The Artful Mind April 2026 issue

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

TheARTFUL MIND

APRIL 2026

JENINE SHEREOS

PHOTOGRAPH BY XAVIER LETTERON

THE ARTFUL MIND APRIL 2026 • 1

2 • APRIL 2026 THE ARTFUL MIND

IN PRINT SINCE 1994

The ARTFUL MIND

April 2026

Time to listen to Cat Stevens, Morning has Broken

JOANE CORNELL

FINE JEWELRY

The Bidwell House Museum

A Talk with Executive Director Heather Kowalski...12

Interview with Jenine Shereos

Textile Fiber Artist and Professor

Photography on cover by Xavier Letteron... 22

Interview with Jaye Alison (Moscariello)

Update with the Artist..30

Richard Britell | FICTION

Valeria and the Ants Conclusion

The Storm CHAPTER 11 ... 39

Diaries of Jane Gennaro

Mining My Life ... 40

Stacked 18kt/silver wide bands.

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 —

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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

Born To Live. 16” x 16”

SERGIO DEMO

“N8” Collage Assemblage, 2024

COLLAGE / ASSEMBLAGE | NORTH ADAMS MA

INSTAGRAM.COM/SDEMO66 SERGIODEMOART.COM



GHETTA HIRSCH

This painting is in oil on vintage linen canvas.

I have the vintage European linen stretched

and I cover it with a few coats of Gesso

before I paint with oil. The many coats of

paint create this luscious effect.

This painting was done over 6 months and

framed with white wood. It is part of my

study of rocks within a landscape.

“Crossroads” is in my Williamstown studio

and can be viewed by appointment.

Please call me at 413-597-1716

Ghetta-hirsch.squarespace.com

@ghettahirschpaintings

Crossroads Oil on Vintage Linen 12”x12”

Matt Bernson

CLAUDIA AND ANEE, 12” X 18”

www.artbyMattBernson.com

IG: @MattBernson.Art


Mary Ann Palermo

International Recording Artist, Jazz Vocalist, Performer, Songwriter

Check out the newest album here at Hear Now:

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Available for Private Events

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

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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


DURING THE STORM

MIDDLE PANEL FROM SNOWSTORM, ALFORD VILLAGE--

TRIPTYCH

STEPHAN MARC KLEIN

I have been sketching and making art for all my

adult life, since my undergraduate education as an

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

at present about creating art, besides the shear visceral

pleasure of making things, of putting pencil or

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

images on the computer, is the aesthetic tension

or energy generated in the metaphoric spaces

between the abstract and the representational, between

individual work and reproduction, and between

analog and digital processes. I enjoy creating

images that result from working back and forth between

the computer and the handmade. My wife,

artist Anna Oliver, and I have made our home in the

Berkshires for the past three years and I am still entranced

with its beauty. I think much of my work is

in part a kind of visual rhapsody to the area. The

idea for Snowstorm, Alford Village, came from an

interest I have had in exploring the dimension of

time in the plastic arts. Also, I love snowy winters.

Stephan Marc 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

TULLE AND TANGO

PHOTO: ERIC KORENMAN

MODEL: KATIE MITTS

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

“It is art that makes life, makes interest, makes importance,

and I know of no substitute for the force and beauty of its process.”

— Henry James

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


MARK MILLSTEIN

Magnet, drypoint on aluminum, 6" x 6", 2025

www.markmillstein.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


MOONSTONE PENDANTS

JOANE CORNELL

FINE JEWELRY

I believe we’re all breathing a sigh of relief at this

time of the year. Such an unrelenting winter!

I put those cold and dank winter days/evenings into

good use.

My commission order business is burgeoning.

This is primarily what has occupied my time the last

3 months.

A few more orders to complete, and then it’s nose

to the grind stone, so to speak, to ramp up my production

of new designs.

My store schedule is still spotty, and will remain

so until at least mid May.

PLEASE, call me if you’re planning a trip to the

Chatham NY area, and I’ll happily make time for

you!

Can’t wait to see you soon!

Joane Cornell Fine Jewelry—

917-971-4662

9 Main St. Chatham, New York

www.JoaneCornellFineJewelry.com

Instagram: Joane Cornell Fine Jewelry

MAN CAVE, MOIRA O’GRADY

CERAMACIST

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

The sound of the sea, the curve of a horizon, wind in leaves, the cry of a bird

leave a manifold impression in us. And suddenly, without our wishing it at all,

one of these memories spills from us and finds expression in musical language…

I want to sing my interior landscape with the simple artlessness of a child.

—Claude Debussy

“SPRING 2026” OIL AND INK ON ARCHES PAPER

GHETTA HIRSCH

April should be a month filled with Spring colors,

the renewal of nature, peace, energy, and new beginnings.

Yet, as I write this piece, the world seems to have

bypassed the magic of Spring. Perhaps we, in America,

have even forgotten the recent long Walk for

Peace that monks took from Texas to Washington,

DC. “Choose Peace!” they said. Yet, many in this

world are still not listening.

My creativity without peace is hurting. I remember

that during Covid, I was using a palette

knife on wood panels, layering heavily textured oil

paint. I seem to have reached this same despair. In

this painting, titled “Spring 26”, I see dead trees instead

of flowers and black mourning lines instead

of gorgeous stamens in colorful corollas. I represent

Nature in fire instead of gentle streams galloping to

water the land, vertical fiery colors instead of serene

and peaceful horizontal expanses. Please understand

that I wish I could share a painting filled with joy

and celebration, but I cannot be a hypocrite. Life is

scary right now, not peaceful or offering signs of renewal.

The blackened trees do not show the sweet

buds we are waiting for after a long winter. They

are injured and burning out like our country’s spirit.

Note that this is not a political thought but a human

perception.

Although I am gathering seeds, preparing to nurture

the plants we need to grow, I sense a hesitancy

in my efforts, as if the earth is speaking to me and

sharing an anxiety we should all be recognizing.

How can we face this Spring life without peace, respect,

and kindness? Why are some of us destroying

the hopeful gifts of this earth with human greed and

follies?

I am not a Picasso, but I cannot forget the power

of the 1937 Guernica painting. Why can’t we

choose Peace over War? Artists feel the pulse of our

world. Our sensitivity catches the danger ahead. I

have noticed that many artists right now are painting

rocks, the underwater world, and trees. Is this a subconscious

grounding effort? Wake up and invite

peace this Spring April! The earth will reward us. I

hope!

I will have some pieces exhibited at the Future

Labs Gallery in North Adams in April, but you are

always welcome to visit my studio in Williamstown

and view some brighter paintings. It might cheer

you up. At least I can always serve tea or coffee,

and we can hope together to bring back PEACE.

Do call or text 413-597 1716 to visit!

Ghetta Hirsch—

ghetta-hirsch.squarespace.com



Mercy Otis Warren as portrayed by Michelle Gabrielson Photograph by Steve Gilbert

The BIDWELL HOUSE Museum

A Talk with Executive Director Heather Kowalski

Interview by Harryet Candee

Photographic images courtesy of Steve Gilbert, Heather Kowalski and Bidwell House Museum

Recently, I spoke with Heather Kowalski about the

Bidwell House Museum in Monterey, Mass.—an

Early American historical site just a short walk from

my home. Built around 1760 as a parsonage, this

Georgian saltbox is a significant part of Berkshire

County’s history and has been carefully preserved

by generations of homeowners, preservationists,

historians and actively involved Bidwell Family

members. The museum’s rooms showcase period

artwork, artifacts, and original furnishings, while

the gardens and trails further illuminate the area’s

past.

