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The Artful Mind magazine July 2025

Artist Janet Cooper on Cover ... & more! Art Show: IN GOOD COMPANY, reception, slated for AUG 9, 5 - 8pm... 11 Eagle Street, MA. Please join us and meet 30 fine artists from the Berkshires an surrounding towns....

Artist Janet Cooper on Cover ... & more! Art Show: IN GOOD COMPANY, reception, slated for AUG 9, 5 - 8pm... 11 Eagle Street, MA. Please join us and meet 30 fine artists from the Berkshires an surrounding towns....

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

THE ARTFUL MIND

JULY 2025

JANET COOPER

ARTIST

PHOTOGRAPH BY EDWARD ACKER



the

ARTFUL MIND

IN PRINT SINCE 1994

Always in “ IN GOOD COMPANY”

JULY 2025

JOANE CORNELL

FINE JEWELRY

CALENDAR for Summer... 4

Interview: Derek Delaney

A Life In Service to Classical Music ... 12

Elizabeth Cassidy In Other Words | POETRY ... 21

Interview: Janet Cooper Artist

Photography + Cover by Edward Acker... 34

Interview: Caryn King Ceramist and Painter

Revisit with the Artist... 36

Richard Britell | FICTION

Valeria and the Ants CHAPTER 2 ... 47

Diaries of Jane Gennaro

Mining My Life EPISODE FIVE “Hip Story” .... 48

Publisher Harryet Candee

Copy Editor Elise Francoise

COMMISSION ORDERS WELCOMED

Hand Forged Designs

New Stacking Cuff

www.JoaneCornellFineJewelry.com

9 Main St. Chatham, NY

Contributing Photographers

Edward Acker Tasja Keetman Bobby Miller

Contributing Writers

Richard Britel Jane Gennaro

Third Eye Jeff Bynack

Distribution Ruby Aver

Calendar / Advertising

Editorial inquiries and

Subscriptions by mail: 413-645-4114

Email: artfulmind@yahoo.com

Read online: ISSUU.COM

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ARTFUL MIND GALLERY for Artful Minds 23

THE ARTFUL MIND

PO Box 985, Great Barrington, MA 01230

FYI— Disclaimer: : ©Copyright laws in effect throughout The Artful Mind for

logo & all graphics including text material. Copyright laws for photographers

and writers throughout The Artful Mind. Permission to reprint is required in all

instances. In any case the issue does not appear on the stands as planned

due to unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, advertisers will be

compensated on a one to one basis. All commentaries by writers are not

necessarily the opinion of the publisher and take no responsibility for their

facts and opinions. All photographs submitted for advertisers are the responsibility

for advertiser to grant release permission before running image or photograph.

Not responsible for photo content /copyright brought into magazine

by other artists promoting other artists in editorial on these pages.

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2025 • 1


2 • JULY 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND



CALENDAR of EVE NTS

July 19, 2025, 2 – 4pm

Photography with Berkshire Art Center at TurnPark

Spend a few hours photographing at TurnPark with Berkshire Art Center instructor

Thad Kubis. TurnPark is a visually stimulating location in West Stockbridge.

Please register at Berkshire Art Center

TurnPark Art Space 2 Moscow Road, West Stockbridge, MA

JULY 12 - AUG 16

Reception: Saturday July 12, 4pm - 6pm

Eastover Contemporary Art Space

Ink Art Exhibit - Embracing Ecological Return:

Solar TermsFeng Hua: Memories of New England

430 East St, Lenox, MA eastoverart.com

ART

510 WARREN STREET GALLERY

510 Warren st, Hudson NY

518-822-0510 / 510warrenstgallery@gmail.com

Featured artists each month.

CORRIDOR GALLERY

185 E. Main st, North Adams, MA

The Corridor Gallery is an experimental exhibition

space set in the grand entryway of the Walkaway

House. The Corridor Gallery is a project of artist and

founder Carolyn Clayton and is activated by the work

and vision of guest artists and individuals.

CHILDS + CLARK GALLERY

684 Main Street, Unit 1, Great Barrington, MA

Ceramics, Glass, Painting, Sculpture, Fiber.

GUILD OF BERKSHIRE ARTISTS

Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield, MA

www.berkshireartists.org

Through July 12: Closing Reception July 12, 1 - 4pm:

Creative Diversity

BECKET ARTS CENTER

7 Brooker Hill Rd, Becket , MA

413-623-6635 office@becketartscenter.org

Special Members Exhibition; Macrocosm: July 25 -

Aug 17.

BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN

5 West Stockbridge Rd, Stockbridge, MA

413-298-3926 BerkshireBotanical.org

June 6- Aug 11: DayDream, Curated by James Salomon;

Also: Sleepwalkers, in conjunction with

“DayDream”, an outdoor exhibit by renowned sculptor

Mark Mennin

BERNAY FINE ART

296 Main st Gt Barrington, MA

413-645-3421

July 12 - Aug 10: Summertime: annual Summertime

show. The show will feature paintings by Janet

Rickus, Joy Taylor and Linda Pochesci, prints by

Lawre Stone and sculpture by Joy Brown.

4 • JULY 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

CARRIE HADDAD GALLERY

622 Warren St, Hudson, NY

info@carriehaddadgallery.com

June 6 - July 27: The Summer Show

CATA

Clark Art Institute

225 South St., Williamstown, MA

Lichtenstein Center for the Art

26 Renne Ave, Pittsfield, MA

July 11: Annual Art Show:”I Am a Part of Art”

THE CLARK ART INSTITUTE

225 South St, Williamstown, MA

413-458-2303

July 12 - Oct 5: Berenice Abbott’s Modern Lens

Berenice Abbott (1898–1991) was one of the most

important American photographers of the twentieth

century, known for her pioneering documentary

style, unpretentious compositions, and technical innovations.

A woman photographer working in the

relatively early days of the medium, Abbott demonstrated

that women could hold a prominent place in

cutting-edge artistic communities. The Clark marks

the 100-year anniversary of Abbott’s first photographs

with an exhibition examining the relationship

between her portraits of people and her “portraits”

of places.

CLOCK TOWER ARTISTS’ STUDIOS & GALLERY

75 S. Church St, 3rd fl, Pittsfield, MA

clocktowerartists.com

The Clock Tower Artists is a collective of working artists,

see website for artists and open studio visits.

CHESTERWOOD

4 Williamsville Rd, Stockbridge, MA

chesterwood@savingsplaces.org

47th annual contemporary outdoor sculpture exhibition,

which will run throughout the season, ending

October 31. This season’s exhibition, Global Warming

/ Global Warning! addresses the issue of climate

change and will be curated by preservation engineer

and restoration architect Michael F. Lynch, with works

by sculptors Kathleen Jacobs, Ann Jon, Harold Grinspoon,

Natalie Tyler, and DeWitt Godfrey.

FRAMEWORK by DOWNTOWN PITTSFIELD INC

437 North St, Pittsfield, MA

July 7 - 24: Reception during First Friday Artwalk,

July 12, 1 - 4pm: Huck Elling: Recent Paintings Exploring

Color, Patterns and Pursuit of Joy.

FREYLINGHUYSEN MORRIS HOUSE

AND STUDIO

92 Hawthorne St, Lenox, MA

Visit the home of American Abstract Artists George

L.K. Morris and Suzy Frelinghuysen, set on a 46-acre

estate in the heart of Lenox, Massachusetts. View

their paintings, frescoes, and sculpture; experience

their exquisite collection of American and European

Cubist Art.

FRONT ROOM GALLERY

205 Warren St, Hudson, NY

June 21-July 13: Thomas Broadbent. Front Room

Gallery specializes in contemporary photography,

painting, sculpture, installation and limited edition

prints.

FUTURE LAB(S) GALLERY

43 Eagle St, North Adams, MA

Ongoing art exhibits

GALLERY 271

271 Main Road, Monterey MA

June 27 - July 19: Jaye Alison, Remain Calm. Jaye’s

work is an exploration of how we process turbulence,

hold on to meaning and find clarity and beauty

through creative expression.

GALLERY NORTH

9 Eagle St, North Adams, MA

413-663-1509

A fine art gallery featuring artists in many mediums

GREYLOCK GALLERY

71 Sprig St, Williamstown, MA

413-884-6926

Oil paintings, landscapes and whimsical metal sculptures-traditional

and contemporary art.July - Tracy

Helgeson, John MacDonald (All Artists on display)

August - Teri Malo, Leslie Peck (All Artists on display)


In and around the berkshires

SUMMER 2025

July 12 7pm- 9pm

Music Mountain Summer Festival:

THE CURTIS BROTHERS

Gordon Hall, 225 Music Mountain Rd, Falls Village, CT

Musicmountain.org / 860-824-7125 for tix and info

Through July 27

@ TSL:

PHILLIP GEBHARDT:

BEYOND FORM

434 Columbia St,

Hudson NY

fyi@timeandspace.org

HUDSON MILLINER ART SALON

415 Warren St, HUdson Ny

info@hudsonmillinerartsalon.com

Through Oct: Charlotta Janssen:Smells Like Team

Spirit. The Hudson Milliner Art Salon is a creative and

collaborative art space featuring art and performance

as well as the intersection of the two. We feature

exploratory, edgy and political work.

LAUREN CLARK FINE ART

684 Main St, Gt Barrington, MA

Lauren@LaurenClarkFIneArt.com

Fine art, glass, sculpture and paintings

MASS MoCA

1040 MASS MoCA WAY, Hunter Center,

North Adams, MA info@massmoca.org

Through August 2026: Jeffrey Gibson: Power Full Because

We’re Different. A commissioned immersive

installation filling MASS MoCA’s signature Building 5

gallery that follows Gibson’s highly celebrated

United States representation at the 60th edition of

La Biennale di Venezia. Outdoor Art Tour, July 26;

New York State of Mind, June 28, 10am

MCLA GALLERY

375 Church St, North Adams, MA

413-662-5000

July 18 - Sept 28: I Am Too, A Piece of Clay: LaRissa

Rogers; Explores undefined marginality as an aesthetic

form that generates alternative epistemologies

- sensorial, spatial, and affective. Opening Reception

Friday, July 18, 5-7pm | 51 Main St., North Adams;

Artist Talk | Saturday, July 19, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm |

49 Main St., North Adams

NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUM

9 Glendale Road, Stockbridge, MA

413-298-4100

July 12 - Oct 26

Hidden Worlds and Wonders:

Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition

Juried Show: Artists

Artists showcased in the exhibition include: Robert

Bangiola, Harold Grinspoon, Brian McQuillan, Barbra

Fletcher, Robert Markey, Erika Crofut, Stephen

Klema, William Carlson, Stephanie Wenzel, Ricky

Bernstein, Erik Johnsen, Andy Gingras, and Pedro S.

de Movellan.

PAMELA SALISBURY GALLERY

362 1/2 Warren St, Hudson, NY

June 21 - July 20: Daisy Craddock, Michael Meehan,

Nisha Bansil & Bryan Whitney, Rachel Rickert, Ron

Milewicz and Scott Brodie

PETER JUNG FINE ART

19th & 20th Century Paintings

512 Warren Street Hudson, NY

Phone: 518-755-4350

peterjung512@gmail.com

ROAM

16 Water St, Williamstown, MA

roamgallery.photo/

ROAM A Xtina Parks Gallery is an African Contemporary

Art Gallery and Fair Trade showroom specializing

in works of art, sculpture, African wildlife

photography, ceramics & pottery, vintage textiles,

jewelry, woven baskets and much more. Xtina Studios

and her team work together to accomplish a

shared vision: to bring awareness of sustainable conservation

initiatives which directly support Africa’s

artists and people, as well as preserve and protect

the African lands that are home to precious wildlife

and many endangered species.

