the artful mind Feb 2025

BERKSHIRE’S ART MAGAZINE FOR PROMOTING ARTISTS TO THE NEXT LEVEL | IN PRINT & FREE SINCE 1994

THE ARTFUL MIND

FEBRUARY 2025

GAIL THACKER

PHOTOGRAPH BY BOBBY MILLER

2 • FEBRUARY 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

the

ARTFUL MIND

IN PRINT SINCE 1994

FEBRUARY 2025

“To have a heart. To brave the cold.

To make art... in the middle of winter.

To make the summer plans” —zc

JOANE CORNELL

FINE JEWELRY

In Other Words...Poetry by Elizabeth Cassidy ... 11

Jesse Tobin McCauley

Interview by Harryet Candee... 14

Gail Thacker

Interview by Harryet Candee... 24

Richard Britell | FICTION

Something for Over the Couch

PART 24 “Claudia and the Italian Pastry shop” ... 47

Mining My Life

Diaries of Jane Gennaro ... 48

Double Peridot Spinal Necklace

Publisher Harryet Candee

Copy Editor Marguerite Bride

Contributing Photographers

Edward Acker Tasja Keetman Bobby Miller

Hand Forged Designs

www.JoaneCornellFineJewelry.com

9 Main St. Chatham, NY

Contributing Writers

Richard Britell Jane Gennaro

Third Eye Jeff Bynack

Distribution Ruby Aver

Advertising / Editorial inquiries and

Subscriptions by mail: 413-645-4114

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THE ARTFUL MIND FEBRUARY 2025 • 3

GHETTA HIRSCH

February Winter has clean lines in

the Berkshires. Enjoy the peace

and power of our landscape!

Visit my studio in Williamstown

if you wish to see this

oil painting in person.

I can be reached at 413-597-1716.

My website is

ghetta-hirsch.squarespace.com

@ghettahirschpaintings

“Everlasting” 20” x 24” Oil on canvas, 2022

Pamela Berkeley

At

Blue Mountain Gallery

Recollections 2025

February 25 Through

March 22, 2025

Opening Reception

Saturday March 1

3 to 6 pm

Hellebore in a Peter Hewitt Vase

Oil on Linen, 36” x 30”, 2024


RICHARD TALBERT

Richard Talbert c, House Tree Truck, Montage - Mixed Media - Acrylic/ Photograph on Canvas, 10” x 20”, 2021.

The image is a montage of two contrasting scenes. The top half features a vibrant abstract painting with a mix of colors and shapes,

while the bottom half shows a photograph of a rainy day with a red truck. Combining these two images creates a visually striking

contrast between the colorful, expressive painting and the gloomy, wet weather scene, creating an intriguing visual juxtaposition.

Email: Richtalbert1@gmail.com

My Lenox Studio is open by appointment. 413.347.3888

richtalbert1@gmail.com | website: richardtalbertdesign.com




FRUITLAND SKY, OIL ON WOOD PANEL 2025, 12”X12”

GHETTA HIRSCH

This small painting was started fall 2024 when

the sky was surprising us with burning hot colors.

Mixing the colors was like cooking as the heat was

touching my brushes with every stroke. Sadly, I

had a painful accident and surgery after that and

this painting was left to nag me while I looked at it

from my bed. It resembled the heat and pain from

my broken bones in an unpleasant way.

But healing came slowly, and I went from the

bed to a wheelchair, reaching again to the paint

brushes and the warm tones that needed my muse.

I consider this work to be a recovering painting, a

sign that things heal and that we can go on - perhaps

as a different person, but still like the mythical

Phoenix rising from the ashes, we recover and are

reborn.

We recover our strength and resilience, facing

life again. I remember that the phoenix is associated

with the sun and this painting has the burning

colors of fire and ashes… yet we know that this

dying sun will return in the morning… so I will

walk again. Yes just like the Greek phoenix story

this painting will symbolize “renewal” for me.

“Fruitland Sky” is now hanging in Gallery North

in North Adams and I hope that you will have a

chance to explore this new Art Gallery, 9 Eagle

Street. Check their website www.gallerynorthadams.com

There is more to see in my studio in Williamstown.

I will be happy to show you my work using

my cane for balance.

Ghetta Hirsch -

413-597-1716.

Ghetta-hirsch.squarespace.com

“There is no must in art

because art is free.”

—Wassily Kandinsky

TREE AND SHRUBS

BRUCE PANOCK

I am a visual artist using photography as the

platform to begin a journey of exploration. My

journey began in earnest almost 14 years ago when

I retired due to health issues and began devoting

myself to the informal study of art, artists and particularly

photography. Before retiring I had begun

studying photography as a hobby. After my retirement,

the effort took on a greater intensity.

My world had changed for reasons outside of

my control and I looked for something different in

my work. I wanted to do more than document what

was around me. I wanted to create something that

the viewers might join with me and experience.

Due to my health issues, I found myself confined

with my activities generally restricted. For the first

time I began looking inward, to the world that I experienced,

though not always through physical interaction.

It is a world where I spend more time

trying to understand what I previously took for

granted and did not think about enough. The ideas

ranged from pleasure and beauty to pain and loss;

from isolation to abandonment; to walking past

what is uncomfortable to see. During this period of

isolation, I began thinking about what is isolation,

how it can transition to abandonment and then into

being forgotten. The simplest display of this idea is

abandoned buildings. They were once beautiful,

then allowed to run down and abandoned, soon to

be forgotten. After a while they disappear. Either

mankind knocks down these forgotten once beautiful

structures, or remediates them, or Nature reclaims

the space. Doesn’t mankind do the same

with its own?

My work employs references to other photographers,

painters, as well as sculptors. The brushwork

of Chinese and Japanese artists is appealing for

both its simplicity and beauty. Abstract art has its

own ways of sharing ideas which are jarring and

beautiful at the same time. Black and white and

color works each add their own dynamic. My work

is influenced by these art forms, often using many

of them in a single composited image.

Bruce Panock -

Assembled, Mad Rose Gallery Group show

Through March 2, 2025, Millerton, New York

Panockphotography.com

bruce@panockphotography.com

Instagram @brucepanock

PATAGONIA

ACRYLIC, LATEX, GRAPHITE ON CRESCENT BOARD, 40”X30”

BETWEEN THE LINES

2023, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, 36.5” X31.5”

JAYE ALISON

MOSCARIELLO

Jaye Alison Moscariello harnesses water-based

mediums like acrylic and watercolor, influenced by

a creative upbringing and artistic journey. Through

abstraction and intuitive color selection, she captures

the interplay between forms, with lines that

articulate deep-seated emotions. Her art resonates

with joy and upliftment, transforming personal and

worldly complexities into visual harmony.

The artist is passionate about creating art, painting

on flat, smooth surfaces, and using materials that

are environmentally friendly.

Moscariello’s work has been exhibited both nationally

and internationally, and has appeared in

print, film, television, the web and Off Off Broadway.

Transforming personal and worldly complexities

into visual harmony. In celebration of her new studio,

enjoy 10% off large paintings and 30% off

small paintings.

Abstract Memories, Knox Gallery, January 31 -

March 8, 2025. 452 Main st, Monterey, MA.

Jaye Alison Moscariello -

310-970-4517

Studio visits by appointment only:

Pond Shed (behind the Buggy Whip Factory),

208 Norfolk Road, Southfield, Massachusetts

jayealison.com

jaye.alison.art@gmail.com


JOHN LIPKOWITZ

—PHOTOGRAPHY—

LIPKOWITZ RETURNS TO AFRICA

FEBRUARY 28 — MARCH 30, 2025

e

Artist’s Opening Reception:

Saturday, March 1, 2025 3 - 6pm

510 WARREN STREET GALLERY

510 Warren Street, Hudson, New York g Fridays and Saturdays 12 - 6pm • Sundays 12 - 5pm

JOHNLIPKOWITZPHOTOGRAPHY.COM JLIPKOWITZ1@AOL.COM

THE ARTFUL MIND FEBRUARY • 9

Works on Paper, acrylic on water color paper, 18 inches x 24 inches

BRUCE LAIRD

Clock Tower Artists

Business Center Studio #307

75 South Church Street, Pittsfield, MA

Instagram- ecurbart


a poem by elizabeth cassidy

“I Practiced Kissing on My Arm”

I practiced kissing on my arm.

I wanted to see how it felt

To do something

Just for me.

Behind closed doors.

I did not need my mother calling yet

another doctor

Explaining my odd new behavior.


While watching a black and white movie

On the small TV.

The only one in the house.

Where did I get the time

To be alone?

Our family seemed to number in the

hundreds

Even though only nine of us lived there.


I wanted to be ready for the first person

The one person brave enough to place

His dry lips on mine.

I remember being beyond nervous that

I licked off

all of my drug store brand lipstick.

I did that at 12.

I still do it.

My choice of lipsticks has matured.


And that spot is still sensitive

To the cold, the burning sun and

The kind touch.

That one spot that reminds me

That I am still kissable.

elizabeth cassidy studio works

artist, illustrator, writer, poet,

peace lover

elizabethcassidystudioworks.com


Bruce Panock, Reaching for the Heavens

MAD ROSE GALLERY

ASSEMBLED

Mad Rose Gallery presents ASSEMBLED, a

captivating group exhibition featuring the works of

six extraordinary artists whose diverse backgrounds

and mediums reflect a shared commitment to creativity,

craftsmanship, and artistic exploration. The

exhibition runs through March 2, 2025. Participating

Artists are:

Karen Dolmanisth, a multifaceted artist with a

career spanning over forty years, brings her internationally

recognized work to ASSEMBLED.

A seasoned photographer and educator, Michael

Lavin Flower’s work bridges the worlds of commercial

and fine art photography.