The Bidwell House brings history to life through

Revolutionary War reenactments, preserved architecture

and artifacts, and the experience of walking

the wooded trails and gardens that bridge past and

present in a blur, where if they use their imagination,

can sense the enduring presence of those who once

walked these same paths. Seeing the museum in the

broader context of history helps us appreciate how

art, culture, and heritage continue to shape our

daily lives.


Heather, how would you best describe the Bidwell

House? What makes it so unique among

historic sites in the Berkshires?

The Bidwell House was built in the 1760s by Adonijah

Bidwell, the first minister of what was then

called Township #1, today’s Monterey and Tyringham.

The Bidwell family lived in the house for close

to 100 years, and the house then spent the next century

under various owners until being purchased in

1960 by Jack Hargis and David Brush. Using Reverend

Bidwell’s Probate inventory as a guide, Jack

and David spent 25 years restoring the house and

filling it with 18th and 19th-century antiques appropriate

to a minister’s house. It is unique locally in

that it is the only 18th-century home in the Berkshires

that is open to the public and on its original

land.

As Executive Director, what initially drew you to

the Bidwell House and what keeps you inspired

in your role?

I moved to the Berkshires with my family in 2015

and was looking for part-time work in the Museum

field when I came across a listing for the Bidwell

House. I have always been interested in historic architecture,

but had never had the opportunity to

work in a historic home, so I was excited to begin

working here in 2015.

Heather, could you share how your educational

background has influenced your approach as

Executive Director, and how it has benefited Bidwell

House and its mission?

I have an undergraduate degree in Art History, but

my real Museum education has come through my

experience working in Museums since 1998. Studying

art history in school is illuminating and provides

a wonderful intellectual foundation, but art

history classes do not teach you how to ship a priceless

painting to Europe, write a publicity email, or

balance a museum budget. Much of my education

has been on-the-job, in person.

How does the 1784 probate inventory help us understand

the daily life and social status of the Bidwell

family?

The probate inventory is a snapshot of the Bidwell

family's life in 1784. We see the cooking utensils

they used and the clothing he owned. One bit of information

from the inventory that always fascinates

visitors is that, when Reverend Bidwell died, he

owned 48 chairs. This is an enormous number of

chairs for a house of this size and period. As the

minister of a small town, Bidwell would have had

to host people in his house regularly and even deliver

sermons on site, which is why he had so many

chairs. Information like this helps give us a deeper

glimpse into 18th-century Berkshire life.

How has the architecture of the Bidwell House

evolved over time, and what original features

have been preserved?

The original saltbox house was built in the 1760s

and was unaltered for the first 50 or so years of its

existence. Reverend Bidwell’s son, Adonijah Jr., inherited

the house in 1784 and lived there with his

family, which included 12 children (though not all

lived to adulthood). He added an extension at the

back to create a summer kitchen and storage space.

His son John Devotion Bidwell inherited the property

in 1836. John Bidwell was a local justice of the

peace and added on another wing to the east side of

the house, containing an office and a carriage barn.

Luckily for the Museum, the owners of the house

after the Bidwells made very few changes to the

original 1760s house, so the wall paneling is intact,

the rooms are as they were in the 18th century, and

Hargis and Brush were able to determine the original

paint colors.

Who were the last private owners of the Bidwell

House, and what was their lifetime contribution

to it? Are there any former residents whose lives

or personalities you personally relate to or find

especially fascinating?

The last private owners of the house were Jack Hargis

and David Brush. Jack and David were dress and

fabric designers from New York who loved the

Berkshires and bought the house in 1960. They

spent over 20 years restoring the house and collecting

antiques appropriate for an 18th-century minister's

residence. David Brush was also a skilled

textile conservator and spent much of his time in

Monterey restoring antique textiles and creating bed

hangings for the main bedroom, inspired by the treeof-life

pattern.

Heather, can you describe a particularly significant

artifact or room in the museum that consistently

sparks conversation?

A room that always inspires conversations is the

Keeping Room. Other rooms in the house look old

but also relatable (things like beds and tables are familiar

with what we use today), but the Keeping

room or kitchen space is nothing like a contemporary

kitchen. People are fascinated by the variety of

tools and cooking utensils used to cook meals, as so

few of us have ever had any real experience cooking

over a fire (outside of camping). An object that always

gets attention is the portrait of Mary Bidwell

in the Parlor. It is a really lovely painting of the wife

of Barnabas Bidwell, Reverend Bidwell’s second

son, and one of our docents in particular loves telling

their story. The two married for love, and their

correspondence shows how much they cared for

each other.

How does the curator and Administrative Manager

approach developing new exhibits and

managing the museum’s collection to ensure

both historical accuracy and visitor engagement?

Erin and I usually start talking about a theme for the

summer exhibition in the prior fall and try to plan

some programs around it. In past years, we have had

exhibitions on historic textiles, redware, and the restoration

of the house. For the summer of 2026, we

hope to host a small exhibition on foodways, featuring

some of the cooking tools and serveware

from the collection. Historical accuracy is very important,

and we have a number of experts in the antiques

and decorative arts worlds we can turn to for

verification of information and to expand on the object

information we have on file.

How do family dynamics, marriage, and mortality

rates in the 18th century come through in the

stories preserved at the Bidwell House?

Reverend Bidwell had three wives, the first two of

whom died young, which was not uncommon at the

time. Unfortunately, we know very little about his

first two wives, other than who their families were

and how long they lived. His first wife, Theodosia

Colton, was allegedly a poet, but none of her poems

survive. His second wife, Jemima Devotion, bore

him four children before dying when the youngest

was only five. This is likely why he entered his third

marriage with Ruth Kent so quickly; he needed

someone to keep his house and help raise the children.

By all accounts, it was a happy family, and the

children accepted Ruth into their lives. But it could

not have been an easy life for any of them, Adonijah

being widowed twice in 12 years, and the children

losing their mother.

Continued on next page...

Previous owners of Bidwell House Jack Hargis and David Brush in Paris


THE BIDWELL HOUSE MUSEUM A TALK WITH EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR HEATHER KOWALSKI

In this photo from 2017 you can see the original

saltbox at right and the addition by Adonijah Jr at left

Portrait of Mary Gray Bidwell

A copy of the probate inventory that hangs in the Keeping Room (Cropped)

Heather, what are some of the most compelling

ways the museum brings the Revolutionary War

era to life—whether through artifacts, living history,

or public programs?

I think the most compelling way we bring history

to life is via the house itself. When you drive down

Art School Road and approach the Museum, you

get a sense of what it was like for the people who

moved out to this area in the 1740s. Walking the

grounds, you get a sense of how a homestead like

this might have been laid out, and then inside, the

house is set up as it would have been then; there are

no ropes in front of objects or across doorways. The

tour itself is small-group and flexible, so people can

ask questions and really connect with the house.

Another compelling way we connect with people is

through our Living History weekends. We have

been doing this every other year since 2021, and the

Bidwell property is such a perfect place to “travel”

back in time. When you arrive for the reenactment

and smell the cooking fires, see women in historic

dresses or men carrying muskets, and walk through

the camps, you get a really immersive sense of what

life was like in the 18th century. Add to that the fact

that we are far off the main road and in the woods,

and the modern world really fades away during our

reenactments. Feedback from visitors is always so

positive!


What are some of the most memorable reactions

you’ve witnessed from visitors discovering the

Bidwell House’s unique, off-the-beaten-path location

or hearing its stories?

