the artful mind MARCH R 2026

BERKSHIRE’S MONTHLY ARTS MAGAZINE FEATURING LOCAL AND REGIONAL ARTISTS IN PRINT & ONLINE SINCE 1994

TheARTFUL MIND

MARCH 2026

SERGIO DEMO

PHOTOGRAPH BY ERIC KORENMAN

THE ARTFUL MIND MARCH 2026 • 1

27 Housatonic Street • Lenox, MA

47 Railroad Street • Great Barrington MA

Shots Cafe, a little

treasure in the

Berkshires.We focus on

breakfast, lunch, bakery,

espresso, ice cream,

beer & wine.

Gluten free options,

outdoor dining and

takeout available.

Open year round!

Boba Train is the perfect

place to refresh!

Mainly focused on fresh

bubble milk teas and

fruit teas. Also offering

an espresso bar, matcha

menu, huge variety of

hot teas, fresh

lemonades and

smoothies, pastries and

savories. We offer an

outdoor patio, take out,

online ordering, and we

are open year round.

414-637-1055 • www.shotscafe.com

Follow us on Facebook & Instagram @shots_cafe_

Open year round: Tuesday 7-4, Wednesday 7-4, Thursday 7-4

Friday 7-4, Saturday 8-5, Sunday closed, Monday closed

413-645-3033 • www.bobatraincafe.com

Follow us on Facebook & Instagram @bobatraincafe

Open: Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 10-6, Friday 10-6, Saturday 10-6

Sunday 10-5, Monday closed, Tuesday closed

janet cooper

NEW WORK in PROGRESS

Fabrics, anatomy, stitches, colors

and bricologue are words, imbued

with intense emotionality for me,

a maker, collector and lover of

objects and places.

www.janetcooperdesigns.com

2 • MARCH 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

IN PRINT SINCE 1994

The ARTFUL MIND

March 2026

Cheers to the learning curve of life

JOANE CORNELL

FINE JEWELRY

Interview with Sergio Demo

Visual Artist

Photography on cover by Eric Korenman... 12

Interview with Mark H. Millstein

Artist | Teacher...22

Richard Britell | FICTION

Valeria and the Ants

Trunk of Coins CHAPTER 10 ... 43

Diaries of Jane Gennaro

Mining My Life

The Man I Love ... 44

Ruby Heart Pendant Ring Chain

Publisher Harryet Candee

Copy Editor Elise Francoise

Contributing Photographers

Edward Acker Eric Korenman Bobby Miller

COMMISSION ORDERS WELCOMED

Hand Forged Designs

www.JoaneCornellFineJewelry.com

9 Main St. Chatham, NY

Contributing Writers

Richard Britell Jane Gennaro

Third Eye Jeff Bynack

Distribution Ruby Aver

CALENDAR / ADVERTISING

EDITORIAL / SUBSCRIPTIONS —

413-645-4114

EMAIL: ARTFULMIND@YAHOO.COM

Read every issue online: ISSUU.COM

and YUMPU.COM / instagram

Join the FB group:

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.


SNOWDOWN CASCADE, OILS AND COLD WAX

11” X 14”

CAROLYN M. ABRAMS

Cold wax painting is where I feel most at home.

By mixing cold wax medium into oil paint, the work

moves beyond traditional oil painting and away

from encaustic, becoming something entirely its

own—physical, layered, and alive.

What draws me to cold wax is the freedom it

offers. I love the way the paint can be pushed,

scraped, carved, and built up again. Each layer holds

a history, and with a palette knife I can cut back into

the surface, revealing what came before. The process

feels intuitive and exploratory, allowing expressive

marks and unexpected moments to emerge.

The translucent quality that cold wax gives to oil

paint creates depth and atmosphere that I find endlessly

seductive, echoing the luminous surfaces of

encaustic while remaining grounded in oil. I often

work with unconventional tools—brayers, stencils,

bubble wrap, wire screens—anything that leaves a

trace or interrupts control. These elements invite

chance and discovery into the painting.

For me, cold wax painting is about experimentation,

texture, and the physical act of making. It allows

me to move freely between realism and

abstraction, following curiosity rather than rules.

The possibilities feel endless, and that sense of

openness is what keeps me returning to the surface

again and again.

Come try it out! I will be facilitating an Intro to Cold

Wax Workshop at the Berkshire Botanical Gardens,

April 25. For more info go to the BBG website.

Carolyn m. Abrams—

www.carolynabrams.com

Member Guild of Berkshire Artists

LESLEE CARSEWELL

STOCKBRIDGE LIBRARY SHOW

APRIL 2026

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

Human subtlety…will never devise an invention more beautiful,

more simple, or more direct than does nature because,

in her inventions, nothing is lacking, and nothing is superfluous.

—Leonardo da Vinci

THE COLLUSION IN ERIC’S WORLDS

OIL ON CANVAS, 30” X 30”

ALEXANDRA

ROZENMAN

I was born into a dissident family in Moscow in

1971 and had an early interest in art. I took

classes from a group of underground artists in the

Soviet Union and studied under the dissident artists

who later gained world acclaim as an émigré

artist. In 1989, I immigrated to the U.S.

I received a BFA in Painting in 1995 from State

University of New York, and an MFA from The

School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston,

MA in 1997.

After moving from NYC to Boston my paintings

became more narrative and landscapes less

abstract. My work began to resemble theatrical

stages and a fully formed sense of visual narrative

emerged. Since 2010 I have been working on

a series titled, “Moving In”... which focuses on

playful and humorous narratives of her cohabitating

with famous artists. Through this series she

wants also to touch upon questions of artistic influence

and dialogue, emulation and creativity,

continuity as well as discontinuity in contemporary

art and the world as a whole.”

I had solo and two-person exhibitions at the

Ann Loeb Bronfman Gallery in Washington, DC,

Gallery 360 in Minneapolis; Clark Gallery in

Lincoln, Massachusetts and Fitchburg University

in Fitchburg, MA. Group exhibitions include,

among others, The Painting Center of New York,

Multicultural Arts Center in Boston and the Moscow

Center of Contemporary Art. In September

of 2018 I had a solo show at Hudson Gallery in

Gloucester MA, titled Blind Dates. Since 2016 I

have been a core member of the Fountain Street

Gallery in Boston, MA. In 2020 I had a two

people show with Nora Valdez and in 2022 with

Lior Neiger. Currently operating Art School 99

in Somerville, MA.

Alexandra Rozenmanalexandra.rozenman@gmail.com

alexandrarozenman.com


Mary Ann Palermo

International Recording Artist, Jazz Vocalist, Performer, Songwriter

Check out the newest album here at Hear Now:

https://maryannpalermo.hearnow.com/theres-a-place-beatles-re-imagined

Available for Private Events

To hear about upcoming performances and new releases sign up at:

https://maryannpalermo.com

Email: howmuchbettercanitget@gmail.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maryannpalermo_averosarecords

Averosa Records label website: https://averosarecords.com/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1P5DDkoBymMyNn52dmMeoL/discography/all


LAYERS, OIL ON PAPER, 2026

GHETTA HIRSCH

It has been a very snowy few weeks: “layers”

upon “layers” of snow! I have been observing

daily the trunk of the Northern Maple in my front

garden. It is close enough to my window to give

me a view of the complexity of its bark. When the

snow settles on the ground, the trunk reappears.

Under different light, the bark is a labyrinth of lines,

shapes and colors. This is something I usually

hardly notice, but locked in the warmth of my

home this Winter, I am learning to appreciate the

wonderful details of this skin-like coverage from

my window. It could be the surface of a rock, a

patch of soil, an old leather bag or even stagnant

water!

Looking at things very close to me has been a

leitmotiv in my art in the last few years. I am

amazed at the beauty in fine details and have realized

that all tiny lines are necessary to form the

large landscapes that we appreciate. I have pulled

out charcoal, graphite, watercolor and Conde pencils,

oil pastel sticks and even China inks to look

more closely at the power of lines in drawing. We

can get lost in the different “coverage” of nature

around us just like we meander in the layers of our

lives trying to find a safe and meaningful path.

2026 appears to be a challenging year for most of

us and I hope you find a way out of your own labyrinth!

Now is the time to pull out the seeds to

create my garden but I will still paint and produce

in my Art Studio.

Do call or text 413-597 1716 to visit!

Ghetta Hirsch—

ghetta-hirsch.squarespace.com

“What moves men of genius,

or rather what inspires their work,

is not new ideas, but their obsession

with the idea that what has already

been said is still not enough.”

—Eugene Delacroix

JOANE CORNELL

FINE JEWELRY

March. It’s the first month, every year, that provides

me with the renewed sense of beginnings.

The relief of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,

for warmer weather on the near horizon.

Longer days. Planning for my gardens. Both decorative

and edible.

It’s also when I ramp up producing my designs

for the approaching Summer/Fall season.

The scent of moist soil in the air is what truly

jumpstarts my juices!

So get ready!

I can’t wait to show you my showcases, brimming

over with new designs!

PS; I know that people are frustrated, because

I’ve heard it, believe me, that I’m never in my

store.

Well, that’s typical of the first quarter, into the

second quarter of every year.

If I could wave a magic wand and have little

elves come out of the woodwork, to help build

my pieces, wouldn’t that be awesome?

But it’s me, just me, doing everything, one pair

of hands to do it all.

And when do you think I would be able to accomplish

such an extraordinary feat, of so many

pieces, if not closing for a certain amount of time

to accomplish that?!?

Please! Have patience!

I promise. I won’t disappoint!

Commission orders are a third of my business.

Don’t be shy. Bring in your no longer worn jewelry

for a revamp.

I know you will thoroughly enjoy the process!