Emily Rutgers Fuller’s illustrious career includes

studies at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts

in Boston and Tufts University.

A photographer and printmaker with over 60

years of experience, Arthur Hillman’s distinguished

career includes over twenty solo exhibitions and appearances

in prestigious group shows at institutions

such as the Library of Congress and Williams College.

After a forty year career as a CPA, Bruce Panock

turned his passion for photography into a flourishing

practice.

Kim Saul’s work fuses her imagination with the

natural world, resulting in vivid and evocative imagery.

A graduate of the University of Massachusetts,

her multidisciplinary background as an

illustrator, textile designer, and gallery director informs

her artistic voice.

Mad Rose Gallery -

5916 N Elm Ave, Millerton, New York

https://madrosegallery.com

“Without freedom, no art; art lives only

on the restraints it imposes on itself,

and dies of all others.”

~Albert Camus

CARLOS CAICEDO

Carlos’ award-winning graphic work has been

shown throughout the United States, from Alaska

to New York, and from South America to Europe.

Museums include Museo La Tertulia in Cali, Colombia,

The Anchorage Art Museum in Alaska, The

Waterloo Arts Center in Iowa, The Ft. Wayne Museum

in Indiana, The Springfield Art Museum in

Missouri and the Housatonic Museum of Art in

Connecticut.

During the last ten years, he has concentrated on

exploring photography as an art form. Since 2019,

he has won multiple National and International

Silver and Gold Awards for his photo work with

paper, including the well-known international publication

Graphis. During the same consecutive

years, he was honored with two Gold medals and

two Best Of Show for his Photography series using

pencils as a subject, by Trierenberg Super Circuit

in Austria, the largest photo Art contest in the

world. His photo artworks have also been translated

into museum-quality apparel.

As he put it, "Paper and pencil have been lifetime

companions for me, not simply tools. In a digital

age, these humble objects remain stubbornly useful,

and our connection goes back to memory. It’s a

physical relationship. A yellow pencil in a child’s

fist moving on blue-lined paper. A word is being

bo:n, MOM. The weight of a book and the sound

of a page as it turns, the curve it makes, and how

its shadow moves.These are pleasures that haptics

can’t mimic. My photography is a journey of discovery

with these old friends to see if we can still

surprise each other.

He also published an award-winning book called

“paperandpencilsbycarloscaicedo”.

Some of his work can be seen at

https://500px.com/p/carloscaicedo1 and has over

75,000 followers. His page has been visited over

20 million times over the last 9 years. Carlos

moved from Colombia to The United States in

1981.

Carlos Caicedo -

Eclipse Mill, 243 Union St North Adams MA

carlosart.net /

Apparel:

https://www.legaleriste.com/33/carlos.caicedo

Prints:

https://www.pictorem.com/profile/carlos.caicedo

carloscedo@yahoo.com

TOP: COLIN CARR

BELOW: YEHUDA HANANI

BACH SUITES

FOR CELLO

COLIN CARR &

YEHUDA HANANI

Six Unaccompanied Bach Suites for cello performed

by Colin Carr and Yahuda Hanani will take

place on Sunday, February 23, 2025, at 4 PM at

Saint James Place, Great Barrington.

Two leading Bach interpreters embark on a journey

traversing his Six Suites, the apogee of the

cello repertoire. Filled with mystery and beauty,

blasted through with rapture, every note is a bold

statement. Music that first flowed from the composer’s

quill in the early 1700’s, it belongs to no

specific time or place. At the same time as it floats

in the heavenly spheres, it provides plenty of

earthly pleasures—courtly music, riffs, Celtic jigs,

the merriment of a tavern musician, and glimpses

of modern minimalism.

The title “Unaccompanied” is a bit of a misnomer:

a single cellist takes on numerous voices,

making the music a drama for three or four characters

played by one actor! If angels danced, this

is the music that would no doubt accompany them

on their gramophone.

Colin Carr has been hailed for his “supreme

technique and ebullience” (Boston musical Intelligencer).

And Yehuda Hanani has been lauded by,

among many other publications, the San Francisco

Examiner:

“In this era of the cello, Hanani is among the

best. His Bach was absorbing, imaginative,

beautiful in all respects.”

Close Encounters With Music -

https://cewm.org


LESLEE CARSEWELL - ARTIST

~ A Valentine Thought ~

Experiencing Art is like candy.

Longer lasting but no calories!


JESSE TOBIN MCCAULEY

ARTIST AND DESIGNER

Interview by Harryet Candee / Photographs courtesy of the Artist

I strive for spontaneity and playfulness - the most planning I do in my work is with my color palette.

Color transforms our moods, delights our senses, and can transform our lives. —JTM

Jesse, what project are you currently working

on?

Oh, I'm so excited about this group show I'm in at

the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts in February. It's

called OFF THE STREETS, and it is composed of

10 mural artists who have created public art in Pittsfield.

It's a great group, and seeing mural artists

going smaller to suit gallery walls will be fun.

Such a great group of artists are working and living

in Pittsfield and contributing to our downtown

landscape and city overall.

Your studio is the heartland where you create

and thrive as an artist. Tell us about your relationship

with this space and how it reinforces

your gains and challenges today.

I cannot express how much I love the Lichtenstein.

I grew up going there with my dad, F.X. Tobin. My

first memory of Lichtenstein was going to an art

opening when I was 15, and I think my dad, my


uncle Jay Tobin, and their friend Mike Melle were

in the show. The fact that I have a studio and work

there now is a meant-to-be thing in my mind. When

I was offered a studio in 2016, I was so excited and

jumped at the chance. It's an iconic place for art in

Pittsfield.

Seeing your passion for the arts community in

Pittsfield is wonderful! I would love to hear

about the projects that have brought you the

most joy and significantly impacted the vibrant

arts scene.

My mural "The Sun Will Rise" at 443 North Street

is on a building my grandmother lived in when I

was a kid. We used to watch the 4th of July parade

from her window and walk out on the roof of the

building where the mural now lives! When it was

proposed as the location, I was elated. She would

have absolutely loved it!

Also, currently, I collaborate with Hot Plate Brewing

Co. for their beer can artwork, with my art featured

on their beer cans. I love that this gets my art

out into spaces and people's hands, which it usually

would not be able to reach.

Could you describe your approach to art-making

and its process, from the initial idea to completion?

Simply put, my approach is to create happiness and

fun, to feel a sense of joy from the saturated colors

and fun, free-flowing marks mixed with geometric

shapes. I'm color-obsessed and would love it if

people dove head-first into bright, saturated hues.

Finished pieces are works of unplanned surprises

and informed curiosity.

Your work reflects a constant search for understanding.

How has being an artist helped you

gain clarity in your life?

Art is therapy. It's always been there. It's a constant

ALL HEART, 2023, Acrylic on canvas, 30"x 30". Private collection

through creating, viewing, and experiencing. It just

elevates everyday life. My mom always told me,

"If you're bored with the view, just look up." Your

perspective changes if you just change how you

look at things. It is as simple as walking down the

street, just looking up.

Were you the type of child always involved in

art, or was creating art just a fun hobby?

I always liked art. I never knew it could be a career

or where it would go, but I was always involved

and exposed. As a kid, my mom signed me up for

all the free art programs in Pittsfield. My dad was

a working artist and lived in LA, so whenever I was

out there, we went to all sorts of art shows and museums.

My uncle Jay is an abstract painter, and my

uncle Bill was a sculpture artist, so it was just a

thing in our family.

At what moment did you feel that pursuing art

became essential?

Well, I graduated college with a chemistry and environmental

science degree and realized pretty

quickly that that was not going to be my path. I was

living in LA and working at a film company when

I discovered Graphic Design and realized I could

put my love of art into a form that could be a career,

so I went back to school at Otis College of Art and

Design for graphic design and photography and

have worked in that career every since. But painting

has always been a hobby that I dove more into

when both my parents passed away somewhat suddenly

and within a year of each other. It was and

has been my solace.

Do you remember any specific experiences significantly

impacting your creative path?

Saying yes to my first mural. I had made a deal with

myself to say yes to any new projects that terrified

me during COVID-19. I was asked to create two

small murals outside the Lantern to bring some joy

to the staff. I was automatically out of my comfort

zone. But I did it, and it led to so many new opportunities,

and now, a few short years later, I mentor

other upcoming mural artists in Pittsfield.

What aspects of your art-making process are intentional,

and which do you find unpredictable?

My color palette is intentional - bright, happy, saturated

colors. People shy away from color daily,

and I want to dive head-first into it. It brightens

your day and elevates your mood. My brush strokes

are super unplanned and develop organically, and

sometimes I'm surprised where things go, in a good

way!

Public murals and canvas paintings serve different

purposes. What public murals have you

created, and how do you approach a theme? In

what ways do they differ from personal artwork?

Public murals in nature reach more people - there

is no barrier to seeing them, hopefully. My paintings

are completely me. Murals commonly involve

others in the conception stage, deciding what is approved;

sometimes people want a say in the concept,

color, and theme, and sometimes people don't.

The one I created at 443 North Street, called "The

Sun Will Rise," is an abstract mountain meant to

depict Bousquet, which was a concept chosen by

the funder. "Welcome to Pittsfield" at the BRTA

train tracks was an abstract depiction of the Berkshire

Flyer logo. Their team chose the Miraval

mural "A Happy Balance" with a childlike playfulness

theme. The team at Miraval selected the color

palette; they knew my style, but it was a compromise

on some elements.

Continued on next page...


SUNSHINE, 2023, Acrylic on canvas, 36” x 36”. Private collection

MAYHEM, 2023, Acrylic on canvas, 36" x 48". Hanging at Pizzeria Boema in Lenox

WELCOME TO PITTSFIELD Mural at the BRTA Intermodal Center created for the Berkshire Flyer train


JESSE TOBIN MCCAULEY ARTIST AND DESIGNER

Sampling of the beer cans

featuring Jesse’s artwork at

Hot Plate Brewing Co.

