_mind_for_issuu.com_aug_2/0

413 854 4400ALL MATERIAL due the 10th of the

month prior to publication

FYI: ©Copyright laws in effect throughout The Artful Mind for logo & allgraphics including text material. Copyright laws for photographers and writ-ers throughout The Artful Mind. Permission to reprint is required in all in-stances. In any case the issue does not appear on the stands as planned dueto unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, advertisers will be com-pensated on a one to one basis. Disclaimer rights available upon request.Serving the Art community with the intention of enhancing communicationand sharing positive creativity in all aspects of our lives.

OCTOBER 2014

THE ARTFUL MINDARTZINE“The Long and WInding Road...

that leads me to your door..”-The BEATLES

Maggie Mailer, ArtistPhotographs and interview by Jane feldman

Page 16

BEFORE PHOTOSHOPJEAN GERMAIN FINE ART

PHOTOGRAPHERno matter the subject - people, nature, architecture or events,

this photographer brings an imaginative perspective to her art.A retrospective exhibition of Jean Germain’s 35 mm film pho-tography will be in The Knox Gallery at the Monterey librarySeptember 26 through October 25.

The show highlights a wide range of photographs taken byGermain using a variety of manual techniques and pushing filmbeyond normal tolerances to create uncommon images. She em-ploys special filters, Polaroid transfers, timed night exposures,multiple images and other ways to manipulate the photographswithout using Photoshop.

While living in new York City, Germain spent hours in mu-seums fascinated by renowned impressionist and abstractpainters. She describes, “how the legendary painters dealt withlight, shadow, soft focus and even grainy images, led to muchof my photographic style. Those influences are reflected in howi see through my lens, often blurring the line between realityand fantasy.”

using filters and an assortment of 35mm film Germain ex-periments with her camera producing images that are some-times dramatic, ethereal, or conceptual.

Also in this show are Jean Germain’s celebrated photographsof legendary jazz musicians which have been selected from herbook, Jazz From Row Six. using filters on her camera and high-speed film, Germain was able to capture the energy of the per-formances even when she could only use existing stage lighting.The book won a 2014 Paris Book festival award which is nowadded to the list of other awards it has earned.

“i am not opposed to technology like Photoshop,” Germainexplains, “i just continue to be intrigued by what can be createdusing actual film.”

Knox Gallery at Monterey Library, 452 Main Road, Mon-terey, Massachusetts; 413-528-3795. Gallery hours: Monday 7pm – 9 pm; Tuesday 9 am – 12:30 pm; Wednesday 2 pm – 5 pm;Thursday 4 pm – 6 pm; Friday 4 pm – 8 pm; Saturday 9:30 am– 12:30 pm & 7 pm – 9 pm.

JEAn GERMAin, lEnOX ChuRCh GATETHE MUSIC STOREWhy Music?  Why local?  Why play?  Because it matters.

in October The Music Store begins its fifteenth Year in busi-ness in Great Barrington!  helping the community, near and far,make music has been an enjoyable and productive enterprisefor us.  And we look forward to continuing this mission into thesecond half of our second decade.Some of the fun . . . • Composite Acoustic guitars and the peerless travel guitar, theCargo, the forever Guitar made of carbon graphite and imper-vious to most changes of temperature and humidity• 50+ diffEREnT models of ukulele: Soprano, Concert,Tenor and Baritone, acoustic and acoustic/electric, six string,Resonator and the remarkable u-Bass!• how about a Cordoba Cuatro?  Or a West African djembe?  • Try Takamine for a guitar to suit almost any budget (limitedEditions and GREAT SAlES, too)!  And so many more brandsand types from $150-$5000 . . . .• Ever heard of dr. Easy’s Sonic Boxes?  Acoustic/electric cigarbox guitars which bring the past into the present with a delight-ful punch!• harmonicas, in every key• Picks (exotic, too!), strings (!!), sticks and reeds• Violins, Mandolins, Banjos• handmade and international Percussion• native American and locally made bamboo and wooden flutes

We remain your neighborhood music store, where adviceand help are free and music is the universal language.  Workingwith local luthiers and repairmen we offer stringed and band in-strument repair.  And we just have something you haven’t seenbefore (an acoustic/electric Kalimba, perhaps?).  We match (orBEAT) most on-line prices for the merchandise that we sell, anddo so in PERSOn, for the most part cheerfully (though we re-serve the right to glower a little when asked if we can ‘do better’on the price of a pick!)!

Come and see us soon and help us celebrate our 15th year!!!Your patronage helps the community and makes it a more tune-ful and happy place!  Cheers!

The Music Store, located at 87 Railroad Street in Great Bar-rington,  is open Wednesdays through Sundays and by appoint-ment.  Call us at 413-528-2460, or visit us on lineat www.themusicstoreplus.com.  Happy playing!!!

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ThE ARTful Mind OCTOBER 2014 • 7

JENNIFER PAZIENZAGOOD PURPOSE GALLERY

Un-Earthed: Selected Works will be on display October 2-november 17 at Good Purpose Gallery, 40 Main Street in lee.Originally from new Jersey, Jennifer is an established artist andretired university professor living in new Brunswick, Canada.She returns to the uS for her first show in the Berkshires. “i amdelighted to finally have my work here. Becket has been myhome away from home for the twenty-five years i’ve been inCanada. i’m so pleased!“

Canadian Curator Tom Smart has written, “JenniferPazienza’s paintings are born from a perceptual process whereshe works through the landscapes to explore her own myths andhistories, the intuitive process, and an emotional connection tothe world around her that is direct and intense; subjective andexpressive; painterly, ephemeral yet profoundly human. Her aes-thetic perceptions transcend material and place to lift the viewerto consider the relationship between matter and spirit, mind andthe land. In her hands the land becomes more than the particularand the objective. It is a gloss through which reality is renewedand the eternal might be glimpsed.”

for Pazienza, he explains that, “the landscape of herbeloved Keswick Ridge is an increasingly complex gestaltthrough which she continually tran-scends the everyday and the famil-iar. As an artist she invites us toexplore this epic narrative with her,and to consider the effects of sucha perceptual process in our ownlives.”

About her current work of veg-etables, Smart comments, “com-mon root vegetables aretransformed. They are startlinglyfine paintings that have a strongsense of drawing in them as well aspainterliness. The colour, line andgestures animate them, giving thesubject matter real life

This sense, set against allusivecolourfield skies makes for almostmetaphysical interpretations of thesubjects.  They dissolve before theeyes in a wonderfully gestural sig-nature and a radiant azure glow.”

You can meet Jennifer Pazienzaat an opening reception with livemusic and refreshments Friday Oc-tober 10 5-7pm. She will be onhand at a special Gallery event,Crepes & Creativity in conjunctionwith the Starving Artist Café. De-tails, date, and time to follow.

VILMA MARE SARTORIALARTS AND SERVICESGREAT BARRINGTON, MA

Vilma Mare channels an authentic female image that hashereditary connection with indigenous rites, worship of ances-tral land and family values, and encourages harmonious dia-logue between humankind and nature. Besides the usual bodyprotection and adornment aspects of the apparel, she also main-tains it’s spiritual content - protection against harm and the at-traction of fertility and happiness.

To stay original by nourishing one’s life with genuine ritesand indigenous attitude by dressing a woman in natural healthyfabrics and comforting clothes while portraying her withinserene, thoughtful semantics that are able to communicate theuniversal values of respect to Earth’s and woman’s fertility, anda devotion to one’s family and health.

“I sew for customers with wishful thoughts towards them. Ihardly ever fail to satisfy their sartorial needs. Observing theancient wisdom of the Baltic Druids protects me from vanity,harmful ego and a fruitless existence.” -Vilma Mare

Custom orders FOR ALL SIZES. 177 Main Street, Gt. Bar-rington, MA. www.vilmamare.com tel.: 917 992 4726

CEWM OPENS 23rd SEASON MOZART: REJOICE/EXULT!

The 2014-15 Close Encounters With Music season opens atthe Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center on Saturday, October 25, 6PM with an all-Mozart program. no composer has survived theshifting tides of ideas, styles and fashion more assuredly thanMozart. The celestial blend of strings and winds in major works(Oboe Quartet in f, flute Quartet in d) will affirm his status asincomparable master of the lighthearted as well as the profound.Stars of the chamber music world gather to showcase works writ-ten for wind virtuosos of his age—plus the Piano Quartet in E-flat and rarely heard Quintet for Glass harmonica, the instrumentinvented by Benjamin franklin—and his incandescent Rondo inA minor for solo piano.