Joane Cornell Fine Jewelry—

917-971-4662

9 Main St. Chatham, New York

www.JoaneCornellFineJewelry.com

Instagram: Joane Cornell Fine Jewelry

FRAGILE TRUTHS

PHOTO: ERIC KORENMAN

MODEL: FRANCESCA STANMEYER

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.

Deborah H Carter —

413-441-3220, Clock Tower Artists

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

Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Instagram: @deborah_h_carter

Debhcarter@yahoo.com

ARTFULMIND@YAHOO.COM





GHETTA HIRSCH

This painting was exhibited in December

2025 at the Spring Street Market Exhibit

in Williamstown, MA.

To visit my studio, please call me

413-597-1716.

Ghetta-hirsch.squarespace.com

@ghettahirschpaintings

“Self-Serving Oil on canvas, 12” x 12” 2025

LESLEE CARSEWELL

www.lcarsewellart.com n @carzeart

lcarsewellart@icloud.com


SERGIO DEMO

COLLAGE | NORTH ADAMS MA

INSTAGRAM.COM/SDEMO66 SERGIODEMOART.COM

artschool99somerville.com

86 joy street studio 37 somerville

AR Designs Fine Art & Tattoo

Helping inspired individuals express themselves through custom tattoos

crafted to authentically represent their vision and identity

Founded by School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and

Tufts University Alumni, Alexis Rosasco, a life long artist

from the Berkshires with a decade of tattoo experience.

To request a custom tattoo consultation:

WWW.ARDESIGNSNORTHADAMS.COM

Business addresses:

AR Designs Fine Art &Tattoo 18 Holden Street, North Adams, MA. 01247

Rosasco's Fine Art Gallery 12 Holden St, North Adams, MA. 01247

For Fine Art or Educational Inquiries visit: www.RosascosGallery.com

Owner and Founder of AR Designs Fine Art & Tattoo,

Rosasco's Fine Art Gallery and Rosasco's Academy of Art & Design


SERGIO DEMO

VISUAL ARTIST

Photograph by Eric Korenman

“I see a red door and I want it painted black...” —Rolling Stones

Interview by Harryet Candee

Photography by Eric Korenman & courtesy of the artist

Sergio, when you first started making assemblages

from salvaged materials, what truth

about yourself were you afraid to admit—and

when did you finally embrace it?

Sergio Demo: The truth is that nothing is ever really

worthless. When I first started collecting salvaged

materials, I told myself it was about seeing beauty

in unexpected places, but underneath that was

something I couldn’t acknowledge… I was drawn

to things that had been abandoned because I had

been abandoned as well. I was given up for adoption

as an infant, so abandonment has always been an

issue. I wasn’t just collecting evidence that abandoned

things could still matter. I was gathering

proof that being discarded wasn’t the final word.

But I couldn’t admit this because admitting it would

mean just how deeply I internalized my own abandonment.

I embraced it when I came to the conclusion

that I am both the thing that had been

abandoned and the hands that prove worth through

transformation.


You’ve said you “resurrect things”—when did

you first recognize this potential in abandoned

objects?

I recognized the potential for resurrection in abandoned

objects the moment I saw it in myself, which

meant I saw it in the objects first because I couldn't

see it in myself yet. These objects had been deemed

worthless—literally thrown away. It had failed at

being whatever it was supposed to be. Their resurrection

wasn't about restoring them. It was about

recognizing that their current state—damaged, discarded,

transformed—was their resurrection.

Do you consider yourself more of a collector or

a hunter when you’re sourcing materials?

What’s the difference for you?

When I'm hunting, the search feels urgent and predatory—I'm

tracking, not browsing. I move through

industrial sites, past dumpsters, and along alleys

where construction debris lies, searching not for a

particular object but for a specific quality—a resonance.

Hunting is active, focused, and driven by

need. In contrast, collecting is deliberate and patient,

requiring strategy and vision. When collecting, I'm

unconcerned with a single object. Instead, I'm building

a library, a vocabulary of forms and textures.

Collecting is sustained by faith in the process: organizing,

preserving, maintaining options, and

keeping possibilities open.

Sergio, what makes you say ‘yes’ to one rusted

gear and ‘no’ to another that looks almost identical?

The decision has nothing to do with what the gears

look like and everything to do with how they feel.

Both are abandoned. Both are damaged. But they

represent different experiences of abandonment.

Sometimes the difference is about what choosing a

particular gear allows me to do, feel, or admit. And

then there's this: sometimes I just know.

Tell us about your bed spring mattress sculpture,

SERGIO DEMO TRIPTYCH DUMPSTER CARDBOARD. SPRAY PAINT. 2025

Sergio. What did you see in those springs that

made you decide to take it to the next level?

When I first encountered that discarded mattress,

stripped down to its springs, what struck me wasn't

their function as springs. It was the pattern—those

concentric circles, that radiating geometry. They reminded

me immediately of raindrops hitting a puddle.

That moment of impact when water meets

water. If exactitude isn't truth, as Matisse said, then

the springs' exact identity as "bed springs" was irrelevant.

Their truth was in their form.

Sergio, when you discover a new type of material

or object—say, a cache of old industrial valves

or a pile of weathered wood—does that discovery

ever spark an entirely new series? How do the

materials themselves shape the direction your

work takes?

The materials don't just shape the direction—they

are the direction. This is what Rauschenberg understood

about working in the gap between art and life:

you can't impose your will on reality and call it truth.

The materials have to speak first. It's like the bed

springs showing me raindrops. I wasn't searching

for that connection—the springs revealed it. They

shaped the direction by refusing to be just springs.

That discovery didn't just spark one sculpture. It

opened up an entire way of seeing. So yes, every

discovery sparks a new series, because every material

is a new teacher.

Why black spray paint specifically? Have you

experimented with other methods of unifying

your materials?

Black spray paint is ritual, not just technique. It's not

just unification; it's transformation through mystery

and reflection. Like Nevelson, I understood early

that black erases the exactitude of what things were.

When viewers look at my black assemblages, they

can't immediately read every detail—they have to

look closer, let their eyes adjust. The work doesn't

reveal itself all at once. It holds secrets. Just like

abandoned objects hold secrets about their past

lives, black paint holds secrets about its forms. So

no, I haven't found another method that does what

black spray paint does. It takes fragments and makes

them whole, not by erasing their individuality, but

by asking them all to speak in the same voice.

Black unifies your assemblages, but it also obscures

detail and origin. How much of each object’s

history do you want to preserve versus

erase?

I want to preserve just enough history that the object

whispers its past without shouting it. That balance

is everything. If I erase too much, the object becomes

an abstraction—pure form with no memory,

no life lived. That would be dishonest. These materials

matter because they've been through something,

because they carry time in their surfaces.

Exactitude isn't truth, but neither is complete erasure.

The truth lives in the tension between what

was and what's becoming.

You reference Louise Nevelson’s description of

black as “a total color.” How did you first encounter

her work, Sergio, and how has it shaped

your practice?

I first encountered Nevelson's work in an art class.

It was one of those moments when you realize

someone else has been speaking your language before

you even knew you had words.

I remember seeing images of her black walls—

those monumental assemblages of found wood, all

unified in black—and feeling something shift. It

wasn't admiration exactly; it was recognition. Like

she'd already done the work of proving that what I

was feeling—this pull toward discarded materials,

this need to transform them through monochrome—

wasn't just a personal quirk. It was a legitimate way

of pursuing truth. When I read that she called black

"a total color," something clicked. She wasn't saying

black was the absence of color or a neutral backdrop.

Continued...


SERGIO DEMO VISUAL ARTIST

SERGIO DEMO SPRING ETERNAL FOUND OBJECTS. RUSTED METAL. 2024

SERGIO DEMO STUDY IN BLACK DUMPSTER CARDBOARD. SPRAY PAINT. FOUND OBJECTS. 2025


SERGIO DEMO THE WRITING’S ON THE WALL WELDED WIRED MESH. BLACK ROPE. 2024

She was saying black contains everything—all

colors, all possibilities, all depths. It's not emptiness;

it's fullness. That's the gift of that art class encounter

with Nevelson: not just inspiration, but language.

The ability to understand and communicate what I

was doing and why it mattered.

Beyond the historical figures like Nevelson and

Matisse, who among your contemporaries—living

artists you’ve met, worked alongside, or

studied—has shaped how you think about assemblage

and truth? Who are the mentors or

peers you’ve learned from?

The historical figures—Nevelson, Matisse, Rauschenberg,

Cornelia Parker—gave me the conceptual

foundation and permission to work this way. But

honestly, the living artists, the contemporaries I've

encountered, the mentors and peers—they've

shaped how I apply these ideas to my own life, my

own hands, my own specific relationship with abandoned

materials.

There have been artists I've met in studios, in collaborative

spaces, in workshops, and exhibitions,

whose names might not be widely known but whose

influence on my practice has been profound. I've

learned from peers who work with different materials

but share the same fundamental question about

truth and transformation. There are potters and ceramic

artists who’ve shown me how firing transforms

clay in ways I couldn't control—teaching me

about surrender and letting materials have their own

voice. And I've learned from artists who challenged

my work. Contemporaries who said, "Why always

black? Isn't that becoming a crutch?" or "These materials

are interesting, but what are you actually saying?"

Can you describe the moment or experience that

led you to embrace oxidation, decay, and imperfection

as beautiful elements in your work?

There wasn't a single moment. Instead, recognition

crept in, slow and heavy, until acceptance broke

over me like a wave. When I look at rusted metal, I

think, "This is more beautiful than it ever was when

new." The imperfection isn't despite the beauty; it's

its source. Embracing oxidation and decay felt like

finally coming home to myself. When I stopped

forcing materials into an imagined original perfection

and celebrated their current scars, I also stopped

forcing myself to return to an earlier version. I

began, at last, to accept who I had become.

