The Berkshires on Film

I decided to try out some old, grainy film (1600 speed Fuji color and TRI-X b&w) in my Voigtlander Bessa-R camera while driving around the Berkshires this summer. The advantage to shooting high-speed film (the same as shooting a high ISO digitally) is that you can shooting at faster shutter speeds, and thus hand-hold shots in lower light - or, it gives you flexibility for using a higher f-stop (for greater depth of field). The cool thing about film is that the graininess that comes with these advantages is random - as opposed to digital where it looks noisy, film grain has a classic, artistic look.

Here are a few sights seen in the Berkshires:

1) A river that runs through Williams, MA.


2) Reflection of a church in the window of a building at Williams College.


3) A view of a valley near Lenox, MA.


4) Looking down a hill at a little structure where they make maple syrup (the little building near the trees) at 325 Savoy Road in Cheshire, MA.


5) The farm at what was once Susan B. Anthony's house.


6) A lake in Cheshire, MA.


7) Little store near Mass MoCA.

MASS MoCA Field Trip

While in the Berkshires, I took a field trip to MASS MoCA - the western Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. The building is a huge old factory and warehouse with water flowing around deep in concrete troughs, like a moat.


On exhibit right now, there is an installation by Jenny Holzer, which consists of a huge concrete beam-ceilinged room with several giant bean bags spread out all over the floor. From each end of the room, huge words are streaming from projectors, and the illuminated words pour over all of the dark room's surfaces. We entered the installation from the industrial-sized freight elevator, which was a stunning way to walk into this kind of experiential art. Below are several shots I took of the installation, entitled, Projections (copyright Jenny Holzer):


The museum was very cool! I loved exploring the architecture as much as all of the exhibits. There is an inspiring energy in the mountainous Berkshires that makes it a perfectly suitable backdrop in which to experience the arts. It is home to the Williamstown Theater Festival, and lots of other summer theater as well. Out in the fresh summer air, it was easy to take in and process some heady fine art, and really relish the experience.

Last Look: Here is an upside-down tree pot, outside the museum.

Little Glass Objects

In exploring the Berkshires, a charming county in the Appalachian foothills of Western Massachusetts, I came upon this wonderful artist's shop called Cheshire Glassworks. Cheshire is the name of the town (although the crescent moon on the sign out front does lend itself to an Alice in Wonderland double-entendre), and the shop is situated on state route 7.

Jill Balawender, who is the youthful, energetic glass artist and owner of the shop, gave an awesome impromptu glass bead-making demonstration using a torch mounted at her in-shop work station. We had to wear special glasses that show only certain color temperatures of light in order to be able to see the bead working in the flame (otherwise it would have just appeared to be a fiery blob!). She also showed us a small kiln where recently fired glass objects were kept heated to a certain temperature in order to harden before cooling completely. She said this hardening process was what made it possible for you to drop one of her beads and not have it shatter on the floor.

I loved chatting with Jill. She is a true artist, and loves her craft. She spoke enthusiastically about the simple pleasures of her work, and the immense pleasure of the creative and flexible life her glass shop has enabled her to have. Even the gift bag she wrapped my purchase in was inspiring. It is stamped with a Picasso quote that reads

Art washes away
from the soul
the dust of
everyday life.

I loved hearing Jill's stories about vending necklaces along the beach before taking a glass workshop that formed her new vision and subsequent business. She seemed absolutely willing to give her heart and mind the space to hear where the wind was calling her to go. And when that call came, she followed it. It seems so simple a story! How many of us can say we embarked on our career paths in such an organic, effortless manner? Jill spoke with a calm trust about her creative urges, and the way that following them created exactly the flexible, fun lifestyle she wanted. And now she gets to play with colored glass for a living all day long!

Now that's one cool woman.


Pictured above are two small glass containers that I bought from Jill, sitting on my windowsill in Brooklyn. (In the background you can see the two purple flowery plants I picked up in the Berkshires, as well.)