Whenever the structure of society breaks down in the case of natural or man-made disasters — fire, flood, civil unrest, plague, war or famine — people suddenly find all those so-called socialist programs like national health, food safety, security, fire fighters, police and even water availability are at risk — and your little world of security just as suddenly has gone poof, presto, gone. Welcome back to the Stone Age.What you relied on for your very existence was always hanging on with a thread; socialist programs put in place by the will of the people (that’s called government in a democracy). It doesn’t take much to upset the applecart. As the people of Virginia learned, that clean water turned out to be rather special and needed government control to keep it clean and flowing. It doesn’t matter if you calculated that electricity was merely a service you paid for and therefore it was under your control. The day it gets cut off, life becomes harder and sometimes fatal for people on life-support machines. If there was no government service (paid for by the people collectively) to clear debris and re-establish the electricity supply, how long do you think you would last after a winter storm? Welcome to the Stone Age once more.The truth about the world we live in is that we are dependent on the will and support of millions all around us. People who work for the public good, people and systems put in place collectively (socialism) for the public good are there not for your individual good, but for the good of all. When something catastrophic happens, your hope is that there will be enough public programs around to save your rear end. And if you are civic-minded (part socialist yourself) you’ll pitch in and help. After 9/11 the outpouring of private people lending a hand in Manhattan was heartwarming. Were they all weirdo lefties? Not on your life.So, why do people rant and rave about government programs that actually do good, clean the water, test the food? Of course you do not hear anyone denigrating socialist programs like the military or firemen. Nor should they. But are soldiers any more important in saving lives than, say, a biologist isolating a new flu strain at the CDC? Why do people complain about programs like the FDA protecting our food chain, or OSHA making the workplace safer for all (right and left), or the FCC keeping America’s airwaves open to all voices, or the Department of Education striving to find some educational standards for all Americans, or the Surgeon General’s office and CDC looking into health-care issues — all these are constantly rebuked for “meddling” or “creating a nanny state” by people perhaps rightly wanting smaller government but not realizing how much these community programs are a vital part of America’s success and safety.Here’s a thought: War is a catastrophe affecting all levels of government services and protection. When all those systems break down, when people are truly relegated to a Stone Age-like existence, the tide of evils looking to gain a toehold once again is truly overwhelming. After a year and a half of civil war, in a country which had eradicated all cases of polio for over a decade, that country (Syria) is now facing an epidemic among the children — among refugees and babies far away from the battle lines. Polio. You my not know how terrible polio is, but when your child loses the ability to move arms or legs, you would soon know. Iraq is now facing cases as well, for the first time in 14 years.Like famine, fire, flood and tornado, disease is always there, waiting to regain power and destroy. In the same way only the Allies’ armies could defeat the enemies in World War II, so too only public programs — unity in strength — can defeat, avoid or repel unwanted calamity. The world is a dangerous place, biologically, naturally (fire, flood and tornado) and politically (war, strife). The only real way to ensure your safety, the real American way, is to rely on strength as one nation, one people, standing together. If that is socialism, so be it. Individuals can belong as part of the whole without giving up their personal freedom and opinion. But to seek to obliterate the very safeguards of society in the name of anti-government sentiment is to seek to destroy the very foundation of American ethic of “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Justice for all requires a collectiveness. Time for the divisive people to rethink before the next calamity.Peter Riva, a former resident of Amenia Union, now lives in New Mexico.
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Textile designer Justine Valla sits in her father’s chair, which she painted, alongside her husband, illustrator and muralist Victor Valla, in their Atelier Valla studio.
“I was always drawing as a child,” Justine recalled. Victor dreamed of illustrating magazine covers like those of the “Saturday Evening Post.”
Victor studied design and illustration at Rochester Institute of Technology, then received a fellowship to study painting and printmaking at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaigne. He graduated in 1967. The following year, he received a grant from the Tiffany Foundation to study printmaking in Paris at Atelier 17, an experimental graphic arts workshop founded in 1927.
“What a great experience that was!” he recalled.
Returning home after the Paris uprisings of 1968, he discovered that the magazine covers he’d hoped to paint had largely given way to photography. His agent suggested trying record covers, which he pursued along with illustration and graphic design.
He also began teaching at Kean University in New Jersey.
“Kean had a wonderful graphic design and illustration department. I loved teaching Graphic Design, even though I never thought I would.”
He later taught at Syracuse University and Pennsylvania College of Art and Design.
In the late 1980s, he decided to stop teaching and concentrate on his own art. He moved to Falls Village, to a house on the corner of Minor and Prospect Streets.
“I used to call the studio ‘Minor Prospects Atelier,’” he said.
He continued working in illustration and graphic design, creating book covers for stories by H.P. Lovecraft and other authors, along with magazine covers, logos, advertising and murals.
Justine and Victor Valla in their studio with a painting of Victor’s,”Jonah and the Whale.” Robin Roraback
His local commissions include the green and gold Noble Horizons signage and wall murals for the Stockbridge Inn, the Spa at Norwich Inn, Orchards Hotel in Williamstown and the David M. Hunt Library’s children’s section.
Justine grew up in the Bronx and studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology. After graduating, she took on whatever work she could find, including designing toys and novelty items for Russ Berrie. But her true calling was textile design.
She moved to Los Angeles to pursue that calling, where she learned silkscreen printing from 1960s design icon Corita Kent.
“I was in her program at Immaculate Heart College. All fabric design at that time was silk screen. My first job in textile design was in L.A., creating wallpaper for Bob Mitchell Design.”
Justine returned to New York City, where the advent of computers required her to learn new design techniques. She enrolled at Parsons School of Design, studying Photoshop, Illustrator, Lectra U4ia and Kaledo.