The Matisse quote “Exactitude is not truth”

guides your work. Can you give us an example

of how this principle manifests in a specific

piece?

The rusted bed springs sculpture is the perfect example

of how "exactitude is not truth" manifests in

my work—it's almost as if that piece were designed

to prove Matisse's point. The moment I saw them,

I didn't see springs. I saw ripples. I saw the pattern

raindrops make when they hit water. That wasn't

exact. The springs aren't actually water. The rust on

those springs is beautiful because it's inexact. Here's

where Matisse's principle becomes most dramatic:

the exact, physical springs are actually less true than

the inexact shadows they cast. The springs themselves

are precisely what they are—metal coils,

measurable, with specific dimensions. But when

light hits them, they create these enormous, distorted

shadows. Those shadows are wildly inexact—enlarged,

flattened, overlapping in ways that defy the

three-dimensional reality of the actual springs. But

those inexact shadows reveal the truth I saw in the

springs from the beginning. That inexactitude—the

refusal to be simply one thing or another—is the

deepest truth the piece expresses.

Sergio, you’ve created multiple series over the

years, each visually distinct from the others.

What’s the solid root of thinking that connects

all of them? What’s the through-line that makes

them unmistakably yours?

Every series is about resurrection, but never restoration.

I never try to fix things or return them to their

original function. I resurrect by recognizing—by

seeing what the object has become through abandonment

and transformation, and then amplifying

that truth.

You work with objects that have already lived

full lives, carrying their own stories and scars.

Continued...



SERGIO DEMO TREE OF LIFE TWIGS. FOUND OBJECTS. 2024

SERGIO DEMO SPRING MATTRESS

INSTALLATION AT FUTURE LAB [S] GALLERY, NORTH ADAMS 2024.


SERGIO DEMO OCTO CALI PUSS SCULPTY. ACRYLIC PAINT. 2024

SERGIO DEMO GLOW SHOW

DUMPSTER CARDBOARD. PAPER PACKAGING MATERILS. GLOW PAINT. BLACK LIGHT. 2025

Sergio, in the moment when you’re arranging

them—before the black paint unifies everything—what

are you actually seeing that no one

else can see yet?

In that moment before the black paint—when the

materials are still raw, still arguing with each other

through their different colors, textures, and histories—I'm

seeing potential relationships that don't

exist yet but need to.

It's not unlike what Rauschenberg must have experienced

in his studio, surrounded by found objects that

hadn't yet told him how they belonged together.

No one else can see these conversations yet because

the materials are still shouting their individual identities—"I'm

rusty!" "I'm weathered!" "I'm bent!" But

I'm hearing underneath that noise.

It's like hearing harmony before the instruments are

tuned to the same key. The black paint will be that

tuning—it will quiet the visual noise and let the formal

relationships sing. But I have to hear the potential

harmony first, before anyone else can. That's

what I see that no one else can see yet: not what

these objects used to be, not even what I'll make

them into, but what they already are.

Sergio, you explore the paradox of truth being

both universal and deeply personal—has your

own understanding of this paradox evolved

through making the work?

Yes. And the evolution itself has been a kind of

proof that the paradox is real. The evolution began

when I finally admitted to myself: I am both the

abandoned object and the resurrector. That recognition

changed everything. Suddenly, the work

wasn't just about discovering patterns in discarded

materials. It was about discovering myself in discarded

materials. The rust wasn't just oxidation; it

was my own weathering, my own vulnerability, my

own evidence of having been exposed to forces that

changed me. Through the actual process of making

work—arranging materials, painting them black,

watching how viewers respond—I've come to understand

that truth isn't singular. It operates at different

scales simultaneously, like those ripple

patterns I saw in the mattress springs. The paradox

resolves—or rather, it doesn't resolve but becomes

productive—when I stopped trying to choose between

universal and personal. The work is both, simultaneously,

and that's what gives it power.

You mention the tension between elements that

“echo each other” and those that “resist unity.”

How do you cultivate or recognize that tension?

The tension between elements that echo each other

and those that resist unity is the heart of the work.

It's where truth lives—not in perfect harmony and

not in complete chaos, but in that productive friction

where materials are simultaneously unified and distinct,

where they both belong together and maintain

their individuality. If every element in an assemblage

perfectly echoes every other element, the

work becomes monotonous. It's too resolved, too

complete, too... dead. But if elements completely resist

unity, if they have nothing in common, the work

becomes incoherent chaos. It's just a pile of random

stuff.

The truth—the truth that Matisse talked about—exists

in the tension between those extremes. When

materials echo each other enough to create a relationship

but resist unity enough to maintain identity,

that's when something alive happens.

What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever

spray-painted black, Sergio? And did it make it

into a piece, or did you have to draw the line

somewhere?

The face of an infant CPR mannequin. It became

the central piece to the work. If there is such a thing

as a “line”, I haven't found it.

How do you balance your own truth and vision

with the histories and meanings already embedded

in the objects you use?

I don't balance them. I merge with them. I let my

truth and the objects' histories become one, so thoroughly

entwined that asking where one ends and the

other begins becomes meaningless. Because I am

both the abandoned object and the resurrector,

there's no distance between my truth and the objects'

truths. We're the same story told in different materials.

Trying to separate them becomes impossible

and unnecessary.

Continued...



SERGIO DEMO THE MARRIAGE OF PENNY LANE TO MR. KITE DUMPSTER CARDBOARD. SPRAY PAINT. PHOTOGRAPH. 2025

PYRAMIDS IN PROGRESS—SERGIO DEMO


SERGIO DEMO PYRAMIDS CARDBOARD. WOOD STICKS. PAINTED PAPER. COLLAGE. 2024.

SERGIO DEMO CORAZON COLLAGE. 2026 SERGIO DEMO ALL IN A DREAM COLLAGE. 2026

You describe your assemblages as “contemplative

spaces.” What do you hope viewers experience

in those moments of contemplation?

I hope viewers experience recognition. Recognition

of their own experiences, their own transformation.

I hope they stand in front of my work and feel: "I

know this. I've been this. I am this." If objects can

transform, then viewers can transform too. I hope

they recognize that they don't have to "complete"

their resurrection to have value. They don't have to

arrive at a final, transformed state where all damage

is resolved, and they're whole again. They can exist

in the resurrection process, and that state itself has

worth, has beauty, has truth.

Your work doesn’t offer answers but “holds

space for questions.” Is there a particular question

you hope each viewer asks themselves?

I hope they leave asking: "What if...?" Because

"what if" holds possibility without demanding certainty.

It allows for doubt, for not-knowing, for

being in the question rather than having the answer."What

if" means: I see evidence this might be

true (in these materials, in these assemblages), but

I'm not sure yet if it's true for me. It is a question

that offers a possibility.

Sergio, have viewers ever shared interpretations

of your work that surprised you or revealed

something you hadn’t consciously intended?

Yes. The surprising interpretations don't threaten the

work or prove I've failed to communicate clearly.

They prove the work functions as a contemplative

space—open enough that viewers can pour their

own truths into it, recognize their own abandonments

in abandoned materials, and ask their own

questions about transformation and worth. And in

that space, truths emerge that no one person intended

but that the work somehow contains.

How has your relationship with imperfection

and decay changed your perspective on other aspects

of life outside the studio?

It changed everything. The studio work isn't separate

from life. It is life. The same recognition I

practice with materials, I now practice with everything

else. And it's fundamentally altered how I

move through the world, how I understand people,

how I tolerate my own failures, how I see beauty,

how I experience time.

Ten years from now, Sergio, what do you hope

someone will understand about your work that

isn’t clear yet today? What truth are you still

building toward?

The deeper truth. The bed springs cast shadows. But

over ten years, those shadows will interact with different

lights, different seasons, and different

viewers. The piece will continue transforming—not

in form but in meaning, in what it reveals, in what

truths become visible through it as more time

passes. That's what materials teach: transformation

doesn't stop. Rust continues developing even after

the object is "abandoned." Weathering continues

even after the wood is torn from its structure. The

patterns keep emerging, keep shifting, keep revealing

new dimensions. Ten years from now, I hope

people see this isn't about achieving resurrection.

This is about resurrection. About existing in continuous

transformation. About patterns that persist

and shift and reveal new truths indefinitely.

Wondering, Sergio, has any event happened to

you in your life that was over the top for you?

Just recently, through a DNA search, I discovered

my Filipino heritage along with my 28 siblings. I

was raised as an only child. Pretty "Over The Top!"

sergiodemoart.com

instagram @sdemo66

u


Erika Larskaya

Untitled Acrylic on ramboard 48” x 34”

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

I am driven to lay out fleeting and intangible experiences on physical surfaces.”

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


RUBY AVER

Life Has Many Layers 2018, oil on canvas, 46”x 48"

Refresh Acrylic on canvas 32“x40”

rdaver2@gmail.com

Instagram: rdaver2.

Housatonic Studio open by appointment 413-854-7007

ALEXANDRA ROZENMAN

artschool99somerville.com

www.alexandrarozenman.com

alexandra.rozenman@gmail.com

LEO MAZZEO

“Convincingly”, distress oxide, conté crayon, highlight pen, metallic color

pen, and ink on black mixed media paper, 8.5”x11.5”. (c)Leo Mazzeo.

434 Columbia Street, Hudson, New York


MARK H. MILLSTEIN

ARTIST | TEACHER

“I shut my eyes in order to see.”- Paul Gauguin

Interview by Harryet Candee

Photographs courtesy of the Artist

In what ways has your deep connection to nature

and your commitment to conservation shaped

your artistic practice and creative process?