COTTON CANDY, 2023, Acrylic on canvas, 36"x 36". Private collection

What are some of your upcoming projects for

you?

I'm a board member of Let It Shine! Public Art Partnership

Committee. We work to bring more public

art to Pittsfield and develop emerging mural artists.

I'm excited to continue that work in 2025. The more

mural artists with different voices and viewpoints

make for a more diverse public art experience in

our city. We have also been reviving the Paint Box

project in Pittsfield for years. They add vibrancy all

over town, and I'm really happy it's coming back. I

painted one on the corner of Elm & East Streets in

2022, and it's just such a fun project to work on.

Can you tell us about a particularly challenging

piece or series you've worked on and how you

overcame the obstacles?

Oh gosh, the mural at Miraval Resort in Lenox. I

absolutely loved the result, but my gosh, getting

there took a team. From the approval process,

which involved the corporate office with many involved

in the approval process, to the fact that halfway

through, I broke my right arm (I'm

right-handed), thank goodness for my husband Joe

and my uncle Jay, who jumped right in to help me

out and a handful of wonderful friends who took

time to help finish painting it! Luckily, I had the

whole thing drawn out and started the painting process

before I broke my arm. After that, I became a

bit of a project manager and learned to use my left

hand a bit. Getting that 40-foot x 11-foot mural

completed in the tunnel under Route 7 was a huge

accomplishment.

Artificial intelligence is frequently discussed in

the media, prompting valuable conversations

about its influence on creativity and productivity

in the art world. Have you had the opportunity

to experiment with AI-generated art?

Nope, I do enough computer work with graphic design.

My painting is totally off-line. It's my time to

unplug and just be in the studio with paint, markers,

inks, crayons and just have fun.

How would you say your paintings become a

conduit for emotion and feeling?

It's more like they might turn sadness, a bad mood,

or a dark day into happiness. Suspend the idea that

paintings need to be understood, mean, or depict

something. Instead, just enjoy them.

What art supply makes your heart race with excitement?

Posca paint markers, inks, new colors of fluid and

high-flow acrylics, and neon pinks!

What is your vision of contemporary art, and

what do you believe is the artist's role in today's

society?

For me, art is sanity. When everything else is going

haywire, you can count on art to clear your mind

and bring peace. I look to art for that solace, and I

hope others do.

Can you tell us when Off The Streets is happening?

The opening is at the Lichtenstein Center for the

Arts, 28 Renne Street in Pittsfield, MA on Thursday,

Feb 13th, from 5-8 pm; The show runs February

5 through February 28, 2025, and everyone

needs to stop by. It will kick off the 10x10 Upstreet

Arts Festival.

jessetobinmccauley.com

Instagram @mooreofthetobin


©VINTAGE DELEVINGNE

SILVER PRINTS FOR IN THESE TIMES …

LIONEL DELEVINGNE

Lionel Delevingne is a French born photographer

and author whose work has taken him all over the

world for publications such as the New York

Times, Mother Jones, Figaro magazine among

many others. His work has been collected and exhibited

widely in Europe and the US.

His two most recent books “To The Village

Square, from Montague to Fukushima 1975 to

2014” and “X-ING …My Adventures at the Carwash

2022” are emblematic of his commitment to

environmental concerns as well as the uncovering

the absurdity of today’s reality.

Lionel Delevingne-

917-496-1863

lioneldelevingne@gmail.com

https://www.lioneldelevingne.com

https://www.instagram.com/Lioneldelevingne

JOANE CORNELL

FINE JEWELRY

My designs are derived strictly from an organic

process. A portion of my designs come to me in the

wee morning hours when sleep evades me. My

work studio tables are peppered with different

groupings of stones. Tourmalines, corundum, beryl,

moonstone, amethyst, etc. Strands of Peruvian pink

opals, turquoise, black tumbled tourmaline. Rough

tumbled ruby, and green garnet beads.

I enter my studio, walking slowly past these surfaces,

absorbing the images/stones for reference.

The design comes first, then, what stones will fit

the process. And at times, it’s the reverse. A stone

will inspire a design.

Commission orders are welcome.

Joane Cornell Fine Jewelry -

9 Main St., Chatham, New York

JoaneCornellFineJewelry.com / Instagram

CONFESSIONS, MIXED MEDIA ON CANVAS, 24” X 24”

ERIKA LARSKAYA

Confinement and Breakaway examine the mental

state of struggle to make sense of our environment,

both physical and psychological. I incorporate

childlike drawing to represent nonconformity; the

unadulterated state before we get confined by rules,

commitment, insecurities, and other “add-ons.”

“I distress and repair parts of the painting, as we

do within ourselves. The drawings of floor plans

and elevations, which I use as a starting point, create

a sense of enclosure, which I expand by continuing

the lines outward, breaking the structural pattern.

This alters the sense of confinement, breaking away

from the [rigid, static] norm”.

Erika Larskayahttps://www.erikalarskaya.art

Susan Flex Gilbert

janet cooper

May 2 ‐ June 7, 2025 at the

KNOX GALLERY | Monterey Library

452 Main Rd Monterey MA

sgflexart1@gmail.com | www.flexart.space | 781‐444‐1335

Bone Art

www.janetcooperdesigns.com




Jennifer Pazienza

Sorella 2 54 x 54 inches Oil on canvas

Other artists in the photo: (Left to Right) — Judy Blake, Amy Dryer, Wendy Johnston, Céline Genest, Teresa Bergen

Gallery 78

796 Queen Street • Fredericton, New Brunswick • Canada

phone: 1-508-454-5192

email: art@gallery78.com

website: gallery78.com

THE ARTFUL MIND FEBRUARY • 21

CROSSTOWN CROSSHATCH, ACRYLIC ON RAW CANVAS

BRUCE LAIRD

I am an abstract artist whose two- and three-dimensional

works in mixed media reveal a fascination

with geometry, color and juxtapositions. For

me it is all about the work which provides surprising

results, both playful and thought provoking.

From BCC to UMASS and later to Vermont College

to earn my MFA Degree. I have taken many

workshops through Art New England, at Bennington

College, Hamilton College and an experimental

workshop on cyanotypes recently at MCLA. Two

international workshops in France and Italy also.I

am pleased to have a studio space with an exciting

group of artists at the Clocktower Building in Pittsfield.

Bruce Laird-

Studio #307

Clock Tower Business Center,

75 South Church Street, Pittsfield, MA

FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK

ACRYLIC ON CANVAS 16” X 20”

RUBY AVER

STREET ZEN

Growing up on the Southside of Chicago in the

60s was a history rich and troubled time. As a youth,

playing in the streets demanded grit.

Teaching Tai chi for the last 30 years requires a

Zen state of mind. My paintings come from this

quiet place that exhibit the rich grit of my youth .

Movement, shape and color dominate, spontaneously

combining raw as well as delicate impulses.

My recent series, Strike a Pose, is inspired by the

dance genre Voguing. Colorful feminine images

with amplified characters grace the canvas with

their mystery.

Ruby Aver -

Housatonic Studio open by appointment:

413-854-7007, rdaver2@gmail.com

Instagram: rdaver2

SYMPHONY #5 IN C MINOR, 2021, ACRYLIC

AND MIXED MEDIA ON CANVAS, 10” X 10”

RICHARD TALBERT

My paintings are a vibrant exploration of color,

space, and dynamic movement. They draw inspiration

from modern architecture and the complexities

of Venetian kaleidoscopes. In both my

paintings and watercolors, I use layering techniques

to create abstract compositions that balance

geometric shapes with organic forms. This invites

viewers to navigate through overlapping planes

and discover hidden patterns.

The interplay between positive and negative

space generates tension and resolution, evoking a

range of emotions and thoughts. Additionally, my

work engages with surrealist influences, aiming to

immerse the viewer in a rich visual dialogue. This

balance between structure and fluidity leads to a

journey of emotional and subconscious exploration.

Richard Talbert-

Lenox Studio by appointment 413-347-3888

richtalbert1@gmail.com

richardtalbertdesign.com

I often create my abstracts using my intuition of colors, shapes,

textures and design with no subject matter in mind.I wanted

to keep it neutral, so I only used two colors: off‐white and gold.

What came about through design manipulation is a group of

Golden Orbs or Spirits travelling around our earthly dimensions

with their energy.

A benevolent spirit is characterized by kindness, generosity and

compassion towards others. It supports you without expecting

anything in return. We need this more today than ever.

‐Don Longo

"BENEVOLENT SPIRITS"

Acrylics and Enamel Paint on canvas 24" x 24"

DON LONGO

http://www.donlongoart.com



Photo: Bobby Miller

GAIL THACKER

Interview by Harryet Candee | Photography by Bobby Miller | Other works courtesy of the Artist and Candice Madey Gallery, New York

“Yes” is a powerful word and action. Words and actions are contagious.

As I say this it free falls. Anyone can catch it and it becomes theirs. -GT

Gail Thacker is a multidisciplinary artist known

for her Polaroid photography that highlights artists,

performers, friends, lovers, and the intriguing

culture and heartbeat of New York City. Gail is a

member of the Boston School; she collaborated

with peers including Mark Morrisroe and Pat

Hearn, sharing a “life as art” philosophy while

studying in Boston during the 1970s and early

’80s.

Gail combines her background in painting with

photography, using experimental chemical techniques

on Polaroid 665 film, resulting in a decay

effect on the positive and negatives, reflecting her

thoughts on life, death, and the fleeting nature of

human experience. Her art reflects the beauty between

wanting to preserve what we love and accepting

life's impermanence. I was fortunate to be

introduced to Gail through mutual friends Bobby

Miller and Jorge Clar, who contributed invaluable

artistic insights to this interview.