The “Mozartiana” program introduces oboist James AustinSmith, already inducted into lincoln Center’s Chamber MusicSociety (“virtuosic” and “brilliant’ performances— The newYork Times) in his Berkshire debut. Artistic director Yehudahanani is also joined by violinist daniel Phillips, first of thenoted Orion String Quartet; violist Xiao-dong Wang; and flutistTara helen O’Connor. Pianist Roman Rabinovich, winner of the2008 Arthur Rubinstein international Piano Master Competitionin Tel Aviv, performs on both piano and celesta.

Tickets, $45 (Orchestra and Mezzanine) and $25 (Balcony),are available at The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center box office,413-528-0100. Subscriptions are $225 ($195 for seniors) for aseries of 6 series concerts PluS one subscriber-only concert.Visit our website at www.cewm.org.

Close Encounters With Music - Post Office Box 34, Great Bar-rington, MA 01230, 800-843-0778. Web: www.cewm.orgEmail: [email protected]

“Flora After Frost”Marc Goldstein

Photography

September 5 - October 31, 2014Reception: Friday, September 5, 5-7 pm

Art On Main The Gallery at Barnbrook Realty271 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA

www.artonmain.blogspot.com

Marc Goldstein, Inflorescence in Black #2

JAMES AuSTin SMiTh, OBOE

JEnnifER PAziEnzA, BRAMOSiA, 2009, 96X72 in, Oil On CAnVAS

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FOR SALEBEAUTIFUL SECOND EMPIRE

This beautiful historic home and carriage house are locatedin a very nice neighborhood in north Adams, MA. The homehas many potential uses especially for: artists (home/studio andgallery), craftsman, business professionals (doctor, lawyer, ac-countant, realtor) or simply as a grand personal residence.

Some of the main features of the home are: hardwood floorsthroughout, high ceilings, 3-story spiral staircase, large pantryand storage, 4+ bedrooms, (1) full bath, (1) ¾ bath, (2) halfbaths, large front and side wide covered porches, a 2-story car-riage house and off-street parking for 6 vehicles.

We currently use half the house as a home and the other asoffice. There is an additional finished room and unfinished stor-age in the attic. The home is well insulated and the heating sys-tem was upgraded to an Energy Star boiler in 2005.

located just a block from the new K-7 Grade School, 2blocks from Main Street and Mass College of liberal Arts, 3blocks from MASS MoCA, all within an easy walk.

The 2-story carriage house is 1,600 Sf (800sf per floor) andthe 1st floor is wide open with 9’6” ceiling. This space has manypotential uses especially for artists or craftsman.

See more about this home including a Google Inside walk-thru at: www.Living-Well.Info/PleasantStreet. To schedule aviewing call or email Jay at (413) 329-1755, [email protected].

MORRISON GALLERYGEORGE-ANN GOWAN

The Morrison Gallery announces Coming Attractions, an ex-hibition featuring new works by George-Ann Gowan. The exhi-bition will open with a reception from 5 – 7 PM on Saturday,October 18 and will be on display until november 16.

George-Ann deVilbiss Gowan was born in Corpus Christi,Texas in 1948. her initial art training was at William and Mary,from which she graduated magna cum laude with a degree infine Art. in Connecticut, her residence since 1970, she pursuedfurther studies with watercolorist Edgar Whitney and egg tem-pera artist Richard Carroll. She has also worked extensively withRussian artist Yuri Vaschenko since 1995. until it closed in 2010she was represented by the Bachelier Cardonsky Gallery, Kent,CT.

She has shown her work at The howland Cultural Center inBeacon, nY and the Akin free library and Museums in Pawling,nY. She has also been a featured artist at Tree’s Place Gallery,Orleans, MA. Most of her work has been primarily in egg tem-pera and graphite, but recently her focus is turned to bricolage.her painting won first prize at Silvermine’s 49th Annual Art ofthe northeast uSA Competition, among numerous other awards.

Several of her works are included in Charles Ewing’s book,The new Scratchboard, Clay-Surface Techniques for Today’sArtists (Watson Guptill, 2001) and her work has been reviewedin Art new England. Two of her graphite drawings were selectedby the united States department of State ART in Embassies Pro-gram to hang in the official residence of the uS Ambassador toKyrgyzstan.

George-Ann lives and works in Kent, CT. Morrison Gallery - 8 Old Barn Road, Kent,

Connecticut. 860-927-4501, www.mor-risongallery.com

COLLINS/EDITIONSformerly

BERKSHIRE DIGITALAfter seven years of working for artists and photographers

as Berkshire digital, we have changed our name tocollins|editions. We are a fine art reproduction service thatoffers the highest quality digital photography & reproductionof paintings as well as Giclée printing on archival papers andcanvas with sizes up to 42” x 90”. Artists & photographersuse us to create limited editions of their images. Private col-lectors and galleries use us to document their collections.Whether the reproduction needs are for archiving, printing,books, magazines, postcards or internet use, Bd adheres tovery strict color controls along with delivering stunning de-tail by using either a large format camera with a Betterlight™ digital scanning back for making giclee prints aswell as the best dSlR cameras for publication & internetuses.

in addition to the photography and printing services,collins|editions also offers graphic design, enabling clientsto create show announcements, post cards and brochures.The website, www.CollinsEditions.com has a completeoverview, lots of information and pricing.

The owner, fred Collins, has been a commercial photog-rapher for over 30 years having had stu-dios in Boston and Stamford. he offers20 years of experience with Photoshop™enabling retouching, restoration and en-hancement. The studio is located in MtWashington but dropoff and Pu can bearranged at other locations.

GEORGE-Ann GOWAn,OPTi PARAllElOSCOPE, 2013, MiXEd MEdiA, 8.5 X 12 X 7.25 inChES

OBER GALLERY6 nORTh MAin ST. KEnT, CT

obergallery.com

Maggie Mailer Palace Revolutions

new paintings

nOVEMBER 1 - nOVEMBER 30,2014

OPEninG RECEPTiOn:nOVEMBER 1, 5 - 7 PM

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Music expresses that which cannot be said

and on which it is impossible

to be silent.

-Victor Hugo

AMY TANNERAnd WhAT ShE fOund ThERE…

After that things took a turn for the surreal.Take those headlights, for instance. instead of being content

to obey the laws of physics and smash into the passenger doorbehind Miranda, they chose to detach themselves from their car,floating upward in a spiraling motion. At which Miranda decidedshe should follow them and see what they were up to. She didn’tregister an impact. She registered a very pleasant, buoyant sen-sation as she left the confines of her Subaru and began to floatup, toward the stars.

in fact, the headlights were evidently composed of stars aswell, because that’s what they started to break up into, millionsof tiny, adamantly sparkling stars that were simultaneously morehuge and vast than she could comprehend. her brain could toler-ate such a paradox only so long. Soon she was wondering, exactlywhat was she doing, hovering among the stars? Was she supposedto even be there? What if somebody found out? Was this some-thing that could get her in trouble?

She entered a thick, foggy cloud. By impulse she opened hermouth and stuck out her tongue. The fog tasted like pea soup. Shewondered if she should call for help. As soon as the word helpformed in her mind, the scenery changed.

She found herself in a sparsely populated, smoky cocktaillounge. Miranda squinted her eyes. The place seemed familiar.in fact, she was positive that this was the same cocktail loungefrom the Rat Pack movie she’d watched in a fit of insomnia theprevious night. it had just looked better in black and white.

Miranda herself was wearing a snugly-fitting mauve sheathdress circa 1962 with a pouf-enveloped hemline. it was hideous.A full martini glass rested in her left hand, a lit cigarette in a scar-let holder in her right. This was very strange. Miranda didn’t

smoke. Or even drink. And she would never have picked out thatdress. not even blindfolded.

“Oh, don’t blame me!” a voice rang out. “You try coveringthis shift by yourself! Everyone else is on break!”

Before Miranda could process this, the voice—a woman’s—called out again: “Mr. Stellenburg—your stew!”

“no, no, no!” a man’s voice responded harshly. “That’s not it!Try again!”

“Excuse me!” said Miranda. Perhaps she was having a dream.While driving. Yes, that was it. “Excuse me, but can someonehelp me?”