Mark H. Millstein: I've always sought out natural

settings wherever I’ve lived. I grew up in the suburbs

of South Jersey, and those small sections of forest

that existed in between housing developments

were certainly a type of refuge, but more like

another world that you could enter and even find a

spot where the neighborhood you lived in could be

out of sight. It was likely through photography that

I began to appreciate on a closer level what complexities

existed right around us. Also, because I

grew up in a world where ideas around ecology and

conservation were beginning to desperately warn us

of what the future could hold, I felt that preservation

was an important core idea to continue to share.

When I began studying photography in college, I

discovered the work of Eliot Porter and his books

published by the Sierra club, which ultimately aided

their mission. His work, particularly the collection

Intimate Landscapes aligned with ideas that I was


pursuing - detail, color, pattern and small, organic

compositions that were somehow complete representations

of a greater world within a small frame.

When my interests shifted to video art and installation,

a similar goal existed in my mind - could I entice

people to want to go into the woods, to go into

nature and see those details, colors, patterns and textures

and experiences that I fell in love with? I’ve

always had a special appreciation for the way in

which small details echo larger environments, and

the analogies of growth and life and destruction are

so easily transferable across much of existence. I’ve

attempted in my video works to shoot in the manner

of a still photographer, examining and framing the

landscape with obvious intention, employing very

little camera movement. I’ve produced one work

that is essentially an homage to Elliot Porter presenting

some of his wiser words in the form of a lost

telephone message. That work I had hoped would

acknowledge the depth and breath of nature right

outside our windows, but moreover, Porter’s contribution.

Much of that intention exists in my printmaking.

I want people to spend time looking and

noticing different details each time they encounter

the work. Rather than a singular focal point, there

is a whole made of related and unrelated parts, much

as landscapes are.

Mark, how do your adventures walking with

dogs, hiking, and cycling infuse inspiration into

your daily life and artistic endeavors?

I certainly believe you have to get out there and

especially as I get older you know my personal

motto is stay busy and keep finding reasons to move

or do something creative as much as I can. I'm always

searching for some kind of inspiration, and I

find it in those textures and patterns of the natural

world, but also in the textures, patterns and forms

of industry, architecture and urban settings. There

was a time when on every dog walk I took, I’d collect

something from along the way, an interesting,

smashed piece of metal in the street, a brightly colored

leaf or something - not as a memory, but as

inspiration for visual idea. I had to stop collecting

Mark H. Millstein, WHALE.WAVE.2025 - drypoint engraving, 6" x 6"

things because I felt like I couldn’t throw these inspiring

objects away and they accumulate too

quickly!

Could you delve into your love for music, especially

within the realms of experimental, ambient,

jazz, and psychedelic genres? In what

ways has your experience as a radio DJ influenced

your musical preferences?

Music's always been essential and important in my

life. I've sometimes thought that, despite being a visual

artist, if I had to choose between being blind or

deaf, I’d choose to not lose the ability to hear music.

Music and sound can be very visual to me. I've

never thought of myself as one of those people with

synesthesia, however, the richness of so much music

that I love is manifested in its visual qualities. Admittedly,

I was one of those people who took a deep

dive into jazz after reading Kerouac’s On the Road,

and then on top of that an introduction to the ideas

of John Cage certainly broadened my own thoughts

of what music could be. I was teaching at Carnegie

Mellon in the early 90’s where I had a few students

who were interested in similar music and they invited

me to join the campus radio station and produce

a weekly show. During those few years I

discovered a slew of mind-opening new and vintage

music in the record library and I began a weekly

show highlighting experimental and electronic

music, including solicited recordings from independent

musicians. I continued a show in a similar

vein at UMass Dartmouth for a few years, and I

eventually built my own collection of music as I researched

and found more and more pioneering and

significant musicians. Unfortunately, radio, especially

broadcast freeform college radio, took a serious

a downturn and the frequencies have been

given away to commercial interests.

What facets of art history and broader human

history captivate you the most, and how do they

inform and enrich your creative work?

I think I’ve mostly favored 20th century art and the

transition and evolution of visual ideas as they progressed

beyond prior thought. It’s hard to imagine

how daring modern painters and sculptors were

when they began to exhibit non-representational

work. My parents had a strong interest in art, and I

remember staring at posters of abstract works by

Matisse and Miro they had put up in our basement,

and I think those primitive shapes and compositions

really stuck with me throughout my art making life.

Later on, I found surrealist works from artists like

de Chirico and abstract expressionists like Kline,

Krasner and Pollock really impacted my thinking

about trying to express myself in a way that was

beyond the conventional. Of course, studying photography,

video and embracing new technology

added many channels and diversions to what I believe

art can be. I co-taught a History of Experimental

Film and Animation class for the past seven years

and I’m still moved by early filmmakers and experimenters

whose works transcend our expectations

and leave us thinking; I could list dozens of influential

works of course, but in the past few years I’ve

mostly read and researched printmakers, techniques

and schools of thought in printmaking. I was incredibly

inspired if not totally blown away when I

first came across Piranesi’s Imaginary Prisons, an

amazing set of illustrations by a master printer of

his time. The drypoint and etching works of Armin

Landeck and Martin Lewis had a great impact on

my enthusiasm for the medium, as did reading

books by Stanley Hayter, the founder of Atelier 17

printmaking studio. Other printmakers who came

out of that school of thought like Krishna Reddy,

Dorothy Dehner, and printmaker and sculptors Sue

Fuller and Louise Nevelson have had major impacts

on how I think about printmaking, what it is that I’m

trying to represent and having respect and perseverance

to seek a personal vision. Continued...


MARK H. MILLSTEIN ARTIST | TEACHER

Mark H. Millstein, COMPARTMENT.BLOCK.2024 - drypoint engraving, 12" x 9"

How does existentialism influence your exploration

of the universe, and how does it weave into

your artistic journey?

Those big questions, “why am I here?”, and “why

am I me?” have plagued me since childhood, but I

find a lot of creative inspiration starts by continually

probing those ideas. Discovering and admitting that

life can be absurd and allowing oneself to freely

think and concern ourselves with inner experiences

and creative acts seems a much more satisfying way

to live. There are a lot of different ways to be energized

in our lives, and I’ve always found that in my

attempts to understand our universe, by reaching

deep into my imagination to try and understand and

visualize its scale and extensity, I can also stretch

my thoughts - I can feel as if I am also pushing and

even trusting my brain to go farther out into the universe,

to find something new, to see something new

or establish my own understanding of something

beyond intuitive comprehension. I have no faith that

the answers to those basic questions can ever be

found, but I am amazed by the constructs that our

brain is able to provide and to be able to imagine

and visualize the depth and scale of our universe.

It’s deeply frustrating to feel limitations, to not be

able to understand how our universe is contained,

or to believe that there is an infinite universe that

came from nothing. What is nothingness and what


is it contained within? I feel pushed back into a

primitive state by these questions, not because I

don’t understand those complex equations that

claim to explain it all, but because one can feel physically

imprisoned in a bubble that limits our ability

to physically see and understand the universe we are

born into. These ideas are always prevalent in my

process, manifesting in a few ways. One approach

I use is where I employ automatism to start or generate

images. This method is an attempt to disconnect

intentions from physical actions and allow the

hand to generate a gestural idea by drawing without

really looking. In most of my recent works, I’ll start

an image by sketching a form or shape that might

be lingering in my vision, but then develop it on the

plate, as if it is a puzzle handed to me that I have to

figure out and then define. In this way, I avoid any

initial intention to deliver a message, tell a story or

describe a specific scene - images become challenges

that I have to figure out as I go.

In what ways do both macro and micro perspectives

of the world shape your understanding of

art and inform your interpretation of reality?

It's mostly through discovery and looking that I

found the world around me to be continuous repetitions

of itself, especially in growth forms and textures.

The analogous qualities of the plant and

animal world teach us so much, and observation

shows those relationships formed between environments

and the living things within are so very similar

from one to another in terms of systems, growth

and processes. In many ways, looking at our world

in these ways is important, looking outwards as well

as down and within helps to contextualize our place

and our environment. Art is an experimental space

where we explore these ideas and do both things at

once - recognize structures and larger systems without

losing intimacy while paying close attention to

small things—materials, gestures, moments, sensations—without

treating them as trivial.

Can you share a compelling example of an innovative

experiment you undertook using new

media or materials in your art?

In the late 1990s I began building a series of kite

forms, designing shapes and patterns on the computer

with graphics software, printing them onto Japanese

paper, and constructing them on frames built

from split bamboo. I was influenced by the amazing

Japanese, Malaysian and German designs and forms

that I found in readings and research. I was especially

drawn to the process because it combined

image making with sculptural fabrication. The

crossover of digital ideas printed onto handmade

washi, and then constructed into updated variations

Mark H. Millstein, BOUQUET.2025 - drypoint engraving with relief color, 11" x 16"

of traditional forms, turned out to be fairly successful.

At first, the kites I constructed were designed

and rigged for flying, and in fact, they flew very

well, however as I got further into the craft, the act

of releasing them into the wind became less important

and they were recognized more as sculptural

objects. Some of the later designs were built asymmetrically,

so the kites looked like they were already

moving through the air. I spent more than ten years

building those sculptural forms ending finally after

creating several really large works of seven and

eight feet and taller and running into a similar conundrum

when I was briefly a sculpture major in

college - where can I store all these things? I did

have the opportunity to exhibit many of the kite and

sail forms I produced, including one work that was

selected for a kite design exhibition at the Smithsonian

Museum of Arts and Industry in 2003 and

another for which I won the Kahlil Gibran Award

from the Copley Society of Boston in the same year.

What inspired you to embark on the journey of

teaching digital art and design? How has your

approach to teaching evolved since you began in

1986?