One of the most memorable reactions I can think of

was during either our first or second reenactment

weekend, so either 2021 or 2023. One of the things

the reenactors do is something called a “tactical

demonstration,” which is really just a mock battle.

One of those demonstrations occurred in the woods

below the house, and so the audience was gathered

in the turning circle at the end of Art School Road,

watching the battle unfold. In front of me was a

small family with two elementary-aged children,

and one of them spent the entire battle gasping and

jumping with joy. I could tell that history had really

come alive for that child in that moment, and it was

wonderful to see.

How do you see the Bidwell House’s story fitting

into the broader narrative of the Berkshires,

New England history, and the region’s indigenous

communities?

Obviously, Reverend Bidwell and his family were

not the first people to inhabit this land, and so about

10 years ago, we began creating a Native American

Interpretive Trail on the property. We worked with

the Stockbridge-Munsee Community in Wisconsin,

the descendants of the Mohicans who called this

land home, to create educational signage for visitors

to learn about the area's Indigenous history. We also

incorporated some of that story into our tour, so that

we can connect visitors not only with the settlers

who came from Boston and Hartford, but also with

the many people who have called this land home.

What role do educational programs for children,

students, and the broader community (including

local residents and volunteers) play in the museum’s

mission?

We would love to offer more children- and familyrelated

programming, but with just Erin (who is

part-time) and me, we do not have the capacity for

a full educational program for kids. That being said,

we do have an internship program that has been

going on for over 20 years, in which high school

and college students spend about 30 hours here over

the summer, helping with the tour, working on office

tasks, and writing research papers on local history

and decorative arts. It is wonderful to get to

know teens who really love local history, and visitors

are always so impressed when they get a really

informed tour from a 17-year-old!

Are there still members of the Bidwell family in

the area, and do they have any involvement with

Cannons were fired for the crowd at the 2025 Living History Weekend Photograph by Steven GIlbert

the house today?

Yes! We have three Bidwell descendants on our

Board, two of whom spend part of their time in the

Berkshires. We also have connections with other Bidwell

descendants who have helped us with Bidwell

Lore, given lectures, and participated in programs.

And we get visitors every summer from the extended

Bidwell family. After emigrating from England

in the 1600s, the Bidwells spread across the

US, reaching California, and their present-day descendants

probably number in the thousands.

Heather, how do you collaborate with historians,

researchers, or other museums to expand the

reach and depth of your programming?

I try to collaborate in a number of ways, with both

local organizations and historians. For instance, I

might plan a history lecture that dovetails with a

topic related to the Berkshire County Historical Society

or the Stockbridge Library, and give it with

them. Or last summer, we hosted a class for the Mill

River Folk School. They are a newer organization

that teaches traditional crafts, which aligns nicely

with our teaching on 18th-century history. This

summer, we will be hosting an artisan fair, and some

of the makers I met through the folk school will be

there. Over the last several years of doing living history

reenactments, I have connected with a large

number of people in that community who are experts

on various aspects of early American history

and lifeways, and have created individual programs

with some of them that have been a lot of fun.

How have archaeological discoveries on the

property influenced your interpretation or storytelling

about the site?

In terms of archaeology, the last time we dug here

was in August 2017, and it was a requirement from

the Massachusetts Historical Commission before

embarking on restoration work on the house. Nothing

surprising was found, some small pottery shards

and bits of metal, all typical for this area and type

of house. Elsewhere on the property, one of our volunteers

has discovered a couple of “cellar holes” indicating

dwellings that are no longer standing. We

think one of them may have been Reverend Bidwell’s

original house, but we don’t really know.

What is the Bidwell House’s connection to major

historical events, such as the Civil War or other

turning points in American history?

Reverend Bidwell was living here with his family

during the Revolutionary War, and while we don’t

know his thoughts on the conflict (he did not keep

a diary), we do know that he donated meat to the

troops and gave up his salary during the conflict so

that the town had the funds that it needed for the

war. The house was also standing when Henry

Knox came through the southern Berkshires in

1776. We have no evidence that Knox visited the

Bidwell house or that the Bidwell family saw the

noble train of artillery, but it is fun to imagine their

dinner-time conversations as 60 tons of artillery

slowly moved through the area, not too far from the

house.

Heather, can you share how the museum balances

preservation, restoration challenges, and

the creation of engaging experiences for modern

audiences?

It is tough, I am not going to lie. Budget is always a

factor in the Museum world; there are never quite

enough donations to do everything you want. I feel

lucky to have connected with a lot of really interesting

and smart people over the last decade who

work with me on the programming, building maintenance,

and collections care.

How do you see the museum’s role evolving in

the coming years, especially as interest in local

history grows?

As much as we want to share the story of life in the

18th century, we are still living in the 21st, so during

COVID, we realized we had to be open to more



THE BIDWELL HOUSE MUSEUM A TALK WITH EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR HEATHER KOWALSKI

The Keeping Room, Bidwell House Museum

Part of the Museum's redware collection in the Keeping Room

technology to reach a wider audience. This meant

doing things like shifting some programs to Zoom,

creating our email series Bidwell Lore, and increasing

our social media posts. But doing more requires

volunteers, and that is one area where we have lost

ground in recent years, so I think finding more volunteers

needs to be a focus before we can plan for

future growth or change.


What do you see as the biggest opportunities or

hurdles for historic sites like the Bidwell House

in the next decade?

In terms of hurdles, I think finding funding for the

“unsexy” projects like upgrading hvac or painting

the exterior. The house is not getting any younger,

at over 250 years old, and requires a lot of maintenance

and planning for that in the long term, which

requires a lot of talk about the best way to raise

funds to cover those costs that are above and beyond

what we can afford.

In terms of opportunities, I think that with the 250th

anniversary this year, we will attract many people

who are new to the 18th century and will be enthusiastic

about visiting the Museum and even volunteering.

I think this will introduce the Bidwell

house to a whole new generation of history buffs.

Finally, Heather, what advice would you give to

someone interested in pursuing a career in museum

leadership or historic house preservation?

Reach out to Museum professionals at a location

you find interesting and ask questions! We are always

happy to help. If a Museum you love has an

internship program, apply for it, and during the internship,

don’t be afraid to ask questions. If you can

afford it, volunteer at an organization that interests

you. So much of Museum work is learning on the

job, and internships can really help you understand

the work that is required.

To close, what do you hope every visitor takes

away from their experience at the Bidwell House,

and how can people get involved or support your

mission?

I hope they walk away with their curiosity piqued,

whether for American history, 18th-century lifeways,

or Georgian saltbox architecture. Tours of the

house are always for small groups, no more than 10

people, so everyone has time to ask questions and

chat with the guides about aspects of the tour that

they find particularly fascinating.

The best way to support the Museum is to donate

either money or time. People can donate on our

website https://www.bidwellhousemuseum.org/support/

or contact me about volunteer opportunities.

We are always looking for docents, garden helpers,

and volunteers for larger events.

_________________________________________

Heather Kowalski joined the Bidwell House Museum

in 2015 and became Executive Director in

2017. She grew up in Niskayuna, New York, and

previously worked at the Andy Warhol Museum and

the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, holding

a BA in Art History from Penn State University.