“Yes?”Miranda jumped.A harassed-looking woman with screaming red hair, wearing

a black waitress uniform and toting an empty drinks tray, had justappeared at Miranda’s right shoulder. The woman wrinkled hernose. “That dress is hideous,” she muttered.

“i know. i thought the same thing. now—where am i, ex-actly?”

The woman laughed, but not unkindly. “There’s no ‘exactly’about it. You’re probably where you need to be, but possibly not.did you really want that dress?”

“no!” Miranda said. “i didn’t!”“What were you thinking?”“What was i thinking? When?”“Yes! now that’s what i’m talking about!” the waitress ex-

claimed. “You’ve got to think clearly! You’ll find that ‘Wherewas i thinking,’ and ‘Why was i thinking it,’ also come in handy.”her eyes fell to the dingy moss-green carpeting littered with cig-arette butts. “Obviously, before you showed up, your thinkingwas fuzzy.”

now, Miranda thought the film she watched before she’d fallenasleep last night was more to blame for the dismal surroundingsthan she was, but she merely said, “i didn’t know.”

The waitress heaved a sigh. “Apparently no one else does, ei-ther. Everyone i see—nearly every single person! fuzzy thinking!no one knows what they want.” She reflected a moment. “Exceptfor the Buddhists, and they don’t want anything. it’s so annoy-ing.”

“i’m very confused,” Miranda offered timidly.“That’s what got us into this mess to begin with!”“Could you say something helpful, please?” Miranda was sure

that was rude, but she was losing patience. her bearings weregone. Other things were bound to follow.

Excerpted from The Virgin of Hopeless Causes by Amy Tanner,available in electronic and softcover versions on Amazon.com.Amy Tanner - www.amytanner.net

MARGUERITE BRIDECHAIWALLA TEA HOUSE GALLERYMarguerite Bride will be exhibiting new watercolors at the

Chaiwalla Tea house Gallery, 1 Main Street, Salisbury, Con-necticut during the entire month of november. On display willbe new winter scenes of the region plus some paintings inspiredby a recent trip to ireland. in additional to original framed wa-tercolors, there will also be bins of fine art reproductions forsale. however, you must stay for the food. Mary O’Brien,gallery owner and teahouse chef extraordinaire creates a won-derful variety of delicious breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes.

Bride will also be exhibiting at the 6th annual holiday showin Pittsfield sponsored by Alchemy initiative. The handmadeholiday festival will run Saturday, december 6 from 10am to5pm and Sunday, december 7 from 10am to 3pm at the Patersonfield house at BCC in Pittsfield, MA. You will find incrediblefoods, high end crafts and pottery, and of course, art, plus somuch more. One-stop shopping for all those on your holidaygift list.

Open studios continue thought 2014 as part of Pittsfield’sfirst friday Artswalk. Stop in at the nuarts Studios at 311north Street on friday Oct 6, nov 7, and dec 5, 5-8 pm. Comeon up and meet with the artists. There are 18 studios in thisfunky old building. Bride will be featuring paintings inspiredby hancock Shaker Village during the Oct 6 Artswalk.

And for an extra special discount, visit Bride’s facebook page“Marguerite Bride Watercolors” for the special offer of theweek. Some items up to 40% off. The “special” lasts only oneweek and then expires! There’s something different every week.Take a look! Marguerite Bride, NUarts Studios, 311 North Street, Pittsfield,Studio #9, by appointment. Call 413-442-7718, or 413-841-1659 (cell); website: margebride-paintings.com, email: [email protected]

ThE ARTful Mind OCTOBER 2014 • 9

MARGuERiTE BRidE, SlEiGh RAllY in STOCKBRidGE

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PAT BOnAViTACOlA

BuChAnAn, COllOGRAPh

PARADISE CITY ARTS FESTIVAL

The Paradise City Arts festival turns 20 years old thisColumbus day Weekend! The reasons that Paradise City hasreached its 20th anniversary at this level of success are be-cause each event brings a new crop of emerging artists juriedinto the show for the first time, brand-new work by establishedartists, new menus from local chefs that take advantage of thefreshest produce from our regional farms and new creative ac-tivities for families and children.

AmericanStyle Magazine named Paradise City the #1 artsfair in America in 2008, writing that the festival is “innova-tive, always fresh and vibrant. This show allows artists to thinkoutside the box and present work you won’t find anywhereelse. ”

275 artists from every corner of America were juried into thismilestone fair. They present an outstanding selection of finehandmade furniture and home furnishings, paintings, sculpture,jewelry and wearable art. The festival dining Tent providesmouthwatering food prepared by some of northampton’s finestchefs. On the Soundstage, local bands perform throughout: TheO-Tones on Saturday; Roger Salloom on Sunday; and The ArtSteele Blues Band on Columbus day.

Got kids? The fuller Craft Museum makes their Paradise Citydebut with hands-on origami workshops in the Exhibition Build-ing Café. Young children become princes and princesses in theirvery own hand-folded and colored crowns! Their older brothersand sisters can create butterflies and boxes, and learn more elab-orate origami folding techniques from the fuller Craft Museum’sstaff and docents. The young (and young at heart) can also trytheir hands at clay sculpture or non-digital-age printing on a 100-year-old letterpress. Catch ceramic master and raconteur TimScull’s dynamic demonstrations on the potter’s wheel, as heshares the secrets of his studio. Stroll through the outdoor Sculp-ture Garden, and vote for your favorite outdoor art.

A special themed exhibition, “face to face: from Portraits toSelfies, the Art and Craft of Making faces”, will explore inven-tive portraits from selected exhibitors in a range of media fromjewelry to ceramics to painting. The festival’s Silent Art Auctionfeatures hundreds of beautiful and valuable pieces donated bythe exhibiting artists, and 100% of the proceeds benefit WGBYPublic Television for Western new England.

At Northampton’s Three County Fairgrounds, 54 Old FerryRoad off Rt. 9. From the Mass Pike, take exit 4 to I-91 North toexit 19. For complete show and travel information as well asdiscount admission coupons, visit www.paradisecityarts.com orcall 800-511-9725.

ACTINGFOR NON-ACTORS AND ACTORS

Patrick Bonavitacola is now offering classes and privatecoaching for non-actors and actors.

Pat received his training at the lee Strasberg institute andthe world famous Actors Studio. At the Actors Studio heworked under Strasberg’s guidance along with Elia Kazan, leeGrant, Shelley Winters, Mark Rydell, John lehne, and WilliamGreaves. William Greaves, Pat’s mentor, described him as fol-lows: “One of the most talented actors I’ve come across inyears—He could very well become the next Pacino or DeNiro.”

Pat teaches non-actors and actors the craft that was taughtto him at the Studio—“Method Acting” techniques for relax-ation, concentration, sensory exploration, affective memory,character development, and scene study, along with the me-chanics of emotional expression. his students learn to get intouch with their feelings and to express them without inhibi-tions.

Pat works with actors, therapists, people wishing to improvetheir presentation skills (lawyers, businessmen and women,sales and marketing executives, etc.), along with others whosemain concern is personal development and growth. This workwill benefit anyone wishing to understand human behavior andmotivation as well those wishing to unlock their imaginationand creativity.

Those interested in classes, private coaching, or further in-formation call 413-637-9913. [email protected]

ISABETH HARDYSANDISFIELD ART CENTER

The Sandisfield Art Center presents an exhibit of new art by is-abeth hardy. her upcoming show “Joy” will run from October 4thru december 14 at the Sandisfield Art Center, 5 hammertownRoad in Sandisfield, Massachusetts, with an opening receptionOctober 4 from 2-4pm.

Says isabeth, “When i paint, i have an encounter with color andwith the medium i am using at the moment. i bring with me all ilove and want to have around, all i find problematical and want tounderstand, all i want to confront, and all i want to celebrate andeven try to bring into a state of peace and joy. To do this, i beginusually with color and keep putting down color, often till i find outwhat it is all about at the time. My work is about seeing, listening,and bringing into awareness. it is also about joy, the joy of markmaking, of swimming in and with color, of shape and space andjust the amazingness of being here and being able to play or searchwith the material”.