Gail, please give us a take on what your childhood

was like?

I grew up in a big brown house on Veterans Memorial

Parkway in East Providence, Rhode Island. My

parents, Bud and Ann, raised me alongside my

older brother, Lou, and sister, Kathy. They say a

child’s personality forms by the age of four, and for

me, that was when my imagination began to flourish.

I loved making things up and crafting little

worlds in my mind.

My dad, Bud Thacker, was an interior designer and

artist. He taught me to paint and, like me, had a

vivid imagination. He loved to spin stories and

often shared fantastical tales. Once, he pointed to

the statue of Roger Williams as we drove past and

told me, “That’s me.” I believed him completely.

Later, I was riding in the backseat of a friend’s car

and pointed out the statue. “Look! That’s a statue

of my dad!” I declared. Her father turned his head,

eyebrows raised, and said, “That’s not your

father—that’s Roger Williams, the founder of Providence,

Rhode Island.”

I remember sinking into my seat, cheeks flushed,

and muttering a small “oh.” I believed Dad, of

course—I was only four years old. This was the

1960s, before Google and computers. Researching

information in the mid-'60s was not at your fingertips

like it is today. The Vietnam War was raging,

and the first draft card burning was about to take

place. Immediately, riots would rage against the

war; two anti-war activists set themselves on fire in

front of the Pentagon and United Nations Headquarters.

The civil rights movement and ERA were

brewing. That moment became my first lesson in

believability.

Artmaking often demands a profound engagement

with intuition. How does your intuitive

sense guide and inform your artistic process?

To me, intuition is our ability to tune into the inner

Gail Thacker. Shani & Francois, The Libation Bearers (1999).

Analog color print from a B&W Polaroid 665 negative with watercolor and acrylic, 24 x 20 inches

workings of the world. There is a saying: “They

have their finger on the pulse of society.” This, I

feel, is when an artist’s work is intuitive, and the

viewer connects. That invisible thread between all

things is what I feel art connects us to.

Your work often incorporates accidental elements

that resonate with viewers in unique

ways, inviting them to connect with both intentional

and unintentional aspects of the art.

Could you walk us through the intricate, and at

times labor-intensive, process behind creating

these layered experiences?

This ties back to your earlier question about intuition

and the thread that connects all things. I try to

approach this on multiple levels—from the physicality

of the medium I work with to the actuality of

the photoshoot itself. I let nature take its course,

embracing decay in the process and then engaging

in the act of creating the photograph later in the

darkroom. There are so many layers in the creation

of art, and for me, it’s an open-ended collaboration—with

my subjects, with nature, with our ancestry,

with the universe, and even with the very

first cell that ever existed.

I won’t dive too deeply into chaos theory and entropy

here, but understanding them helps. I see it

as a spiritual journey—one that begins with breaking

down the walls between myself and the artists

I photograph. The connect with who they really are,

identify, or want to be through collaboration and

participation.

This philosophy is inspired by Alfred Jarry’s concept

of 'pataphysics, which, in a basic sense, embraces

absurdity. It’s about exploring the laws of

the particular instead of the general—investigating

what can happen instead of what should have. By

allowing things to take their natural course, we

open the doors to something extraordinary.

People are at their most unique when they embrace

their creative, childlike selves, no matter their age.

This process requires shutting down systematic

boundaries and embracing the unexpected.

What aspects of your artistic process have been

most rewarding for your personal growth and

self-discovery? How has creating your work

deepened your understanding of yourself?

Which aspect? They’re all important and rewarding.

But, in a larger sense, the answer is the

people—the conversations, the knowledge, and the

inspiration I draw from others in visual art and theatre.

All of my significant periods of growth have

come from being in a group setting. First in Boston,

and later at the Gene Frankel Theatre.

I’m constantly in awe. Just a couple of days ago, I

walked into an exhibition of Tabboo!’s early paintings.

Tabboo! was speaking to a small audience,

and I turned on my camera to record him. As I

pressed record, he said, “Get in the positive. Instead

of saying, ‘I hope it is not going to rain’ or ‘I hope

I don’t forget my umbrella,’ you say, ‘Oh God,

please help me remember to get my umbrella.’ If

you ask for something positive, you get it. If you

ask for the negative, it gets you.”

My heart connected in that moment. Moments like

this help me grow, both as an artist and as a person.

We learn so much from each other if we just stop

and listen. It’s one of those simple threads that connects

me to my art—and, in a way, to you.

Your portraits offer a captivating glimpse into

the energy of others. What part of the process is

most engaging for you when creating an image

that truly captures someone's essence?

First and foremost, I don’t usually photograph

strangers. But even my friends—people I know

well—put up this wall the moment a camera is

pointed at them. I strive to break down that wall by

inviting them to play and participate in what I call

performance for the camera. I ask them to bring

their toys, and I bring mine.

Some of these people are veterans of the stage and



Gail Thacker. Scooter as André Kertész’s Satiric Dancer in Kevin Aviance’s Dress (2018). Polaroid 665. 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 inches

Gail Thacker. Good Night, Sleep Tight, Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite (1995/2017).

Analog color print from a B&W Polaroid 665 negative with watercolor and acrylic.

20 x 16 inches

Gail Thacker. Eiko Blowing Sparkles (2024).

Analog color print from a 665 Polaroid B&W negative and acrylic.

24 x 20 inches


GAIL THACKER

Gail Thacker. Jorge (2018). Analog color print from a B&W Polaroid 665 negative with watercolor and acrylic. 23 1/2 x 19 3/4 inches

performance, so they come with lots of ideas. But

even then, it takes a magical energy between us to

create that spark—to touch upon their essence and

let it be revealed.

That’s why having my photographs in perfect focus

isn’t important to me. It’s about something else entirely.

It’s about an energy so intense that the image

itself feels like a living thing. I allow all the natural

occurrences of being to participate—a collaboration

with nature. To live, to decay, to change, to

grow, to simply be.

It’s about the love of life and celebrating these artists.

Even with Mark Morrisroe on his deathbed,

my intention wasn’t to point and say, “Look at how

horrible.” It was to say, “Look at how beautiful my

friend still is.” Does that make sense?

But often, my intentions are different from what the

viewer sees—and that’s okay.

Given that many of your closest friends, collaborators,

lovers, and acquaintances endured the

profound challenges and dangers of the 1980s

AIDS epidemic, how did this experience influence

the trajectory and themes of your artwork?

During this time a technique of decaying the negative

started to connect with my art practice. The

negatives began to react in a way that mirrored the

epidemic. I watched my beautiful negatives—and

my very good friend—break down, waste away.

The negatives of the Polaroid 665 responded to

change in the same way life does with the passage

of time and disease, much like our bodies.

I found this fascinating. Fractals began to appear,

similar to patterns we see in lungs, plants, and

many aspects of nature. When I enlarged the images,

they revealed repeating chains that you can’t

easily see in the actual prints. It’s almost microscopic—what’s

happening in those details—but it’s

beautiful.

This relates to the idea of transforming something

we typically fight against, like death and decay, into

something beautiful. Why not? You are such an

amazing person—let’s celebrate that.

I’m intrigued by Mark Morrisroe's life and

work. Could you share the nature of your relationship

with him and how it intersected with

your own artistic journey?

Mark Morrisroe was like my brother. When I first

met him, he walked with a cane and went by the

name Mark Dirt. There were different students and

artists who wove in and out of our scene, but together

we created a dynamic force. Mark was prolific

and determined to be famous.

In photography, the images were—and still are—

personal. My life was the art. We were queer and

loud. We wanted to be visible. Boston was conservative

at the time.

Our teachers were documenting neighborhoods,

subjects, and foreign lands separated from their culture.

It felt more organic for us to photograph each

other and ourselves. It was very natural. It wasn’t

intentional on anyone’s part—it was just us as

young art students trying to find an individual

voice. Nan Goldin, a graduate of the School of the

Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, cast a significant

influence on the queer community, with many of

us attending the school and regularly discussing her

work in the hallways. The Vietnam War had ended,

and we were unknowingly licking the boots of the

AIDS epidemic. It was 1980.

Could you speak to your experiences within the

realm of theater, particularly your ownership of

a theater? What aspects of this venture excited

you most, and were there moments when the

various artistic endeavors you pursued converged

and intermingled?

This theatre—something I often repeat—literally

saved my life. It was here that Gene Frankel asked

me a deeply philosophical question: 'Do you want

to be an artist, or do you have to be an artist?'



GAIL THACKER

Gail Thacker. Walter Hurley Beauty (2012). Polaroid 665, 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 inches

When I answered him, 'I have to be an artist. I was

born an artist,' he hired me.

At the time, he didn’t know I didn’t know much

about theatre, but I learned very quickly. Gene became

my mentor. He had this remarkable ability to

truly see people. One day, he told me, 'Gail, you’re

not a photographer!'

I replied, 'What? Yes, I am.'

He corrected me: 'You are an artist with a camera.'

He could see things in people that they didn’t even

see in themselves. He was an activist who genuinely

cared about how society treated people. He

directed groundbreaking plays like Jean Genet’s

The Blacks, Arthur Kopit’s Indians, and Lorraine

Hansberry’s To Be Young, Gifted and Black.

As a mentor, he was extraordinary—an amazing,

amazing person.

At this theatre, I learned the contagious power of

saying yes. I’ve embraced that philosophy, opening

the door to the theatre and encouraging people to

take chances on their creative ideas.

The list of what followed is long and wonderful.

When Gene Frankel passed away, I remember sitting

alone at my desk by the window. Everything

that happened afterward was because I stayed,

opened the door, and said yes.