Well, it was sort of accidental really. After my first

year of grad school at Mass Art in Boston, where I

was working mostly in video, I had the opportunity

to work as a production assistant with a small research

company formed by artists and scientists at

MIT. They were developing interactive laser disc

technology for gaming, a rather revolutionary endeavor

back in 1983. There I got my first chance to

work on digital graphics terminals and I became the

visual designer as the company transitioned to more

commercial endeavors. After two years I decided to

return to grad school to finish my degree and in that

time, the school had built a computer lab with some

of the newest technology of the time including

Apple Lisas, a Compugraphic typesetting system, a

Mindset graphics computer and a Cubicomp 3D

modeling PC. As it turned out, there was no one

who knew how to work any of the new technology,

so I was hired as a grad assistant, and I spent most

of that time reading manuals and trying things out.

I really enjoyed that discovery and ended up writing

user manuals for the lab and tutoring individual students.

After graduating in 1986 I was asked by the

chair of the Design Department if I would teach

classes with that new technology. I did so for a year

and then moved to Atlanta where I taught computer

art at my alma mater, Atlanta College of Art. I left

teaching for a while to work as a designer and animator

for a small healthcare media production company

and after about 5 years of that I decided that

continuing to sit in a dark room in front of a computer

monitor for eight hours a day was not something

my fine arts soul could take for much longer.

So, I looked to get back into digital art and took a

teaching job at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh in the

Fine Arts Department where I taught computer art

and video production. I was offered a position at

UMass Dartmouth three years after - and here I am

32 years later, teaching animation. Over the years

I’d say the primary change to my teaching has come

as technology, especially computers, the Internet

and social media has especially permeated the entire

lifetimes of our current students. When I first started

teaching computer art and design I had to explain

how to plug the thing in and use a mouse and keyboard.

Over time, and because of the preparation

students come in with, I’ve removed any emphasis

once placed on learning software and spend more

time on concepts, workflow and image development.

How did your roots in fine arts, particularly in

photography and video art, influence your transition

to the digital realm?

It was in my last couple years as an undergraduate

that personal computers began to show up, although

I didn’t touch a computer until I was well into grad

school.

Continued...



Mark H. Millstein, MAGNET.2025 - drypoint engraving, 6" x 6"

I could see that the technology contained an interesting

potential where photography and drawing

could be combined and delivered to video, areas I

was very interested in and had been exploring in my

first year at grad school. Since most of the early creative

software was developed for drawing and painting

rather than design, I was intrigued by the special

qualities of the tool and the ability to create unique

images using light and a whole new system of color

mixing. Even though the early systems didn’t have

the capability to animate or create motion, I could

see the potential in the machine’s ability to process,

change, save and deliver images. Furthermore, rigorous

debates about the creative validity of digital

tools were everywhere and it was intriguing and

challenging to take part in that.

What has your experience been like curating exhibitions

of digital art and design, and how does

this process compare to the creative act of producing

your own work?

A few of the exhibitions I curated were grant-funded

and done with real research interests in mind and a

desire to show the possibilities for digital media and

its processes and techniques in combination with


traditional media. Admittedly, after proposing and

assembling and opening about a half dozen shows,

I ended up disliking the process of curating very

much! I’d much rather be in the studio concentrating

on my own work and often, the best part of exhibiting

is going to a show opening and being surprised

by how the work fits into the context of the show. I

appreciate so much what you do as a gallery owner,

but working with artists can be painful! It became

very frustrating to get work on time, or as requested.

It’s much better to be on the other end. However, I

have great respect for serious gallerists, like yourself,

who follow through and can keep artists organized

and in line. Thanks for that! - I always get my

work in on time!

Can you illuminate the inspiration behind the

large-scale outdoor projection mapping events

you’ve designed? What motivated those ambitious

projects?

I’d been teaching video production for a few years,

when our college acquired some high-powered projectors.

The dean of our college freely offered the

use of the equipment and suggested I create some

outdoor events. Part of the motivation to experiment

came from the campus architecture itself. The

UMass Dartmouth campus is a concrete brutalist architectural

landmark, designed by Paul Rudolph and

offers many flat surfaces and geometric complexities

that really lent themselves to projection, including

a 207-foot campanile. So, I was intrigued to try

it. At the time, I was getting really interested in alternative

display methods for video such as extrawidescreen

monitors and vertically oriented

displays, so I created a special topics class in video

projection for one semester. After that, UMassBrut,

an art, history and architectural organization dedicated

to preserving and promoting all of the UMass

system’s brutalist architecture, sponsored a few

events where I was able to project inside and outside

of campus buildings, in Dartmouth and in Amherst.

Since then, I’ve had the opportunities where I projected

on downtown New Bedford architecture or

worked with environmental causes to light up a few

events. One of my favorite examples of the architectural

projection I’ve worked on is a group project

by the class I taught, and can be seen here:

https://vimeo.com/793103266

How have your grant-funded initiatives focused

Mark H. Millstein, SECRET.FULL.OF.SAUCERS.2025 - drypoint engraving, 9" x 6"

on non-toxic image-making shaped your development

as an artist? What has rekindled your

passion for printmaking?

I formed a team in the early 2000s to write a research

grant that would begin to examine how digital

technology, digital printing, and new materials

could be employed in the printmaking lab so as to

gradually eliminate solvents, acids and other potentially

toxic materials. There was an important push

at that time to either eliminate all potentially toxic

materials if sophisticated and very expensive ventilation

systems weren't available. I worked with

printmakers Marc St. Pierre and Janine Wong to explore

ideas and materials like water-processed photopolymer

plates, digital negatives, and water and

soy-based inks that could readily be brought into the

classroom and used in traditional processes and

more flexible, experimental methods and processes.

We did a lot of research and ran some workshops.

It was during those trials that I was introduced to the

drypoint on plastic intaglio method. Although I did

not have a chance to try it myself back then, I was

reminded of the process a few years ago, as I sorted

through stacks and stacks of sketchbooks, trying to

decide what to do with so many drawings. The drypoint

on transparent plastic method allows one to

easily transfer a drawing with engraving tools.

Going further, replacing etching and the complexities

of creating tone with repeated acid baths became

an unwanted challenge, and so in the method

I am using, plastic plates, a needle, gravers and various

texture-generating tools including sandpaper

replace volatile trays of acid and ever more expensive

copper plates. The printing method is still the

same, but it becomes much more of a thrill to work

in the print studio when one is handling non-toxic

inks that clean up easily and don’t dry until they hit

the paper.

As you near retirement after an impactful 32-

year teaching career at the University of Massachusetts

Dartmouth, what reflections do you

hold regarding the legacy of your teaching?

Well, I was there at the beginnings of early computer

graphics and art, trying to teach new concepts

with technology at places like Mass Art and Carnegie

Mellon before most people really knew what the

potential of digital art, design and motion was. I

began teaching with the hope that I could share what

I had learned, and how I had learned from the perspective

of a curious, creative person rather than

computer scientist. There had been lots of weird tension

in that world between artists and scientists regarding

the computer, and who was in charge of

creating basic design decisions as well as the question

of authorship. In my early experiences in production

that typically manifested itself in the form

of a conversation, which went something like this:

the software engineer says to the artist, “you should

learn how to program…”, and the artist (me) replies

to the engineer, “you should learn how to draw.”

Those experiences and part of my intention as I

started to teach more was to help artists find their

place using the evolving technology. I think I've

been able to do that by encouraging discovery and

experimentation and hopefully helping creative

people find approaches, processes, and media that

interests them. I’ve always believed the goal for

most artists, whether they know it or not, is to find

that home, that place where they feel most freely expressive.

That’s kind of the core of my philosophy

towards teaching.

Continued...



Mark H. Millstein, INTERIOR.SPACE.2025 - drypoint engraving, 9" x 6"

Mark H. Millstein, COAL.2025 - drypoint engraving, 10" x 13.5"

28 • THE ARTFUL MIND — ARTFULMIND@YAHOO.COM MARCH 2026

Mark H. Millstein, CARCASS.2024 - drypoint engraving - 12" x 9"

As you began your journey with drypoint printmaking

in 2023, what challenges have you encountered

and what achievements are you most

proud of?

As I got started with drypoint intaglio-type printing,

I quickly learned how much I didn’t know. Although

I had taken printmaking courses in college, I was

trying to make it happen with materials that were

new, and many of the subtleties of the process were

a mystery. Furthermore, and unfortunately, my

friend and colleague Marc St. Pierre, a professor and

master printmaker who had spent time studying at

Stanley Hayter’s Atelier 17 in Paris had passed

away a few years earlier, and Janine Wong had retired.

So, like any academic, I started reading and

researching.

In one text I read that “it should take about five years

for a beginner to learn the intricacies of wiping the

plate”. At first, in amateur exuberance for the process

I expressed doubt that it would take me that

long to learn, but, now it’s been a few years and I

admit that it is definitely true - I’m still learning the

process and each new plate and print teaches me

something and challenges me to get to practice the

process more deeply. I was rather gratified that some

of the first few successful prints were accepted into

national juried shows, five in the last year-and-ahalf,

but more so because it confirms for me that I’m

able to get something across, how small or big I

don’t care. I’m mostly proud of the small home studio

I’ve been able to set up, as just walking into the

space keeps me wanting to continue trying something

new.

Could you share some highlights from your past

exhibitions, including your time with the SIG-

GRAPH Art Galleries and the prestigious Kahlil

Gibran Award?