ROBIN RICE GALLERY

FINE ART + PHOTOGRAPHY

234 Warren St, Hudson NY

Jul 12-Sep 7: Giacomo Piussi "Friends of Friends"

“Friends of Friends” explores a playful world where

dreams and reality meld together to create surreal

moments.

SANDISFIELD ARTS CENTER

Hammertown Rd, Sandisfield, MA

www.sandisfieldartcenter.org

July 19: Show opens Saturday July 19 with an opening

reception 3 - 5 pm followed at 5:15 by the Not

So Short Film Festival-Part One. The film festival continues

on Sunday July 20 at 2 pm with the Not So

Short Film Festival Part Two. Weekends 11 to 3 or by

appointment

SOHN FINE ART

69 Church St, Lenox, MA

413-551-7353 info@sohnfineart.com

May 10 - July 28: Heredity: Joseph La Piana. Heredity

explores the concept of artistic lineage and transformation

through Joseph La Piana’s signature blend

of scientific inquiry and material experimentation

SOUTHERN VERMONT ARTS CENTER

860 SVAC Drive / West Rd, MAnchetser VT

SVAC.ORG

Through January 4, 26:

Into the Abstract: Paul Gruhler and

Neha Vedpathak

SUSAN ELEY FINE ART

433 Warren St., Hudson, NY

June 12 - July 27, Quotidiana: Rituals and Passages,

New Works by Francie Heter

THE MARKETPLACE CAFE PITTSFIELD

53 North St, Pittsifeld, MA

July 2 - 30: The Surreal Landscapes of

Sean McCusker

THE RE INSTITUTE

1395 Boston Corners Rd, Millerton, NY

July 12 - Aug 23: Irrigation; Upstairs: Gregory

Klassen; Downstairs: Ruby Jackson and friends

TIVOLI ARTISTS GALLERY

60 Broadway, Tivoli, NY

July 11 - August 10: Reception Saturday July 12 5-

7pm"Hudson Valley Towns"

"Interpretations of our Beautiful Hudson Valley Villages,

landmarks and Vistas"

TURLEY

ART GALLERY

609 Warren St, 2FL, Hudson, NY

THrough July 12: Dana Piazza: Elaborations; Mack

Sikora: Hope Chest

TURNPARK ART SPACE

2 Moscow Rd, West Stockbridge, MA

May 17 - Aug 3: Paul Chaleff: Sculpture - Tables -

Chargers; May 17-Aug 10: Jim Morris: Leaving

Traces; Aug 13-Oct 31: John Clarke: Passing

Through

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE>>>

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2025 • 5


CALENDAR of EVE NTS

L to R: Loretta Pettway Bennett,Stella Mae Pettway,

Sharon Williams,Emma Mooney Pettway,Polly Middleton, Andrea Williams

On view through August 10

GEARY

Dana Sherwood: Garden of the Sphinx

34 Main St, Millerton, NY

Opening Reception July 12, 5 - 7pm

Spencertown Academy

The women of Gee’s Bend: The Next Generation

Meet the quilters and join the Academy Board and our generous sponsors

in welcoming the Gee’s Bend quilters to Spencertown at an exclusive reception

ahead of the public opening of the exhibitions on July 12.

Tix: https://spencertownacademy.networkforgood.com/.../87861...

NEW MARLBOROUGH MEETING HOUSE

154 Hartsville, New Marlborough Rd

New Marlborough, MA

June 20-July 20: “Botanically Speaking” “Botanically

Speaking” celebrates the intrinsic beauty and

complexity of plant life.July 25 -Aug 24. “Elemental:

earth / air / water” Reception July 25, 5-7pm. Aug

29-Oct 5: “Black and White and What Lies Between”

Reception: Aug 29, 5-7 pm

THEATER

BERKSHIRES THEATRE GROUP

www.berkshiretheatregroup.org

July: Out of Character; The Mousetrap. Check website

for locations and sepcific times.

HUDSON HALL

327 Warren St, Hudson, NY hello@hudsonhall.org

July 18 - Aug 17: Hudson Terminus, Jon Kinzel. Interdisciplinary

Exhibition with Site Specific Performances

MAC-HAYDN THEATRE

1925 NY-203, Chatham NY 518-392-9292

July 10 - 20: A Bronx Tale..see website for more

SHAKESPEARE & COMPANY

70 Kemble St, Lenox, MA

413-637-3353 shakespeare.org

June 19 - July 20: The Victim, by Lawrence Goodman;

July 12 - Aug 10: Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet;

July 25- Aug 24: August Wilson’s The Piano

Lesson.See website for more.

SHARON PLAYHOUSE

49 Amenia Rd, Sharon CT

info@sharonplayhouse.org

July 26 - Aug 10: Annie; Aug 29 - Sept 7: Sylvia; Sept

26 - Oct 5: The Mousetrap, plus much more

6 • JULY 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

MUSIC | EVENTS

BERKSHIRE OPERA FESTIVAL

Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center

14 Castle st, Great Barrington, MA

Aug 14: 10th Anniversary Concert. Aug 23, 26, 29:

La Traviata, Composer Giuseppe Verdi.

BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN

5 West Stockbridge Road, Stockbridge, MA

July 14, 5:30pm - 7:30pm

Music Mondays at Berkshire Botanical Garden featuring

-07/14: The Nate Martel Band: Singer,

songwriter and guitarist with soulful, gritty fun and a

remarkable voice.07/21: Jessie and the Hoosie

Hawks: An eclectic mix of rock, pop, country, and

more hits from yesterday and today.07/28: Sören

Smedvig Quartet: Dynamic jazz standards spanning

generations.08/04: The BTUs: A solid Berkshire institution

built on the foundation of solid groove.08/11:

Mike Cobb and the Crevulators: Original eclecticamericana.

Inspired by Bob Dylan, The Band, CCR,

The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, The Replacements,

and more. 08/18: South Pleasant Revival:

UMass Amherst college band featuring

acoustic covers and some original music.08/25:

Rounders Revival: Light-hearted and uplifting acoustic

music steeped in the folk-Americana traditions of

universal story-telling and soulful harmonies.

DOTTIE’S / DOROTHY’S

438/444 North St., Pittsfield 413-443-1792

www.dottiescoffeelounge.com

July 5, 6 - 9pm: Lucia Dostal

HANCOCK SHAKER VILLAGE

1843 West Housatonic St. Pittsfield MA

413-443-0188

Aug 3: SUMMER GALA in the Village. Stroll through

the Village and enjoy a magical evening, where rolling

hills meet a stunning sunset off the Round Stone

Barn

STOCKBRIDGE SINFONIA SUMMER CONCERT

SERIES

Berkshires’ Community Orchestra

413-822-1318 or visit stockbridgesinfonia.org

July 12 & 13, Aug 2, 9 & 10: The Sinfonia Wind Ensemble

will perform Mozart’s Gran Partita and Gounod’s

Petite Symphonie on Saturday, July 12, 3 pm

at Zion Lutheran Church, 74 First Street in Pittsfield

and again on Sunday, July13, 3 pm at Church on the

Hill in Lenox. Guest conductor is David Diggs.

The full Sinfonia will perform a set of Overtures by

Mozart, Berlioz and Shostakovich; as well as a piece

by local composer Joan Devoe entitled Insidiodyssey.

The second half of the program is Dvorak Symphony

No. 8. These concerts take place on Saturday,

August 2 at 3 pm at Lenox Memorial Middle and

High School, Saturday, August 9 at 3 pm at Zion Lutheran

Church in Pittsfield, and Sunday, August 10 at

6 pm at Saint James Place in Great Barrington

TANGLEWOOD

297 West Street, Lenox, MA

July 20, 7:00 pm

TLI Presents: Trumpet Summit featuring Jon Faddis,

Randy Brecker, Benny Benack III, Bria Skonberg, and

the Ted Rosenthal Trio

TANNERY POND CONCERTS

Darrow School, New Lebanon, NY

capitalregionclassical.org

July 12, 7:30pm

Santiago Cañón-Valencia, cello

THE GUTHRIE CENTER

Housatonic, MA

413-528-1955

July 12: An Evening with Ant Je Duvekot and Seth

Glier; July 19: Matt Cusson; July 26: An Evening with

Lucy Kaplansky; Aug 2: Annie Guthrei & Friends; Aug

9: An Evening with Ari Hest; Aug 16: An Evening with

Tom Rush; Aug 23: The Black Legacy Project; Aug

29: Drag Queens in Limousines: Celebrating 25

Years of Mary Gauthier with special guest Jaimee

Harris


THE ARTFUL MIND

Art Exhibit

“IN GOOD COMPANY.”

— Artists —

Jaye Alison

Ruby Aver

Richard Britell

Katherine Borkowski-Byrne

Margaret Buchte

Leslee Carsewell

Janet Cooper

Yana van Dyke

Jane Gennaro

Susan Gilbert

Julia Grey

Ghetta Hirsch

Sarah Horne

Ellen Kaiden

Stephan Marc Klein

Beckie Kravetz

Bruce Laird

Pattie Lipman

Leo Mazzeo

Jesse Tobin McCauley

Bobby Miller

Richard Nelson

Janet Pumphrey

Ilene RIchard

Alexandra Rozenman

Richard Talbert

Scott Taylor

Jay Tobin

Mary Ann Yarmosky

Reception: Aug 9 - 5-8pm

11 Eagle St. North Adams MA

THrough AUGUST +

___________________

THE STATIONARY FACTORY

63 Flansburg Ave, Dalton, MA

July 12, 7pm-10pm: MPZ Productions presents: The

Wrecking Crew — the best kept secret in Rock n Roll!

DREAM AWAY LODGE

1342 County Rd, Becket, MA

413-623-8725

thedreamawaylodge.com/events

July 12, 8pm - 11pm

MILTON: A songwriter’s songwriter, known for his

lyric craft, distinctive voice and soulful songs steeped

in classic rhythm & blues, pop, jazz, folk and country,

Milton first gained notoriety in his hometown New

York City when his song “In The City” became a hit

on New York’s WFUV radio. His live performances,

which include material from every one of his albums,

are praised for their wit, humor, and captivating

charm.

THE THIRD ANNUAL DAVID GROVER SCHOL-

ARSHIP CONCERT, “HERE WE GO AGAIN”

July 18, 5:30pm ...$40

Featuring Michael Fabrizio with Special Guests Michael

Wartella and Kathy Jo Grover and Members of

the Berkshire Theatre Group Youth Chorus. Join us

for an inspiring evening of live music and heartfelt

performances as we honor the legacy of the late

David Grover, a beloved member of the Berkshire

community and a passionate advocate for arts education.

EDUCATION

BERKSHIRE ART CENTER

13 Willard Hill Road, Stockbridge MA

Make Art, Buy Art! Visual art classes, workshops,

events year-round for all ages/skill levels. Shop artwork

by local artists, discounted art supplies, books

July 31–August 2

MASS MoCA

Bang on a Can: LOUD

Weekend 2025

The Bang on a Can Summer Music

Festival has transformed MASS

MoCA into a genre-bending musical

utopia for innovative composers

and performers for 24 of our 26

years.