G



LORI BRADLEY

Carolyn M. Abrams

Diptych - "Ghost Pine and Ash"

36" w x 24" h x 1" d charcoal sealed on panel

loribradley@comcast.net

http://www.loribradleyart.com

Atmospheric and Inspirational Art

www.carolynabrams.com

“Uptown”

9” x 12”, Oils and cold wax medium

MEMBER GUILD OF BERKSHIRE ARTISTS

FRONT STREET GALLERY

Conch Shell Living at Claudia’s in Winter Upper West Side

Oil on canvas, 24” 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


GHOST PINES, CHARCOAL SEALED ON PANEL

24"X 18" X 1"

LORI BRADLEY

In most North American Atlantic states, climate

change becomes visible in the greying trunks of

trees that were once much more vibrant in color.

Rising ocean levels and interior water tables are

slowly turning forests into marshes and swamps

in some areas. During this process tree bark becomes

grey and eventually drops off. Scientists

refer to the greying, waterlogged trees as "ghost

trees." I’ve become aware of this phenomenon

when hiking in parts of New England. I decided

to create a series of charcoal paintings that capture

the greying of the trees too process my sadness

about the loss of the vibrant forests I

remember, while trying to capture the enduring

beauty of the trees as they change.

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

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

Having no silence in music is like having

no black or white in a painting.

—Brian Eno

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


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


. Jenine Shereos working on her floral installations during her artist residency in Marnay-sur-Seine, France, 2018 Photo by Abril Barruecos

JENINE SHEREOS

TEXTILE/FIBER ARTIST AND PROFESSOR

“I love the idea of human resilience and being able to make something significant out of seemingly nothing, and finding

meaning in the mundane… Now more than ever, I see my material choice in the context of our current environmental crisis.

I am very conscious of the materials I am using, where they have come from and where they will end up.” —JS


Cover photograph by Xavier Letteron Additional photographs Courtesy of the Artist

Jenine Shereos is an artist who explores the connections

between material, memory, and the natural

world. Her work highlights presence and absence,

resilience and strength, and the crossroads of art,

craft, and everyday life. Through her process,

Shereos invites us to notice everyday materials and

think about our relationship with nature and the

world around us. She lives in the Berkshires and is

currently an Assistant Professor and Program Area

Chair in Fibers at Massachusetts College of Art and

Design in Boston. I’m happy to introduce Jenine,

whom I learned about through Xavier Letteron. Xavier,

featured in the February issue of The Artful

Mind, was introduced to me by artist Leslee Carsewell.

These connections—between people, traditions,

and stories—spark curiosity and help us see

how art fits into our daily lives.

How did creativity manifest itself in your early

years? What were your earliest influences?

As a child, I was imaginative and lived very much

in my head. I was always making up songs, stories,


and poems. I was also a collector. My pockets were

full of treasures that I would find while playing outside…rocks,

shells, flowers, and even dead butterflies.

At recess, you could find me sitting out on

the lawn braiding grass. I was born in Chicago and

moved to Springfield, Illinois, when I was seven, so

I grew up in urban and suburban settings. But even

at a young age, I sought out nature wherever I could

find it.

When I think of my early artistic influences, I think

of the women in my family. I was very close to my

yiayia (my dad’s mother). She had a loving, gentle,

and resilient spirit. She worked a full-time office

job, but would stay up late into the night painting. I

can still remember the smell of oil paints in her back

bedroom closet… it seemed like such a magical and

mysterious space to me! My favorite childhood

memories are sitting on the floor drawing together,

and taking the bus with her to the Art Institute of

Chicago. My grandmother on my mom’s side was

adept at every possible needle craft, especially

cross-stitch and sewing, and would often do crafts

with me. My mother is a talented actress, singer, and

quilter, and both of my parents have always encouraged

my creativity.

How did you find your way into the world of

Fibers?

As an undergraduate, I studied Drawing and Painting.

I found that I was more interested in the materiality

of the canvas than the actual paint- I was

constantly looking for ways to build up a textured

surface, cut and stitch into the canvas, and embed

objects within it. Soon, I abandoned painting altogether

and began working in assemblage. I was living

in Southern California at the time, and when I

started looking for graduate schools, I was looking

at sculpture programs. I met with the sculpture professor

at California State University, Long Beach,

and after looking at my work, he asked if I had considered

Fibers. In my mind, I was thinking… Fibers,

what is that? Why does he think I want to weave

baskets? I laugh now because I really was naive at

the time (and incidentally, I DO love to weave bas-

Jenine Shereos, Leaves, human hair, 2011 Photo credit: Robert Diamante

kets now!) He referred me to Carol Shaw-Sutton,

who was the chair of the Fibers program. I felt an

immediate connection and knew I wanted to study

with her. I remember walking into the Fiber studios

and seeing an entire room filled with floor looms, a

wall of yarn, large printing tables, a dye lab, and an

outdoor papermaking studio… I was in heaven!

California is a long way away. What brought you

to New England?

Growing up in the Midwest and living in Southern

California as a young adult, I never thought I would

live on the East Coast. Then, in 2006, my husband

at the time was offered a job in Boston. I had never

been to New England, and really had no idea what

to expect. The transition was difficult initially, but

we found an apartment in Roslindale, near Harvard’s

Arnold Arboretum, and that was my saving

grace. I went for walks there every day, and it really

fed my soul and my creative practice. I loved being

in nature, and I became in tune with the changing

seasons again. It was over the next few years that I

began creating my Leaf series.

How did using hair in your 'Leaf' series change

your understanding of transformation in art?

What is the most rewarding aspect of transforming

materials like hair and thread through your

process?

Creating the Leaf series was a singular experience

for me. I had a collection of skeletonized leaves in

my studio that I had collected on a walk, and I became

obsessed (back to the collections of my childhood).

I just kept looking at them, thinking how

beautiful those fine veins were and how incredible

it would be if those delicate lines could exist as

strands of human hair. I was thinking about the idea

of transubstantiation, where one material literally

becomes another. After a year of many experiments

and failed attempts, I finally figured out a way to

recreate the leaves using human hair. I’ve had many

ideas over the years that never came to fruition. It’s

still a mystery to me why I stayed with this one, and

I wonder if I was tapping into something greater

than myself. They just needed to exist in the world

for some reason.

How do you balance botanical and bodily references,

and what creative potential does this duality

reveal for you?

In my early drawings as a child, tree branches and

roots were a recurring theme. Later in graduate

school, these branching motifs began to reemerge,

this time taking on the form of the human vascular

system, ancestral roots, tree roots, branches, and

coral, all simultaneously. I suppose the link is to the

idea of something existing as both/and, a theme

which emerges again in the Leaf series. As the pioneering

Fiber artist Magdalena Abakanowicz so

eloquently stated:

I see fiber as the basic element constructing the organic

world on our planet, as the greatest mystery

of our environment. It is from fiber that all living

organisms are built-the tissues of plants and ourselves,

our nerves, our genetic code, the canals of

our veins, our muscle...Handling fiber, we handle

mystery.

You’ve mentioned the influence of the Arte

Povera movement in your work. How does your

use of does your use of everyday materials connect

to this legacy? Yes! I’ve been very inspired

by the Arte Povera movement, and especially the

work of Giuseppe Penone.

As a young artist, my attraction to humble materials

was born out of practicality. I didn’t have much

space or money for materials, so I started sewing

with my own hair.



JENINE SHEREOS TEXTILE/FIBER ARTIST AND PROFESSOR

Jenine Shereos, Ephemeral Garden (Primrose), site-specific installation, 2018 Photo by the artist


Jenine Shereos, Weaving, Walking, Walking, Weaving, natural dyes on linen and wool, 2021 Photo by the artist

Jenine Shereos, Ephemeral Garden (Daffodils), site-specific installation, 2018

Photo by the artist

But I also love the idea of human resilience, of making

something significant out of seemingly nothing,

and of finding meaning in the mundane. These

kinds of materials also offer up a history and a poetry

that is not available in manufactured objects.