There were endless festivals and competitions, collaborations

with directors like Kara Tyler, the early

plays of superstars like Kevin Aviance, the great


success of Paul Alexander and his play Trinkets,

and Nora Burns’ David’s Friend.

All of it started because of Gene and the opportunities

he opened for me—and the opportunities I’ve

tried to keep open for others. I followed my father’s

advice all along: “You either do it or you don’t.

There are no backup plans or half measures if you

are to be an artist.”

The building at 24 Bond Street, which inspired

the name of your nonprofit 24 Bond Arts

Center, has a rich and fascinating history. Originally

built in 1893, it has long been a hub of artistic

innovation, from housing Robert

Mapplethorpe's photography studio to Sam

Rivers' influential Rivbea Studios, which was

central to New York's loft jazz scene. In 1986,

the Gene Frankel Theatre became a vital part

of the building’s story, playing a key role in the

city’s off-off-Broadway movement and fostering

the careers of countless emerging artists.

Given this remarkable history, could you share

your connection to the Gene Frankel Theatre?

What were your experiences like there, and how

did the building’s vibrant artistic community influence

your work?

This is indeed a rich history. 24 Bond began as a

hat factory, and the list goes on. But by the time

Gene passed in 2005, all of the artists and their

community were gone. It was suddenly just me.

Andrew Bauer, Gene’s partner, had also left the theater,

and the Gene Frankel Theatre and Film Workshop

had closed. I found myself in a nameless

theater and scrambled to reopen it as the Gene

Frankel Theatre.

I sat at my desk by the window and felt like I was

in the movie Field of Dreams—“If you build it,

they will come.” Luckily, that window is a picture

window at street level. People would walk by, look

at me sitting at my desk, and come in asking,

“What is this?” I would answer, “A theatre.” I’d

give them a tour, and it would turn out to be the

most amazing performing artists—and friends were

soon to be made.

I welcomed dreamers. Very quickly, friends

stopped by to help clean up the theatre and turn it

back into a performance space like it was before.

Gene had turned it into a school with performances

every now and then, but we removed the panels and

mural, creating a solid black box.

The space, in the beginning, needed a lot of work,

but more friends and theatre people showed up to

rent the space, or I’d give friends shows and split

the ticket money. I was on a roll with the dream and

the possibility of anything—even a successful play.

I would tell people Gene’s story of his direction of

Jean Genet’s The Blacks and name the legendary

Black cast. Continued on next page...

Gail Thacker. Love and Energy Claire Barnler (1999). Polaroid 665 with stitched thread.

4 1/4 x 3 1/4 inches

Gail Thacker. Bobbie Hondo at Trinkets (2017). Analog color print from a B&W Polaroid

665 negative with watercolor and acrylic. 26 1/2 x 22 1/2 inches

Gail Thacker. Agosto Machado (2008). Polaroid 665. 4 1/4 x 3 1/4 inches

Gail Thacker. Je m'appelle Tabboo! (2005). Polaroid 665. 4 1/4 x 3 1/4 inches


Gail Thacker. John Kelly as The Starfish (2009). Analog color print from a B&W Polaroid 665

negative with watercolor and acrylic. 23 1/2 x 19 3/4 inches

Gail Thacker. Dee and Crystal Gene Frankel Theatre (2005).

Polaroid 665. 4 1/4 x 3 1/4 inches

Gail Thacker. Joey Gabriel Brooklyn (2009). Polaroid 665. 4 3/4x 3 3/4 inches


GAIL THACKER

Karload of Klowns: (L-R) Nora Burns, Jorge Clar, Hapi Phace, Gail Thacker.

Photo by Michael “Formika” Jones.

At this time, I learned the contagious power of saying

YES.

Gene had taught me to be fearless. With him, I

found that fearlessness is an essence, not a way to

act.

So, I opened the doors to the fearless. And soon the

space became a community, with parties, memorials,

and a hangout. Acting coaches returned and

started teaching at the Gene Frankel Theatre, like

Tony Greco, Lyle Kessler, Bill Balzac, and Tom G.

Waites. Productions of plays like Down to Eartha,

Finokio, Papa from the Underground, Miss Julie,

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and many

more were in full swing.

Gene’s voice would repeat in my head: “Fear is an

abuse of the imagination.” So, in his honor, we

were fearless.

How did you first meet Bobby Miller, the photographer?

I met Bobby years ago in Provincetown. He invited

me to see his studio, and we shared a little history.

His friend Mapplethorpe lived on the fifth floor of

24 Bond, where the theatre was on the ground floor.

There, he told me the story of how he knew Robert,

took his portrait, and created his only portrait in

drag. We quickly became friends, and he took my

portrait. We still speak and catch up—it’s amazing.

It’s such a rich history. I wish he was still in Provincetown.

Can you tell us about Karload of Klowns, the

clown troupe you perform with?

Oh, Hapi Phace and Jorge Clar! One day, I asked

Hapi to create a cardboard, three-dimensional car I

could sit in so that when I drove in to play my part

as the mother in Trinkets, I’d have a clown car. It

didn’t quite blend with the sexy drama of Trinkets,

but that car was made and used for our first 15-minute

performance of Karload of Klowns in Thomas

R. Gordon’s benefit for Onomatopoeia. We had

long discussions about what our clown troupe

was—we were intellectual clowns. All of Hapi's—

as author and dramaturg—personas. Jorge is the

older Hapi, playing "Palimpsesto," like a wise owl.

My character's name is "Poppers," who has the

mindset of a seven-year-old prankster. I don’t

speak. I only pop balloons. Absurdity at its finest.

Please explain why you chose the opening quote

in this interview: “Yes” is a powerful word and

action. Words and actions are contagious. As I

say this it free falls. Anyone can catch it and it becomes

theirs.”

It’s a philosophy of life.

What is happening in your life right now, both

generally and artistically?

Art, art, friends, meeting new people, and talking

on the phone. I do love building ideas with people

on the phone. When I sold to the director Thomas

R. Gordon and left the theatre on December 31,

2023, I felt positive and excited. The Candice

Madey Gallery embraced me. I now had time to archive

my thousands of Polaroids and prints. I’m

doing my artwork full-time with a beautiful art studio

and a gallery to represent me. I’ve never been

happier—living the dream.

Instagram: @pataroid

&

@candicemadey_gallery


Erika Larskaya

Untitled, Charcoal, acrylic on cardboard, 8 x 10 inches

"As an abstract artist, I search for ways to represent the invisible, subtle, and unexpressed.

I am driven to lay out fleeting and intangible experiences on physical surfaces". —Erika Larskaya

Erika Larskaya Studio at 79 Main St. Torrington, CT www.erikalarskaya.art


ERNEST SHAW

Latest book soon to be released by Ernest Shaw

In reality, we don’t get a ‘fixed" and solid thing called a “self”, with a “life”, but rather, in a world of constant change, we get

moments to live. Art speaks of those moments, raises the eloquent ash of artists, birth and death. How we live the moments

matters. What we leave behind matters. Weaving words or images together reveals a story, from the personal to the universal,

not as absolute truths, nor certitude, but as an open query, raising possibilities, a way of facing into life’s mystery, and, as

Kafka said, “letting the world roll in ecstasy at your feet. It has no choice.”—Ernest Shaw

Concage. Length 12” Concrete 2023

Mnemonic Series.

Ht 24” Graphite on wood 1989

ernestshaw179@icloud.com | ernestshaw.net



36” X 36” FRAMED / SPRAY PAINT & PENCIL / PASTEL

43” X 57” FRAMED / PENCIL ON PAPER

DRAWING SAMPLES USING DRAWALL, SIDERI

DRAFTING AND

MECHANICAL

DRAWING TOOL

I’m Leonardo Sideri: artist, interior industrial

designer, inventor. I’m the creator and maker of

‘drawall.net’, a product devised in the 1980s. At the

time, I was drawing, drafting my own design projects

using a Mayline straight edge on a traditional

horizontal drafting surface. There were times as a

designer when I wanted to draw something full

size, large format.

I don’t recall when the idea to adapt the Mayline

concept to a wall application occurred but at the

time, I had a project involving pulleys and belt

drives, so I had an assortment of pulleys lying

around my studio. The process involved assembling

the odd parts to create this new drawing device:

pulleys, sash cord, counterweights, a straight

edge. Surprisingly, it worked quite well. Who knew

40 years later I would offer it to the art world.

Due to changing life circumstances, Drawall

went into storage. Until one day, at age 75, I viewed

a room size ‘Sol Lewitt’ pencil drawn installation

at the DIA Museum. It was all I needed for inspiration

lasting the next 11 years. I started drawing

using what’s now known as Drawall and referring

to myself as an artist. I’ve produced what I consider

a small modest body of work based on my mystical

X theme.

I’m offering Drawall to the ‘art world’ as a new

tool to explore, to hopefully resurrect drafting and

mechanical drawing to a new ‘art genre’. It’s not

every day a new analogue tool is introduced to the

art world.

Leonardo Siderileonardosideri.com

BERKSHIRE DIGITAL

Since opening in 2005, Berkshire Digital has

done Giclée prints/fine art printing and accurate

photo-reproductions of paintings, illustrations and

photographs.

Giclée prints can be made in many different

sizes from 5”x7” to 42”x 80” on a variety of archival

paper choices. Berkshire Digital was featured

in Photo District News magazine in an

article about fine art printing. See the entire article

on the BerkshireDigital.com website.

Berkshire Digital does accurate photo-reproductions

of paintings and illustrations that can be

used for Giclée prints, books, magazines, brochures,

cards and websites.

“Fred Collins couldn’t have been more professional

or more enjoyable to work with. He did a

beautiful job in photographing paintings carefully,

efficiently, and so accurately. It’s such a

great feeling to know I have these beautiful, useful

files on hand anytime I need them. I wish I’d

called Fred years ago.” ---- Ann Getsinger

We also offer restoration and repair of damaged

or faded photographs. A complete overview of

services offered, along with pricing, can be seen

on the web at BerkshireDigital.com

The owner, Fred Collins, has been a commercial

and fine art photographer for over 30 years having

had studios in Boston, Stamford and the Berkshires.