1040 MASS MoCA WAY

North Adams, MA 01247

413-662-2111

info@massmoca.org

FREYLINGHUYSEN MORRIS HOUSE

AND STUDIO

92 Hawthorne St, Lenox, MA

Art Demonstrations with professional artists every

Friday, 11am, free with admission: July 11, Diane Firtell,

Oil on canvas; July 18, Brent Ridge, Abstract

painting w/recycled patterns; July 25, Debbie Carter,

Upcycled wearable art; August 1, Paula Shalan,

Smoke fired ceramics; August 8, Peter Schoeffer, Oil

on Canvas; August 15, Nina Ryan, Ceramics; August

24, Nathan Hoogs & Elizabeth Crawford, Glass blowing;

August 29, Terry Wise, Mixed Media on paper

HUDSON HALL

327 Warren St, Hudson NY

hello@hudsonhall.org

Aug 3, 4pm: 2025 Hudson Jazz Workshop Concert

Featuring Armen Donelian, Marc Mommaas, and

Steve Cardenas. Celebrating its 19th year, the Hudson

Jazz Workshop—led by pianist Armen Donelian

and saxophonist Marc Mommaas—culminates in a

dynamic concert at Hudson Hall featuring special

guest guitarist Steve Cardenas. Joined by an international

ensemble of workshop participants, enjoy

an afternoon of original jazz developed over an intensive

week of collaboration and exploration.

MAD ROSE GALLERY

5916 N Elm Ave, Millerton, NY

518-592-1086

Classes and Workshops in Yoga, Printmaking, Painting

and Photography

NORTH ADAMS CLAY / Butterdish Workshop

189 Beaver st, Studio 310

North Adams, MA 508-361-8133

northadamsclay@gmail.com

Tuesday July 15, 5:30pm-8:30PM

Make a butter dish! Offering studio and kiln memberships,

classes and workshops, private events

SUMMER 2025

FILM

IMAGES CINEMA

50 Spring st, Williamstown MA

413-458-1039

July 11: The Apprentice

TURNPARK

2 Moscow Road, West Stockbridge, MA

Outdoor Film Screenings: July 31, 8-10pm: Three

Colors: Blue by Krzysztof Kieślowski; Aug 28, 7:30 -

9:30pm; Wild Strawberries, Ingmar Bergman; Sept

25: 7:30-9:30: Coffee and Ciggaretts by Jim Jarmusch

Free Calendar listings

Please send in your AUGUST & SEPT

events listings on the first of each

month prior to publication

We gladly accept images.

Send to:

artfulmind@yahoo.com

FIND US on FB

issuu.com || YUMPU.com

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2025 • 7


BRUCE LAIRD

Clock Tower Artists

Business Center Studio #307

75 South Church Street, Pittsfield, MA

Instagram- ecurbart

8 • JULY 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND


Erika Larskaya

“Impermanence 3” 36” x 36” Mixed media on canvas

"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.”

On view at Lauren Clark Gallery in Gt Barrington, MA

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

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY • 9


DIGITAL DRAWING

RICHARD NELSON

AFTER MIDNIGHT

I never feel comfortable talking about my art,

especially my abstract stuff. There is a lot more involved

in the process than is apparent. For me, it's a

bit of catharsis for me, an opportunity to give voice

to those things sneak into your brain and takes

someplace you would never think of going to. To

actually see it illustrated for myself provides a release

of pent upness. But it's a private show for my

eyes alone. Lines are drawn over the image, creating

new shapes with new colors. Transparent shades are

over lapped a dozen times, or so. Creating a sense

of depth at times, almost archetechual. Frequenltly

putting bright whites over shadowed by darker

shapes, suggesting a overall inner energy. Thematically

I'm usually thinking about dance. Nothing

new, I know and somewhat ironic as I clumsy and

devoid of natural rhythm. I would like my work to

be large. Many years ago I did a series of very large,

very heavy multi media on whole sheets of reinforced

Masonite. I'm no longer able to work large

for health reasons, a well practicality. But I use single

lines down the middle of the image to suggest

" Dyptich". Lines that seem to instill a feeling of

largeness. Hope that didn't sound pretentious!

Cheers!

Richard Nelson—

See his alphabet “M” page in this issue.

nojrevned@hotmail.com / Rick Nelson on FB

I will be in the August show, “In Good Company.”,

in North Adams, come visit and see my prints.

WATER BUFFALO, HALL OF ASIAN MAMMALS

AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

NEW YORK CITY, PENCIL DRAWING

STEPHAN MARC KLEIN

I have been sketching and making art on and off

since my undergraduate education as an architect

in the late 1950s. Until my wife and I moved to The

Berkshires in 2017, I lived my entire life in New

York City. I have early memories there of my parents

taking me to The American Museum of Natural

History. As an adult, I have over the years

returned to the Museum, as a parent with my children,

and to sketch. Sketching in Museums is for

me a favorite way to spend a morning or an afternoon.

Sketching in museums is an opportunity to

practice graphic skills and it’s an activity that gives

deep joy. I’ve gotten used to all the people looking

over my shoulder, even taking photos. I mostly

don’t notice them, I get so rapt in my work.

For me museums are great places in which to

sketch. The weather is always good; it never rains

or snows, it’s never too hot or too cold. My subjects,

whether they are water buffalos, gorillas,

Greek or Roman Gods, or cubist sculptures, have

infinite patience. They never move, never need to

take a break, never complain. And over all the

years, returning to the exhibits in the permanent exhibition

halls of The Museum, for me, is encountering

old friends.

Stephan Marc Klein —

stephanmarcklein.com

smk8378@gmail.com

Member 510 Warren Street Gallery, Hudson, NY

2025 CONCERT SEASON

JULY 10 —AUGUST 3, 2025

Aston Magna, the renowned historical instrument

ensemble led by Artistic Director Daniel

Stepner has announced its 52nd Season in the

Boston area and in the Berkshires.

Over four concert weekends we offer a broad

spectrum of works by composers both familiar

and lesser known, representing several centuries

and styles. Our lineup of musicians includes

many of our audience’s favorite artists from past

seasons, as well as other celebrated artists performing

with us for the first time.

Concerts will take place Thursday evenings at

the Allen Center, Newton Cultural Alliance at 35

Webster St, Newton, and three Saturday afternoons

and one Sunday afternoon at Saint James

Place at 352 Main Street, Great Barrington.

The programs will include the following:

Music from Thomas Jefferson’s Library

Geminiani, Balbastre, Arne, Purcell,

Mozart, Weber

Thursday July 10 at 7:00PM at Allen Center

Saturday, July 12 at 3:00PM at

Saint James Place

Late Mozart

Adagio and Fugue, G Minor Viola Quintet,

Clarinet Quintet

Thursday July 17 at 7:00PM at Allen Center

Saturday, July 19 at 3:00PM at

Saint James Place

From Castello to Canzano

Baroque Chamber Music -

Into the 21st Century!

Works of Dario Castello (1602-1631), Louis-

Gabriel Guillemain (1705-1770), Jean-Joseph

Cassanéa de Mondonville (1711-1772), Nathan

Adam Mondry (b.1991), and Nicola Saraceni

Canzano (b. 1991)

Thursday July 24 at 7:00PM at Allen Center

Saturday, July 26 at 3:00PM

at Saint James Place

Fiddlers Four

Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons”and music by

Purcell, Pachelbel, Legrenzi, and Telemann

Thursday July 31 at 7:00PM at Allen Center

Sunday, August 3 at 3:00PM at

Saint James Place

Tickets prices are $40 in advance, $50 on day

of show purchased at the venue. Under 30s: $15

with ID, full time students (with ID) and children

Free. To order tickets by phone call 888-492-

1283 or online at astonmagna.org

10 • JULY 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND


THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2025 • 11


Derek Delaney @ Sebastian Fredette

DEREK DELANEY

A LIFE IN SERVICE TO CLASSICAL MUSIC

"Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.” – Proverb

Interview by Harryet Candee

Photographs Courtesy of the Artist

Graduating from Juilliard signifies your development

as a serious musician. When did you

complete your studies there, and what were

your pursuits in music after Juilliard? Reflecting

on your time at Juilliard, what aspects did

you enjoy the most?

Derek Delaney: I graduated from Juilliard in 1992

and was very fortunate to study with the legendary

James Chambers, who was principal horn of the

NewYork Philharmonic under Bernstein, and

others. Juilliard was a very formative experience as

there were so many exceptional colleagues and eminent

faculty from whom to learn. After Juilliard, I

received my master’s degree at Yale where I really

thrived. I won a job in an orchestra in Israel shortly

thereafter, and after a while, returned to New York

to freelance. In my late 20s, I decided to transition

to a career in which I would support musicians. I

have been presenting concerts ever since.

12 • JULY 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

Please tell us about your family and those who

gave you the start in music appreciation? Where

did you grow up?

I grew up on Long Island in a middle-class town.

My mother was from Germany and her mother was

a capable amateur pianist who could play Beethoven,

Chopin, etc. I started private trumpet lessons

at the age of seven with my school band

director. After a few months, he said that I “appeared’

to be smart, so why don’t I try French Horn

(players of which he needed in the band)? I took to

the horn quickly and by the age of 9, I was playing

in the junior high school band. Then, I was off to

the races!

Throughout your music-related careers, what

experiences have you found to be the most gratifying

and challenging in terms of learning?

Musicians are always fine-tuning what they are

practicing — the work is never really “done.” This

approach has allowed me to appreciate the process

toward a goal much more than achieving the goal.

Perpetuating and disseminating the art form to

which I’ve dedicated my life since the age of 12

has been deeply gratifying. My hope is that by offering

classical music performances played by

some of the world’s leading artists, people will

share my enthusiasm for the music. But, there is no

question that there is a stigma that classical music

is difficult to understand and people are intimidated

by it. My job is to break down this barrier and emphasize

that music is music no matter what the

style. If you are inherently curious and open to

emotionality, classical music will transform your

life.

As you reflect on your achievements and the

challenges you faced over the past year, how

would you describe your overall experience?

All of us in the arts are still recovering from the


Emanuel Ax Takes a Bow at Union College @ MahiMattPhoto

pandemic. In speaking with colleagues around the

country, there’s a feeling that this last season was

the first in which people are “back.” The concerts

can also be a respite amidst the political uncertainty

of the past year. We had such memorable performances

— paramount among them were 2 appearances

by the legendary pianist Mitsuko Uchida and

a rare pairing of the Belcea and Ébène string quartets

(two of the best in the world) in Mendelssohn’s

ebullient Octet. These experiences nourish people

for a long time. I had dinner with two audience

members last night, and they gushed about the

Octet performance (which took place last fall).

Do you think gaining admission to dedicated

music colleges is more competitive today?

You’ve encountered many talented young

people seeking opportunities. In what ways do

you find yourself supporting them?

The level of young musicians is extraordinarily

high these days — it’s truly remarkable how many

exceptional artists are coming out of the conservatories.

One of the most important aspects of my job

is to provide performance opportunities, so I regularly

invite a handful of highly-talented young

people to the series each season. To be listed among

eminent artists on the series like Uchida and Emanuel

Ax is enormously helpful to their careers —

it’s “guilt by association.” I’ve also helped some

young artists gain representation by booking agents

to help their burgeoning careers.