Creating yellow dye from the goldenrod growing

next to my studio window, for example, adds a sensory

experience and personal connection with the

landscape. Now more than ever, I see my material

choice in the context of our current environmental

crisis. I am very conscious of the materials I am

using, where they have come from, and where they

will end up.

If you could preserve just one fleeting sensation,

realization, or state of mind from your years of

making art, what would you choose, and why?

I really love this question! I immediately think of

my artist residency at Jardin Botanique in Marnaysur-Seine,

France, where I created the Ephemeral

Garden series. It was Spring, and for a month, I

lived and worked completely alone in an old house

in a French village.

I created a rhythm for myself and lived completely

within it, without any distractions. The space was

so quiet that I could really hear my own voice. I

loved the pace at which I could work. Some of my

previous work has been very tedious and time-consuming,

but with this series, I had to work quickly,

and I enjoyed that challenge. I would go out to

gather the flowers, then come back to the room to

install and photograph them. It all had to be done

within hours, before the flowers wilted or I lost daylight.

I was extremely focused, almost in a meditative

state. The formations came to me very

intuitively, and I was able to exist in a flow state. I

could devote myself entirely to the vision. It felt like

I was living in a dream. Sometimes I go back there

in my mind.

Can you recall a time when a viewer’s interpretation

of your work revealed something you hadn’t

seen in it yourself? How did that interaction

influence you?

During the closing reception for my residency in

France, I had a live floral installation on view. One

of the guests was very moved by the piece and told

me it reminded him of a dream he once had. Often,

my work resonates with viewers in a deeply personal

way. It might evoke a memory, dream, feeling,

or something else entirely. I always enjoy hearing

these reflections from viewers. Art has the power to

communicate through the subconscious in such a

unique and profound way.

How did you first become interested in working

with natural dyes, and how has that journey

evolved?

During the 2020 quarantine, like many people, I

found myself going on a lot of long walks. I began

to really notice the plant life around me. Even

though everything was falling apart, the natural

world seemed to be not only carrying on as if nothing

had happened, but even thriving. I used the extra

time to research and dye yarn with as many plants

and lichens as I could find in my local landscape.

These included Black-Eyed Susans, Queen Anne’s

Lace, Yarrow, Goldenrod, Daylilies, Marigolds,

Mums, Staghorn Sumac, Acorns, Oak Galls, and

Black Walnut Hulls, among others. I began to develop

a relationship with these plants and enjoyed

visiting them throughout the seasons. In the end, I

decided to create a weaving using all of the yarns I

had dyed. The final weaving serves as a record or

color map of these daily walks through the landscape,

and its dimensions reflect my height and

shoulder width.

In 2022, I moved to the Berkshires to live with my

partner Xavier Letteron (featured in the February

issue). Xavier is an enthusiastic gardener and landscaper,

and he really helped me to get my own dye

garden growing. It has been exciting to learn more

about dye plants such as weld, indigo, madder, marigolds,

and black hollyhocks by cultivating them

from seed. Working outside in the garden helps me

feel connected not only to my process, but also to

the natural world and, by extension, my own being

and place within it.



JENINE SHEREOS TEXTILE/FIBER ARTIST AND PROFESSOR

Jenine Shereos, Thaw (detail), site-specific installation, 2015

Photo by the artist

Jenine Shereos, Untitled, monoprint with natural pigment, 2023 Photo by the artist

What role does curiosity play when you begin a

new piece, and how does it influence the direction

your work takes?

My work always begins with curiosity. It is the seed

of every new creation. Usually, questions about a

material… What is it capable of? How can it be

transformed? What is the potential for meaning and

metaphor? Even if I go into a piece with a specific

idea, I am very empirical and process-oriented. My

approach is more of a collaboration with the material

and the concepts that emerge.

Can you describe a specific unexpected accident

that led to a breakthrough or new artistic direction?

When I do an art residency, I like going in with the

security of a plan, but I never stick to that plan. In

January 2023, I did a residency close to home at

MASS MoCA. I knew they had a loom, and so I

was excited to weave. When I arrived, I saw that

they also had a printing press. (I hadn’t worked with

a printing press since I was an undergrad over 20

years ago!) There was something intriguing to me

about the idea of working with both the printing

press and the loom. I had brought some frozen

flowers with me from my summer dye garden and

was planning to create dyes or inks. Instead, I started

experimenting with running the frozen flowers

through the press onto mordanted printmaking


paper just to see what would happen. I immediately

fell in love with the seductive swirls of watery

colors blending together on the paper. Then I began

adding mordanted linen yarn through the press,

along with the flowers and paper. The yarn was not

only dyed, but also added a beautifully embossed

imprint onto the paper.

What is the relationship between chance and

control in your work?

In earlier work, such as the Leaf series, I was very

controlled in my handling of the material. As my

work has evolved over the years, I’ve begun to

enjoy the dance between setting up a scenario and

then letting process or natural forces take over. In

Thaw, for example, I used a mold to create five ice

bottles with flowers frozen inside. It was late winter

in Boston, and I installed them next to Jamaica

Pond, where I documented their melting process

over the next several days. Every day as the ice bottles

melted, new, constantly changing sculptures

continued to emerge. There is something deeply fulfilling

and freeing to me about developing a system

that lets me let go and allow another spontaneous

process to take over.

Is your art more a celebration of presence or a

reflection on impermanence?

That is such an interesting question. For me, they

are both deeply interwoven. Presence is sacred

partly because it IS so fleeting and ephemeral. This

plays into the role of photography in my work, as a

means of preserving a moment in time. I often question

where the art resides… is it in the moment of

the installations, or the photo documentation that

lives on afterwards? Again, it is both/ and.

When you reflect on your creative evolution so

far, what discovery or realization has most

deeply changed the way you approach your

work?

As a young artist, I realized early on that I never

wanted to rely on selling my artwork to make a living.

I was concerned that doing so would severely

limit my practice and the kind of work I would

allow myself to make. It’s been a difficult road, but

I have committed to this over the years. At one

point, I was working five different jobs to support

myself! Today, I sell my work, and I am also a fulltime

professor. I think the commitment I made early

on helped me stay true to my authentic artistic vision.

How does teaching influence your creative practice?

Teaching has become deeply intertwined with my

creative practice, and now I couldn’t see doing one

without the other. While creating work tends to be

Jenine Shereos, studio photo of new weavings in progress, 2025 Photo by the artist

a more solitary process for me, I love sharing

knowledge and learning together in community. I

am so inspired by the creativity and enthusiasm of

my students! I also do a lot of research for my teaching,

which then feeds my own practice. In January

of 2025, I taught a Travel Course at MassArt that

culminated in two weeks of travel to Oaxaca, Mexico,

with sixteen students. In Oaxaca, we witnessed

how textile traditions have been passed down

through generations, not only as an art form but also

as ancestral heritage, culture, community, lifestyle,

and a relationship with the land. Teaching helps me

feel more connected to the lineage of textiles and

my craft, and it is an honor to share this with others.

Which traditional textile technique do you find

yourself returning to, and why does it inspire

your experimental work?

Recently, I have kept coming back to weaving. I

have taught weaving for a number of years, and

while it is my favorite medium to teach, there is so

much I have yet to explore in my own artistic practice.