An artist and educator, isabeth Bakke hardy has a BA in Amer-ican literature from Middlebury College, Vermont, and a Master’sdegree in Cultural Education from Vermont College. She spentmore than twenty years involved in the founding of and teachingat the Circle School, in San Antiono Texas. The Circle School, stillin operation today, is a creative school for children ages 3-10. Theschool is based on the inspiration of the painter nicholas Roerich,who fostered the concept of peace through culture and building ed-ucation on the arts.

Within the last decade, hardy has been making monoprints, aswell as continuing her exploration of oils and watercolors. hardy’spaintings and prints are in private collections and the Readers’ di-gest collection.

Isabeth Hardy – email: [email protected]; website:www.isabethhardy.com.

510 WARREn STREET, hudSOn, nYWWW.510WARRENSTREETGALLERY.COM

518-822-0510

ArtistEleanor LordOne of many at...

10 • OCTOBER 2014 ThE ARTful Mind

fullOnE, WOOdEn 1934 fORd

iSABETh hARdY

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ThE ARTful Mind OCTOBER 2014 • 11

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12 • OCTOBER 2014 ThE ARTful Mind

SilViO MARChESAn, CAORlE, O/C, 23 1/2 X 19 3/4, SlR. BORn 1930, iTAliAn

BERKSHIRE ART GALLERYThe Berkshire Art Gallery is exhibiting paintings by Ameri-

can artists Edwin Burrage Child (1886-1937), Samuel W. Griggs(1827-1898), Marion huse (1896-1967) and Alexander C. Stuart(1831-1898), and others. European artists include Robertlaroche (1895-c.1960), Claudio Simonetti (B. 1929) and SilvioMarchesan (B. 1930).

Child, a protégé of John lafarge (1835-1910), was a land-scape medalist at the louisiana Purchase Exhibition in 1904with a fluent style that combined elements of realism and im-pressionism. his paintings, like Dorset Mountain, painted in1926, relate to Vermont and can be found in the national Galleryof Art and other museums. White Mountain School artistSamuel Griggs painted New Hampshire Vista (probably northConway) in 1883. A founding member of the Boston Art Club,his works are in the Butler institute of American Art, etc. Mar-ion huse, a Massachusetts regionalist and teacher, won awardsfrom the Springfield (MA) Art league, Connecticut Academyof fine Arts and the Albany institute. The glowing colors andbold brushstrokes of her Autumn Landscape show why she is

receiving renewed attention today. Another region-alist painter, Alexander Stuart worked mostly alongthe delaware River Bay area. Figures On a Beachat sunset, with a distant steam vessel, depicts adelaware locale. his works are found in several pub-lic collections.

french artist Robert laroche is best known for hispaintings of Brittany and its tuna fleet. The strikingRed Sails of tuna boats at Concarneau, shows him athis best. Marchesan’s Adriatic seaport is marked byresonant colors and strong forms; whereas Simon-etti’s Venetian boats are in a post-impressionist style.Other works available include Jun dobashi of Schoolof Paris fame and italian modernist lucio Ranucci.

The Berkshire Art Gallery - 80 Railroad Street,Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Parking for pa-trons is available in front of the Gallery. Hours arenoon to 5PM, Saturdays and Sundays, or by appoint-ment or chance. For information, (413) 528-2690 orwww.berkshireartgallery.com

STAinEd GlASS BY dEBORAh COOMBS

ST. FRANCIS GALLERYABOUT FACE

St. francis Gallery believes that art possesses a capacity tocreate a vision that goes beyond logic and our patterned under-standing. it is an unfolding like evolution part here and now butalso transcending like a prophet. ironically the less clear the mes-sage appears to be or the more removed from the familiar thegreater the metaphor reveals and the closer it seems to come towhat is true. it leads us to more freeing questions about life itselfand the spirit of the universe, but never giving definite answers.

Our artists seem to be these explorers as is proven by our cur-rent show “About face”. These talented individuals appear to seemore as they create from the “ordinary”. They are odd fellows,living in harmony with what is but transcending at the same time.They are alive in their work and show us how our rigid knowledgeprevents us from seeing more. They help us to see that each oneof us and the world itself is more of a fool than we know - moreweird, more strange, more crazy, more amazing. The metaphorsthat emanate form their work become a constant reminder of thisand the need to be more daring, reckless, outrageous, and absurdin our beliefs and at the same time more familiar with what is sa-cred and fragile. Sharing this vision with visitors to the gallerymultiples the meaning and proves that art is for and by everyoneand needed in our lives.

Art is a protection from rigid predicting, forecasting, and fun-damentalism. it breaks all the rules even at the moment they areestablished by the artists themselves. Art constantly restores thedignity of the simple and good art has a surplus of meaning andbegs to be revisited and explored. Since art is a process it is al-ways carried with us. it is an amazement and a caring for what isbefore us that we cannot quite see. We must not however make“sacred” its products, its wonderful creations but we must showrespect and give them a place to be seen.

Show your respect by visiting our gallery and enjoying ourartists and their work. As this show ends in October a new one isclose on its heels and promises to deliver new insights and newilluminations.

St. Francis Gallery - Rt 102, South Lee just 2 miles east fromthe Red Lion Inn, open from 11am to 5pm Friday, Saturday, Sun-day and Monday.

CHICAGO ALBUMEN WORKS

Since the invention of photography in the 1830’s, photo-graphs have served a vital purpose in preserving memories, con-veying information, and moving viewers with their beauty andimagery. At Chicago Albumen Works, we are trusted experts inthe photographic processes of the past and present, and are lead-ers in preserving and digitizing photographs, manuscripts, andtwo-dimensional art for future generations.

Among the specialized services that we provide are scanningand photographing works of art to produce digital files, digitallyrestoring damaged or deteriorated photographs, rehousing col-lections in archival storage materials, and digital printing usingarchival inks and papers. in addition to these services, we arealso experts in handmade nineteenth century or “alternative”processes including albumen and platinum/palladium printing.

Since 1976, we have provided photography, exhibition print-ing, and preservation services for institutions with rigorous stan-dards including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA,Guggenheim, library of Congress, and the Smithsonian insti-tution. We have also provided services for many local institu-tions including the Berkshire Athenaeum, Jacob’s Pillow,Berkshire historical Society, and the norman Rockwell Mu-seum. Allow us to bring our many years of experience to yourproject or collection.

founded in Chicago, our studio has been located inhousatonic’s Monument Mills for 32 years.  Pick-up and drop-off within 150 miles is frequently available.  Members of theAmerican institute for Conservation – Photographic Materials

ACTINGFor Non-Actors... and Actors

Patrick Bonavitacola is now offering classes and

private coaching

413. 637. 9913 [email protected]

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ThE ARTful Mind OCTOBER 2014 • 13

NINA LIPKOWITZ510 WARREN ST. GALLERY

nina lipkowitz will be the featured artist at 510 WarrenStreet Gallery in hudson, nY for the month of October with herexhibit of watercolor and iPad paintings entitled “Poppies &Pixels”. Opening reception is October 11, 3 to 6pm.

nina’s art always explodes with unrestrained line, movement,and luminous color in whatever medium she is working. She isa peripatetic artist: a sculptor, a potter, and now a painter. She isnever content to work in only one medium; her curiosity andenergy keep her exploring and expanding the boundaries of whatit means to have an artistic relationship with the world aroundher.

“i’ve been working with pen, ink and watercolor for the lastseven or eight years. in the summer i paint flowers, grown formy paintings in my Berkshire garden. About three years ago,after reading about david hockney’s experiments with makingart on different, new, high tech devices, i bought an iPad.  Withits back-lit screen and a drawing app, i have the ability to drawand paint in any location at any time, day or night. With no ad-ditional materials or supplies, i have painted and drawn on an18-hour non-stop airplane flight, while listening to live musicoutdoors on a beautiful night at Tanglewood and on many earlymornings while watching the sun rise. i create these “paintings”in light with the touch of my index finger, using the iPad as com-bination of endless sheets of drawing paper painted with infinitemarks, brushes and colors. After painting, they are upsized onmy computer and transformed into exquisite limited editionarchival pigment prints.”

nina’s work is inspired by a variety of artists: Paul Klee forhis humor and playfulness, Matisse for his line, color and pat-terns, Kandinsky for his musicality, Elsworth Kelly for his color-field paintings and elegant black and white line drawings,Picasso for his voracious appetite for creativity, Calder for hisrunaway lines, Miro for being Miro and many, many more.

