This annual Summer Celebration, Dear Readers, makes me so proud to be a part of Saugerties and an Autistic artist. This year marks 30 Years since Woodstock 94 (yes, that Woodstock event.)
I want to highlight the “groovy” buses that fellow artists created that will be displayed all Summer long witb the following pictures. The last bus means a lot to me, as you’ll see.
These buses, as the link above shows, are part of a wonderful celebration, but as an Autistic artist, I like to think that let the public in on the talent that fellow artists have shown.
I know that this is a short post, but I hope that this post shows the talent that art and artists are important to our community.
Until next post, Dear Readers, stay safe, stay strong and, as always….
(Writer’s Note: In honor of International Women’s Month, I felt it only fitting, Dear Readers, to repost this memorial post to the late Carol Zaloom. Suffice it to say, she meant a lot to me as well as she did many other artists.
I only hope that I’m doing my part to honor her.
Stay safe, stay strong, and as always…
Shine On!!!)
Dear Readers, this was a post that I didn’t want to write, but I feel like I need to, if only for the fact that it might resonate with you.
I have the sad duty to report that my dear friend, linocut illustrator, Carol Zaloom, passed away earlier this past weekend. Simply put, she was an artists’ artist and a friend to so many in the local artists community, myself very much included. She was an amazing cook, incredibly funny and lived in an quaint Irish quarryhouse that went back a long time with her partner, “The Poetic GodFather of the Hudson Valley” Mikhail Horowitz.
During the annual Saugerties Artists Studio Tour and her Open Houses, the aforementioned Quarryhouse became a place where I felt the most welcome, where I felt like I was at home. The Quarryhouse reminds me of the bathhouse from Miyasaki’s masterpiece, Spirited Away in its very ambiance and it was simply amazing. It became my go-to place during those times. In fact, Carol was the one whom inspired me to watch the masterpieces of Hayao Miyazaki, something that I’ll always be grateful for.
During a performance of Mik and his partner is comedy, Gilles Malkine at the famous Woodstock School of Art, I sat next to Carol and was introduced to a friend as an adopted son by Carol. She later said that I was an artist, an open mind, appreciative of the arts.
An artist and an adopted son. Those titles are ones that I’ll always cherish. Always. It’s something that I’ll always be proud of.
I know that how I’m feeling isn’t different to other Spectrumites who find those whom welcome them with open arms, as I have. My thoughts and prayers are with Mik and those who loved my friend, Carol.
Thank you, Carol, for being the wonderful person, fabulous artist and adoptive Mom to me and those whom you inspire. Thank you for helping us all….
I’m always happy to share news on the local artist scene, Dear Readers, I was so happy to see “The poetic Godfather of the Hudson Valley” Mikhail Horowitz back into doing his performances, despite a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.
He did an amazing job as he always does and showed all in attendance how art can equal healing.
Music can heal both the musician and the audience, poetry heals the writer and those who hear them, paintings gives relief to the painter and those who see the image.
That’s the feeling that I get when I see events like these, thanks to the wonderful efforts of organizations like Shout Out Saugerties. I’d like to thank not only Shout Out Saugerties and all artists for helping humanity heal, for helping us all get inspiration and for helping us all….
(Writer’s Note: In honor of Carol’s passing today, I felt it only fitting, Dear Readers, to repost this memorial post to the late Carol Zaloom. Suffice it to say, she meant a lot to me as well as she did many other artists.
I only hope that I’m doing my part to honor her.
Stay safe, stay strong, and as always…
Shine On!!!)
Dear Readers, this was a post that I didn’t want to write, but I feel like I need to, if only for the fact that it might resonate with you.
I have the sad duty to report that my dear friend, linocut illustrator, Carol Zaloom, passed away earlier this past weekend. Simply put, she was an artists’ artist and a friend to so many in the local artists community, myself very much included. She was an amazing cook, incredibly funny and lived in an quaint Irish quarryhouse that went back a long time with her partner, “The Poetic GodFather of the Hudson Valley” Mikhail Horowitz.
During the annual Saugerties Artists Studio Tour and her Open Houses, the aforementioned Quarryhouse became a place where I felt the most welcome, where I felt like I was at home. The Quarryhouse reminds me of the bathhouse from Miyasaki’s masterpiece, Spirited Away in its very ambiance and it was simply amazing. It became my go-to place during those times. In fact, Carol was the one whom inspired me to watch the masterpieces of Hayao Miyazaki, something that I’ll always be grateful for.
During a performance of Mik and his partner is comedy, Gilles Malkine at the famous Woodstock School of Art, I sat next to Carol and was introduced to a friend as an adopted son by Carol. She later said that I was an artist, an open mind, appreciative of the arts.
An artist and an adopted son. Those titles are ones that I’ll always cherish. Always. It’s something that I’ll always be proud of.
I know that how I’m feeling isn’t different to other Spectrumites who find those whom welcome them with open arms, as I have. My thoughts and prayers are with Mik and those who loved my friend, Carol.
Thank you, Carol, for being the wonderful person, fabulous artist and adoptive Mom to me and those whom you inspire. Thank you for helping us all….
Dear Readers, this prompt is very easy for me to answer, being an artist myself. I’d feel like a sacrilege if I didn’t answer this one.
My favorite artists from a local point of view has to go to “The Poetic Godfather of the Hudson Valley” Mikhail Horowitz, someone that as a fellow poet, I really admire. As good as I am as a poet, I can only hope to be as wise as he is.
He and his late wife the late Carol Zaloom made me feel welcome when I would visit them during the Saugerties Artists Studio Tour as well as Open Houses. They made an artists life rich and inclusive, they gave me hope that things can get better. I only hope to be as good as they are.