He offers over 25 years of experience with

Photoshop, enabling retouching, restoration and

enhancement to prints and digital files. The studio

is located in Mt Washington but drop-off and

pick-up is available through Frames On Wheels,

84 Railroad St. in Great Barrington, MA

Berkshire Digital -

413-528-0997 and Gilded Moon Framing

17 John Street in Millerton, NY

518-789-3428 / 413-644-9663, or go online to

www.BerkshireDigital.com

"PALIMPSEST: REMNANT TALES”

MIXED MEDIA WITH COLLAGE ON WATER COLOR PAPER

5.5 INCHES WIDE X 9.5 INCHES HIGH

LESLEE CARSEWELL

My artwork, be it photography, painting or collage

embraces a very simple notion: how best to

break up space to achieve more serendipity and

greater intuition on the page. Though simple in

theory, this is not so easy to achieve. I work to

make use of both positive and negative space to

create interest, lyricism, elegance, and ambiguity.

Each element informs the whole. This whole, with

luck, is filled with an air of intrigue.

Breaking up space to me has a direct correlation

to music. Rhythm, texture, points of emphasis and

silence all play their parts. Music that inspires me

includes solo piano work by Debussy, Ravel,

Mompou and of course, Schubert and Beethoven.

Working with limited and unadorned materials, I

enhance the initial compositions with color, subtle

but emphatic line work and texture. For me, painting

abstractly removes restraints. I find the simplicity

of line and subsequent forming of shapes quietly

liberating.

Lastly, I want my work to feel crafted, the artist’s

hand in every endeavor.

Leslee Carsewell -

413-229-0155 / 413-854-5757

lcarsewellart@icloud.com

www.lcarsewellart.com

There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot,

but there are others who, thanks to theirart and intelligence,

transform a yellow spot into the sun.”

— Pablo Picasso


PHOTO: KORENMAN.COM MODEL: NATALIE PARÉ

DEBORAH H. CARTER

Deborah H. Carter is a multi-media artist from

Lenox, MA, who creates upcycled sustainable

wearable art. Her couture pieces are constructed

from post-consumer waste such as food packaging,

wine corks, cardboard, books, wire, plastic, and

other discarded items and thrifted wares. She manipulates

the color, shape, and texture of her materials

to compel us to question our assumptions of

beauty and worth and ultimately reconsider our

habits and attitudes about waste and consumerism.

A sewing enthusiast since the age of 8, Deborah

first learned her craft by creating clothing with her

mother and grandmothers. Her passion took hold

as she began to design and sew apparel and accessories.

After graduating with a degree in fashion design

from Parsons School of Design in New York

City, she worked as a women’s sportswear designer

on Seventh Avenue.

Deborah’s art has been exhibited in galleries and

art spaces around the US. She was one of 30 designers

selected to showcase her work at the

FS2020 Fashion Show annually at the University

of Saint Andrews, Scotland. She has featured in the

Spring 2023 What Women Create magazine.

Deborah H. Carter has been featured in The Artful

Mind, Berkshire magazine, What Women Create

magazine and was a finalist in the World of WearableArt

competition in Wellington, New Zealand

2023.

Deborah H Carter-

413-441-3220, Clock Tower Artists

75 S. Church St., Studio 315, 3rd floor

Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Instagram: @deborah_h_carter

Debhcarter@yahoo.com

ARTFULMIND@YAHOO.COM

TRANSFORMATIONS, DIGITAL COLLAGE, 2025

JANE GENNARO

TRANSFORMATION

This month’s Mining My Life connects me with

photographer Lee Miller. Miller documented an era

of historical significance and dramatic change in

the world. In light of the current state of the world,

Lee Miller’s photographs command our attention.

Warn and provoke us—pay attention! Notice

what’s happening around you.

The process of documentation gives a subject

relevance. I have been documenting my life since

childhood. Do I matter? What does matter? I can

say that the power and beauty of art, whether absorbing

or making it, endures through its capability

to connect us to one another, and the larger world

in inexplicably personal, occasionally transcendent,

and surprisingly necessary ways.

Thus, Lee Miller’s photographs of rat tails in

Paris (1932), liberated concentration camp prisoners

singing while waiting for bread (1945); my

clothespin doll of Louis IV (1993), pen and ink

drawing of the Jazz Age (1977), and Bob Newey’s

photograph of me à la Sally Bowles in Cabaret

(1986) are able to join forces like newborn cells in

a survivor’s body.

Jane Gennaro is an artist, writer, and performer

based in New York City. She’s been featured in The

New York Times, New York Magazine, and NPR.

Her illustrated column, “Mining My Life” appears

monthly in The Artful Mind magazine. Jane’s art

studio is in Claverack, NY.

Jane Gennaro -

Janegennaro.com

KENNY PORTER

GRAPHITE PENCIL ON BRISTOL BOARD PAPER

FLUTTERING JEWELS

GOLDEN ACRYLIC METALLIC PAINT

SALLY TISKA RICE

BERKSHIRE ROLLING HILLS

Born and raised in the captivating Berkshires,

Sally Tiska Rice possesses artistic prowess that

breathes life into her canvases. As a versatile multimedia

artist, Sally seamlessly employs a tapestry

of techniques, working in acrylics, watercolors, oil

paints, pastels, collages containing botanicals and

mixed media elements. Her creative spirit draws

inspiration from the idyllic surroundings of her

rural hometown, where she resides with her husband

Mark and cherished pets.

Sally's artistic process is a dance of spontaneity

and intention. With each stroke of her brush, she

composes artwork that reflects her unique perspective.

Beyond her personal creations, Sally also welcomes

commissioned projects, turning heartfelt

visions into tangible realities. Whether it's capturing

the essence of individuals, beloved pets, cherished

homes, or sacred churches, she pours her soul

into each personalized masterpiece.

Sally's talent has garnered recognition both nationally

and internationally. Her career includes a

remarkable 25-year tenure at Crane Co., where she

lent her hand-painted finesse to crafting exquisite

stationery. Sally is a member of the Clock Tower

Artists of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the Guild of

Berkshire Artists, the Berkshire Art Association,

and the Becket Arts Center. Follow on YouTube,

Facebook, and Instagram.

Sally’s work is on the gallery walls of the Clock

Tower, Open Monday-Friday 9:00-5:00 pm for

self-guided tours.

SallyTiskaRice@gmail.com

www.sallytiskarice.com

https://www.facebook.com/artistsallytiskarice

Fine Art Prints (Pixels), Twitter, LinkedIn

Instagram, YouTube, TikTok


Lyn Horton

“My 2024 work grasps at an essence of our world, no matter how narrow its parameters. For Repeated Forms and Leaves and Flowers,

my world happened to include a camera, a studio table filled with drying leaves and flowers, boxes of pens and pencils, and an idea.“

Repeated Forms 2, 2024, 30 in h x 24 in w, ink and colored pencil on printed photograph

Repeated Forms 5, 2024, detail 1. Leaves and Flowers 21, 2024

https://www.instagram.com/lynhortonphotoart http://www.crossmackenzie.com https://lynhorton.net


STILL LIFE, KATE KNAPP

FRONT ST. GALLERY

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.

Kate Knapp -

413-528-9546 at home or 413-429-7141 (cell)

Front Street, Housatonic, MA. Gallery open by

appointment or chance anytime.

www.kateknappartist.com

DURING THE STORM, MID PANEL FROM SNOWSTORM,

ALFORD VILLAGE, TRIPTYCK

STEPHAN MARC KLEIN

I have been sketching and making art for all my

adult life, since my undergraduate education as an

architect in the late 1950’s. What interests me most

at present about creating art, besides the shear visceral

pleasure of making things, of putting pencil

or pen or brush or all of them to paper, and of manipulating

images on the computer, is the aesthetic

tension or energy generated in the metaphoric

spaces between the abstract and the representational,

between individual work and reproduction,

and between analog and digital processes. I enjoy

creating images that result from working back and

forth between the computer and the handmade.

My wife, artist Anna Oliver, and I have made

our home in the Berkshires for the past three years

and I am still entranced with its beauty. I think

much of my work is in part a kind of visual rhapsody

to the area. The idea for Snowstorm, Alford

Village, came from an interest I have had in exploring

the dimension of time in the plastic arts.

Also, I love snowy winters.

Stephan Marc Kleinstephanmarcklein.com

smk8378@gmail.com

Member 510 Warren Street Gallery, Hudson, New

York

MARY ANN YARMOSKY

My work is a collection of a variety of people, a

collection of experiences and expressions. It’s

about understanding their history, understanding

the power of their history, the power of their power,

the power of their vulnerability, the power of transformation,

and the power of purpose.

My works are abstract in nature, but aren’t we all

pieces put together by our life experiences? Who

is to say what is real when we look at a person.

Don’t we always project onto them some characteristic

we think we see, some fleeting feeling that

crosses their face, or some mannerism that indicates

their comfort or discomfort?

I work mainly with acrylic on canvas, paper or

wood and often add fabric, thread or other artifacts

that seem to belong. My process unfolds unintentionally

since my characters dictate what needs to

be said. I invite you to weave your own story into

my works. You can decide what is held in an expression,

a certain posture or the clothes they wear.

I hope you enjoy the adventure as much as I do.