Nina Lipkowitz – contact through Ninalipkowitz.com. Seeher work at 510 Warren St. Gallery, Hudson, NY.Also read recent featured article at: http://issuu.com/theartful-mindartzine/docs/the_artful_mind._may_issue__nina_20.

BACKYARD HEIRLOOMSAllEn TiMMOnS

Backyard heirlooms is just what the name implies...original,one of a kind, museum quality architectural replicas of clientshomes, business or historical structures, that are primarily de-signed as center pieces for their gardens. Although, most of thework never makes it outside, they are built for the elements andto withstand the test of time. “They are not models, but, truestructures in every detail.”

Backyard heirlooms, also, designs and builds custom, oneof a kind, birdhouses and bird feeder replicas, as well as tree-houses and kidscapes for clients properties and estates.

With over 50 years passionately invested into his craft, AllenTimmons has become one of the most refined artists in hismedium anywhere in America. All his work is collectable,signed and dated.

Although Allen began his craft at the age of 6, in 1964, itwasn’t until the birth of he and his wife, nancy’s daughter, Em-ilie Jewel, in 1992, in no. Conway, nh, that Backyard heir-looms was established.

Overflowing with inspiration and a new found purpose inlife, Allen set out to make a name for himself. in 1993 he be-came the first and only state juried member in his medium, inThe league of nh Craftsman’s 65 year history. he has beenfeatured in the Boston Globe, Country living and nh homeMagazines, and The Craft digest. his work has been shown atThe nassau County Museum of Art, The Boston and Worcesterflower Shows and the 2000 Philadelphia flowerShow.

his work has appeared in several shops in newYork City, Boston’s newbury St. as well as manyhigh end galleries and shops throughout new Eng-land.

After a 14 year hiatus from his work, Allen hasreturned with a greater passion than ever. You canmeet Allen, in person, along with his wife, nancyand their lovely daughter, Emilie Jewel, at Back-yard heirlooms new gallery in Great Barrington.Backyard Heirlooms - 525 So Main St, Great Bar-rington – open on Saturdays and Sundays from 10to 5 or by calling 413-528 -3095 for an appoint-ment.

RAKu TuliPS BY ninA liPKOWiTz

SABINE PHOTO ARTSabine Vollmer von falken, a published and collected fine

art photographer, has a number of specialties. One of these isher collaboration and focus on commercial and editorial por-traiture with professionals to provide them with project portfo-lios. Sabine’s talent lies in both choosing the location andworking with the subtleties of lighting. her eye for the “Yes Mo-ment” results in timeless imagery. She has the talent to bring in-trospection to the art of life style photography. She is theinterviewer, catalyst and image-maker. her inSidE and OuTstudio is located in Stockbridge, MA.Photographic workshops are scheduled for October: ViEW liGhT WiTh A CRiTiCAl EYE

Sabine’s eye for detail provides students with everlastingcreative tools.

Explore the beautiful Berkshires by taking a weekend pho-tography workshop. in this workshop participants learn hownatural light can create dramatic or lyrical images. designed forserious learners who are interested in improving their skills. Allparticipants are asked to bring a digital SlR camera. The hopeis to concentrate on the artistic and critical eye. dates: October11,12 2014

Sabine is a member of The American Society of Media Pho-tographers asmp. The International Center of PhotographyICP,and the Wedding Photojournalist Association, WPJA.Fine Art Prints are directly available through sabine’s studio.For more detailed info please contact Sabine Vollmer vonFalken Photography Studio at www.sabinephotoart.com,[email protected] tel. 413 298 4933

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In October there are two eclipses and a Mercuryretrograde -- many people will feel put through thepaces, but if you psych yourself up, you can put theintensity to good use. Mercury retrograde says review,rethink and revise. Eclipses say transition. So the com-bination is to resolve unfinished business of the pastand get ready to move forward into new territory. Thetwo are related. You know how people, maybe evenyou, want to go forward without having paid properattention to what happened in the past. Now is the timeto do both at once.

ARIES (March 20-April 19)You will have impact this month, more than you know. Yet youmust stay grounded in reality, which means in communication withthe people around you. You may have questions; others may havequestions; it will be necessary to focus on internal and interpersonalmatters rather than pumping out energy and ideas into the world. iam saying keep your humanity. i am saying remember who youare, even as you discover some new and potentially shocking aspectof who you are. That will indeed be a discovery. One focal point isthat it will help shift your reality from a one-on-one concept of re-lationships to a group/network concept of relationships. Whileyou're there, remember that every human encounter is one-to-one.

TAURUS (April 19-May 20)imagine a door opening in your relationships, one that you have noidea where it will lead. That possibility is one thing now, and it willbe another thing after some kind of development or discovery inyour life that makes you want to enter the unknown with somegusto. The idea to focus on is the way in which every experienceof discovery with another person is really about self-discovery,though in the context of a human encounter. Relationships are notthe only way to get to know ourselves, and it's not an especiallysafe or stable path without devotion to self-knowledge. for the nextfew weeks, even as some unusual or high-intensity experiencescome your way, you seem to be poised to strike the perfect balance.

GEMINI (May 20-June 21)When most people hear the word healing, they think of a doctor'soffice, or maybe if they have gone beyond that model of treatment,the massage table with immaculate sheets in the room and a hintof burned sage. for you over the next few weeks, healing is aboutpleasure, it's about adventure, and it's about the kind of activity youfeel organically good doing. You can think of this as pleasure ther-apy, which may come with remembering some things you loved todo in the past but forgot about. now would be an awesome time toremember, and to use any break in your routine or your scheduleto get yourself back into those activities. This will feel good, youmay wonder what took you so long, and the effect will be what youmight think of as pleasure therapy.

CANCER (June 21-July 22)The unusual breakthrough in your career will be a mix of all theeffort you've invested and something that seems like pure luck, ora bolt from the blue. Most success is some combination of the two.This reminds me of my first Theory of Great Photography -- chargeyour battery, and show up. lots of different things may happen afterthat, but unless you charge your battery and show up with yourcamera, you're not going to get photos. Therefore, take any prepara-tory steps you can, including being especially attentive to email,voicemail, and initiating communication when you feel moved todo so. One way to work with your situation is to make sure you re-move as many obstacles as possible, and to take affirmative stepsas soon as you feel called to do so. With Mercury retrograde formost of October, that means focusing on communication and takingnothing for granted.

LEO (July 22-Aug. 23)You may be dealing with some sensitive matters of family historythis month. Remember that these things are made more challengingby lack of conversation, and lack of closure. indeed they would noteven be issues if open dialog were encouraged, and if people reallyunderstood what it means to address and resolve something. if youproceed in that spirit, you will help make things easier for yourselfand for everyone else. You may be able to tip the balance into whatis actually creative and productive. it's true that in American culture

(in particular) there seems to be open disdain for thepast, though this is ridiculous. We all depend on the pastfor many reasons, including teaching us what mistakesnot to make again.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)it's amazing what passes for thinking. Most of it couldgenerously be called rationalization. Plenty else couldbe called emoting. The rest usually amounts to doingwhat one is told, by an intimate partner or an authorityfigure. This month it's incumbent on you to think foryourself. One aversion to doing this is not wanting totake responsibility when things go wrong. Yet more isat stake than that. This is not a matter of pride. it's a mat-ter of taking your destiny into your hands, and doingyour part to make sure that the events of your life flowin a way that you will want to live with. So on one levelit's about taking full responsibility, or rather authority,and not letting anyone con you out of your right to makeyour own choices -- and to be fully responsible in anyevent, whatever may happen.