What intrigues you about the areas in music

that you have yet to explore?

There is a misconception about classical music that

it is “old” and solely of Western European origin.

It is, however, a living, breathing art form that reflects

the world’s diversity, offering a wealth of cultural

perspectives. We regularly commission new

works on the series, and it’s always fascinating to

discover and highlight new composers with distinctive

artistic voices. Our next commission is with

the MacArthur Grant-winning jazz pianist/composer

Vijay Iyer in the fall of 2026.

As your relationship with music evolves, do you

feel more attuned to its messages now than in

your youth? Do specific genres or themes motivate

you to advocate for important issues? How

do you envision using music to explore these

topics and support others?

I think as all of us mature, we better understand the

depth of expression behind artistic works through

our own life experiences. For instance, the tragedy

of a composer like Beethoven losing his hearing is

easy to understand, but what is remarkable about

Beethoven is the optimism he expressed despite it.

There is certainly despair and even anger in his

music, but he perseveres nonetheless — a lesson

which I have come to appreciate more with age. I

am most interested in music reflecting our shared

humanity.

What is your favorite music in your free time?

Why does it resonate with you?

This is impossible to answer, but if there is a composer

to whom I’m most drawn, it is probably

Brahms. With Brahms, his music rarely expresses

a single feeling of love, elation, sadness, etc. There

is often a complexity of emotion expressed that is

quite layered, which deeply resonates with me. I

have a podcast — Inside the Music — which explores

composers’ lives through live performances

from the series. I produced a show on Brahms and

illuminated this layered emotionality through his

late piano pieces and was thrilled to speak with pianist

Paul Lewis about it.

Continued on next page....

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2025 • 13


DEREK DELANEY

Delaney Turning Pages for Mitsuko Uchida @ MahiMattPhoto

What are your thoughts on the similarities and

differences between musicians and visual artists?

How do these two creative fields connect

and differ? How familiar are you with visual

arts, and what role do you believe visuals play

in a musical context?

The main difference is that visual artists typically

create art from scratch. Classical musicians (excepting

composers and improvisers) apply their artistry

to an existing artwork. The musician must

weave their artistry in service to the composer’s

score and the performance style of the work’s

period. This is why classical music is never “old”

and why it’s foolish to abandon works of the past

— a classical music performance is truly an organic

experience every time, even if the pieces remain

the same. I never avoid duplication of repertoire on

my series for this very reason — it’s inherently interesting

to hear different artists interpret the same

piece.

Do you enjoy theatre and opera? If so, what are

some of your favorites, and what draws you to

them?

14 • JULY 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

While I do attend theatre occasionally, I attend

opera more frequently. My tastes vary widely and

span opera’s history — from Mozart’s The Magic

Flute to Alban Berg’s Wozzeck to George Benjamin’s

Written on Skin. As I’m getting older, I especially

appreciate Mozart’s operas. We all know him

as a genius, but I think his genius is most apparent

in his operas. The inventiveness, charm, and beauty

of these works and how he developed artistically

in them over the course of his life is mesmerizing.

Have you ever had a fantastic experience watching

a pop-up artist perform in unexpected

places, such as subway stations, the street, in

front of restaurants, or parks? Did you enjoy

their music and feel inspired to toss a dollar bill

into their case? Have you ever played the horn

for an audience in such a spontaneous setting?

The most memorable experience I’ve had on the

street was in Heidelberg, Germany. A guy was

playing a digeridoo — a long, wooden tube of Aboriginal

origin — and the variety of sounds and

rhythms he was creating was absolutely stunning.

I make a point to always put money in musicians’

cases if they have a basic level of proficiency.

They’re busking for a reason! I had busked a little

while I was playing. The most memorable (and unintentional)

occasion was when I attended the

Aspen Music Festival. As a wind player, I arrived

a week early to adjust to the altitude, and I practiced

with a mute in the local park. I was warming up

with some scales one day, and a woman gave me

$20. I tried to give it back to her as I wasn’t even

playing music, but she insisted that I take it!

What highlights can the audience expect from

the upcoming summer of work catering to concerts

at Tannery Pond, and what are your responsibilities

to ensure this series is successful

and enriching for classical music lovers?

Our five summer concerts in the Shaker Tannery in

New Lebanon are very special. The Tannery is a

beautiful, historic structure where audiences are so

close, they can hear the musicians breathe. This

summer’s artists represent the world-class quality

area audiences have come to expect from CRC; so

while you may not recognize some names, people

will be blown away by their talent. Two concerts I


A Beautiful Evening at the Tannery @ Anna Schupack

would single out is the Hungarian pianist Zoltán

Fejérvári (a protégé of András Schiff) in a program

of Dvořák, Janáček, and Brahms and the Terra

String Quartet with pianist Evren Ozel (who’s currently

in the semifinals of the Van Cliburn Competition)

performing Dvořák’s beloved Piano Quintet

to close the season. We’re having a wine and hors

d’oeuvres reception following the latter program.

An abstract question that I hope you can play

upon. What defines good music compared to

music that lacks cohesion? Are there famous

musicians who have overlooked flaws in their

work, and how does this relate to the trends in

today’s popular music and that of the past?

I’m certainly not the arbiter of what defines good

music outside of my own tastes! Art is subjective,

and a flaw that I may perceive in an artist may be

an attribute that the artist may purposely be leaning

into. This is the essence of what makes art so incredible

and what encourages discourse between

people of varied cultural (and otherwise) backgrounds.

I love seeing my audience passionately

discussing a performance during intermission and

hearing their different takes on what they just heard.

What do you love about the Berkshires? How

do you spend any free time you allow yourself?

I of course love the beautiful surroundings of the

Berkshires and all they offer, but I also love being

part of the warm and welcoming community. I’m

always fascinated by people I meet at dinner parties

with so many divergent and interesting backgrounds.

There’s a vibrancy that is palpable here.

Like others, I spend a lot of time in the garden and

hiking, but I also enjoy being with my swimming

friends at the Kilpatrick Athletic Center in Great

Barrington.

The art we create is grounded in a specific set of

principles that we have gathered over the years,

much like tools of the trade. We utilize these

principles when embarking on a new project.

What are some of the key principles that guide

your artistic and professional career, and do

they overlap with your daily life as well? By the

way, do you compose music?

Classical music has a perception problem of being

elitist. So, there has been a trend with presenters

‘packaging’ programming while avoiding emphasis

on the artist’s excellence. I believe wholeheartedly

that the success of any performance — be it artistic

or audience-responsive — lies in the musician’s

ability to elucidate the emotions communicated by

the composer effectively. I never dictate repertoire

to artists when planning my season but allow them

the freedom to perform repertoire to which they are

compelled. I believe that this is the recipe for an

especially impactful performance and translates to

any form of music. In my personal life, I don’t tend

to pursue things that aren’t deeply meaningful or

enjoyable to me. I seek to have rich and fulfilling

experiences every day. Composing, however, is not

one of them!

R

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2025 • 15


“In Good Company.”

16 • JULY 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

The Artful Mind

Fine Art Exhibit

Open to the Public AUGUST 1 • 2025

First Friday 11am - 8pm

Reception for the Artists

Saturday August 9TH 5 - 8pm

Jaye Alison

Ruby Aver

Richard Britell

Katherine Borkowski-Byrne

Margaret Buchte

Leslee Carsewell

Janet Cooper

Yana van Dyke

Jane Gennaro

Susan Gilbert

Julia Grey

Ghetta Hirsch

Sarah Horne

Ellen Kaiden

Stephan Marc Klein

Beckie Kravetz

Bruce Laird

Pattie Lipman

Leo Mazzeo

Jesse Tobin McCauley

Bobby Miller

Richard Nelson

Janet Pumphrey

Ilene Richard

Alexandra Rozenman

Richard Talbert

Scott Taylor

Jay Tobin

Mary Ann Yarmosky

11 Eagle St • north adams MA.

HOURS: WED - SUN 11 am - 4:30 pm • by appointment

Eagle Street / NORTH ADAMS is Paradise for The Art Trailblazer !!


Ellen Kaiden

Watercolor Artist

“Altruism is innate, but it's not instinctual.

Everybody's wired for it, but a switch has to be flipped.”

—David Benjamin Rakoff was a Canadian-born American writer

of prose and poetry based in New York City, who wrote humorous and

sometimes autobiographical non-fiction essays.

artist, illustrator, writer, poet, peace lover

elizabeth cassidy studio works

elizabethcassidystudioworks.com

Wild Child. 23” x 29”

Ellenkaiden.com

Ellenkaiden@gmail.com

Carolyn M. Abrams

Sally Tiska Rice

"Clothed in the Light" oils/cold wax

Visit me at the Becket Arts Center

"Macrocosm" exhibit

July 25 - August 17

Opening reception July 25 - 5 -7 pm

Atmospheric and Inspirational Art

www.carolynabrams.com

MEMBER GUILD OF BERKSHIRE ARTISTS

CIRCLE OF SERENITY

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

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2025 • 17


JANE GENNARO

Jane Gennaro is an artist, writer, and performer

based in New York City. Jane’s work has been

widely exhibited, performed, and broadcast. She

has been featured in The New York Times, New

York Magazine, and NPR among others. Her illustrated

column, "Mining My Life” appears monthly

in The Artful Mind magazine. Jane’s art studio is in

Claverack, NY.

Jane Gennaro —

www.janegennaro.com

shop.janegennaro.com

https://performingartslegacy.org/

WAKING UP TO A NEW DAY

FROM BREAKAWAY SERIES

MIXED MEDIA ON CANVAS, 36"X48"

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 Larskaya —

https://www.erikalarskaya.art

JWS ART SUPPLIES

WE’VE MOVED!

Welcome to JWS Art Supplies at our new location,

291 Main Street in Great Barrington. We're

excited to offer a wide variety of art supplies and

craft materials for artists of all ages and skill

levels. Whether you're a parent looking for fun

projects for kids or a professional artist seeking

high-quality materials, we have something for everyone.

Our knowledgeable staff is here to assist you

with whatever project you're working on. Don't

hesitate to ask for recommendations or guidance—we're

dedicated to helping you find exactly

what you need to bring your creative vision

to life. Visit us and explore our extensive selection

of art supplies!

JWS Art Supplies —

413-644-9838 - 291 Main St, Great Barrington,

MA. info@jwsartsupplies.com

A.

ANN GETSINGER

LEO MAZZEO

curated group exhibit

DayDream

Through August 10

Leonhardt Galleries • Berkshire Botanical Garden

Pearly Forest. oil. 2025

18 • JULY 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

“Penance”, distress oxide, graphite, highlight pen, metallic color pen,

and ink on fluid mixed media paper, 6”x6”. (c)Leo Mazzeo.


LESLEE CARSEWELL - ARTIST

Ruby Aver

Rondo e Rondo e Rondo No.2

Eclectic Seeker of Visual Adventures

www.lcarsewellart.com n @carzeart

lcarsewellart@icloud.com

Not My Monkey , Not My Circus

Acrylic on canvas 24” x 30”

rdaver2@gmail.com |

Instagram: rdaver2.