Mary Ann Yarmosky -

marymaryannyarmosky.com

maryannyarmoskyart.shop

LONNY JARRETT FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

413-298-4221 Berkshirescenicphotography.com Lonny@berkshirescenicphotography.com


Drawall with a 36” x 60” sketch, pencil on paper

Some of the ways to use DRAWALL

DRAWALL … ‘Invention as art’ … a new drawing medium, a tool, new age mechanical drawing,

pencil drawing on a vertical surface, clean drawing surfaces, large format, reviving the art of the

‘draftsman’ … The ‘built world’ has always relied on drawings by draftsmen, I’d like to reclaim that

art form to create a new ... art genre. If I’ve been using Drawall to make art, I’m sure other talented

types can use Drawall, too.

I’m offering Drawall to the ‘art world’ as a new tool to explore, to hopefully resurrect drafting and

mechanical drawing to a new ‘art genre’. It’s not everyday a new analogue tool is introduced to

the art world. —Leonardo Sideri

Contact Leonardo Sideri at leonardosideri.com for further information and inquiries


Karen J. Andrews

Watercolor Expressions

Cottage watercolor on paper, 2024

Silo Abstracted watercolor on paper, 2024

Inner Vision Studio

Fine and Functional Art

and original watercolors, giclee prints

in various sizes and surfaces

Visit my gallery in West Stockbridge

please call ahead: 413-212-1394

Or shop online at:

InnerVision-Studio.com

Greenhouse Door watercolor on paper, 2024


FRONT STREET GALLERY

Every month, a new word.

A new way to look

at our world.

artist, illustrator, writer, poet, peace lover

elizabeth cassidy studio works

elizabethcassidystudioworks.com

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!

Gallery hours: Open by chance and by appointment anytime

413. 274. 6607 (gallery) 413. 429. 7141 (cell)

413. 528. 9546 (home) www.kateknappartist.com

Front Street, Housatonic, MA

Ruby Aver

LIONEL DELEVINGNE

“Back to the Future” 1976—2024

510 WARREN STREET GALLERY, Hudson NY now offering

Vintage Delevingne silver prints for these times

It’s All About the Dress

Acrylic on canvas 16”x20”

rdaver2@gmail.com |

Instagram: rdaver2.

Housatonic Studio open by appointment: 413-854-7007

https://www.instagram.com/Lioneldelevingne

http://www.lioneldelevingne.com/

http://www.510WarrenStreetGallery.com


Carolyn M. Abrams

Sally Tiska Rice

Earthen Whispers

Oils/cold wax medium 12” x 12”

Atmospheric and Inspirational Art

www.carolynabrams.com

MEMBER GUILD OF BERKSHIRE ARTISTS

BERKSHIRE ROLLING HILLS ART

CLOCK TOWER ARTISTS

Studio 302, 3rd floor

75 South Church St, Pittsfield, MA

(413)-446-8469

www.sallytiskarice.com

sallytiskarice@gmail.com

MARY ANN YARMOSKY

EMPOWERED Acrylic and oil on canvas, 17” x 20”

maryannyarmosky.com | maryannyarmoskyart.shop


HIPSTER, 3-DIMENSIONAL MIXED MEDIA

SUSAN GILBERT

I am a visual storyteller. The subjects for my

work are culled from American culture and my own

life experiences. I don’t tend to do social commentary,

but choose iconic activities, events, behaviors

or customs that are distinctly American, some of

which are pride parades, baseball, 1950’s vacation

trailer parks and roller-skating competitions. Then

I create what I hope to be an amusing scenario.

One of the pieces I did was a depiction of my

father as a baseball player. He always wished to

play, so I had him hit the ball out of the park and

called it FENWAY FRED. Fred being his name.

Color, pattern and a cartoony figurative style are

three other elements I use to recreate the theme according

to my own observations and sensibilities.

Some of the artists who have influenced me are Red

Grooms, Chicago’s Hairy Who, Roger Brown,

Frida Kahlo, Florine Stettheimer and many outsider

artists. These, I believe, recreate the world around

them according to their own style and vision.

At present I work either on paper with gouache

or construct pieces using plywood, masonite and

roofing aluminum that hang on the wall. The constructions

are my primary focus due to my love of

three dimensionality inspired by my childhood

toys, dollhouses, mini gas stations, toy kitchens and

western forts. I have used Barbie and Ken as my

main characters and will be using the 1950s paper

doll, Betsy McCall in future works.

My work is my playtime. I have no grandiose

concepts or observations that I’m trying to impart

through my art. Just having a lot of fun telling my

tales based on my crazy culture and life.

Gilbert’s paintings will be on display at the Knox

Gallery in the Monterey Library May 2 – June 7,

2025.

Susan Gilbert -

781-444-1335

7 Art School Rd., PO Box 722, Monterey, MA

sgflexart1@gmail.com

IRISH BIKE, WATERCOLOR

MARGUERITE BRIDE

BICYCLES ON THE MOVE

Who doesn’t love bicycles? I have a series of

paintings featuring bicycles…take a look at my

“Cycle Therapy” page on my website. These paintings

were a traveling show and just came home:

some of the originals are still available.

In the not-too-distant future (May 2025) I will

be moving from the Berkshires to another beautiful

New England area….the Lakes Region of New

Hampshire. After 30 years in paradise, another adventure

is calling me.

How will this affect my art career? My living

and working space will be considerably smaller

compared to what I have here. But I expect to still

be painting and teaching….those details are still

unknown for now.

Soon I will be “disassembling” my studio and I

have a lot of equipment, studio furniture, art materials/supplies,

tables, flat files, print storage shelves,

chairs, and racks looking for new homes. Please

check my website, my watercolor Facebook page,

or call/text/email me directly for more details about

dates/times of scheduled sales events. I can also set

up an appointment for you to visit privately.

In the meantime, besides planning this move, I

am still painting and doing commission work.

Marguerite Bride –

413-841-1659

margebride-paintings.com

margebride@aol.com

Facebook: Marguerite Bride Watercolors

Instagram: margebride

LONNY JARRETT

BERKSHIRE SCENIC

PHOTOGRAPHY

My initial memory of awakening to the creative

impulse was hearing the first chord of the Beatles,

Hard Day’s Night, when I was six years old. I knew

something big was happening at that moment, and

I had to get on board! I began studying at the Guitar

Workshop, the first guitar school in America. I’ve

performed music most of my life and play jazz fusion

with my band Redshift.

My interest in photography blossomed as an electron-microscopist

publishing neuro- and molecular-biological

research out of UMASS/Amherst

and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the

Bronx in my early 20s.

As a lifelong meditator, martial artist, musician,

and photographer, everything I engage with comes

from the same unified intention toward engendering

the true, the good, and the beautiful. I endeavor

to capture the light that seeps through everything

in landscape and nature photography.

Lonny Jarrett -

Community: Nourishingdestiny.com

Books: Spiritpathpress.com

Art: Berkshirescenicphotography.com

Teaching: Lonnyjarrett.com

ARTFULMIND@YAHOO.COM


44 • FEBRUARY THE ARTFUL MIND

RICHARD NELSON

THE ALPHABET SERIES FROM A TO Z: “I”

&

Ai

ART

Digital Art

nojrevned@hotmail.com

Rick Nelson on FB


RICHARD NELSON

Ai

Lately I've been tinkering with Artificial Intelligence.

Many people feel it is a pestilence on the art

world. I can understand that point of view. It took

me a long time to convince myself that the loving

portrait of my dog which I completed in a matter

of a couple hours has the same energy, honesty,

feeling, that certain intrinsic human element one

would instill in a piece done in a traditional medium:

oils, acrylics, pastels etc. Fact of the matter

is, I'm not particularly skilled in technique, but I

can achieve that depth digitally. Or so I'm told, I'm

older, and not particularly healthy, so I find I am

more concerned with the final image and not how

I got there.

Which brings me to Ai. Using an Ai image as a

starting point helps provide a level of depth to the

image. To me it's the same thing as using sampling

in musical composition. As I slow down with the

passing of time, the need to be creative persists.

Any tool to facilitate that end result is fair game.

Richard Nelsonnojrevned@hotmail.com

SELF-PORTRAIT, RICHARD NELSON, JAN 2025

JOHN LIPKOWITZ

510 WARREN ST. GALLERY

February 28, 2025 marks the opening of John

Lipkowitz’ new exhibition of aluminum photographic

prints from his recent trip to Kenya.

On this, the seventh African safari he and his

wife Nina have experienced, their goal was elephants,

for Nina a visit to one of the David Sheldrick

Wildlife Trust facilities where young orphans

are reintroduced to the wild. For John, it was the

opportunity to visit a part of Tsavo East National

Park where there are still some surviving Super

Tuskers, elephants with one or both tusks weighing

at least 100 pounds. Perhaps as few as 50 are still

alive today, their numbers having been decimated

by natural deaths, occasional poaching and, if you

can believe it, by legal trophy hunters if these magnificent

animals wander across the unfenced border

into Tanzania.

Fortunately, the super tusker genes survive in

Tsavo and Amboselli parks and there is also a population

of emergents, younger bulls who just might

qualify as Super Tuskers given another ten or fifteen

years. During a three-week safari many other

animals were encountered, and some are represented

in this show as well.

Come see them all at 510 Warren St. Gallery.

The exhibit begins February 28, with an artist’s

reception on Saturday, March 2 from 3-6 PM.

The show will continue until March 30, 2025.

518-822–0510. Friday 12-6, Saturday 12-6, Sunday

12-5; 510warrenstgallery@gmail.com

“The nude, if you tackle it, is a very fascinating subject, especially for a woman… Traditionally

the Nude was used to express formulations about life as larger-than-life, as Heroic or Ideal…

The nude is not a ‘genre’ subject.” -Isabel Bishop

INFORMANT SERIES, OIL AND PIGMENT ON CANVAS

HT 84” W 48” 2001

ERNEST SHAW

WILLIAMS COLLEGE

MUSEUM OF ART

“Shaw’s work at the Williams College Museum

of Art has a powerfully direct, transmutive potency.