LIBRA (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)Venus is in your sign, which is offering encouragementto use charm instead of force, and an even deeper chal-lenge -- to use authenticity rather than any form of pre-tense. That means all truth, all the time. instead ofsugarcoating reality in some way, present the facts in-stead of your emotional reaction to it, or concealing it.The direct statement of 'what is so' is influential in waysthat you may not be used to. You might, for example,discover that you don't need to resort to convincing any-one of anything. You may be surprised how it can guidethe conversation toward a fair outcome. There is one el-ement to the truth that you might be less inclined to getinvolved with -- admitting when you're wrong. it's goodpractice, it'll build goodwill and make you care aboutgetting it right the first time.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)Mars, the planet associated with your sign, is pushing you to getserious, and creative about money. At the same time you may berealizing how many issues you have with the whole concept, andwhat this says about how you feel about yourself. The commonground is the subject of worth, or worthiness. These days we thinkof this as an emotional reward, like a dog getting a treat. Yet thesemantic origins of 'worth' relate to honor, excellence, capabilityand actual value. Think of worth as a real thing and it will be realto you. Think of it as an emotional abstraction and you will reduceit to that. in lived reality, worthiness is often something you mustdemonstrate, practice, exhibit and develop.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 22)You may feel driven to be yourself, or to assert yourself, yet at thesame time you may keep encountering pitfalls or profound doubts.if you think of this time in your life as an opportunity to tap yourstrength and overcome those doubts, you will make the most of arare moment. There seems to be some discovery waiting for youabout the true nature of spiritual power. it's something that you ac-cess from within yourself, but a strength that may not feel like it'sentirely about you, or coming from you. it has a way of affirmingyour existence and being a positive influence on others, while deny-ing the existence of nobody else. And the more you tap into thissource of strength, the more natural it seems, and the more you be-come like it.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)Your path to success is through collaboration, cooperation and con-tribution. it's true that in recent years you have learned to take onsomething of a lone wolf quality, which has helped you let go ofsome codependent tendencies that followed you around for quite awhile. now it's time to foster a new kind of connection, what youmight think of as healthy interdependency. You don't have to worryabout lapsing back into any of your own ways -- the evolutionaryforces that have propelled you this far from your past are still atwork, and are working in your favor. One significant element ofprogress is that you now have the strength to assert yourself and toinitiate the conversation, rather than following along as if pulledby an emotional tugboat. You are now driving your own life.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)You may think you're doing something that's impossible. Whatyou're really doing is proving that something perceived to be im-possible can actually be done. You are not merely trying to do so -- you are succeeding. What may not be obvious are the ways inwhich you are doing so. Your visible achievements may not matchup to your vision or expectation of what is possible, though youare building the foundation for that very thing. it will take sometime for what you are doing now to rise above its foundations,which is the reason to keep going, to not hesitate, to remain in aposition of authorship and therefore authority over your own life.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)leadership means creating an idea, and taking action on that idea.in other words, it's about not waiting around for something to 'cometo you', nor is it about waiting for someone else to do something.Another word for this is initiative, which means being the one whoinitiates. What you initiate now is picking up the momentum ofmuch that you've done in the past, and adding to that momentum.So you're neither starting from scratch, nor from a stuck place. Butneither are you bound to what you did in the past. indeed, the verypoint of this time in your personal history is making contact withyour determination to enter new territory, to embrace a new visionfor yourself and for your concept of accomplishment. This is a vi-sion that will arise in the doing. don't worry if it's not fully formed.Just keep going.

~ Read Eric Francis daily at PlanetWaves.net

14 • OCTOBER 2014 ThE ARTful Mind

Planet Waves Eric Francis October 2014

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ThE ARTful Mind SEPTEMBER 2014 • 15

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16 • ThE ARTful Mind OCTOBER 2014

I recently visited Maggie Mailer at her studio in New Lebanon, NY, where she wasgetting ready for a solo show opening at Ober Gallery in Kent, Connecticut, November1-30.

After receiving her B.A. from Columbia University in 1993, Maggie, a New York/Berk-shires native and the daughter of author Norman Mailer and jazz singer Carol Stevens,came to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where she opened a studio in a vacant storefrontdowntown. When a variety of other artists embraced the idea, she formed the StorefrontArtist Project, a residence program that tore down the walls between artists and the cre-ative process, and a key organization in the revival of the city.

I first met Maggie Mailer at Ferrin Gallery some years back in Lenox. I brought stu-dents from the School of Visual Arts’ Summer Artists Institute – a summer program Ihelped start in the Berkshires at Darrow School. Both Maggie and Leslie were so gen-erous with the Artists we brought to the gallery. Maggie’s work exhibited at that timeexplored concepts of impermanence & memory – and I was fascinated. Gratefully, wehave since become friends & colleagues. Like many fellow Artists, Maggie and I bothneed solo time to create work, but also crave the community of fellow artists. I’ve cravedthat ever since experiencing such a community with SVA in Morocco decades ago! Wewere a group of painters, photographers, filmmakers and writers. We critiqued workover breakfast, lunch & dinner. Paul Bowles taught the writers. It was a magical time.

Maggie and I have spent many hours doing just that – talking about Art, philosophy,spirituality, politics, fears, dreams, and so much more. I think we would’ve both enjoyedbeing around in Paris during the Salon era! Whenever we meet in the Berkshires, NewYork City and beyond, we create our own little Salon environment. I often feel reener-gized and renewed after critiquing work or discussing our perspectives. It’s fun thinkingabout now sharing one of our discussions with the larger community – in the form ofthis interview. Enjoy.

Jane Feldman: I’m so honored and excited to be doing this interview with you,Maggie and to be sharing it with The Artful Mind readers and beyond! Both of us

MAGGIE MAILERinterview by Jane Feldman

photography by Jane Feldman

Maggie Mailer, Palace Revolutions, Oil on Canvas

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ThE ARTful Mind OCTOBER 2014 • 17

have in common the experience of growing up here in theBerkshires and in New York City. So, that seems like a goodplace to begin by discussing where your life’s journey began. Maggie Mailer: Thank you Jane, i feel the same and always lookforward to our talks. And that’s a great place to start. i spent apretty idyllic childhood in the Berkshires. My parents moved toStockbridge in the early 70’s when i was born, and then from theage of five i stayed here with my mother, making regular visitsto see my dad in Brooklyn. We were always back and forth tothe city. Growing up here i spent a lot of time playing outdoors,and developed a deep connection to the landscape. i lived in newYork while attending Columbia and later on the lES, but alwayscarried the Berkshires with me. now new York is like the subtextto my life here. Always in two places at once! And i’m contin-ually trying to reconnect to that childhood -- it's one of the rea-sons i paint.

In many of our studio conversations you’ve spoken a lotabout memory in relation to painting. Can you talk a bitabout this?Maggie: Well, all that’s really left of experience is our memoryof it -- and yet i feel that moments gets embedded in paint as iwork, as if paint is some kind of spooky recording device. i canlook at a painting and get a visceral sense of the time i made amark, like Proust’s Madeleines. i see painting as a kind of archi-tecture which compresses memories into a single moment, andmakes them apprehensible all at once.

i’ve developed a habit of sanding down paintings, working inreverse. And as i retrieve layers they seem to release the momentthey were made, as that layer hits the air. i then repaint what i’vefound, using revealed marks as starting points for new work. it’sa back and forth process -- maybe like those early childhood trav-els -- and the by-product is that the paintings develop a volumeof space that advances and recedes. i like the idea that i’m cre-ating space that wasn’t there before.

I have to say that at first glance one might not understandany of this. A lot of the paintings look like beautiful, sump-tuous landscapes, but I might miss the connection to time andmemory -- can you elucidate further?Maggie: i know! Sometimes the conceptual elements might bethere for me alone. My last body of work employed a narrativein which an amnesiac architect constructs a palace to house hislost memories, like that mnemonic device in which you envisiona building and mentally place information in rooms. i relate topainting as that mnemonic form. for the new show opening atOber Gallery i’ve started extending this idea to the landscape.i’m thinking about the landscape behind the landscape, wherethe hispallettory of marks in a painting stands in for the histories

we can’t see. i’m interested in visionarypainters-- Burchfield, Redon. What we per-ceive when we look at the landscape is onlypart of what’s visible, and i’m trying topaint that-- the meaning hidden by form --as if form is just a mask for something else.it’s a bit like that Kenneth Koch poem, OneTrain May Hide Another.

I love it! So... I’m looking around the stu-dio, and it looks like you are collecting &“creatively recycling” some of the mate-rials that go into making your paintings.Are these often incorporated back intoyour work? Maggie: Right, i make drawings on sheetrock, wet/dry sandpaper, soap...