Housatonic Studio open by appointment: 413-854-7007

GHETTA HIRSCH

Katherine Borkowski-Bryne

Morse River Oil on canvas, 11” x 14”

Maui Beach. Oil on canvas. 30” x 40”

Call or text 413-597 1716

Ghetta-hirsch.squarespace.com

@ghettahirschpaintings

kbyrnerun@hotmail.com

http://katherineborkowski-byrne.com

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2025 • 19


20 • JULY 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND


CARYN KING STUDIO

I Can’t Go Back to Being a Girl.

I can’t go back to being a girl.

Being a girl was not my strong suit

Anyway.

I mean, I am a girl, but my instruction book,

My how to excel as a girl came with blank pages.

I can’t go back to being a girl.

Everyone tried to enlighten me that

I would not be worth as much as the boys.

Boys who hit baseballs into the streetlights

and did not change their underwear.

And they are the chosen ones?

Come on.

Indoor / Outdoor Clay Sculpture

Studio visits welcome

Southfield, MA 802-380-7006

www.carynking.com

Instagram - @carynkingart R email - caryn@carynking.com

FRONT STREET GALLERY

I can’t go back to being a girl.

We both spoke the same language.

Rode our bicycles into the woods.

Ate ice cream until our eyes crossed.

And played “Ghost” with a flat white sheet.

Okay, you are right.

I cannot pee standing up.

I tried.

I can’t go back to being a girl.

The locks have been changed.

That lone Lilac tree

Shrouded my secret girl plans in their bark

And was sacrificed

By the new neighbors.

And forgotten.

But not by me.

I memorized “This Girl’s Plans” Handbook

And the scent of lilac still calms

My brain that travels and passes

The speed of light.

Can you do that, boys?

I can’t go back to being a girl.

My four-inch heels have morphed into sensible sneakers.

Do not tell Vogue.

Now I can run after whatever my soul needs to capture.

And the limitations that you thought would stick?

French Lace and Dancing Tulips Oil paint on canvas 16” x 20”

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

Have you met me?

This girl keeps moving ahead.

Correction: This woman will ask you to step aside. Now.

—2025 elizabeth cassidy

elizabeth cassidy studio works

artist, illustrator, writer, poet,

peace lover

elizabethcassidystudioworks.com

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY • 21


KATE KNAPP, AUGUST CULVERT

OIL ON CANVAS 24” X 36”

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

NEW WORK ACRYLIC ON UNPRIMED 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

Instagram: @ecurbart

Matt Bernson

SILVER GOLD DIAMOND CUFF WITH EARRINGS

JOANE CORNELL

FINE JEWELRY

Here we are. Middle of the year already!

So many things to make. So little time.

I find it to be such a struggle, as many artists/storekeepers

do, to find the quality time to develop my

designs, and yet maintain store hours to represent

my art.

Not complaining! It could be worse!

Also, finding the balance between producing marketable,

more mainstream smaller pieces, that fly

out of the store regularly, and my bigger, bolder,

more bodacious designs, that suit a very specific

client base.

I work solo. Not only in my store, but in my studio

as well. No assistance.

Since time is not on my side, business wise, since

we’re already aware that time is never on our side,

and not enough merchandise do I have even in July,

that I say, requests are very welcome!

Come in, and let’s chat about what you would like

me to make for you.

It would be my pleasure, to design and produce

something for you that you’re absolutely going to

love.

A large part of my business is repurposing/commission

orders.Take a look at what you own that you

don’t wear any longer, and bring it with you!

Joane Cornell Fine Jewelry -

My store schedule now incorporates five days a

week until December 31. Wednesday-Saturday 11-

4, Sunday 11-3.

9 Main Street, Chatham NY

917: 971-4662

joanecornellfinejewelry@gmail.com

ArtByMattBernson.com / matthew.bernson@gmail.com / Instagram@MattBernson.Art

The Jewels

My darling was naked, and knowing my heart well,

She was wearing only her sonorous jewels,

Whose opulent display made her look triumphant

Like Moorish concubines on their fortunate days.

— Charles Baudelaire

22 • JULY 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND


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. The simplicity of

lines and the subsequent forming of shapes is quite

liberating.

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

hand in every endeavor.

Leslee Carsewell—

Prints available, please inquire.

413-229-0155 / 413-854-5757

lcarsewellart@icloud.com

www.lcarsewellart.com

PHOTO: KORENMAN.COM

MODEL: LAURA LIN HEALING ARTS

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

her materials' color, shape, and texture to

compel us to question our assumptions of beauty

and worth and ultimately reconsider our habits and

attitudes about waste and consumerism.

Since she was eight, Deborah has been a sewing

enthusiast, and she 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 been featured

in the Spring 2023 What Women Create magazine.

Deborah H. Carter has been featured in The Artful

Mind, Berkshire magazine, and What Women

Create magazine and was a finalist in the World of

WearableArt competition in Wellington, New Zealand,

2023.

“Sending Messages” on display at Hancock

Shaker Village, 34 Lebanon Mountain Rd, Hancock,

MA. Through November 30th.

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

IMAGINATION - TAKING FLIGHT

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—

Panockphotography.com

bruce@panockphotography.com

Instagram @brucepanock

“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.” ~Leonardo da Vinci

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2025 • 23


janet cooper artist

Photography by Edward Acker and otherwise noted

Interview by Harryet Candee

"Whether you succeed or not is irrelevant, there is no such thing. Making your unknown

known is the important thing and keeping the unknown always beyond you." -Georgia O’Keefe

Janet describes some of her life’s work and artistic

journey by comparing it to the concept of a

flea market. She says, "It's all about trying to

make something harmonious out of diverse components.

In a way, this is my sense of harmony."

While enjoying our tea in Janet’s kitchen, I noticed

the wild, untamed root collection lining up

along her window sill. When I asked her about

them, she smiled and said, "I'm celebrating something

that's often hidden from us. Come outside

and let me show you." With that invitation, she

guided me to her lively garden and our conversation

began.

Janet, what influenced your desire to nurture

your artistic sensibilities while growing up?

24 • JULY 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

Janet Cooper: I've always loved drawing and engaging

in imaginative play. One of my favorite memories

is when I stayed home from school pretending to be

sick while listening to soap operas on the radio and

drawing.

What you learned in art school reflects your work,

including the skills you've acquired and the confidence

to pursue your vision. At some point, we

all have to become self-taught. How have you

taken on that process?

Ideas come during the process of working, not in a

vacuum, isolation, trolling the net ... or looking at

others' work. I am in love with the patinas and the

mysteries of the discarded. I am intrigued by the mechanics

and complexities of women's work. I have a

very nostalgic nature and treasure memories. I love

the commonplace and enjoy expressing it in my

work.

As a female artist, have you faced many challenges?

My work could be called too feminine or too girly.

My work has been called “a visual riot of feminine

signifiers.”

Writers, performers, and visual artists play a crucial

role in shaping our understanding, and we

learn from their work and the messages they convey.

Studying and learning from history is essential.

Which artists have had an influence on you?

My journey began with a deep love for working with


Janet’s window sill is a line up of fabric sculptures

Janet’s Pin Pendants and Tin Can Dolls

clay, which led me to attend two workshops with the

master artist Peter Voulkos. His influence is reflected

in my later textile work. Louise Bourgeois, known

for her textile art, challenged traditional views on the

use of materials in sculpture. Additionally, Margaret

Israel, who embraced folk art through clay, was an

important teacher and early influence on me.

Pin Pendants made with vintage tin cans: “These

pin pendants are pressed and snipped from my collection

of vintage tin cans and boxes, then adorned

with photo images and charms. While some of the

tins date back to the 1920s, most are from the 1950s

and 1960s. They display the craft of typography and

offset lithography and reflect the visual spirit of

those times."-Janet Cooper I sense your love and

appreciation for antiques and typography when

looking at these pieces. Tell us about this series.

The Pin Pendants interested and concerned me several

decades ago. I was always fascinated by apparel,

dressing up, and personal adornment. I loved the

1990s, when I mass-produced jewelry and participated

in both wholesale gift shows and craft shows.

The Artful Mind article in Fall 2000 summed it up for

me.

I have always enjoyed and admired your vision

as an artist and your respect for history and the

artistic ways you’ve transformed objects into

beautiful pieces of art. After years of sharing your

art with the public, have you managed to keep

track of everything you put out into the world?

I haven't kept the best records, but I do remember that

David Bowie bought one of my tin figures, and Mia

Farrow owned one of my necklaces. The music

group Hot House Flowers wore one of my necklaces

for a photo shoot in Rolling Stone. While my recordkeeping

might not be great, my work lives on in print.

In the 1990s and again in 2000, there was a surge of

art and craft books published, many by Lark Books,

featuring my work. I'm also featured in the tin craft

books by Bobby Hansen and various fabric craft anthologies,

such as Mary Schoesor's, "History of Textiles,"

"Contemporary Textiles" by Black Dog

Publishing, and "Textile Art Around the World" by

Ellen Baker. What's interesting is that all these authors

found my work through my website— www.janetcooperdesigns.com

Tell us about the Tin Can Doll series.

The Tin Can Doll series was released around 2000.

It is interesting that presently I am using or rather

reusing older works onto my recent collage canvases.

I am also using a series of sumi ink drawings from

several years ago, along with stashes of beloved fabrics

and saved paper scraps. I treasure the themes of

memory and the commonplace. It's not about recycling

but about appreciating things whose value transcends

time.

Continued on next page...

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2025 • 25


janet cooper artist

Velocity of Life

Photo courtesy of the artist

Painted and stitched dress series

Waiting for Judah

I'm looking at your pots, hats, pedestals/ baskets,

and work from a series, “Mama/Embrace”. Was

there a conscious shift in the play from one theme

to another?

I always return to the human form if, indeed, I even

stray from it. My clay work also features the suggestion

of the human form, with bulbous bodies and dangling

appendages.

"Waiting for Judah," what does this title mean?

This series featured watercolor images and embroideries

of babies, birth, and love as I awaited and then

celebrated the birth of my first grandchild, Judah. It

was a way to release anxieties of the anticipated birth.

I love Judah and his younger brother, Asher.

Tell us about the assemblage collection of dresses

you made with materials from your travels to

Italy, France, and Japan.

In 2008, I began the Party Dress series, assemblages

of fabric and artifacts collected during my travels,

26 •JULY 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

which took the form of dresses.

Such a basic and simple concept

received a great amount of

attention at the time. Marina

Giordano’s, “Trame D' Artista”,

in her book on the use of fabric

in contemporary art, wrote on

this series, “She uses dresses as

pages to write her stories that

relate to her past and feelings."

In the “Contemporary Textiles”

book by Black Dog Publishing,

the authors wrote, "… Her work

is a visual riot of feminine signifiers, taking up the

narrative of the collective." I do like that.

Your art is delicate, static, and layered with either

a weighty material or a light, delicate fabric reminiscent

of a butterfly's wing. Some of your work

reminds me of fashion designers from the 1940s,

particularly French Couture, whose flouncy yet

stiff fabrics—whether they are silk or worn lace—

interest me. I've noticed that you work with various

fabric fragments, such as worn lace, beaded

silk, and heavy wools and knits. As a designer,

what have you experienced that works when it

comes to combining fabrics and materials together?

It's all about play. Sometimes, play works; sometimes,

it's more like a struggle. At other times, it may

fall flat, but the fun is in the doing, playing, and experimenting.