Strongly authoritative, devoid of formal devices, it

has an implant of deep primordial consciousness.

He has a sensitive eye for the truth of things at a

primal level which eludes many of us. The work is

profoundly archetypal, without the barriers of specialized

“art language”. This sculpture grips the

spectator in a time crunching here and now … utter,

relentlessly unsympathetic and unreasoning conditions

are its cohesive message. His work presents

the notion that barbarianism is not a factor of a historically

resolved past but is excessively present. It

bears the burden on a wholly inhumane predicament

and makes a strikingly disturbing and emotionally

reductive statement about our essential

existences, origins and our world. It is a primordial

release!” (From art review in the Williamstown

Transcript, November, 1988.)

“A natural progression characterizes Shaw’s

oeuvre in a grand sense. Sculpture has become for

him a vehicle for an organic development of ideas

and forms, and his own attitude and philosophy reflect

a rugged individualism. Like other artists and

writers before him, Arthur Dove, Georgia O’Keefe

John Marin, David Smith, William Faulkner, to

name a select few, individuals who felt a strong affinity

with nature and a compulsion to work, geographically,

outside the mainstream art/literary

community, Shaw has found his own niche …. Informed

with the contemporary art scene … but at

liberty, with distance, to grapple with his own vision

in seclusion without distraction. . That he will

continue to work and grow, there’s no doubt … that

he will bring to fruition the full potential of his vision

is the way of future expectations.”

—Douglas Dreishpoon, Emeritus Curator of Albright

Knox Museum.

(Excerpt from his catalogue essay of Shaw’s work

at the museum of SUNY New Paltz, 1985.)

Ernest Shaw-

Ernestshaw179@icloud.com / ernestshaw.net


Something For Over The Couch

PART 24

“Claudia and the Italian Pastry Shop”

The wrecked and abandoned Elk’s Club building on

Cooper Street now became a favorite destination on

my walks around the city. I felt emboldened to go in

whenever I liked because my painting was hanging

in the living room.

I went there when the hoodlums were away. Sometimes

I would be there for a few minutes, and at

other times I would sit in one of the lounge chairs in

the living room for an hour, thinking about absolutely

nothing, and staring at the wall across the

room, a wall adorned with various large cracks and

peeling green paint. My name for the building was,

‘The Ruined Palace of the Common Man,’ a mansion

built by poor people. I can’t explain the strange

pleasure the wrecked place gave me, just like a child

lounging in the driver's seat of a Lincoln Continental

that has no engine, rusting in a junkyard.

Sometimes John was there and we would get into

awkward conversations. A cloud hung over our brief

encounters in the form of an unanswered question.

Why had he attacked me that day? Why did he drag

me into an alley and threaten me with the knife? Finally

I asked him about it, and he tried to give me

an explanation. He told me he was from Brooklyn,

and having said that he looked at me significantly,

as if that simple statement would be sufficient, but

my incomprehension prompted him to elaborate.

This is what he said to me, as I remember it.

“In Brooklyn I was in a gang. I was given a task. I

had to rob a corner store, and I was given a gun. Not

a real gun, but one made of wood, and painted black.

The store I was to rob was run by a Middle Eastern

family, and when I went in, there was a girl about

fourteen, with a narrow face and huge eyes like I

don’t know what, and pupils so big that… I just

pointed the gun at her almost as if it was a prank,

and I didn’t say anything.

Her huge eyes got larger still and she began to tremble

all over and her teeth began to chatter. The

money was in a shoe box, and when she brought it

out from under the counter she was shaking so much

that the money, almost all small change, went flying

all over the place.”

At this point he stopped for a minute, as if he wanted

to avoid the rest of his story. It was obvious that he

did not want to go on with his confession, something

was coming that seemed to be too painful for him to

talk about. I thought it was one of those pauses when

a speaker knows that if they say one more word their

voice will crack.

Then he said, “Really, it was just a prank, I didn’t

even mean anything by it,” and he looked at me

pleadingly, as if I was somehow able to absolve him

of the guilt he felt, for having terrified a child.

So he had crossed the Rubicon by complete accident.

It might have even been love at first sight that

his evil fate had orchestrated for him.

“I had to run away,” he continued. “I did not think

there was any other option, and when I proposed to

go upstate, Ivan was eager to go with me as he had

his own problems. We got as far as Utica and the car

broke down.

I was trying to rob you in the alley, just in order to

restore my self respect but like with trying to rob the

corner store, I couldn’t go through with it. Not only

that, but there was something about your face that

reminded me of the girl in the corner store.”

This was such an awkward and embarrassing moment

in the conversation that it came to a sudden

end.

I saw John and Ivan again on the day they left; they

were planning to go to California. The back seat of

their car was full of canned food stolen from the cellar

of the restaurant Ivan worked in.

John approached me very quietly and somehow

apologetically and said “I sold your painting.”

“To whom did you sell it?” I wanted to know. Instead

of an answer he pointed to the car as an explanation,

saying, “The clutch cost two hundred dollars,

that is what I got for it. I sold it to an old guy I met

in a restaurant down on Lafayette Street, in an Italian

pastry shop”

There was only one cafe in the Italian section. It was

a famous cafe bakery and every time there was a

wedding or a funeral or any important event someone

was sent to the bakery to buy huge quantities of

the pastries they were famous for. The bakery was

run by an old couple, neither of whom spoke English.

The customers were served by three girls who were

probably relatives of the old couple, and it was my

impression that the tremendous business the cafe did

was because of those girls, and I think the men who

went there every day went there simply to admire

them. Each of them was more beautiful than the

other two, depending only on which of them was behind

the counter.

I confess that I was not immune to the hypnotic

charm of the clerks, but of the three of them my favorite

was one named Claudia. I can’t describe her,

I do not have those skills, but she was an Italian type

of beauty, straight out of a Neo-realist film, or like

one of those perfect faces Bougereau liked to paint.

She has an abundant head of hair that was always a

mess and covered half her face.

She seemed to be utterly unaware of her beauty, and

also extremely indifferent to her admirers. If someone

got up the nerve to compliment her, they might

be sure to receive an indifferent shrug, as if such a

compliment, perhaps just about an earring, or a

bracelet, would be a matter of complete indifference

to her.

Perhaps you have seen such a woman, standing at a

bus stop, or just turning a corner at the end of a street

in a town you were only in once in your life and

twenty years later you might still be able to conjure

her image.

Although this is the first time I have mentioned

Claudia in this chronicle, she was a very important

person to me, even though I had never said a word

to her aside from ordering coffee and an eclair from

her.

I was intimidated by her to such a degree that sometimes

my voice would crack when I ordered coffee

from her.

Caudia had a suitor or a boyfriend, and I was never

certain what their relationship could have been. He

would stand at the counter for long periods of time

talking to her, even when she was busy and waiting

on customers. She took no notice of him and didn't

even respond to his comments; not even so much as

a nod, as if he did not even exist. Even so, he would

go on talking to her as if she had replied, seemingly

unaware of being ignored. The old couple who ran

the bakery would never have tolerated such an imposition

unless the man had some sort of right to station

himself at the counter and lecture their

employee.

At the time of the sale of my painting for the switchblade

I was still going everywhere on a bicycle. And

although it is probably not that significant in my attempt

to describe my attraction to the clerk in the

pastry shop, I have to mention it. I was acutely

aware that riding a bicycle meant that there was an

entire category of girls that would not only reject my

attention, but even be insulted by any request for a

date. The boys who had cars, preferably their own

cars, and not the family vehicle had a sufficient

status to aspire to being rejected by some girl who

hoped to be a beauty queen.

The suitor of the pastry shop clerk was just such a

person, with a late model black Ford convertible,

and so if that convertible was parked in front of the

bakery I would not bother to even go in. I had no intention

whatsoever of trying to talk to Claudia, I

would never attempt to make any sort of comment

as if to test the waters of the possibility of a conversation

with her, but the presence of the insufferable

boyfriend irritated me to such a degree that I would

not even enter the place.

The day after I had been informed that my painting

had been sold to someone in the bakery I went there.

I felt somehow strangely empowered to go there,

now that there was some obscure piece of information

that connected me to the place.

Imagine my amazement when I walked in and saw

that my picture was hanging on the back wall among

the various prints and photographs the cafe owners

had put up on the wall behind the counter.

At the counter was Claudia, as usual, not looking at

me, even when I ordered. When she handed me my

change I managed to say, “You have a new picture

on your wall?” I said it as a question, as if I could

not possibly know anything about it. She answered

my question abruptly saying, “My Uncle Firp

bought it and put it up there, the guy who painted it

is going to be the next Picasso.” When she said ‘Picasso,’

she shook her head and took a look at the

ceiling, as if to imply that she thought her Uncle Firp

was an idiot. She seemed to have an obvious

contempt for my little picture and for her uncle,

which filled me with respect for her.

Uncle Firp! I also had an Uncle Firp. He was not an

actual relative of mine but he was a person everyone

called Uncle Firp. He was a strange old man, and I

will now have to tell you about him.

—RICHARD BRITELL

JANUARY 2025 PARTS, 1 THROUGH 23,

HTTPS://SPAZIFINEART.COM/SHORT-STORIES/


—Jane Gennaro


BRUCE PANOCK

Reaching for the Heavens

Photography by Bruce Panock will be on view in a group show

ASSEMBLED

Through March 2, 2025

MAD ROSE GALLERY

5916 North Elm Avenue, Millerton, New York | https://madrosegallery.com

Panockphotography.com

bruce@panockphotography.com

917-287-8589 | Instagram @brucepanock

Deborah H Carter

Embarkment

Photo: Korenman.com

Model: @shondaevette

Represented by the Wit Gallery

Clock Tower Artists

the artful mind Feb 2025

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