I love the meditative nature of weaving, and

the way the threads shift when they are held under

tension on the loom and then released as cloth. I find

that the inherent limitations of the grid actually

allow a new space for freedom and experimentation.

I purchased a larger floor loom in September, which

has allowed me to create weavings at a new scale.

These recent weavings will be included in my exhibition

in the Berkshire Botanical Gardens in

Stockbridge later this month.

Tell us more about your upcoming solo exhibition

opening at the end of this month at the

Berkshire Botanical Gardens? What can we expect

to see?

I am thrilled to be showing in the beautiful Leonhardt

Galleries at BBG! It will be a retrospective of

the work I’ve created over the past 10 years, exploring

botanical themes, so the Botanical Gardens will

be a perfect location. The exhibition will include

many of the works I’ve discussed in this interview,

including photographs from Thaw and Ephemeral

Garden, weavings created with naturally dyed yarn,

prints from my residency at MASS MoCA, some

of the Leaves, and a few other surprises. This will

be my first time showing in the Berkshires, and

many of the pieces in the exhibition will be on view

for the first time, hot off the press… (or loom, in

this case)!

After the BBG show, where do you hope your

work will find new audiences and resonance?

I have some exciting things coming up! From now

through October, a few of my pieces from the Leaf

series are on exhibit at the Kunsthalle in Munich,

Germany, in an exhibit entitled Hair: Stories of

Power and Passion. In July, I will have a solo exhibition

in Provence, France. The exhibition, entitled

Sacred Garden, will be in a gorgeous desacralized

church in the village of Banon (another dream

space!) and will include photographs from Ephemeral

Garden, along with new site-specific installations

created from local lavender.

I’d love to keep exhibiting internationally, but it’s

also important to me to keep showing closer to

home. I haven’t yet had the opportunity to show my

work very much in NYC; maybe that is the next

chapter…

www.jenineshereos.com

IG- @jenine_shereos

_________________________________________

Ephemeral Garden, April 24- May 31, 2026

Opening reception: Friday, April 24, 5-7pm

Leonhardt Galleries

Berkshire Botanical Garden, Stockbridge MA

F


DOWNTOWN

OILS AND COLD WAX, 12” X 12”

CAROLYN M. ABRAMS

Lately, I’ve been exploring the tension between

geometric structure and organic, botanical forms,

working primarily in a cool palette and weaving collage

and texture into the surface. It feels like walking

a fine line—trying to balance the solidity of

geometry with something more atmospheric and

fluid.

Layering has become essential to my process. I

begin with collage as a foundation, then build up

and strip back, adding and subtracting paint, sometimes

even covering the entire surface before uncovering

certain areas again. That push and

pull—concealing and revealing—helps me find a

sense of unity and balance. It’s less about perfect

control and more about responding to what

emerges.

Over time, the piece starts to tell its own story. The

buried fragments, softened edges, and resurfaced

shapes create a quiet sense of history—like traces

of something that has shifted, weathered, or grown.

In the end, I’m not just combining shapes; I’m trying

to capture a feeling of time passing and something

unfolding beneath the surface.Carolyn m.

Abrams—

www.carolynabrams.com

Member Guild of Berkshire Artists

RICHARD NELSON

I have often stated that I struggled with art. What

to draw, what do I want to communicate? I wanted

relevance, but I had nothing to say. I was good at

drawing, but was that enough? I have often heard

comments to the effect that art and illustration are

two different things. I could do detailed drawing,

but my technique was uninspired. Eventually I

stopped altogether, although, my Bev nap doodles I

did while drinking at our bar, were popular.

Life went on and I worked until I was too sick to

do so. Retirement and forty years of life experience

gave me the fodder, and I found inspiration in my

own mundane existence. So I started using my life

as a retired cook who was, ta a certain degree, handicapped.

I watched a lot of television because I was

unable to do much of anything else. I surprised myself

prolifictly and amassed a sizable body of work,

much more than I would ever think possible. But

after three years of drawing, I felt I had drawn everything

that I needed to say and my abstract, which

was based on my own inner demons, had said

enough after which it felt forced.

Now like everyone else the turmoil in the world

today has angered me. To the point where I needed

to project my dismay through art. My pallete has

grown, my anger is more focused. I can express my

anger in ways that I get the personal gratification

with an image that others can look at and draw their

own conclusions.

than therapy!

Richard Nelson —nojrevned@hotmail.com

Rick Nelson on FB

ARTFULMIND@YAHOO.COM

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

28 • THE ARTFUL MIND APRIL 2026


Ai Wei Wei Exhibit on Roosevelt Island in New York

JAYE ALISON (MOSCARIELLO)

UPDATE WITH THE ARTIST

“Each year, I intentionally incorporate more environmentally sustainable materials and allow

my work to evolve in ways that authentically express these values.” —J.A (M)


Photographs Courtesy of the Artist

Hi Jaye, thank you for joining me for this Artist

Update interview. After your recent exhibition at

Steidel Gallery, what is the single most exciting

project you are currently focused on as you prepare

for the upcoming CLiO Art Fair?

My husband Bill and I are completing a book project

we initiated in 2012, documenting our farm and

"Salad University" program, which explores our 40-

60 ingredients salad mix and the nutritional and

beneficial properties of each plant. The book will

feature recipes, photography, and my ink line drawings

of the plants, along with our own story of how

we came to this place of understanding and knowledge..

Beyond this, I'm continuously creating new

works—it's a natural, ongoing evolution of my artistic

practice.

Looking back at the past year, what one experience

most energized your art, and how did it


shape your latest work?

The political climate and concerns about our democracy's

future catalyzed my "Energetic Interventions"

series. The anxiety about the possibility of

relocating prompted me to deconstruct paintings

from my "Abstract Memories" collection. Witnessing

these fragments create unexpected color and

pattern compositions on my studio floor inspired me

to reassemble them into cohesive works with luminous,

tactile wax finishes. This process taught me

the value of collaboration—learning how to handle

the wax medium from encaustic artist Gail Gelburd,

receiving support from her husband during my first

large-scale art fair, and partnering with Dave Hattem

at Gallerie 271 for my "Remain Calm" exhibition

were transformative experiences that fundamentally

shifted how I approach both my art and my practice.

What recent event most influenced your art, and

which specific painting reflects this influence?

My exhibition at Steidel Gallery in West Palm

Beach exposed me to a landscape I'd never experienced—the

region's striking oceanic palette of

azure, turquoise, and deep purple, particularly at

John D. MacArthur State Park, juxtaposed against

the ostentatious wealth displayed at the Palm Beach

Show. This contrast between natural beauty and material

excess energized my creative process, resulting

in new works including "Springy Grid" and "Oh

the Promise of Spring."

Can you share a recent personal or professional

challenge and describe how it changed your perspective

or approach to art?

At the Palm Beach Show's opening gala, I discovered

my large painting was priced differently than

I'd agreed. Rather than request a change, I chose to

Jaye Alison (Moscariello), Miner’s Lettuce, Ink line drawing and Salad Burnet, Ink line drawing

honor the gallery's market expertise and let the piece

sell at its listed price. This experience taught me the

importance of relinquishing control and trusting

professionals who understand their market—a crucial

step toward achieving my goal of gallery representation

and freeing myself to focus on creating

rather than managing sales.

When preparing for exhibitions like the CLiO

Art Fair, what criteria or themes guide your selection

of paintings and mixed media works?

How do you navigate practical considerations,

such as the availability of pieces, while maintaining

a cohesive vision?