Right now, I'm focusing on fabric and

introducing encaustic paint and embroidery into my

work.

I came across "Janet Cooper, An Eclectic Art" on

the internet, which gets into your love for 'mysteries

of the discarded.' The old doll heads, shoes,

and materials combined in framed shadow boxes

that tell stories and unravels dreams. Can you tell

us about this body of work?

Continued on the following page....


Assemblage Dress.

HC

Janet’s work table in her studio.

Quilts, Assemblage series. Janet Cooper

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2025 • 27


janet cooper artist

HC

Sculptures, wall hangings and mixed media findings including animal bone by Janet Cooper

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28 • JULY 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

Eight red circles, red dress and animal skull wall hanging


HC

Bone dolls on window sill

“Does she have an idea?” Janet Cooper

This series of assemblage works, titled, “Quilts”, was

created between 2008 and 2012. In the 1980s, I had

a one-woman show/installation of clay works, which

was sort of my swan song to ceramics. It was an installation

of figures, tables, objects, and more, entitled,

"Prairie Quilt," all made of clay with smatterings

of fabric and paint —a homage to flea markets. Interestingly,

I am creating similar images in fabric

today. They are part of the collage and wall art that I

am presently intrigues me.

I saw a sculpture you created in your home that

has deer horns, a bottle cap necklace, and fabric

draped onto a man's torso. I am very curious

about this piece. Can you tell us about it, Janet?

Everything you have seen upstairs in my workshop

is a work in progress, reflecting my current favorite

themes: the human form, animal skulls, fabrics, landscapes,

threads, and embroidery. I continue to be intrigued

with the "reuse" of materials and the detritus

of the second hand. I am attracted to the "used" for

its history, its narrative, and its symbolic presence. I

like the word 'bricolage,' which means using what is

at hand.

Your fabric wall hangings often tell of private

chapters in your life. There is one that has a red

skirt and has words around the waist and along

the bottom hem. Can you tell us about this piece?

This work, titled, “Velocity of Life”, is subtly about

life and death; the bones are symbols of death, as is

its blackness. This work is well-traveled. It was

showcased in a Textile Show in Seoul, South Korea,

in New York City at El Barrio's Artspace, and also in

the Attleboro Museum, in Attleboro, Massachusetts.

I am looking at a wall hanging with an animal

skull. The female figure wears a red dress and has

three bones visibly seen under her dress. There

are eight red circles of string on the left of her

head. Can you tell us about this piece?

This is a new piece, becoming into being. I plan to

create a harmonious stand or decorated pedestal for

it. The same themes enliven these new works of

mine: Bones, skeletons, fabrics, the skin, our second

skin, and paper bits and flotsam all that savors the

mosaics of memory.

How did your interest in bones first come about?

It all started with a lament for Walter's death, my

former partner, and this poem I wrote when he died

four and a half years ago. Then, I began collecting,

drawing and building with bones. I am interested in

the structure of bones and skeletons that serve as

frameworks—essentially, the armatures of flesh, just

as flesh can be seen as the armature of cloth.

Are you suggesting that bones symbolize life and

death?

Yes, that's part of it. Even when I was working with

clay, I always hinted at the human form. The presence

of the human figure is a recurring theme in all my

work. At this time, the bones for me are just the architecture

of the human figure.

What are you working on now?

More of the same. I came back with some interesting

fabric from France! And also, some very interesting

pocketbooks that I will begin to work with.

Continued on next page...

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2025 • 29


janet cooper artist

Busy shelves, box of findings and embroidered wall mural

HC

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30 • JULY 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND


HC

Janet’s studio.

Do you have an idea in mind before you start

working on something new?

Yes, but it never turns out that way.

Are you surprised by the way it turns out?

No. I love the random things that accidentally turn

into whatever they turn into.

Where do you believe your creativity originates

from?

I find my creativity emerges during the act of working.

It doesn't happen in isolation; instead, it unfolds

through the process of engagement and effort.

Creativity doesn't thrive in a vacuum. Occasionally,

it might spark while I'm driving, but ultimately, it's

the active process of working that truly cultivates creativity.

It takes years to learn that, though.

Yes and no. Maybe I always knew it unconsciously.

I'm very conscious of it now. But there's always that

journey to get to from where you are now. You know,

of guessing, trying and playing. The most interesting

work is that which I haven't had or haven't done yet.

That’s why it's so fascinating to not know where I'm

going, even though I do have a vague sense of the direction

that is building on what was before. An example

of that would be creating art with bones that

continues to get more complex.

How would you best describe your artistic self?

I consider myself to be a maker. I genuinely enjoy

the process of bringing things together and creating

something from nothing. Isn’t that truly the essence

of what being an artist is about?

Yes, I believe that is true. Are you working with

clay now?

Well, since I decided I won't be using animal skulls

anymore in my work, but instead, I'm going to begin

creating a series of clay heads to accompany my clay

pieces and fabric work. Oh, and to add, my daughter,

who lives in Colorado, loves working with clay, and

so does my grandson, Asher. This summer I intend

to invite friends and acquaintances to join me in my

clay studio.

What about all your collections you’ve shown me

and are on display on your bookshelves and

walls— all the beads, buttons, and unique objects

you've discovered out and about and plan to incorporate

into future work. It's quite an impressive

accumulation, yes?

I'd rather deal with decumulation. It's the opposite of

accumulation—an accumulative retrospective of this,

that, and the other thing from then to now to tomorrow.

…Something like that.

What time of the day are you in your studio? Is it

every day?

Not every day, but I'm more energetic when the sun

goes down. I'm a night person. I usually stay up at

least until midnight to do Wordle. I'm addicted to

doing Wordle.

What's that?

That's a word game in the New York Times.

Oh, okay.

You don't know about it.

I don't know.

Very addictive. Don't start.

No, I'm not going to. So, if you're not doing

Wordle, you're doing your art.

Wordle takes, if I'm lucky, five minutes.

But it's a compulsion at midnight. However, working

with materials is also certainly a compulsion.

Continued on next page...

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2025 • 31


janet cooper artist

Wall hanging that tells many of Janet’s stories and memories

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32 • JULY 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

Janet showed me all of her collected findings and treasures, art of others and those she she loves


HC

The path to Janet’s gardens

and the Mosaic floor tile

Roots with other objects of art displayed across Janet’s kitchen window sill

HC

Wondering, do you work in your studio with a

sewing machine?

I have one, but I don't use it. I prefer using a long

needle by hand with a sharp point that gets into the

material. However, I also use hot glue to adhere material

onto material, all depending on how heavy it is.

It's an aid. And it's a time saver.

Is there a connection between your past and present

with embroidering?

I wish I could say that I learned this skill at my grandmother's

knees, but unfortunately, neither of my

grandmothers sewed or did embroidery. Regardless,

I have a deep appreciation for women's crafts and traditional

items such as aprons, embroidered dish

towels, and lacy doilies. These creations embody a

sense of purity and warmth for me.

Are you planning on going to Brimfield this year

to find more treasures?

Of course. I will also set up every other Saturday at

the Junkertown Flea Market, located on Route 23 in

Craryville, New York. I will be selling from my collection

of bottle cap and tramp art, as well as some

textiles and jewelry from the 80s to now.

While in your home I felt a strong sense of time,

memory, and love, especially in the kitchen. The

mosaic tile floor panel caught my attention. I also

noticed in the window a rock collection and a lineup

of sun-dried plant roots. You mentioned that

your former partner, Walter, inspired your interest

in raw materials such as stone?

Yes, he did. You know, like the granite in the kitchen.

That was our project we did together. The mosaic tile

floor panel was brought back from Jordan. And, you

know, we got all that slate and the granite right here,

outside. Those were the materials he loved. Now, I

have a friend who's a mason and I want to build

something here with him with the stone that’s all

saved up and ready to use. My house is decorated

with crafted fabrics found at flea markets of the

world, especially Japan, where I have traveled ten

times - most recently this past March.

I enjoyed walking with you through your garden;

I felt your light and breezy personality shine

through. I noticed you enjoyed being barefoot

outside, letting your long hair flow down your

shoulders. You are akin to Mother Nature. I sense

your real connection to the elements, leading to

my curiosity about your collection of roots. Tell us

about your root collection.

Roots are the lower skeleton of the plant in a way,

and I have a fascination for skeletons. In my greenhouse

for the past several years I have collected many

dried root systems from my garden plants, it’s so intriguing

to study plant life below the soil line. I will

be incorporating some of these in future work …possibly

with fabrics and/or cement or plaster.

I have shared my thoughts here. While I have experience

working with metal, clay, and fabrics, what truly

captivates me is where my fascination with materials

and artmaking is taking me and what will engage and

inspire me in the future. As John O'Keeffe wrote:

"It's about the unknown beyond you,"

or as I would add, "within you."

www.janetcooperdesigns.com

T

Photo Credit: “Waiting for Judah”Visual Winds, NY, 2011

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2025 • 33


TANGLEWOOD, LENOX, MA

BELIEF IN THE POSSIBILITIES OF SPRING

COLLAGE, CRADLED WOODEN BOARD, 12” X 12” X 2”

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 brush stroke, she composes

artwork that reflects her unique perspective.

Beyond her 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

REAL TOY BUNNY FOREST. OIL, 2025

ANN GETSINGER

PASSING THOUGHTS

Somewhere between kitchen sink and stairs a

thought passed by. I called it back, noticing the

spark. Picturing a deep, dark, storm cloud- I wondered,

have I painted that? Passing thoughts are

my guiding stars. Unlike my younger visual artist

days spent mostly outside and painting from life,

in recent decades I’ve slipped into the studio

where foreground objects are observed with care

“from life” and the surroundings these objects

have found themselves in arrive from anywhere,

but primarily through imagination, memory, and

passing thoughts.

So why are these dark clouds sparking at me

now? On the surface I know why they’re here but

in fact I prefer to paint without conclusions, see

where and how deep that spark takes me. Not

knowing leaves beautiful open spaces for surprise,

for each painting to become a singular journey.

Ann Getsinger lives and works in New Marlborough,

MA where she sometimes teaches privately,

enjoys taking commissions, and generally

paints whatever moves her. Her oil painting,

Pearly Forest, is now hanging in the exhibit

“DayDream”, curated by James Salomon, at the

Leonhardt Galleries at the Berkshire Botanical

Garden in Stockbridge, MA through August 10.

She’s delighted to have her work hanging in the

same space as life-long creative influences, Jamie

Wyeth and Yoko Ono, among many others.

Ann Getsinger —

www.anngetsinger.com

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently?

And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says,

“Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.”

~ Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT

COLLAGE, CRADLED WOODEN BOARD, 10” X 10” X 2”

JAYE ALISON

"I was really anxious because we were pretty

much snowbound in our homes, being in a particularly

cold 2025 winter. I had moved many of my art

supplies to my studio in Southfield, and had begun

organizing works. The idea of playing with them,

cutting some of the ones to which I felt drawn to do

so, this had been playing around in my mind for a

looooooong time, but this weather allowed me to

take advantage of the opportunity- I couldn't go

anywhere, so I could just focus and play."

Jaye Alison 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 deepseated

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 environmentally

friendly materials.

Alison’s work has been exhibited 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 Jaye's new

studio, enjoy 10% off large paintings and 30% off

small paintings.

Jaye Alison —

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

34 • JULY 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND


Margaret Buchte

SCOTT TAYLOR

Riverside - Bartholomew's Cobble, Ashley Falls, MA.