The first time I visited your studio youwere playing with glycerin soap, using itas a painting surface. It’s now an evenlarger presence in the studio, along witha new body of paintings. Would you talkabout how these are all connected? Maggie: Well, after painting for severalyears using traditional materials, i felt i wasjust adding to an already image-laden world,and needed to back up and create a kind of

negative space to hold the material i was putting out. To make akind of “anti-painting”. Melt-and-pour glycerine soap is like this‘antimatter’ for me. The soap is an agent of it’s own undoing. ithas transparency, mass, form, and yet it’s a material on the vergeof dissolution-- like the moment, and like our lives as they unfoldin time. And the painting process is one of constant change,where the ground shifts every moment, and what you had beforeis gone.

i imagine the soap as a kind of anti-historical material, becausenothing permanently sticks to it. it looks like the embodiment ofShunyata, the Buddhist concept of emptiness. it’s also the oppo-site of making a painting, where you’re building up surfaces...Asa pure material the soap speaks to the effort of keeping the mo-ment alive, and unstuck. no attachments to the thing you justdid. friction free.

And are you using this material in your paintings?Maggie: That will come next, right now it’s part of my studiosetup for making paintings. You could say it’s an invisible ele-ment in the paintings. i hollow out 25 lb. blocks and use them asbuckets to keep my scraped palette paint. Many painters keep apalette bucket in their studio, and they tend to accumulatemounds of paint over time, maybe like a mock offering to thegods of paint.

That’s amazing. It does look magical, as if those blocks areglowing? Is that intentional?Maggie Mailer, Pallet bucket made of soap where dried paint is collected from

Maggie’s palette. She refers to it in jest as an offering to the gods of paint.

Maggie is carving channels in a painting made on the surface of glycerin soap. Eventually, Maggie will run water through the channels and the entire block will desolve, including the painting on it.

Continued on next page...

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Maggie: Yes, it’s a reference to transparent glazes in painting.Early on i studied with the painter Jim Peters, who explainedhow light gets trapped momentarily inside a glaze. Rembrandtfigures glowed like that because light bounces around inside theglaze before it travels back to your eye. These blocks of trans-parent soap hold light the same way. So the soap paint bucket isa reversal: instead of paint holding light, you have light holdingpaint.

I have million of questions! One of the things thatcomes up for me -- is things & people that have in-fluenced you over your lifetime. You mentionedProust, Kenneth Koch -- I'm curious about yourconnection to literature. I wonder how growing upwith your father Norman Mailer influenced yourwork?Maggie: for years i’d begin my studio time not bydrawing or mixing color like many trained painters,but by reading. i geared up to paint by observing text.it didn’t matter the genre -- fiction, non-fiction, poetry-- because it woke up my imagination in the right way.i often wondered if i was exercising the wrong mus-cles, but i would always feel fueled enough to paint,so it became a kind of practice. And i imagined thatwhatever text i had absorbed also became part of thepainting.

What were some of your influences, what were youreading?Maggie: Well, it’s a pretty sprawling range of material.Chekov, flannery O’Connor, haruki Murakami, Ti-betan Buddhism, books on architecture, my father’swork -- but in some ways those reading sessions wereless about the specific influence and more for the ex-citement i felt about the written word.

So did your father ever directly influence yourwork? What effect has it had on you as an artist?Maggie: My father encouraged a kind of existentialbravery, and few topics were off limits sitting aroundthe dinner table. i was lucky enough to grow up withthe assumption that being an artist was a viable way

to move through life. i didn’t really question it as a possibility,the way so many people are taught to do. This has been a realblessing, and is one of my father’s legacies to his children. Thereare actually nine of us from six marriages, and all of us are inthe arts in some way -- writing, acting, film-making, and paint-ing. Growing up most of us lived with our mothers, but wouldspend summers together with our father in Maine and inProvincetown, MA. That time really bonded us as a family. nowevery summer we get together with our own children and spend

a few weeks in Provincetown. Before my father died he told myoldest sister Susan, “Make sure you keep the tapestry together.”So we really make sure to keep that time reserved for each other--and our nine families get together each August. it’s pretty spe-cial.That’s intense Maggie! Really beautiful! And people proba-bly don’t hear as much about your mother Carol Stevens,who is a legend as a jazz singer. What kind of influence hasshe been on your work? I know you are incredibly close.Maggie: i’ve been blessed to have someone in my life like mymother who knows when i’m being authentic, and when i’m not.from the earliest age, she fueled an interest in art, bringing homebooks, supplies, articles, found objects. Being a mother now my-self, i really understand for the first time just how present she’salways been, and how totally supportive of anything i wanted totry. i’m incredibly lucky to have that.

Many artists, especially artists who are also mothers, admitto a conflict between their creative life and their family life.Is this something you can relate to?Maggie: i think everyone can. i tend to have a continual senseof being behind, and painting helps with that -- i think i paint topunctuate the passage of time. When i find those hidden layersfrom a previous painting session, it gives me the sense of regain-ing time, of looping the present to the past. it’s a kind of timetravel. it makes me feel i’ve gained ground.

Yes, I was thinking your paintings have the quality of timecapsules! Is that deliberate on your part?Maggie: i’m so glad that gets across. i just found some notes iwrote referring to ‘Time Release Thinking’-- the notion that therandom thoughts or ideas i have while painting are there forsomeone else to absorb later on while they stand in front of thework. it’s like subliminal information that’s part of the painting,even though it might have nothing to do with the image on thesurface. So what you’re looking at is not really what you’relooking at. i like that kind of subtlety, or subterfuge.

Very cool! In some of our studio conversations you’ve re-ferred to friction and flow as “themes” in your work. Canyou speak a bit more about that?Maggie: Well, there’s a moment of resistance that happens dur-ing the painting process, and in everyday life as well, which islike encountering the friction of experience. You’re workingaway freely, unselfconsciously, and all of a sudden you remem-ber yourself, or run out of energy, and everything halts. it can

Maggie Mailer, Castle-Building, oil on canvas

MAGGIE MAILER

Maggie working in her studio

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ThE ARTful Mind OCTOBER 2014 • 19

be the kiss of death to hit that wall. So istarted developing painting techniques toaddress this moment, and to accommodateit.

This makes me think about issues of en-vironmental sustainability. How we areall starting to realize that we don’t havean endless supply of resources - but actas if we do. We’re understandably wor-ried about the day when all our re-sources run out! Is this part of yourthinking? Maggie: Yes, there are so many parallelsthere, and i think about this constantly. inpainting you think about the lifespan ofyour materials, and your attention. it’s themain reason i began sanding down mysurfaces. i’d given up solvents, andwanted the brushstrokes to travel freely,without the obstacle of texture. i was look-ing to give the paint perpetual motion, be-cause i didn’t want to encounter thatmoment that feels like the end of some-thing, like a death. in the same way we’reall looking for immortality, for endless re-sources.

But lately i’ve turned a corner, in thati’ve realized flow is not something i haveto build into the painting; really, it’s a stateof mind. if i can relax enough to get intothis state of mind, i can paint in whateverway works at the moment. And now i’vefallen completely in love with the drag ofthe paint, with that feeling of resistance.it’s a big shift in my whole approach.

My Native American teachers andfriends remind me that the root of theword ‘Creative’ is ‘Creator’. Whenwe’re really in a creative flow, we just get out of our own way.Easier said then done, however.Maggie: Yeah! That’s great, and it’s pretty much where i’velanded lately. i’m suspending the rules i’d set up for myself overthe last few years, and letting the paint tell me what to do. Beforei was going after specific ideas and trying to translate them intopaint-- now the process comes first.

What’s awesome in your process that I don’t find with justevery artist is that it’s an “unfolding”, and you have a will-ingness to be vulnerable. You put things out there and somepeople will get it, some won’t, and you do it anyway. You dothis knowing it means your work is hard to put into a box.Unfortunately, the way the world works, and the especiallythe way art critics like to encapsulate our understanding ofsomeone must make this difficult. There’s a side of your workthat’s grounded in traditional painting and realism, and thenthere’s also this incredible abstraction that goes on. You havea range of styles, attitudes, approaches to paintings. Is thistricky for you as an artist? Maggie: Yes. But i’ve been really lucky with finding dealers whoaccommodate this process. leslie ferrin represented my workfor the last eight years or so, and was incredible this way. Shegave me free reign, while getting me to deliver on a regular basis.Rob Ober, who owns Ober Gallery is that rare kind of dealer wholoves taking chances, and getting artists to push their limits.Working with him has been encouragement to go out on a limband show work that’s a bit of a stretch from what i’ve presentedup til now.

So you feel the new work is a departure for you?Maggie: Well it might look like a departure, but it’s more likecoming full circle--some of it’s closer to my early work, when iwas relatively fearless. i’m not using an arsenal of techniques tocover things up. There’s beauty for sure, but i’m not trying tocivilize myself or the work anymore. That’s a big change forme.

