PINE PLAINS — The question of whether a walk/don’t walk sign should be installed at the intersection of routes 82 and 199 has become a hot button issue in the town of Pine Plains, with the Town Board and many residents against the idea, and the state Department of Transportation (DOT) eager to follow through on the project.“I was just struck by how little traffic there seems to be at that intersection and why someone could not cross with just the traffic signal without an issue,” resident Bill Abrams said. (Abrams writes the weekly “The Country Curmudgeon” column for The Millerton News.)The DOT wants to install the flashing sign to help pedestrians safely cross at the main intersection in town; it also wants to commandeer part of the town park for a cut out for a large part of the sign’s installation — something town Councilman George Keeler is dead set against.“They have to take a piece of the town’s property because they don’t have a part to put the stand in,” he said. “And being frigin’ New York state they can do whatever the hell they damn well please. It all goes back to common sense and they’re not utilizing it, believe me.”The idea, while unpopular, is not new. It was first proposed by the DOT in the summer of 2009, when the town received a letter stating it wanted to take a look at the intersection. Following that visit there were talks about the matter, and then, for reasons unknown, the issue slid to the back burner. It just recently revived, and the Town Board, for one, is not happy.“It’s a needless project,” Keeler said. “For one thing, the section by the Stissing House doesn’t have any sidewalks. They say they want to put in 10 feet of sidewalks there, but it’s worthless because it won’t go anywhere.”But according to DOT Project Engineer Mark Kruk, the state determined the outdated traffic light needed to be replaced a few years ago and that adding the walk/don’t walk sign would make the intersection that much safer.“Every time we visit an intersection we look to improve the safety and mobility of the intersection,” he said. But the proposed plans aren’t the only reason why there’s been opposition to the idea. Another concern is the cost. According to Kruk, the price tag for the project is $150,000; it will be paid for by a state-dedicated fund. Keeler said considering those dollars will ultimately come out of taxpayers’ pockets, it’s too much to spend on a needless project.“The state is broke, and it’s been broke, there are billions of dollars in deficits,” he said. “There are much more worthy projects than this.”He listed many: a number of roads in the town need to be repaved; potholes (which Keeler described as “craters”) need to be repaired; there are drainage issues in the center of town that need to be addressed; and dead trees along the roadways must be cut down and removed.“Those problems fall on deaf ears,” the councilman said. “People get fixated on something in particular and they’re going to do it, come hell or high water.”Karen Pineda, secretary to the town supervisor, said she, too, thinks the project is senseless. “I really don’t like the idea,” she said. “We don’t want to look like a congested town that requires people to stand on the corner waiting to cross. I think a red/green light is more than enough. I do believe they need it in places like Red Hook and Rhinebeck, where they do have heavy traffic flow, but we don’t have that kind of traffic here. If there were a lot of accidents with people getting hit by cars I could understand it, but there aren’t.”Abrams agreed, and had another low-cost solution to suggest.“I thought if they were worried they could make the entire intersection no right on red, and that would take care of anybody getting hit while crossing with the green light,” he said. “That’s the only danger, that you might step off the curb and somebody is so anxious to make a right turn down Route 82 and run afoul that way. It seems to me a sign would be a lot cheaper.”Abrams was so incensed by the proposal he wrote a letter to the DOT protesting the idea; he copied it to Assemblyman Marcus Molinaro. Keeler is hoping others might do the same.“I just want people to be aware ... and they can contact Molinaro to voice their opinions,” he said.To do so one can send a letter to Assemblyman Marcus Molinaro, 7578 North Broadway, Suite 4, Red Hook, NY 12571. Letters may also be sent to the DOT, attention Mark Kruk, NYS Department of Transportation, 4 Burnett Blvd., Poughkeepsie, NY 12603. Additionally, the Town Board may be contacted at Town Hall at 518-398-7155 or letters may be dropped of at 3284 Route 199 or mailed to P.O. Box 955, Pine Plains, NY 12567.Meanwhile, on Monday, May 9, Molinaro said he believed there were ongoing conversations about the future of the project, although he said there could be code requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act mandating the sign’s installation. However, he remained optimistic negotiations between the town and the state could be brokered.“I am certainly hopeful the DOT will work with the town to do what’s financially and logically correct,” the assemblyman said. “At this point it would be most productive for residents to contact the Town Board and our office to facilitate communication with the DOT and the town, but I’ll also take any calls people want to make.”Kruk, meanwhile, said while people can send in letters and make calls, the project has already been awarded. “Construction should start soon,” he said on Monday, adding from start to finish the project should take about three months. “The traffic signal will operate the same as it is now, but we will be enhancing the safety of the intersection by installing pedestrian indications.”
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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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