Surprises of all shapes, types at library show

SHARON — “You make artifacts!” That was the conclusion of an artist friend who was looking at a collection of work by David James Valyou. “At the time, I hated it,” Valyou recalled. “But now I embrace it.”The observation is understandable. And yet, the amazing range and depth and totally engaging eccentricity of the artist’s paintings, drawings, sculptures and objects defies a facile label. As you will see at this multifarious show on view at the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon through March 31, with an opening reception Feb. 10.You may find you need more than one visit. There is so much to take in.You might well be drawn to the portraits. Some are abstracted, almost ghostly, impressions inspired by old daguerreotypes. Others large, surreal, an intricately detailed amalgam of shapes — feathers, brambles, threads and tributaries — evoke the central figure. Or consider his seductive works on paper — complex India ink fantasies in which the more you look, the more you see. Each minutely imagined section of these paintings tells a story, like a scene in a play. Actually one of Valyou’s earliest interests was set design. (When he isn’t painting, he restores houses — a set design made permanent.)Then there are the sculptures — striking three-dimensionals. Early on, Valyou crafted them from found materials: pieces of detached wallpaper, a kite-string spool, bits of broken toys. (Would you or I ever have seen their artistic value?) Lately he crafts the parts himself — carving and “embroidering” simple wooden shapes, gluing down papers, accenting with metals, nails, brads, string, bringing it all together with paint. “Some objects just seem to go together,” he said, of these assemblies — also “dis-assemblies.” All of his pieces come apart. In fact some allow the viewer the flexibility to change the piece even as it is hanging on the wall.Although the show is billed “1992-20012: Twenty Years of Painting,” Valyou is young for a retrospective. In fact, behind the man it is easy to spot the playful, somewhat devilish child. Consequently, there is a lot here for kids. Like his Teddy Bear Cake — a soft-sculpture wedge of chocolate layers composed of old teddy bears. (”Kids love this,” he said.) Plus other surprises, among them one for which this reporter was sworn to secrecy. Bring the children. They are sure to have a wonderful time.The opening reception offers wine and cheese and a chance to meet and talk to the artist. It will be held at the Hotchkiss Library, from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 10. For further information, call the library at 860-364-5041 or go to www.hotchkisslibrary.org.

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Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

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Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

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Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

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For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

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