While going through the correspondence of Elsie Andersen, a longtime Colebrook resident who died in 1979, and who left her home to me, I uncovered an interesting letter that she had received the first week of January 1959 from a Mr. Henry Ray, which is quite interesting, given the daily reports that are coming from the Middle East.Afghanistan never seems to change, at least from a western perspective, as the British, Russians and Americans have attempted to establish a military and political presence there with notoriously poor results. I wrote an article entitled “The Middle East, Then and Now,” which outlined the British efforts of the 1840s and compared it with the present situation in exactly the same piece of real estate, which some of the readers may recall.This 1959 letter, written by an educator and former colleague of Miss Andersen’s, was sent by diplomatic pouch from the American Embassy in Kabul to the U.S. State Department in Washington, from whence it was delivered to Miss Andersen. At the time this letter was written, Henry Ray was on a mission for the State Department that took him through Europe, Southern Asia and the Far East. The first paragraph deals with personal recollections between the two, followed by the main text:“We must have lunch in New York after I return. My career here has been a really terrific experience — especially the dysentery I contracted early in July — and the flu that took me by storm on the afternoon of Dec. 23. I spent most of Christmas quietly in bed reading ‘The Young Lions,’ a very sexy book for an old man like me way over this-a-way. “Feeling so much recovered, I’m attending an American movie at the embassy library tonight — what rollicking good fun! We did have a walloping gay party night before last. I played piano, and I got thoroughly chilled and had a relapse, but it ‘was worth it,’ as they say in that soft-spoken southern way!“This is truly the land of camels, donkeys, dogs and veiled women (a curse if ever one was invented!). These are a white race, and the few I’ve seen unveiled are quite ‘un.’“I’ve been through the Khyber Pass and most of the Middle and Southern ‘East,’ and have plans for the Far East on my homeward journey. Never in my wildest dreams, when we were working together a few years ago, could I have imagined being sent on a journey like this. “My work is simple — to develop materials for education at all levels, and I’m on my own to come and go and plan my work as I please; highly flexible, I’ve been pretty well over Southern Asia studying materials and schools — even got to visit a fantastic ghost city about 450 miles south of here where Alexander the Great once held out; several square miles of city, hundreds of years old, but they had running water and bath tubs and other conveniences. It must have been a fantastic city in its heyday. “I’ve been through the Khyber Pass twice, and expect to go again in a couple of weeks to pick up a Volkswagen in Peshawar, Pakistan, that has been shipped to me from Germany. There are no railways in Afghanistan, and most of the highways are only a camel trail or a creek bed. The Russians have paved a lot of streets in Kabul. Kabul is quite an extensive city — several miles from one end to the other; it follows a river, hence the need for a car. “The schools would give you the chills — I mean it both literally and figuratively; unheated buildings, they sit outside in the sun in cool weather, and with mud floors — no maintenance and lacking about everything we associate with a school: sanitary facilities, lights, blackboards, bulletin boards, decent furniture, maps, globes, charts and even books. “It’s a pretty meager situation and I’m here to try to do something about it. With the resources available, it doesn’t offer any spectacular possibilities. I have gained much personally from living so closely to a culture so different from our own, but I feel I am benefitting the people here far less than I am enriching my own experiences and knowledge.“My journey across Europe was most interesting; to finally live in London, Brussels, Paris and Rome for a few days each was most rewarding; my homeward journey will focus particularly on Bangkok, Hong Kong and Tokyo, with stops in India and perhaps Manila.“I do get the New York Sunday Times, which helps me to keep in touch with the world. The issue of Oct. 19 reached me yesterday [Dec. 29, 1958]. I enjoy it as much as if it were fresh off the press! “I eat very little native food; that long bout with dysentery has made me most skeptical of both food and water. I buy canned goods in the American commissary. “It is a wonderful experience and I’m really very grateful for this opportunity. Haven’t told you more than a ‘smidgeon’; it’s hard to write about.“Very happy indeed to hear from my favorite TC Team research member; hope you do find time to write before I return (Nov. 25, 1959, leave here). Thanks again for the news clippings — have fun — love and a kiss, Hank.” Bob Grigg is the town historian in Colebrook.
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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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