Once again, an artist in former town hall

 FALLS VILLAGE — Harper Blanchet likes big rooms.

 The artist and photographer certainly has space at his disposal, as the ground-floor tenant at the town-owned 107 Main St. He is the second artist to occupy the small space, which was once the town hall. The first renter in the space was Clifton Jaeger. Since then there have been various businesses and turtles there.

 On a brisk Sunday morning, Oct. 18, with snow flurries outside, Blanchet met a visitor with the offer of tea and Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue” on the boom box.

 There was a rack of cassette tapes above the player. Blanchet, 67, is not a fan of modern technology.

 He prefers to shoot Tri-X black-and-white film — not digital. He does not own a computer, or even a television.

 And his telephone is the old-style push-button landline, that plugs directly into the jack — and which continues to work if the power goes out.

 (He did paint the phone in several colors.)

 A native of Sharon, he began as a photographer at age 7, when his father, a chemical engineer and keen amateur photographer, gave him a first camera: a Kodak Starfire 4, which shot 2 1/4 inch square images on size 120 roll film.

 His father had a darkroom, so the young Blanchet learned the fundamentals early on. “I made 5 x 7-inch prints and sold them for a nickel.”

 By the time he enrolled at Housatonic Valley Regional High School (Class of 1966) he had graduated to a Rolleiflex camera.

 He was also interested in “sports, government and girls — not necessarily in that order.”

 He attended Southern Connecticut State University, and spent his time in the art department.

 After college he returned to the Northwest Corner, winding up at Cherry Hill Farm in Cornwall, at the end of a dirt road — a situation he prefers.

 At the farm, he had a studio with three big windows, which allowed him to dispense with using a flash.

 He and his friends also “had big music parties in the orchard. Those were good days.”

 He came to painting in the 1970s.

 “I was trying to figure out how to support myself. There was no art scene like there is today — no galleries, no networking. So I learned carpentry and house painting.”

 Blanchet is the rare person who found he enjoyed painting houses.

 “I didn’t like the prep work,” he hastened to add. “But dipping the brush — it was very Zen, very visual.”

 He categorizes his paintings as “active” or as “bar” or “line” paintings. Looking around the display space, it is immediately apparent what he means. 

 And he is very straightforward about what the paintings are. “To me it is all about the paint. There is no narrative, no message. They don’t look like anything. It’s all visual, all about where the eye goes.”

 On the photography side, he works with nature, landscapes, still life, trees, waterfalls.

 At 107 Main, the main space is split between the painting and photography studios. The front room is set up as a gallery, and there is a small living space in the rear.

 Everything is in apple-pie order.

 For the self-described “end-of-the-road kind of guy,” the venue is a trifle public, looking out on Main Street.

 But that has worked to his advantage. During the Falls Village Car Show, he put an “open” sign in the window, and had a few people drop in and look around.

 He said he is hoping to have a show in the spring.

 He was very grateful to First Selectman Pat Mechare and Selectman Chuck Lewis for helping make the arrangements to rent the space.

 Despite his lack of interest in modern technology, Blanchet does have a website, www.harperlanchet.com, which he admits is in need of an update. 

 The best way to reach him is by phone, at 860-824-9904.