MILLBROOK — The Millbrook Highway Department continues to pick up fallen debris from the October snowstorm. Highway Superintendent Bob Collocola in his monthly report at the Monday, Nov. 14, Village Board meeting said his crews have been making 16 to 18 trips a day, removing brush and debris from residents’ properties and bringing it to the village highway department, and that it will continue to do so for another two weeks.“I can’t tell you how many positive comments I have received from the residents about your highway crew’s performance and the storm cleanup,” said Mayor Laura Hurley. “I know it’s never-ending, back breaking [work], and we want to send our appreciation out to the guys.”Hurley said that the debris and brush pickup is a top priority for the village. Collocola agreed, but said there is one issue his department is facing while cleaning up brush — some residents are not cooperating — and it’s making the process that much more difficult. “The last couple of days people have been putting chairs, boxes of books, pictures, frames [and other items out]. They just put all their garbage [out for us to pick up],” Collocola said. “Plus, they are just cleaning out their yards, and you just name it, and they will throw it in there. I am taking [the items] out and putting them back in their yards. But they are taking advantage of [our service] and that’s slowing us down.”Collocola said it would be beneficial to set some guidelines for people regarding what the village will accept while picking up storm debris. The Highway Department also experienced problems from people leaving their leaves on top of catch basins, in order that it will be picked up first, according to the highway superintendent.“Little things like that need to be written out at the beginning of the year, so we have guidelines to brush and leaf pickup,” said Collocola. “[People need to know] what not to do and what to do. Whether they follow it, who knows, but maybe somebody will.”Joint Emergency Preparedness PlanThe town of Washington and the village of Millbrook, meanwhile, have been working on a joint disaster preparedness plan for about three years. The joint emergency plan was created in order to address a major catastrophe, for an event even bigger than a hurricane or snowstorm.“Something so catastrophic that you really don’t even want to think about it,” Hurley said, describing what the plan could be used for. “Something like a jet liner crashing on Franklin Avenue, an earthquake hitting the area and cutting us off or an influx of people from New York City [flooding the area after] something related to a nuclear problem happens — these are major catastrophes.”Hurley said it has been a long process putting the plan together, but throughout it she has learned a lot about how to respond to big and small emergencies. The plan is now at the stage where the village and town both have their own individual emergency plans as well as a joint plan. There still needs to be administrative authority for the plans to be enacted. On Monday, Dec. 5, there will be a meeting at the Town Hall at 7 p.m. between the two boards focusing on the Joint Emergency Preparedness Plan. The plan will not be enacted that night because Washington town Supervisor Florence Prisco said she felt there were too many questions to answer before the plan can be enacted. A local law will be required for the plan to be enacted; once that is done there will be two different councils established for oversight of the plan. One council will be the “Preparedness Council,” similar to the group that has been meeting for the past three years which put together the emergency plans for the village and town. The second council will be the “Emergency Services Council,” which will figure out the hierarchy of responsibility in the event of an emergency, said Rebecca Valk, attorney for both the village and the town. Another aspect of the plan that needs to be worked out is how the community can be brought into the process.“If you don’t have the support and involvement of the community then you really don’t have much of an operating plan,” said Stan Morse, deputy mayor.One of the final steps to finishing the plan is finding potential participants from the town or village who would be willing to step up and help execute the plan in the case of a major emergency.“From where we started three and a half years ago we have made huge strides,” Morse said. “We had an emergency plan for both the town and the village, which was one or two pages and loosely worded. It wasn’t really much of a plan. What we have come up with is a very complex and thoroughly detailed three-ring binder for both the village and the town. I am really proud of participating in this process because I think we are far better off then we were three years ago.”
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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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