As a prolific artist with multiple unexplored bodies

of work, I strategically select pieces based on where

I believe they'll resonate most and on the financial

return necessary to justify the substantial costs of

participation, shipping, framing, and promotion. My

cohesive vision prioritizes generous spacing—allowing

each piece to breathe and be appreciated

without visual overwhelm. For CLiO, I'm presenting

"Territories Blue" during the first week and

"Energetic Interventions" the second week, each

series thoughtfully positioned to engage viewers

rather than exhaust them.

How does living in the Berkshires influence your

creative process? Are there specific landscapes,

moods, or daily experiences in your environment

that continually shape or inspire your art?

Living in the Berkshires profoundly influences my

work. The harsh winters—with their relentless whiteness—inspire

me to inject vibrant color and playful

joy into my practice. Every experience, from intimate

daily moments to global events, feeds my creative

machinery and emerges as artistic expression,

primarily through painting and writing.

Now that you’re in Panama, could you describe

your agenda and the atmosphere you’re experiencing?

What are your goals as you explore the

country’s cultural scene—its art, food, and surroundings—and

what aspects have sparked your

curiosity or inspired new ideas?

After three decades in California, I'm rediscovering

the East Coast's seasonal intensity. I'm grateful for

opportunities to visit warm climates in Florida,

South Carolina, and Panama, which allow me to

thaw both literally and creatively. Here in Panama,

I'm particularly drawn to learning about the Indigenous

Kuna culture and their spiritual creative traditions—especially

their mola art, which I recently

explored at the Museo de la Mola.



JAYE ALISON (MOSCARIELLO) UPDATE WITH THE ARTIST

Jaye at the Palm Beach Show in February

Jaye Alison (Moscariello), Pas de Deux, 24” x48”


Jaye Alison (Moscariello) Homage to Hilma Klint

Jaye Alison (Moscariello)

(Top) Oh, the Promise of Spring (detail) (Below) Springy Grid

Both Acrylic and pencil on Bristol paper

Looking back over the past few years, is there a

specific risk you’ve taken in your art—whether

in subject matter, medium, or presentation—

that fundamentally changed your practice or

opened unexpected doors?

The challenging national events of recent years have

deepened my commitment to abstract work. Previously,

I maintained multiple stylistic approaches;

since the pandemic, I've focused almost exclusively

on abstraction, which has sharpened my artistic vision

and provided clarity to my practice.

How has collaborating with other artists or engaging

with the broader creative community influenced

your work? Are there any recent

partnerships or shared projects that have left a

lasting impact?

After years of working in isolation, volunteering

with the New Marlborough Meeting House Gallery

and Sandisfield Arts Center has been transformative.

These roles have allowed me to champion

emerging artists while breaking patterns of creative

isolation and building a supportive community for

exhibiting new work.

Reflecting on your international exhibitions, experimentation

with media, and community engagement,

what core idea unites your work, and

how do you envision your art evolving next?

My work is unified by a core conviction: we are one

global family, and our survival depends on conscious

stewardship of Earth's resources and commitment

to unity over divisiveness. Each year, I

intentionally incorporate more environmentally sustainable

materials and allow my work to evolve in

ways that authentically express these values.

You didn't ask, but I want to tell you how much your

support has meant to me. The Artful Mind has been

an invaluable forum for showcasing new work and

keeping people connected to what I'm creating and

where my work will be shown. Thank you so much,

Harryet!

Thank you Jaye!

jayealison.com

jaye.alison.art@gmail.com

xox


PORTRAIT OF PATSANELLA, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, 9“ X 12”

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

KATE KNAPP

SUMMER IN THE BERKSHIRE HILLS, OIL, 20” X 20” SOLD

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

EYE CONTACT II, CHARCOAL PENCIL, PASTEL, WATERCOLOR,

AND INK ON WATERCOLOR PAPER, 9”X12”.

(C)LEO MAZZEO.

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

413-822-8153


BRUCE LAIRD

Clock Tower Artists

Business Center Studio #307

75 South Church Street, Pittsfield, MA

Instagram- ecurbart

RUBY AVER

Sally Tiska Rice

Alleyway Blues Acrylic on canvas, 20”x18”

rdaver2@gmail.com Instagram: rdaver2.

Housatonic Studio open by appointment 413-854-7007

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


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

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

UNTITLED

SPRAY PAINT ON BLACK DISPLAY BOARD, 30” X 20”

SERGIO DEMO

I am a North Adams-based artist drawn to the

overlooked and discarded. This piece is built from

a retired black display board and spray paint. Working

with what others have cast aside holds a particular

satisfaction. I choose spray paint for its freedom:

unlike traditional brush-applied paint, it responds to

instinct, allowing me to move quickly and work in

ways that feel alive and immediate.

Sergio Demo—

instagram.com/sdemo66

sergiodemoart.com


Bruce Murphy

Brucemurphy17@gmail.com

Prices and sizes upon request

Instagram Bruce Murphy Art

LEO MAZZEO

Waiting for a Cookies Monster on a Night of a Half Moon

26” x 28”, Oil on canvas, 2021

“Elixir”, charcoal pencil, pastel, watercolor,

and ink on watercolor paper, 9”x12”. (c)Leo Mazzeo.

ALEXANDRA ROZENMAN

artschool99somerville.com

www.alexandrarozenman.com

alexandra.rozenman@gmail.com


BOUQUET, 2025

MARK MILLSTEIN

Mark Millstein is an artist whose work explores

the intricate relationships between nature, perception,

and the built environment. In recent years he

has focused on drypoint printmaking, creating detailed

images inspired by the forests and landscapes

surrounding his home in the northern Berkshires,

while also reflecting on the contrasting industrial

networks that impose structure on daily life.

Mark’s prints often juxtapose organic growth

forms with the geometry and materials of the industrial

world, reflecting a lifelong interest in the dialogue

between natural environments and

human-made systems. Through layered lines, textures,

and abstract forms, Mark investigates the visual

complexity of ecology and interconnected

systems. Patterns and textures, darkness, light and

movement are intended to reveal nature as a network

of complex but familiar forms.

Imagination and visualization play a central role

in his practice. Many works begin with intuitive

drawing and evolve through careful observation

and discovery. Working with non-toxic printmaking

methods and experimental techniques, Millstein allows

each plate to develop gradually, inviting

viewers to look closely and experience the layered

complexity of the natural world.

Mark Millstein—

mmillstein@umassd.edu

www.markmillstein.com

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 —

413-822-8153

john@berkshirecenterpoint.org

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

“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


Valeria and the Ants

CHAPTER 11 CONCLUSION

The Storm

It was Monday morning, and it had been raining for

so many days in a row that to see the sun shining, and

the sky so perfectly blue gave the morning a special

significance. ‘So then,’ I thought, ‘It is not going to

rain forever, after all.’

And even though my conversation with Valeria of

the previous day was all about how it is absurd to

imagine that human behavior can affect the weather,

still, a clear sky after days of rain forces one to have

a suspicion that weather is prophetic, and somehow

directly connected to human destiny.

Thomas, all by himself, was reading his newspaper

and drinking coffee at a distant picnic table, and I was

thinking that there was something very intense about

his posture that morning. He held his coffee cup halfway

between the table and his lip, and he looked just

like a black and white historical photograph of himself.

I looked over his shoulder at his newspaper, and

saw that the top of the paper was taken up with a panoramic

landscape photograph. The photograph was of

a bend in a river with trees and foliage on either bank,

and mountains in the distance. Thomas’ right hand

was resting on the paper covering the bottom corner

of its image and, looking at me over his shoulder he

moved his hand, uncovering two white rectangles in

the bottom corner of the photo. The two white rectangles

were the tops of two cars submerged in the water.