What are some examples of how your process has changed? Maggie: for years i’ve been focused on controlling my markmaking. i’d developed a brushstroke which formed perfect cir-cles, by twisting the brush in place on canvas. By doing this ibelieved i was circumscribing the moment and all that it con-tained--news of the world, weather, the way light was falling ona tree outside--and i believed this information would be con-tained in the mark, and readable to the viewer. The problem, ihad to admit, was that the marks felt forced, and tight. Theyweren’t really describing the moment. it’s only recently that i’velet go of this habit: now when i paint i just follow the paint. Mymarks are looser, wilder, more free.

But this wildness has always an element in your work, no?Maggie: Yes, there’s always been that element, but i used to sub-limate it, pairing a kind of bacchanalian expression with a morecontrolled one. for years i’ve had these two tendencies whichgo in opposite directions, and have been attempting to reconcileor sandwich them together. So if i had a painting session wherei’d really let go, i’d later look at the work and have that feelingof embarrassment you can get waking up after a wild night! i gotin the habit of sanding down these layers, and dressing them witha beautiful Corot-like landscape to make them palatable. i wasaccommodating the viewer’s--and my--comfort level.

now i’m not trying to make the paintings safe for consump-tion, i just let the marks be. i’m not trying to keep everythingquite so orderly. i think having a child can do that!

That makes a lot of sense, and I’ve wanted to ask, how youdo balance having a young child-- Nicholas is almost fivenow, right? A husband, and a painting life?Maggie: Well, the balance comes from being inspired by them.i marvel at my son’s sense of freedom, his spontaneity and wildexuberance. i mean all children have this and then we civilize itout of them. That’s the cliché, at least, and i suppose artists arealways trying to inhabit that sense of freedom. Watchingnicholas is like permission to liberate my work habits, shakethem up. i feel the new work is that much more alive.

I’m sitting here in your beautiful studio thatwas built by you and your husband, JohnWendling. I’m struck by the way architec-tural components are very much a part ofyour work, and you’re married to this ex-traordinary builder. It seems there’s sort of asubliminal influence going on with eachother?Maggie: John and i designed and built the housewhile i was pregnant with nicholas. One inter-esting thing is that John wanted to coat all thewalls with plaster, rather than paint them. it wasa funny twist, since i begin my paintings with aplaster like ground, and when the walls of thehouse were complete, it was like walkingaround inside one of my paintings! The walls re-flect light the same way the paintings do.

That’s amazing... I also noticed you don’thave a door to your studio; it just flows rightinto the house, even though it’s a separatestructure. Is that ever difficult? Do you craveprivacy? Can your son come in here any timeyou are working?Maggie: Actually it’s great--you can look intothe studio from the front door of the house, andit allows all of us to move freely betweenspaces. no separation between work and self!But that’s been an ongoing theme in my life,something i’ve tried to cultivate, going back tothe Storefront Artist Project.

I’m so glad you mentioned this--the idea ofkeeping an “open view of the creativeprocess.” Many people still know you fromthis time, and I’d love you to talk a bit aboutthe Storefront Artist Project, which youfounded in Pittsfield in 2002 and which madea big impact there. At the same time, people’sunderstanding of the project may have dif-

fered from your intentions for it. Do you miss it? Is it still rel-evant to your work?Maggie: My reason for starting Storefront was to take away thefourth wall of the studio, treat the studio like a theater space, inwhich every action, profound or mundane, becomes an ongoingperformance. it was about blurring the boundary between lifeand art, in a very literal way, and putting the artists in the positionof directly observing the world. Placing the studio right in themiddle of everyday life, at street level, with nothing but a glasswall between you and the world offers an incredible vantagepoint on both sides, and removes the built in isolation of a privatestudio. for Pittsfield residents i hoped it would be a breath offresh air, and make art relevant in a way that seeing work in agallery, or seeing pubic art, cannot. The proximity to art in themaking, including all the failures and false starts that are part ofthe process, was the real point.

Yes, I like the point you make that in this day of reality tele-vision, this was not meant to be some kind of semi-real, semi-scripted thing, but really about artists at work. Maggie: i never conceived the idea to put artists on display, as ifthey were in a zoo, but really to let the studio be a kind of engine,a vitality producing engine. A lot of energy can flow out of anartist’s studio. Pittsfield at the time was struggling and had overtwenty-five empty storefronts along north Street. The city reallyembraced the project, and it became a focal point for buildingcommunity, which is exactly what i’d hoped for. There was suchgreat generosity on the part of the all landlords we worked with.i’m hugely grateful that we had such a good run. The idea of transparency is still an ongoing theme for me. The

beauty of working in the storefront studio was that the wholeworld became part of your experience -- there was no sharp di-vision between your interior world and what was happening out-side. i’m still trying to keep that kind of open attention, thatfeeling of not shutting the world out. it’s something i’ve takenwith me from those days -- letting my attention be transparent,so i can be alive to the moment.

n

Maggie Mailer, Palace Revolutions, Oil on Canvas

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The Tree FortShort Story in Two Parts

“NO CURE FOR THE MEDIEVALMIND”RiChARd BRiTEll

There has never been a time in my life that i have not beenin love. i suppose it is part and parcel of an artistic tempera-ment. Some of my earliest memories are of being in love, andof suffering over it beginning when i was five years old.

i was in love with a blond girl named Cynthia. Blond isthe best description i can give you because i never saw herclose up. She sat in a seat the farthest from me, diagonallyacross the room in kindergarten.

Once, at a great distance, i followed her home, but not allthe way to her door. After getting several blocks away frommy usual path home i began to feel a rising panic and gave itup, but i was only five.

That same night i had a vivid dream about my new love.i dreamt that we were married and that we lived in a tree fortin the back yard of my house. When i awoke it was with adistinctly absurd feeling and i wondered to myself, how couldi think that people could be married and live in a tree fort? ifelt that the dream indicated a certain level of stupidity on mypart. But the feeling of contented marital bliss, as i now knowit is called, would not leave me.

When i recall that dream i still can feel that deliciousfeeling of being in love with someone who i really do not yetknow – set apart in some wild and strange place. We werelike shipwrecked survivors on a deserted tropical island, forwhom courtship, inquiry, fascination and consummation takeplace without the least possibility of interruption or compe-tition and where even memory and fantasy are silent.

The very next morning i set about building a tree fort withthe restricted means of a five year old. Our back yard, how-ever, presented a dismal prospect: a piece of dirt perhaps 30feet square with a few strands of crab grass here and there. itwas bordered with cinder block walls on three sides. One ofthese walls was the back part of a funeral parlor which hadone window, its curtain always closed. Another wall was theback of an establishment that rented tuxedos.

in the corner of this yard grew a lone sumac tree aboutseven feet tall with spindly branches and those long leavesthat look like the remaining unkempt hair of some baldingold man like myself.

-Richard Britell(COnTinuEd in nEXT iSSuE Of ThE ARTful Mind)

Butternut Squash Explosion!Butternut squash is one of the vegetables that define the season.

Who thinks of Autumn and doesn't think of butternut squash? No-body! I found this recipe online, and I tweaked it a little bit. Theawesome thing about dishes like this one is the tweak-ability! Youdon't like olive tapenade? Use guacamole instead! Craving somegarlic? Throw it in the pan with the squash and onions! You couldalso throw on some spicy shrimp for a kick. This recipe is supereasy and super good. Enjoy!

1 tbsp oil of choice (I use coconut)1 cup diced onion

1 tsp chipotle powder or chili powder2 cups diced butternut squash

1/2 cup vegetable brothcorn tortillas

crumbled queso fresco, feta or goat cheese (whichever you prefer)

pickled jalapenos1 diced avocado

Black olive tapenade

1. heat oil in a pan and add the onion and spice for a few minutes

2. Add squash and broth and cook for about 10 minutes, or until it is knife tender

3. Assemble tortillas by spreading the olive tapenade on each one and filling it with the squash mixture, and all the other ingredients

4. Sprinkle cheese on top and you're done! Yay!

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ichard

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October 18, 2014 – 7:00dewey hall, 91 Main St. (Route 7)

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follows the performance.$25.00Cash or check

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by Sasha Seymour

20 • OCTOBER 2014 ThE ARTful Mind