But, I digress. I met Mik several years ago at a man event that my late mentor invited me to. Larry Berk was the one whom opened the door to me to meet many local artists in the area. Every artist I’ve met in my life, Mikhail included, are because of Larry.
Another artist that I admire is another friend that I’ve mentioned on The Autistic SuperBlog before: Michael Ciccone, a sculptor, but he’s also gone into other arts as well. Just looking at his works at the aforementioned Studio Tour as well as on social media helped me get inspired in my Autistic Burnout.
Slowly, but surely, I’m getting back to writing my poetry and I have Mik and Michael to thank for that, as I do Carol, God Rest her Soul. I’ll share more about Carol’s impact on me soon, as early as next week.
There are so many artists that I admire, honestly, but those three are the ones that inspire me to be a better artist. So, I wanted to thank all the artists, all the poets I’ve met over the course of my life, it’s because of you all that make me better.
Until next post, Dear Readers, stay safe, stay strong and, as always…..
The reason, Dear Readers, I love where I live, Saugerties, NY, is because Saugerties is a place where the arts can thrive, especially given its given location to Woodstock, NY.
There’s a real feeling among artists like myself that you can be yourself, flaws and all. Saugerties, at least to me, welcomes all people, all ablitities and disciplines, to come together and form a community. I’ve noticed in recent years how much Saugerties has grown by leaps and bounds, yet the community is still here.
We have so much to offer, so many artists Emerge Gallery comes to mind), so many businesses (Slices, Mirabellas, come to kind) and so much history, (Opus 40) please check Saugerties out when you get the chance.
Until next post, Dear Readers, stay safe, stay strong and, as always….
That’s no typo, Dear Readers, the Annual Summer Tradition known as the Saugerties Artists Studio Tour. As a fellow artist, I wanted to plug this wonderful event because I really enjoy it every year.
As a fellow artist, I feel as if it’s important to be loyal to local talent, to local artists of any art, because I’ve been fortunate to be nurtured by local fellow poets like Phil Levine, Will Nixon, Robert Milby, and “The Poetic Godfather of the Hudson Valley” Mikhail Horowitz.
In the past, I’ve mentioned the late Carol Zaloom as an artist that I admire as well as Michael Ciccone, Iain Matchell, Barbara Bravo among many many others. My admiration and love for these artists hasn’t changed and they’ve welcomed me, an Autistic individual, into their lives, something I never want to take for granted.
So, if you’re in the area, the Saugerties Artist Studio Tour is something that I’d definitely recommend and I’ll leave a link that shows you all where the studios are: https://saugertiesarttour.org. I promise you won’t be disappointed if you take the Tour.
Until next post, stay safe, stay strong, stay creative and as always….
(Writer’s Note: In honor of Carol’s Birthday today, I felt it only fitting, Dear Readers, to repost this memorial post to the late Carol Zaloom. Suffice it to say, she meant a lot to me as well as she did many other artists.
I only hope that I’m doing my part to honor her.
Stay safe, stay strong, and as always…
Shine On!!!)
Dear Readers, this was a post that I didn’t want to write, but I feel like I need to, if only for the fact that it might resonate with you.
I have the sad duty to report that my dear friend, linocut illustrator, Carol Zaloom, passed away earlier this past weekend. Simply put, she was an artists’ artist and a friend to so many in the local artists community, myself very much included. She was an amazing cook, incredibly funny and lived in an quaint Irish quarryhouse that went back a long time with her partner, “The Poetic GodFather of the Hudson Valley” Mikhail Horowitz.
During the annual Saugerties Artists Studio Tour and her Open Houses, the aforementioned Quarryhouse became a place where I felt the most welcome, where I felt like I was at home. The Quarryhouse reminds me of the bathhouse from Miyasaki’s masterpiece, Spirited Away in its very ambiance and it was simply amazing. It became my go-to place during those times. In fact, Carol was the one whom inspired me to watch the masterpieces of Hayao Miyazaki, something that I’ll always be grateful for.
During a performance of Mik and his partner is comedy, Gilles Malkine at the famous Woodstock School of Art, I sat next to Carol and was introduced to a friend as an adopted son by Carol. She later said that I was an artist, an open mind, appreciative of the arts.
An artist and an adopted son. Those titles are ones that I’ll always cherish. Always. It’s something that I’ll always be proud of.
I know that how I’m feeling isn’t different to other Spectrumites who find those whom welcome them with open arms, as I have. My thoughts and prayers are with Mik and those who loved my friend, Carol.
Thank you, Carol, for being the wonderful person, fabulous artist and adoptive Mom to me and those whom you inspire. Thank you for helping us all….
The following poem, Dear Readers, came to me after browsing Facebook and looking at a dear friends work. There were wonderful works and I was coming out of Autistic Burnout and eager to breakthrough with something new.
One charcoal piece I saw helped me to do just that. The dear friend in question, Michael Ciccone, is someone that I resonate with as an artist.
During the annual Saugerties Artists Studio Tour, I always try to make it to his studio to see his work (among many others.) He’s an amazing artist and someone that I’m very happy to call a friend, he sees the good in me that I don’t see at times.
The above image in question, which is used with permission, is mostly black, save for one light spot, where there seems to be a microphone. The mic in question seems to look like a semicolon, which I felt was a way to say that we should continue on, even with the glares of the audience.
I only hope that Spotlight does the picture justice, as it’s always been my idea to do so. I also hope that this poem is a sight of good things to come.
In fact, I know it is, since I came up with other poems since then. So I hope that this is worth the wait, so until next post, stay safe, stay strong and as always…
The Autistic SuperBlog 