The SIGGRAPH Art Gallery at one time was the

only international computer art and design competition

where computer assisted works by international

artists were juried each year and assembled

in one place. SIGGRAPH is a branch of the ACM

(Association for Computing Machinery), and getting

juried into SIGGRAPH was a rather significant

accomplishment where digital art would be seen by

hundreds of thousands of annual convention visitors

and be permanently archived in the records of the

ACM. Academically and creatively, having my

work selected for five SIGGRAPH Galleries was

an important recognition that inspired me and confirmed

my belief that artists without any engineering

background could create something significant with

contemporary technology and perhaps inspire

others, especially those engineers, to continue to

build better and more expressive tools. During those

years, I was primarily designing and printing and

building sculptural kites and was able to exhibit

them rather widely. I received the Kahlil Gibran

award from the Copley Society of Art in 2003 at an

annual juried show. Just to clarify, this Kahlil Gibran

was a well-known Boston sculptor and a descendent

of the poet Kahlil Gibran, a cousin of his parents,

and for whom there is a different namesake and very

prestigious international award. However, I was

honored if not entirely floored by the gift of that

award, especially since Kahlil Gibran, who passed

away in 2008, was not only a sculptor but also a

painter, a multi-media craftsman and a woodworker

who built musical instruments - things I have also

had a chance to do outside of my primary artwork.

Mark, tell us about your personal journey—

where your roots lie, the story of how you met

Lori, and the significance of North Adams in

your life.

I grew up in South New Jersey in the suburbs across

the river from Philadelphia where toward the end of

my high school career I entered the summer pre-college

program at Philadelphia College of Art, and

that's what really got me going with the desire to

want to be involved in the visual arts. It felt right, as

I was always very involved in the arts and music in

my earlier years and was never sure if I could actually

study those things. And so I was rewarded, I

believe, by my parents decision to allow me to go

to art school for my undergraduate degree. And it

was a wise decision in the long run I think, as well

that's where I first met Lori, the artist and painter,

Lori Bradley of course, at the Atlanta College of art

in 1979.

Continued...



Mark H. Millstein, THICKET.2024 - drypoint engraving - 8" x 9"

At the end of my degree there, I decided to go right

into grad school, so I headed up to Boston to work

on my MFA at Mass Art. Lori ended up studying at

Mass Art as well, and we both ended up back in Atlanta

teaching at the Atlanta College of Art. We got

married in 1990 and then left Atlanta for Pittsburgh

in 1991. For me, although I had some great experiences

teaching and playing in an experimental band

there, Pittsburgh became a slightly depressing place,

it was always cloudy and dim and it was difficult to

get to those natural refuges we were used to having

easy access to. It felt very land-locked and more

Midwestern than expected. Eventually we got to

southeastern Massachusetts, which was like paradise

at first when we lived just a block from the

ocean. We’ve been in New Bedford for almost 30

years since, and as I’ve gotten closer to retirement

we started thinking about where we wanted to live.

We had spent many years camping and traveling in

the Adirondacks, but it was always a long haul out

there. We knew a little bit about North Adams, Mass

MOCA, and the Berkshires and learned quickly

how culturally rich the area is. So, we went on a

voyage of discovery, checking places out and looking

at some real estate just for the heck of it. We didn't

expect to buy anything at all for a few years, but


it was on our first trip out to North Adams in 2018

that we looked at a great property on 29 acres of

woods, and as we were driving home, Lori and I

looked at each other and said “let's get it!”, so we

made a quick chance-filled decision, but it turns out

to have been a great decision.

Mark, how has your conception of what it means

to be an "artist" evolved over the course of your

career?

To me, it means many things, but most importantly

it describes the need to create, and the never-ending

urge to make the non-visual real in some way. In

high-school, I was the vice president of our performing

and visual arts honor society, or PAVAS,

and before graduation, our mentor and teacher

Thelma Jaffe gave us all pins with the letter C on it.

The company that created the pins had mistakenly

put a C instead of a P for PAVAS as intended, however

as she presented them, she said “the C is for

Create, and that's your job - go out and create! I'll

always remember that. For a long time, I never used

the term ‘artist’ to describe myself. I felt as if I had

to earn it, and the term was just too easily tossed

about sometimes and lost its meaning. But I love

seeing what happens when challenged with a mindto-hand

translation, and I’m OK with being called

that now, especially when I return to my studio and

see piles of prints, sketchbooks and other works —

who made all this stuff?! Some artist, that’s me - I

guess that’s my job.

As you reflect on years of exploring art and the

mysteries of life, what new question or mystery

piques your curiosity for future exploration?

That’s a good question - I've laid out several challenges

and ideas that I want to take up in the forthcoming

future, especially as I get closer to

retirement and have more time. Although I don’t

have a particular mystery to chase just yet, as far as

printmaking goes, I'm beginning to delve further

into the exploration of color, as I've spent the first

few years really just concentrating on work with

black-and-white and only minimal color, desiring

to really understand the process, how I'm creating

these images and building more interesting technique

with line quality and tone. In the further future,

I hope to try the print processes of wood-cut

and wood engraving, which have their own unique

and expressive qualities. I’ll also continue producing

short video works - I've taken a break from that

for a while, but I will always love exploring my en-

Mark H. Millstein, SPACE.BETWEEN.STATES.2024 - drypoint engraving, 9" x 12"

vironment with a camera, framing, and isolating

those jewel-like scenes and places we find out in the

natural world. Once I retire I look forward to having

more time to make and record music once again - I

haven’t told Lori yet, but I’m planning to set my

recording studio back up in North Adams.

With winter draping the world in a snowy embrace,

I’m eager to hear how you and your dogs

are finding joy in the beauty of winter walks!

Can you recount your most memorable walk or

hike with your pups, and share the thoughts that

drift through your mind during these moments?

When I take Bella out, it’s a chance for me to vocalize,

think things through, and relieve stress.

For you, could you describe your best experiences,

memories, or streams of consciousness, allowing

us to accompany you on your journey?

When we first moved to North Adams, we took our

first walk with our dogs up into the forest behind

our house, having only seen a small portion of it before

purchase. It was a jaw-dropping joy to see the

tall trees, streams, birds on our property as we felt

like it is now our task to help protect it if we could.

And of course, we love the land and the opportunity

to preserve a small property that is so significant to

the life within it. We’ve got bears, turkeys, coyotes

and a zillion squirrels and birds and it’s a pleasure

to share the land with them. It’s also intriguing to

consider the history of the area, as there’s very little

recorded or known regarding the northern Berkshires

before the 18th century. I’ve researched,

found and made some presumptions regarding stone

constructs built by indigenous people in the local

area, but because so little can be confirmed, it’s left

to my imagination to describe the original occupiers

and activities on these lands. But this area is lush

and rich in so many ways that nearly every walk and

bike ride is memorable.

Mark, I am interested to hear why you chose the

quote in the opening of our interview:“I shut my

eyes in order to see.”

I chose the Paul Gauguin quote because it's always

meant so much to me as a creative person and artist.

When I first saw that quote as an art student, I was

reassured that my imagination, being so weird and

wild at times, was an important resource for ideas.

I do close my eyes in order to see more clearly and

to understand my own plans. Having the ability to

see the future or draw up a plan of your visual destination

can be difficult, but it's not hard to close

your eyes and use your imagination to give yourself

the belief and confidence that a visual idea can become

tangible. In my teaching, I try to encourage

students to take the time to visualize what it is they

are planning to create. Even Mike Vrabel, the coach

of the Patriots, was heard in his post playoff victory

locker room speech to say, “…I told you guys, if

you can believe it, you will see it” - great advice.

www.markmillstein.com

u


LORI BRADLEY

Carolyn M. Abrams

"Snow Squall"

Watercolor on cradled Wood Panels.

loribradley@comcast.net

http://www.loribradleyart.com

“Midnight Reverie”

12” x 12”, Oils and cold wax medium

Atmospheric and Inspirational Art

www.carolynabrams.com

MEMBER GUILD OF BERKSHIRE ARTISTS

FRONT STREET GALLERY

Winter Day In Housatonic, Oil on canvas, 30” x 30”

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

32 •MARCH 2026 THE ARTFUL MIND

MARY ANN PALERMO

As a vocalist, my bedrock is jazz tradition, the

blues, and the Great American Songbook. I consider

my voice an instrument for boundary-breaking exploration,

blurring the lines between genres to create

a soundscape that is both familiar and excitingly

new.

I thrive on challenging the conventional limits of

a “jazz singer,” weaving elements of pop, soul, and

cinematic sound design into my work, and this

blending is evident across my diverse catalog on

Spotify and other streaming platforms. Traditional

arrangements sit alongside adventurous and out-ofthe-box

compositions, but the goal is always to generate

an immersive listening experience that defies

easy categorization.

Performing, my core intention is to foster genuine

and visceral connection with the audience. I believe

music is a shared and immediate dialogue that transcends

the stage. Whether through intimate, traditional

ballads or expansive, cinematic soundscapes,

I build moments of emotional resonance and shared

discovery. My art is about versatility and connection

using my wide-ranging musical palette to express

an authentic modern voice that honors the past

while creating the future.

Mary Ann Palermo—

Available for private events:

Email: howmuchbettercanitget@gmail.com

Website : https://maryannpalermo.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maryannpalermo_averosarecords

Record label website:

https://averosarecords.com/#section0

Hear Now website : https://maryannpalermo.hearnow.com/theres-a-place-beatles-re-imagined

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1P5DDko-

BymMyNn52dmMeoL

ART ON MAIN

Another exciting season begins at Art on Main

Gallery in West Stockbridge, the member gallery of

the Guild of Berkshire Artists, opening April 2 with

the 8x8x4 Challenge, curated by Carolyn Abrams.

Eight artists. Eight photographs. Four artworks

each. In this creative challenge, each participating

artist contributed a photograph and shared it with

fellow artists. Working in two groups of four, the

artists used these images as inspiration to create

original works across a variety of media. Participating

artists include Sally Lebwohl, Sarah Morrison,

Marilyn Orner, Chris Dewailly, Valerie Thomas,

Moira O’Grady, Mark Mellinger, and Marsha Walton.

Artwork will feature pastels, fiber arts, oils, ceramics,

and acrylics.