The photograph was a view of the destruction created

by a flash flood that had happened in the middle of

the night. Once I realized what the photo was about I

began to notice other obscure details, details that

transformed a placid rural scene into a depiction of a

gigantic tragedy that must have happened just a few

miles away from us during the night

The waterslide attraction, its buildings, and its motel

had been completely destroyed. For everyone in our

desperate little carnival in the middle of nowhere, and

of no consequence to anyone, this was a wonderful

event, like a divine intervention.

But was anyone killed? Or, to put it more exactly,

how many people drowned to death in their cars because

of Valeria and her magical thimble? That was

the question on everyone's mind that Monday morning,

as the carnival folks came out of their dwellings

and began to assemble around Thomas’ picnic table,

and began to loudly discuss the flood.

I really have to apologize at this point because I have

made no attempt to describe this crowd of people who

worked at various jobs in our little community, and,

actually I have treated them as completely unimportant

people. So let one old woman do for the group of

them; an old woman whose job had been the carnival’s

principal fortune teller. She was eighty-something

years old and of extremely wrinkled appearance.

She was one of the people who had been spreading

rumors, and insinuations that Valeria was able to alter

the weather with her thimble. She was carrying on

about the storm and she insisted that, “It is obvious

that the child went to bed and neglected to take off the

thimble, and as a result the water slide has been destroyed.”

There was a great hub bub that grew louder and

louder. It was a confused roar of excited voices but

one theme seemed to predominate. How many people

died in the flood, and would Valeria be held responsible.

Was Valeria a murderer? Would it be considered

to be, “involuntary manslaughter,” someone asked.

“Not if it was done on purpose,” someone replied.

Over this issue an intense argument erupted, a loud

and incoherent argument of ignorant uneducated

people, yelling about a completely absurd idea, the

guilt or innocence of little nine year old Valeria. They

all seemed in agreement about the central fact that she

had instigated the flood, but should she be considered

responsible for the consequences.

Just then Valeria herself appeared in the distance,

having just come out from her trailer. Her appearance

in the distance caused a sudden silence to overcome

everyone who, a moment before, had all been shouting

at each other.

Has it ever happened to you? Have you ever entered

a room and as soon as you appeared everyone fell silent?

Obviously everyone has been talking about you,

and perhaps you have no idea what the conversation

was about. It is a singularly alienating experience.

What I am trying to say is that every single person

who has ever lived knows that they are singular and

unique, and somehow entirely separated from everyone

else. No matter how complete a connection a person

thinks they have with others, there are moments

when we are forced to feel that the distance between

one person and another person is not just large, it is

actually infinite. Only seldom is one reminded of this

fundamental fact, having everyone talking about you,

and then they all fall silent…it is a situation that

makes one feel its reality.

As I looked at Valeria there in the distance I was

wondering how she could possibly be feeling at that

moment. In the first place, she was such an otherworldly

person, and she was quite aware of how

strange and different she was for the rest of our little

group, but even though she was singular and so different,

she was loved by everyone, she was everyone's

special child.

So, let me describe what she did, once she realized

that everyone had been talking about her, and everyone

was looking at her. First she looked at her right

hand, she was, of course left handed, then she looked

at the sky and since it was cloudless she took the thimble

from off her little finger. The instant she did it,

there was a loud murmuring in our little group of

people who were looking at her with great curiosity. I

did not think she noticed this commotion, but when

she went to place the thimble on her first finger, there

were again several exclamations, and this confused

chatter caught her attention. Having noticed that she

was being observed, and realizing it had to do with

what she was doing with her fingers, she again put the

thimble on her little finger, I imagine, just as a test of

the situation. She was about a hundred yards away

from the people gathered around the picnic table, and

I thought to myself, ‘It’s like she is working a puppet,

as if everyone was connected to her by invisible

strings, and each of her movements is producing an

immediate convulsive reaction from her audience.’ Finally

she put the thimble away and walked up to our

little group around the picnic table. Everyone was silent,

and I was actually the first person to speak to her.

I said,”Last night there was a great storm and a flood

has washed away the waterslide business and its

buildings.” My observation produced only a questioning

look from Valeria, and then Thomas elaborated a

little, touching on the question that was on everyone's

mind. “Some cars were washed away in the flood,”

He said this with a little emphasis on the word ‘cars.’

Then the man who worked the ferris wheel spoke

up saying, “Some people might have drowned.” The

word ‘drowned’ was hardly audible, as if to say it

quietly would decrease its significance. The man who

ran the hotdog stand started shouting, “You probably

have killed a lot of people with that thimble and the

people in town know about you and the police are

going to be…” But he didn’t finish his diatribe because

Thomas took him by the shoulder and helped

him to sit down into one of those adirondack chairs

saying, “That’s enough of that kind of talk Charles.”

Charles, the hot dog man was one of those excitable

idiots you often find working at carnivals and he probably

thought he was looking out for Valeria, and even

after Thomas had pushed him down into the chair he

continued to mutter his warnings to her under his

breath.

Suddenly Valeria began to speak and everyone's

eyes turned to her with anxious anticipation.

Here is what she said, "Regardless of the infinite

suffering and tragedies that the ants have suffered over

the years because of the feet of the elephants, my

friend Syracuse, the ant, has agreed to apologize to

Bruno, and to all the other Elephants that have ever

lived. He is going with me to talk to Bruno right now,

and we have been talking all night about what he is

going to say. I so hope Burno will accept the apology

on behalf of all the elephants.”

When she was done speaking everyone began looking

at everyone else, and I looked at Thomas, and he

at me. Then Thomas took off his James Joyce fedora

and crowned Valeria with it. The hat came down to

her nose and covered up her eyes completely. I can’t

really express how impressed I was with the child at

that moment, to see such singleness of purpose, and

her complete and utter indifference to what anyone

might have thought about her.

She went off to talk to Bruno, half walking and half

skipping like children her age so often do, with one

hand on the top of her new hat to keep it from falling

off.

Later in the day I saw a large crowd assembled

around the elephant and I went over to take a look.

They were watching the elephant and Valeria, who

were in the middle of a chess game. Valeria had the

Elephant in a “pair of pants,” a chess situation where

the opponent will lose a man no matter what they do.

Everyone was overjoyed to see the two of them

friends again. Why does it make the heart ache to see

two friends reconciled? But it was a painful moment

also, because the man who was to buy Bruno was expected

that very afternoon, so their friendship was to

end forever in just a matter of hours.

In the evening on the news over the radio it was discovered

that only one person died in the flood. The

person was an elderly businessman who had been on

his way to purchase somebody’s elephant. I said to

Valeria, “Isn’t it simply amazing that the waterslide

business has been destroyed, and the man who was

going to buy the elephant has died, what do you make

of it? Pushing her fedora to the back of her head she

sighed and said, "Well, you know, someone has to

look out for our business.”

RICHARD BRITELL, MARCH, 2026

CHAPTERS 1 - 10 CAN BE FOUND AT

RICHARDBRITELL.COM



BRUCE PANOCK

HOUSE AT THE END OF THE DRIVE

Panockphotography.com

bruce@panockphotography.com

917-287-8589 | Instagram @brucepanock

Deborah H Carter

Tulle and Tango

Photo: Eric Korenman

Model: Katie Mitts

The Artful Mind April 2026 issue

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