Oil on stretched canvas, 18” x 24”

Hairpin Turn in Autumn 10” x 8” Acrylic on paper

fineartamerica.com/profiles/margaret-buchte

SCOTT TAYLOR PAINTINGS

THE STATIONERY FACTORY 63 FLANSBURG AVE. DALTON, MA.

FOR STUDIO VISIT scotttaylorpaintings@nycap.rr.com

SUSAN FLEX GILBERT

Janet Pumphrey

Photograph

Just In From Europe - Mixed media, 35” x 26”

JHPumphrey@gmail.com | www.JanetPumphrey.com

sgflexart1@gmail.com | www.flexart.space

781-492-2775

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2025 • 35


CARYN KING

CERAMIST AND PAINTER

— REVISIT WITH THE ARTIST —

Interview by Harryet Candee

Photography by Rick King & courtesy of the Artist

“My sculptures reflect the parts of myself I don’t always understand until I see them fired and standing still.

They are fragments of emotion, frozen in form — imperfect, honest, and entirely necessary for understanding myself.” - CARYN KING

After returning to ceramics from painting, I'm

eager to know what inspired your shift from twodimensional

art to working with three-dimensional

clay. If I'm not mistaken, you originally

began your artistic journey as a ceramicist before

transitioning to painting. Is that correct?

Caryn King: Yes, I started out with clay. While raising

two kids, I worked with whatever I could —

flour paste, paper mache — until I found earthenware

and stoneware. I learned hand building clay

from the kitchen table, selling early pieces at craft

fairs, and before long, Rick and I had a business

going. Quickly our new studio was filled with two

kilns, wheels, and plenty of table space. A definite

upgrade from the kitchen table. We taught classes,

sold through art galleries and art shows throughout

the Northeast, had a production line that we wholesaled,

and kept up that rhythm for over a decade.

Eventually, I felt the need to grow, so I went for my

BFA at MassArt, where sculpture remained my

foundation, even though I transitioned to illustration

36 • JULY 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

and painting professionally. I kept teaching along

the way — sometimes in public schools, sometimes

privately — and painting when I found the time. But

after years of working on canvas, I felt the pull back

to clay. I knew I didn’t want to again do production

pottery and have moved to all one of a kind sculptures.

This return feels more personal, more internal

— a shift now toward making work that blends

memory, metaphor, and emotion. For many years,

painting animals realistically — getting every detail

just right didn’t answer my creative feelings. I found

myself wanting something more physical, something

with a 3D presence. Clay brought that back.

Now I sculpt animals that aren’t about anatomy —

they come from memory, instinct, and feeling, always

showing emotion and individuality. Currently

many birds and rabbits are showing up. Following

in creation now are sheep, squirrels, and my current

passion - frogs! Looking at my animal pieces as

emotional symbols - birds represent fragility and

freedom; rabbits hold tension and vulnerability

seems right. Each piece feels like a different spirit,

held in clay.

A key feature of your ceramic work is its textured

surface, whether depicting a landscape or

the fur of an animal. This same love for texture

is evident in your paintings as well. Is there a psychological

reason or a personal need behind your

desire to avoid flatness and create depth with

lines and shapes?

Thank you — the way you described my work

really means a lot to me. That’s exactly how I hope

it comes across, and it’s not always easy to put into

words my efforts. I think I’ve always had a kind of

resistance to flatness — both in my materials and

maybe even in how I move through the world. I’m

drawn to texture almost instinctively. There’s something

about the pull of a ridged surface, a broken

line, or a layered patch of color that just feels alive

to me. It creates a kind of conversation between my

hands and the piece I’m working on — whether it’s


Small bird Bath by Caryn King

Barn Owl by Caryn King

clay or canvas. With animals especially, texture becomes

a way to express their individuality — the

way fur might lift or settle, or how feathers shift

slightly depending on the mood I’m trying to capture.

It’s never about perfect realism. It’s about getting

to something underneath the surface —

emotion, presence, spirit. And I think there’s a psychological

layer to it too. Texture gives me a way to

build depth, not just visually, but emotionally. I’m

often working through things I can’t name until I

see them form — sculpted or painted. Smooth, flat

surfaces feel too silent for what I’m trying to say.

The bumps, scratches, and layers are like footprints

of the process — they show the journey, not just the

end. In a way, I guess texture is my way of staying

honest — of making work that’s raw, real, and a little

vulnerable. It’s not always tidy, but that’s the

point. Life isn’t either.

Now that you are merging your studio with a

partner, how is that going? What are you collaborating

on while maintaining boundaries to

keep both of you individual and distinct?

It started last summer — he came in to help me

build some of the clay structures I work on, but

pretty quickly, he was off doing his own thing. His

first piece? A huge bear. Not exactly easing back

into clay after years away — he went big right out

of the gate! The sculpture cracked as it dried (as clay

sometimes does), but he kept going with it anyway

and we’re both really happy with how it turned out.

It’s definitely got presence and is now planted in the

garden. Rick also handles our art print business —

the one we built around my original paintings,

which are in shops and galleries in Vermont and

Massachusetts. These days, Rick helps with building

clay forms, manages the kiln, and transports

fragile clay pieces between our rented studio in New

Marlborough and our daughter Jody King Camarra’s

kiln in Ashley Falls. It’s been a surprisingly

smooth shift from his years in working with school

technology to life in the studio — and it’s good for

us. Really good. Our studio is attached to the house

— always evolving, always a little messy, and comforting.

We spend long hours and are most happy

when we can be in the studio six days a week, a hard

goal when we are so involved in the community.

There’s something so grounding about being able

to create just steps from the kitchen, with our two

beloved dogs snoozing nearby or following us from

room to room. They’re very much a part of our creative

life (and occasional clay critics).

Are you still teaching art? How has that aspect

of your work changed for you?

I taught art in Southern Vermont’s public schools

for years, and honestly, it was some of the most fulfilling

work I’ve done. I loved being with the kids,

figuring out creative ways to teach, and just being

in that daily rhythm of making and sharing. But after

a while, I felt this tug to focus on my own work. So

I set up a painting studio and still taught private and

small group classes here and there. It felt good to finally

give myself time to paint more as I left full

time teaching. When we moved to Massachusetts

seven years ago, I didn’t rush into finding another

teaching job. I really needed time — creatively and

personally — to reset and play a little. That’s when

I signed up for a clay class at the Berkshire Art

Center, and it was like something lit up in me. I’d

forgotten how much I missed the feel of clay in my

hands. Getting to be a student again — after so

many years teaching — was surprisingly wonderful

too. Now I’m back in the clay studio and it feels like

home. I’ve also been going to weekly collage

classes that Jody teaches — sometimes at her studio,

sometimes at BAC — and I love them. Collage has

become this sort of yin to clay’s yang for me. It’s

Continued on next page...

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2025 • 37


CARYN KING CERAMIST AND PAINTER

Rick King - Caryn’s partner, sharing the same interest

Frog Pot by Caryn King

Barred Owl by Caryn King. Painting.

fast, intuitive, and lets me play with color, shape,

and layering in ways that feed directly into my

sculpture. It’s amazing how those discoveries start

showing up in my clay work without me even trying.

Our studio has really evolved into this incredibly

personal, functional space. We’ve carved

out distinct stations — one for art prints, one for

clay, and one for collage — and each is always

ready to jump into. There’s something so satisfying

about walking in and being able to get to work, no

setup needed. It keeps the flow going. And somehow,

even with the dogs underfoot and projects in

all stages of progress, it all works. On request I am

again welcoming students in my studio.

Looking back at 2019, when we did our first interview

in The Artful Mind, how would you summarize

life up to now for you, what would you

have done differently, kept the exact same, and

38 • JULY 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

now, plan on doing in the future?

It’s kind of amazing to look back, honestly. When

we did that first interview, I was painting almost full

time and just beginning to settle into life in Massachusetts.

Since then, a lot has changed — and a lot

has stayed beautifully the same. If I could go back

and give myself any advice, it would be: don’t

worry so much about the “right” path. Every twist

in the road — leaving teaching, focusing on painting,

coming back to clay — it’s all been part of finding

my voice. Moving away from the life Rick and

I had created for ourselves after 25 years living in

the hills of Vermont was not easy but I don’t think

I’d really change anything. Even the pauses, the

doubts, the pivots — they’ve helped shape what I’m

doing now in the studio. And I like where I’ve

landed. One thing I’ve absolutely kept the same is

working alongside Rick. We’ve always found ways

to support each other creatively, and now that we’re

both in the clay studio again, it feels like a return to

our roots. That partnership — in life and in art — is

something I’d never change. Looking ahead, I want

to keep following the work where it leads me. I

don’t feel the need to define things too tightly right

now. There’s new work always on my mind, in my

sketch books, and evolving in the studio, more collaborations

with Rick, and hopefully more time connecting

with people — through studio visits,

conversations, and maybe even another round of

teaching when the time feels right. Mostly, I just

want to keep making things that feel honest and

alive — and stay open to whatever’s next. I never

know when I will be including different animals -

they just appear! I always have ideas for what’s

next.

Berkshire life is truly one-of-a-kind! We’d love

to hear about your plans for this summer. Are


Pottery table

“Laverne” Caryn King. Painting.

there any local activities or events in the Berkshires

that you're excited to participate in and

even suggest? When can we visit your studio?

I’ve got some fun things coming up—June 20

through July 20, I’ll have my sculptures in the Botanically

Speaking show at the New Marlborough

Meetinghouse Gallery. I’m also filling a gallery at

the Becket Art Center with the super talented

Theresa Bills—our show runs September 5–28. On

top of that (and ongoing studio visits!), work is included

in a couple of great Vermont spots: 3 Pears

Gallery in Manchester has sculptures and prints and

Vermont Artisans in Brattleboro has art prints with

clay still to come. Since moving to the Berkshires,

we’ve also been lucky to have the art print pieces

carried in the shops at Hancock Shaker Village and

Sidetracks in Stockbridge.

We love having visitors—whether you're curious

about the work, interested in the process, or just

want to stop in and say hi. Just give us a quick call

or message before coming by so we can make sure

we’re around (and the studio isn’t too chaotic). GPS

can be a little quirky out here, so when we talk, I’ll

walk you through the best directions—there are a

few local landmarks and tricks that make it much

easier. If you’ve seen something on my website, Instagram,

or in an article and are wondering if it’s

still available, don’t hesitate to ask! I’m always

happy to share what’s currently in the studio.

There’s usually something fresh being shaped, drying,

or just coming out of the kiln. The studio has a

rhythm that feels really alive, and we’d love to share

a bit of that with you. When we moved from Vermont,

the movers joked that our Southfield dirt road

looked just like the old one—snow, hills, trees when

we moved during a January southern Berkshire

snowstorm. They weren’t wrong. Seven years later,

we feel deeply rooted here. There’s art everywhere—galleries,

studios, and quiet trails where you

can hear birdsong and not much else. Our studio is

always in motion—a little messy, a little magical.