Around this time, she met Victor online and moved to Falls Village.
A recruiter found her a job in Arkansas at Dillard’s, a department store chain operating in 30 states and known for its exclusive designer collections.
“They had the best equipment I’d ever seen,” she said.
She became a senior computer-aided design designer there, designing fabric and preparing purchased designs for production.
The Vallas left Falls Village for Little Rock.
“It was a big move,” she said. “It was a different culture, but Little Rock was very progressive.”
The originally planned to stay in Arkansas for five years but ended up remaining for nearly 10.
Then Justine was hit by a car. She suffered injuries to her leg and head and required four years of rehabilitation.
“I lost the ability to paint after the accident. I struggled to paint again.”
The Vallas returned to Connecticut, this time settling in Salisbury, where they’ve lived since 2013.
After leaving Dillard’s, Justine had planned to sell her work through Printsource in New York City, an international showcase for surface and textile design. But after the accident, she no longer had the mobility or energy to travel back and forth to the city.
Instead, she began selling her work locally at craft shows, including clothing, hand-printed tea towels and floorcloths.
She is currently working on selling her collection of textile designs.
In December, Justine will have a show of her tea-themed watercolors at the NorthEast-Millerton Library.
Victor recently exhibited “The American West: A Pictural History” at the NorthEast-Millerton Library. The series, created in the early 1990s, was part of a commission from the Postal Commemorative Society for which he completed 100 paintings in two years.
He hopes to place the series in a museum and has created books from its images, complete with text. Over the years, he has designed many other books that are ready for publication, including “Looking In, Looking Out,” a cosmic view of the universe.
Reflecting on his career, Victor said, “It’s about doing what you love”.
Justine agreed.
To see, purchase or commission work, contact Justine at justinevalla@gmail.com or Victor at victorvalla@comcast.net, or call 860-596-4282.
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Jane Herold’s beautifully simple dinnerware.
Cornwall ceramicist Jane Herold explained that there’s quite a lot of enthusiasm for Clay Way among the region’s ceramic artists.
“We all need work space, which is hard to find or afford in urban areas. The wood-fire crowd needs lots of wood and outdoor space. This area is great because it’s rural enough for us, but has a wonderfully enthusiastic and supportive population of pottery [patrons].”
While many of the artists are returning from previous years, the loose collection of unofficial organizers likes to keep the event manageable for the public, limiting the number of artists and studios each year. A direct drive from the southernmost point at Ann Heywood’s studio in Wingdale to Herold’s big barn in Cornwall is under 40 minutes. But if you want to catch it all, plan for a full day’s worth of art exploration along some of the most beautiful roads in New England.
Starting at its northernmost point, Herold’s studio will host Matin Malikzada of Afghanistan, whose polished, modern interpretations of traditional forms are instantly recognizable. They’ll be joined by wood-fired ceramicists Steve Johnson, with his raw, organic forms, and Harry Levenstein, whose works relate closely to Johnson’s while making even more direct references to nature.
Herold herself creates work that is both beautiful and utilitarian. Her prolific output of objects is intended to be used by everyday people as part of their daily lives.
Moving south is Todd Piker of Cornwall Bridge Pottery. Piker has been making pots in his giant wood-fired kiln since 1971. The kiln looks more like an ancient blast furnace than something designed to transform clay into ceramics, but over the years, he’s mastered its intricacies and produces an impressive amount of fine work.
A ceramic vase by Kathleen Heidemann.Provided
Piker will host Sanah Peterson, who works at Cornwall Bridge Pottery and draws inspiration from both her time with Piker and her time traveling the globe as a child. They’ll be joined by Stephanie Haines, whose vibrant, eye-catching work features underglaze illustrations of birds, fruit and the bounty of nature.
Further along in Warren, Jessica Dubin’s pieces will be on display at the studio of Christine Owen. Both artists seem to appreciate the chaos and unpredictable nature of clay but find ways to refine it all using their own unique methods.
Heading east to Washington, Conn., Will Talbot’s creates intricate work while allowing for the unpredictable nature of clay to play a role. His studio will house Tom Knox and his wide variety of textures and forms, as well as New York City-based Alex Lebedev, who lets music and the nature of improvisation guide his work.
There will be two studios participating in South Kent. Alison Palmner, whose page on the Clay Way website states she “strives to achieve a lighthearted meld of human forms, animals and the vessel.” Her studio will host Ben Eberle, who trained under the guidance of legendary potter Toshiko Takaezu; James Guggina, whose intricate work can appear both deliberate and whimsical; and Paula Shalan, who blends rough, unrefined surfaces with polished precision in individual pieces.
Joy Brown’s delightful ceramic sculptures.Provided
Nearby is Joy Brown, whose work have become a staple of the area, with her figurative sculptures dotting the Northwest Corner. Brown’s studio will also feature Bonnie Levine, who taps into the beauty of chaos and destruction in her work, and Brendan Moore, whose more utilitarian forms are perfect for everyday use.
Finally, the tour crosses the border into Wingdale, New York, where the studios of Drew Montgomery, Ann Heywood and Amy Brenner will host Jackie Sedlock, Lynn Behrendt,and Kathleen Heidemann.
Brenner creates some of the most colorful and vibrant pieces on the tour, while Behrendt’s work is among the most studied and precise. Heywood creates carefully considered, intuitive forms, while Heidemann moves from simple minimalism to intricate textures. Montgomery and Sedlock both find new ways of playing with traditional forms, producing delightfully distinctive pieces.
To learn more about the artists and download a map of participating studios, visit clayway.net
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