An opening reception will be held on Saturday,

April 4, from 2–4 pm. Gallery hours are Thursday–

Sunday, 11am–4 pm.

Looking ahead, monthly exhibits through December

will be curated by Guild artists David Goldstein,

Julian Craker, Jeff Nestel-Patt, Anne Ferril,

Jill Kantor, Kathy Feuerbach, and Karen Carmean.

Each curator will present a themed exhibition featuring

additional Guild artists.

Stay tuned — and stop in to see what all the excitement

is about!

The Guild of Berkshire Artists is a non-profit organization

focused on bringing people together

through art. Run entirely by volunteers, we support

artists and art lovers alike by creating welcoming

opportunities to learn, connect, and share creativity.

We host shows in a variety of venues and offer workshops

for all skill levels—from cold wax and oil

painting to many other creative practices.

To learn more about upcoming workshops, events,

and membership please visit us at www.berkshireartists.org

MATT BERNSON FROM ZOOM LIFE DRAWING,

MARKERS ON PAPER, 12” X 18”

MATT BERNSON

Matt Bernson is a figurative artist who intuitively

uses bold lines and bright color to expressively portray

the human figure in playful and provocative

ways. Matt graduated from MassArt with a BFA in

Animation & Painting and has worked as a caricaturist

and tattoo artist. His style could be described

as a flavor of illustrative expressionism: a combination

of strong lines and graphic composition paired

with vivid color and loose brush strokes to hint at a

narrative for the viewer to feel through. Matt Bernson

brings attention to the human body with unique

methodologies to help the viewer find new levels of

appreciation for the figure.

Matt Bernson—

www.artbyMattBernson.com

IG: @MattBernson.Art

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

Traditionally the Nude was used to express formulations about life as larger-than-life,

as Heroic or Ideal… The nude is not a ‘genre’ subject.”

—Isabel Bishop


BERKSHIRE DIGITAL

Since opening in 2005, Berkshire Digital has done

fine art printing and digital scanning for artists and

photographers. Archival Inkjet/Giclée prints can be

made in many different sizes from 5”x7” to 42”x

80” on a variety of archival paper choices. Berkshire

Digital was featured in Photo District News (PDN)

magazine in an article about fine art printing. See

the entire article on the BerkshireDigital.com website.

Berkshire Digital does accurate digital scans of

paintings, illustrations and old photographs that can

be used for archival prints, books, magazines, brochures,

cards and websites.

Berkshire Digital also designs and produces books

printed by Blurb.com

“Fred Collins couldn’t have been more professional

or more enjoyable to work with. He did a

beautiful job in photographing paintings carefully,

efficiently, and so accurately. It’s such a great feeling

to know I have these beautiful, useful files on

hand anytime I need them. I wish I’d called Fred

years ago.” ---- Ann Getsinger

We offer restoration and repair of damaged or

faded photographs. A complete overview of services

offered, along with pricing, can be seen on the

web at BerkshireDigital.com

The owner, Fred Collins, has been a commercial

and fine art photographer for over 30 years having

had studios in Boston, Stamford and the Berkshires.

He offers over 25 years of experience with Photoshop,

enabling retouching, restoration and enhancement

to prints and digital files. The studio is located

in Mt Washington but drop-off and pick-up is available

through Frames On Wheels, 84 Railroad Street

in Great Barrington, MA. 413-528-0997 and

Gilded Moon Framing, 17 John Street in Millerton,

NY, 518-789-3428.

Berkshire Digital -

413-644-9663

www.BerkshireDigital.com

ARTFULMIND@YAHOO.COM

KATE KNAPP

EARLY SUMMER BOUQUET, OIL ON CANVAS, 24”X 30”

KATE KNAPP

ZINNIAS AND BLUE CHAIR, OIL ON CANVAS, 20” X 24”

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

PORTRAIT OF BRUCE BY BOBBY MILLER

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


MORNING LIGHT PLAY IN THE STUDIO

BRUCE LAIRD

Clock Tower Artists

Business Center Studio #307 75 South Church Street, Pittsfield, MA Instagram- ecurbart


RICHARD NELSON

ALPHABET LETTER V

&

Ai

ART

Digital Art

nojrevned@hotmail.com

Rick Nelson on FB


BELIEF IN THE POSSIBILITIES OF SPRING

COLLAGE, CRADLED WOODEN BOARD, 12”X12”X2”

FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT

COLLAGE, CRADLED WOODEN BOARD, 10”X10”X2”

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.

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

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 —

Clock Tower, #307, 75 South Church Street,

Pittsfield, MA. Instagram: @ecurbart

"EARLY ICE UP"

WATERCOLOR ON CRADLED WOOD PANEL, 24” X 36”

LORI BRADLEY

Lori Bradley is a contemporary painter working

primarily in oil and water media on canvas and

wood panels. This series of paintings in gouache

and ink on board is inspired by stories and film, with

mysterious settings that suggest distant memories.

She explores plants and trees acting as characters in

natural settings. Much of Lori’s work is firmly

rooted in nature, while this series reflects her fascination

with the mysterious connections between

human artifacts and the landscape.

Lori Bradley—

loribradley@comcast.net

http://www.loribradleyart.com


DAY AFTER DAY, CONTÉ CRAYON, METALLIC COLOR PEN

AND INK ON BLACK MIXED MEDIA PAPER, 6” X 8”

LEO MAZZEO

As a long time advocate for the arts, New Ashford

based artist Leo Mazzeo has served on regional

boards and acted as a catalyst for many arts related

projects. He works primarily on paper, using diverse

media and techniques appropriate for each

piece’s theme. Initially, he establishes a broad concept,

which evolves into a narrative as a piece progresses.

Mazzeo sketches from life, reference images, and

imagination, assembling compositions almost as a

collage artist would. Symbolism is key, and characters

and objects often have repeating roles. His

themes are sociopolitical/psychological, often surreal,

reflecting personal perspectives and offering

therapeutic benefits.

Leo Mazzeo —

l-mazzeo@hotmail.com

BREAKTHROUGHS

ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, 12”X18”

RUBY AVER

Growing up on the South Side of Chicago in the

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

youth, my 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, dominates, spontaneously

combining raw as well as delicate impulses.

I was honored with the exhibition of my abstract

painting (inspired by Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl

Earring) in the Amsterdam Vermeer exhibit 2024 .

Ruby Aver—

Housatonic Studio open by appointment:

413-854-7007 / rdaver2@gmail.com

Instagram: rdaver2

CENTERPOINT

JOHN KRYSKO

I began Berkshire CenterPoint this summer as a

way in our electronic/social media world to connect

and find Community in the Berkshire region. Arts,

music, food, healthy lifestyles, and recreation

abound, but finding them can be challenging. There

are wonderful magazines and websites that provide

partial means as guides, but there is no one central

electronic visual e-zine that helps in our journey.

BCP is providing this connectivity through interviews,

videos and commentary aimed to remind us

we ARE a Community, and to assist in deepening

that experience.

CenterPoint also puts front-and-center the importance

of the Spiritual and Health aspects at the hub

of the experience of Community. This does not

mean traditional religion (although that is a part of

it), but rather it is that broader dimension of our

Lives that helps us find meaning, assists in our discovery

of our Purpose(s)- both as individuals and

collectively.

I have had the privilege of engaging and interviewing

individual artists, musicians, health professionals

(think yoga, nutrition, life coaching), as well

as representatives from institutions such as the Berkshire

Botanical Gardens, Chesterwood, and numerous

representatives from our local Community

Centers.

So, whether you are just a seasonal visitor, a permanent

resident, or an artist passing through, please

look us up, and join the growing Community that

is: CenterPoint. (It is free).

John Krysko —

413-679-3550 at work or 914-391-5095 (cell)

john@berkshirecenterpoint.org

“Sometimes the painting starts to relate very directly to

either sights seen or experiences felt, other times it just

goes off on a tangent that you really can’t articulate.”

—Susan Rothenberg




JANET COOPER

THE ART OF FIGURING OUT

WHAT KIND OF ARTIST I AM

Fabrics, anatomy, stitches, colors and bricologue

are words , imbued with intense emotionality for

me, a maker, collector and lover of objects and

places.

My first love was clay, so basic, earthy and obsessively

compelling, I adored making pottery

shapes and objects, resembling torsos. A

period of fascination with vintage tin cans, bottle

caps and junky metal discards followed. Metal was

sheared, punched, riveted and assembled into figurative

shapes. I began to use fabrics with these

works and eventually abandoned metal for hand

stitching doll sculptures, totems and collages, all

with second hand or recycled fabrics.

Lately I have introduced paint and waxes into my

work. I also am using animal bones, those armatures

of mammal form. I am recycling old works

into the new, a kind of synthesis of who I have been

with whom I am now.

I am also returning to jewelry or ornament making.

as well as fashioning a collection of garden and

street wear art aprons.

Janet Cooper—

janetcoop@gmail.com

www.janetcooperdesigns.com

DIGITAL ART BY RICK NELSON (FIND HIM ON FB)

RICHARD NELSON

I find it awkward to discuss my art. It's a form of

catharsis for me as I dig deep into my own insecurities,

indiscretions as my subject matter. I will start

with an image depicting these " darker" tendencies

that lurk inside, present them for the world to see.

There is great personal satisfaction in creating these

images, but they are only for my benefit. The next

step is to obfuscate them until they are no longer

recognizable. I have the satisfaction of knowing that

image is there, but it's my own little secret. Better

than therapy!

Richard Nelson —nojrevned@hotmail.com

Rick Nelson on FB

“Generally speaking, color directly influences the soul.

Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the hammers,

the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays,

touching one key or another purposively, to cause vibrations in the soul.”