The dogs follow us room to room and are very

much part of the rhythm. So again, if you’re thinking

of visiting, just call ahead. We’ll help guide you

in if needed and hopefully show you something

fresh from the kiln.

caryn@carynking.com

https://www.instagram.com/carynkingart/

https://www.carynking.com/

802-380-7006

G

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2025 • 39


40 • JULY 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND


MARY ANN YARMOSKY

Common Denominator Framed Acrylic on Canvas 18” x 21”

“Each person I meet intriqgues me with their different

stories and life experiences. My paintings

are a dance of spontaneity and intention based on

observation. With each stroke of my brush, I try

to create a feeling, a story, challenge to the

imagination of the viewer.”

—Mary Ann Yarmosky

Instagram • Facebook | maryannyarmoskyart.com

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2025 • 41


RICHARD TALBERT

Richard Talbert c, Proposal, “Waves #1” 5’ x 8’ 2025.

The WAVE Series began with many drawings on a sandy beach near the ocean.

The sculptures are from dreams about Wave Energy to produce electricity in the future.

richtalbert1@gmail.com

| Richardtalbertdesign.com

42 • JULY 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND


RICHARD NELSON

THE ALPHABET SERIES FROM A TO Z: “N ”

&

Ai

ART

Digital Art

nojrevned@hotmail.com

Rick Nelson on FB

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2025 • 43


EDWARD ACKER

PHOTOGRAPHER

Time Flies • Get Pictures

edwardacker302@gmail.com

413-446-8348

44 • JULY THE ARTFUL MIND


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 —

instagram: @maryannyarmoskyart

ARTFULMIND@YAHOO.COM

FROZEN, PHOTOGRAPH

JANET PUMPHREY

PHOTOGRAPHY

Janet Pumphrey’s traditional, representational

photographs span the genres of portraits and street

photography, vintage and sports cars, travel, landscapes,

and wildlife. While photography is a representational

medium, Pumphrey also moves

beyond the inherent realism in traditional photography

to see the world in a new and more creative

way. Her work is painterly, sometimes abstract,

sometimes impressionistic. Each piece is a

unique, creative interpretation of a realistic image.

Currently, Pumphrey shows her work at the 510

Warren Street Gallery in Hudson, New York.

From June, 2020 until October, 2024, Pumphrey

showed her work at the Janet Pumphrey Gallery

in Lenox, Massachusetts. Previously, she showed

her photographs in many galleries in the Berkshires

and in the Hudson Valley.

Janet Pumphrey —

An interview with Janet Pumphrey is in the July

2020 Artful Mind:

https://issuu.com/theartfulmindartzine/docs/the_artful_mind_july_2020_issue_enjoy

and an interview and tour of her gallery is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYHhXtSWl-g

Facebook - Janet Pumphrey

TAXI, 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

Where ordinary

charms become

wearable magic —

keychains,

bracelets, earrings,

boot charms

and more.

Find a charm that

speaks to you!

BEE SEEN THIS SUMMER!

Boot Jewelry

www.TheCharmBug.etsy.com

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2025 • 45


DON LONGO

"I love playing with textures,

colors and patterns. In this

painting I used a variety of

techniques to achieve the

combination of colors and how

they intermingle with each other

while not losing their own

brightness and quality. It is a

metaphor for the human race.

We were all created differently

to shine our uniqueness on this

earth while still engaging in each

other to form one common vibe

of love and acceptance."

"CREATION" Acrylics Wooden Board 18" x 24"

www.donlongoart.com

46 • THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2025


Valeria and the Ants

CHAPTER 2

The Rage of the Elephant

It was obvious that Valeria had learned all of the

various bits and pieces of foreign languages she

knew somehow, directly from the elephant, by what

must have been a form of telepathy. It is the simplest

and most obvious explanation of her abilities. He

became her instructor not long after she was born.

The elephant was always tethered to a convenient

telephone pole, or street lamp, and a circle was

drawn in the dirt underneath. The child, when just a

few weeks old, was put down on the ground in the

circle, and left there for many long hours. The elephant,

in his slow and languid way, kept track of all

the child’s movements. You might imagine that he

would frequently need to shepard the child back into

the circle, but that was not the case. Valeria was

content to stay put.

But how could I ever describe their conversations,

I can’t even begin to tell you what they were like.

Take for example, one day the two of them were sitting

there next to the lamp post and a man came

down the road riding a bicycle. He was a very thin

old man with ragged uncombed hair, and he was riding

a squeaking bike of dubious reliability. Connected

to the back of the seat of the bicycle was a

pipe attached to a homemade cart of wood of the

type that is made from packing crates. In the cart

was a collection of personal items like chairs, bags

of clothing, various suitcases, and assorted small

furniture items.

As the old man on the bicycle with his load went

by, the elephant looked at Valeria significantly, and

Valeria looked at him and not a word passed between

them.

I could sum up that look with these words, “He is

certainly funny to look at but it would be wrong to

laugh at him, seeing as he must be desperate and

very miserable.”

Perhaps you have been fortunate in your life if

you have had a friend such that you could look at

each other and know that you are both thinking the

same thought, at the same moment, even from across

the room, even from the opposite ends of the

earth; to have one mind.

So Valeria sat down in her favorite spot next to the

elephant, sitting on a three legged stool, with her elbows

on her knees, and began to explain her experience

with the ants.

Bruno at first listened to everything Valeria said

about the ants, but he started to be restive and agitated

when she began to recount her conversations

with Syracuse, the ant with the short leg.

Bruno became so agitated, for no apparent reason,

that he could not stand still, and finally he made a

loud bellowing sound, and Valeria heard him say, in

no uncertain terms, that if he was going to be friends

with some ant named Syracuse, that he could not be

friends with himself.

I can imagine what Valeria looked like at that moment.

Her face was most likely a perfect mixture of

terror and anguish.

At first Valeria could not even believe her ears and

she became entirely terrified. She took several steps

clumsily backward with her small hands outstretched

and than she ran all the way home, holding

her hands over her ears like mufflers in the winter,

as the elephant continued to bellow, and even tore

out the lamp post he was chained to, and began running

around in a dangerous way, dragging the lamp

post by his chain, and causing a lot of damage.

It took Valeria several hours, actually, more than

a day to truly realize what had happened, and finally,

on the evening of the day after the event she said to

herself, “This is the most terrible thing that has ever

happened to me in my entire life.”

First of all, I have to apologize for a very serious

mistake in the previous paragraphs. In it, I stated

that after Bruno yelled at Valeria about the ants, he

tore out the lamppost he was chained to, and went

rampaging about destroying things. That statement

is categorically false.

Well, actually it is a true statement, even though it

is false, but let me explain, because it is very important.

Bruno did go on a rampage after he yelled at

Valeria, but the rampage happened four days after

his altercation with the child. The importance of this

distinction can’t in any way be overstated, because

if you accept the chronology that placed the elephant’s

fit immediately after the argument, then it

would appear that Bruno was a distinct danger to

the child, and that is a terrible misconception.

Here is what actually happened. Instantly after he

yelled at Valeria, Bruno watched as she ran off. She

was not covering her ears, “like earmuffs in the

winter,” but she was very confused and upset. Bruno

was anxious to clear up what he felt was some sort

of a misunderstanding, but after several days he realized

that he might not get an opportunity.

I happened to be away at the time of the altercation

between the elephant and the child, and so my account

of the story was based entirely on newspaper

accounts of Bruno’s rampage. What I said, I must

apologize for, but it was just my amateurish attempt

at being “literary.”

But imagine my surprise when, on further inquiry

among the carnival folk, I was informed that there

was no elephant rampage.

Carnival folk do not read newspapers, and most

of them are actually illiterate, and so they had no

knowledge of any account of any rampage. The reporter

who wrote the story simply made up the details

about the lampost knocking over an ice cream

stand and the ticket booth, because it made an interesting

story.

Bruno did, however, happen to tip over the lamppost

he was chained to and this happened because

he was in the habit of scratching his forehead on the

lamppost, and over time, scratching his head on one

side, and then another side, the post became loose

and simply fell over of its own accord.

That then, is the entire account of the rage of the

Elephant at the carnival, a story that goes right the

the heart of the ambiguous relationship between the

elephant and humans, and also illustrates the profound

advantage the illiterate have over people who

read news accounts, when it comes to understanding

the truth of simple happenings.

Although there was no rampage, and even though

nothing was knocked down, nevertheless, Valeria’s

life was completely altered. In the first few days

after the elephant yelled at her she went around in a

daze, and found it very difficult to think even the

most ordinary thoughts.

You can see this state of mind in those people who

have experienced sudden catastrophic events. For

example, I can remember very clearly the behavior

of my old Aunt Mary, when her husband Dominic

died suddenly after a brick fell on him at a construction

site. And he was not even working at the site,

he was just making a delivery of pizza from his

pizza shop. The delivery boy was sick that day, and

so Dominic was doing the deliveries himself. He

was in a tremendous rush, so as to get back to the

shop before items in the oven got burned.

The next day, after Dominic’s death, Aunt Mary

was eating soup. She was holding the spoon of soup

approximately four inches from her lips. As I looked

at her I thought, “She is just waiting for the soup to

cool off.” But no, she was just sitting there, the soup

suspended in the air. I imagine it was her desire to

stop time itself, and if it could be stopped, then perhaps

she might be able to unwind the spool of time

itself, to a better time just simply 37 hours previously.

That was how it was for Valeria, and she thought

to herself, “If it could only be just three days ago,

instead of right now.”

Without the elephant to talk to she went about her

daily activities, but in a disinterested and abstracted

way. She got out her cigar box that contains about

one hundred similar stones and set to work to make

a pattern with them. The pattern was a circle in a

square, and at each corner of the square, where it

touched the circle, she made a kind of little swag

shape, and the ends of the swags almost touched

each other making a decorative frame for the pattern,

but she didn't finish it because the shapes gave

her no satisfaction.

Then she hung upside down from a low hanging

branch of the maple tree behind her trailer, but she

did not find the upside down view of the world even

slightly interesting.

Then she went to have a look in the carnival tent,

to see if anything had been left behind by the weekend

visitors. She had a small collection of found objects,

all extremely valuable in their own way,

because of the meaning she attached to each of

them, especially a cloisonne thimble with which she

could change the weather, depending on which

finger she put it on, or so she thought.

Her search was not in vain that day, what she

found was a marble, one of those that are perfectly

clear, and have no color. She had a collection of

marbles in a leather bag, tied with a red string, but

in her collection there was no, “purees,” as those

marbles are called. She seized the marble in her left

hand and went running across the field in the direction

of the Elephant. She was excited to show it to

him, and see what interesting things he would say

about it. Then she stopped suddenly, as she realized

she was not on speaking terms with the Elephant.

Valeria dropped the marble, which suddenly had

no interest for her. and she said, almost out loud, “I

will never be sadder than I am at this very moment,

and I think I will never ever be happy again for the

rest of my life.”

I ask you, whatever could have possessed the Elephant

to yell at the child like that, what could possibly

be a cause or a justification. We will delve into

it in the next chapter, not to justify the Elephant’s

behavior but perhaps to at least understand him.

—RICHARD BRITELL, JUNE 2025

THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2025 • 47


Mining My Life Diaries of Jane Gennaro

48 • THE ARTFUL MIND JULY 2025


BRUCE PANOCK

Alone But Not Lonely

Panockphotography.com

bruce@panockphotography.com

917-287-8589 | Instagram @brucepanock


Deborah H Carter

Uprooted

Photo: Korenman.com

Model: Laura Lin Healing Arts

Represented by the WIT Gallery

Clock Tower Artists

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