~ Wassily Kandinsky

Some People I Haven’t Met

STEPHAN MARC KLEIN

In airports, on trains, on subways, in parks and

playgrounds, on beaches, in cafes, restaurants, theaters,

in doctors’ waiting rooms: throughout my life

I have drawn people. It is fun, good practice, and it

takes stealth, courage, and speed. It can help to draw

people sleeping and it helps to keep a small sketchpad

handy. As for stealth, one develops strategies of

subterfuge—such as hiding the sketchpad in a book

I pretend to read. I have always found it fascinating

to draw people--no two are alike, faces and bodies

can express character, give hints of stories untold.

Stephan Marc Klein is an award-winning retired

architect and professor emeritus of interior and exhibition

design. He holds a doctorate in Environmental

Psychology. He has been making art since

childhood, and at age 87 continues to experience the

joy of creating. He now lives in Great Barrington

with his wife, fellow artist and writer Anna Oliver.

stephanmarcklein.com / smk8378@gmail.com

Member 510 Warren Street Gallery, Hudson, NY


Sally Tiska Rice

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

Matt Bernson

Portrait of Patsanella, Acrylic on canvas, 9” x 12”

www.artbyMattBernson.com

IG: @MattBernson.Art


Valeria and the Ants

CHAPTER 10

“The Book of Leaves”

Valeria had absentmindedly put her thimble on her

little finger, and I looked up at the sky. At that moment

she realized that I thought there was some connection

between her thimble, and the weather. Obviously I did

not think that, and the reason I looked up at the sky, I

really can’t say, it was just that the thought was floating

around in my head at the time. Even so, I decided

I would just pretend to believe it, just to provoke an

argument about cause and effect, just to see what she

might have to say.

“So,” I began, “You apparently do not agree with

all those people around here that claim that you control

the weather with your little finger and your thimble?”

“No,” she said, “do you think I’m stupid, do you

think I’m an idiot? Just think, a thimble is a little

thing, a very little thing.” Having made this obvious

statement she held her hand up and admired her thimble.

Then she continued, “And the weather is a big

thing, a very big thing, and also it is very slow moving

and…ponderious? Would you say ponderous would

be the right word, or some other word.”

“But a fly can land on an Elephant’s back, and the

elephant will flinch” I pointed out. Having attempted

to contradict her, she said nothing for a moment, she

looked up to her left and took a hold of her chin with

her thumb and first finger like people do when they

are trying to remember something.

“Yes, that's true,” she replied, “I know because

Bruno told me so himself, but even so…”

“And you know that if you were to put your thimble

on your little finger, after some period of time it would

surely start to rain, and also, if you put it on you first

finger, after a while the sun would shine, so how is

one to know that the thimble did not cause those

changes?”

I could see by her exasperated look that she understood

my argument, saw that it was a fake argument,

and she could see that I did not even believe what I

was saying, and yet, she could not think of a rebuttal.”

She extended her hand and the thimble was on her

little finger, then, she pulled it on and off and also put

it on all her other fingers several times rapidly, and

with each motion gazing up at the sky as if looking

for some change.”

That was her argument, a series of gestures to show

that the thimble did nothing to the sky. “That's no

proof of anything because the rain would take some

time to start, it wouldn't start in an instant.” I said

“What is proof?" she asked. “A proof is when you

prove that something is true,” I said, but I could see

that saying that a thing is itself was not an explanation

so I tried to explain the idea of proof with an illustration.

“Imagine you make yourself some pudding.” “What

kind of pudding,” she wanted to know. “Any kind of

pudding, chocolate pudding, and you don't have a

spoon so you go to find a spoon and when you come

back all the pudding is gone. You have a dog, and you

look at the dog and there is pudding on his nose so

you know the dog ate the pudding, his nose proves it.”

“And does it have to be a dog, for example, if it was

a cat, would it still be proof?”

“Yes,” I said, “the cat can be the proof of the pudding.”

She became animated with an epiphany and called

out. “No No, the cat can’t be the proof of the pudding.

Don’t you see, the cat eats the pudding, then, being a

cat, and very neat and clean, she cleans herself so

there is no pudding on her face. The dog will sniff the

pudding bowl when the cat is finished, and will get

some on his nose.” There was a long silence, and then,

“The dog will be blamed, the innocent dog will take

the blame, and be punished and does not know why.

And he did nothing, he was just curious, and he is

being punished…” Tears formed in the corners of her

eyes, but at the last moment she controlled her feelings

and settled instead into that satisfied mood a person

has after they have spontaneously created an

irrefutable argument.

“That is why a proof has to be beyond a shadow of

a doubt.” I said

“Do doubts cast a shadow?”

“No, ‘shadow of a doubt' is a figure of speech."

“Does speech have a figure?”

“No, a figure of speech is just another figure of

speech, but now tell me, how can we prove that the

thimble affects the weather, or prove that it does not

affect the weather.”

“Do you have to prove a thing in order for it to be

so, or not so,”

“I do not know.” I replied.

“You know Thomas has some ideas about the thimble

not being able to make it rain. Here is what he

thinks, he thinks that everything is predetermined

down to the tiniest detail, and so nothing anyone ever

does can ever affect anything. If it is going to rain it

will rain, and nothing a person does has anything to

do with it, and not only that but when the wind blows

a leaf around, where it lands is already decided millions

of years ago.”

“What?” I said sarcastically, “Does Thomas think

everything is written down in a book, like for example,

the various locations where each leaf is going to

have to land, if they like it or not. Just the book for

leaves would have to be a pretty big book, and then

there would have to be another for raindrops, rocks

rolling down hills and …do you think that is so, or

not.”

“No,” she replied, resolutely. “Absolutely not. And

not only do I not believe in ‘predetermination,’ which

is the word Thomas used to describe the idea that

leaves have absolutely no say in where they are planning

to land, but Thomas himself does not believe it

either!”

“How do you know that?” “Because on Monday he

is deterministic, and on Tuesday he is the opposite.

Sometimes he insists that there is no order in anything

at all; and that everything is just a series of giant mistakes

and accidents, except for obvious things like orbits

for the sun and the moon and things like that. He

thinks that the extremely predictable things were put

there to mock and belittle our helplessness, and our

inability to control even the simplest most basic things

in our lives. He calls it the, ‘hit by a bus,’ problem.

where a person has a great plan for the rest of their

life, but a moment later gets hit by a bus, or is struck

by some evil intentioned falling bricks from a construction

site, or even lightning.”

“And what would you call the opposite of determinism?”

“I guess I would call it randomism.”

“For Thomas to believe in determinism on Monday,

and randomness on Tuesday would be logical in a person

like him, because you could say that he is rich on

Monday, and poor on Tuesday, and then again he is

rich on Wednesday, which is the plight of all those

people who have been gifted with a trust fund with

rigid requirements.

“And it is to be expected that the rich believe in determinism

with great enthusiasm, just as a person who

is one year old can own millions of dollars, and does

not even have any idea what a dollar even is.

“And then you could assume that people who are born

poor are destined to believe that everything is just

topsy turvy, recklessness, and feckless, inconsiderate

and even pointlessly irritating events without rhyme

or reason. And they might even prefer rhyme to reason,

since it gives some satisfaction.

Also consider the Kings and Queens of history who

not only believe in determinism, but also in Divine

Providence especially as pertaining to themselves and

their special offspring, even if their offspring are obvious

idiots.

“And you, operator of the free will bumper cars, do

you think there really is a free will, and do you think

every bump of the cars has to be written down in a

book , for all time, and we take pleasure in not knowing

what will happen because of ignorance?”

“You have said that very beautifully,” I said, “But I

have no idea, and I will not even offer an opinion, but

I will repeat what my old math teacher said, the day

the roller blind rolled up suddenly and unexpectedly

with the sound like a machine gun firing.”

“Consider the roller blind,” he said, after regaining

his composure, and coming out from behind his desk

where he had ducked down for a minute. “Does it not

seem to us that the roller blind just decided, of its own

free will, to roll up suddenly at 2:45 this afternoon.

But it could not have happened without a reason. As

you might know the blind works with a spring that is

under tension, and holds the blind in place. But let's

imagine that when the spring was placed into the

mechanism, perhaps ten years ago, that the worker

was hot, and some sweat dripped from his forehead

onto the spring, and the sweat had salt in it, and so the

spring started to rust, and then, just now, a few minutes

ago it finally rusted through. And so, a series of

events was put in motion years ago that made the

shade roll up just now. And so, isn’t it obvious that

everything that happens must happen for a reason, and

a good and even sometimes obvious reason.

“But that is not the end of it, because the most important

thing for us who are sitting here, was the noise

the blind made and the surprise it has caused us, and

our surprise and amazement is as much a part of the

event as the rusting of the spring, and so our inevitable

surprise must be a part of the grand scheme of things,

and therefore since surprise has to be foundational to

the working of the universe, we have to conclude that

the….”

But I was unable to finish my old math teacher’s

dissertation on the primal nature of unpredictability

of things, because Valeria jumped up and shouted out.

”I have to go, right this minute, because I just thought

of something.”

“What is it?” I asked. But she had already started

to run away, but turning back for a moment she

shouted, "It's the fly that landed on the elephant, you

will see.”

—RICHARD BRITELL FEBRUARY, 2026

CHAPTERS 1 - 9 CAN BE FOUND AT

RICHARDBRITELL.COM



BRUCE PANOCK

RAINY DAY WITH BOAT

Panockphotography.com

bruce@panockphotography.com

917-287-8589 | Instagram @brucepanock

Fragile Truths

Deborah H. Carter

Upcycled Chicken Eggs

and Emu Egg

Photo: Eric Korenman

Model: Francesca Stanmeyer

Clock Tower Artists

Represented by The WIT Gallery

the artful mind MARCH R 2026

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