Category: Portrait

I’ve been waiting a while to include Katie Kerr in my portrait of people I love.

I met Kattie when she was director of the local food co-op and heroically got the co-op through the threatening and frightening pandemic. Katie was exhausted afterward and moved on. She did a great job, saving and significantly improving the co-op.

She works for a music agent in Hoosick Falls now, but we have stayed in touch. She is a dancer and she has just joined Maria’s belly dancing class in Bennington, Vt. We finally got her and her husband Keven over for dinner last night, and he is just as nice and interesting as she is.

Kattie is a creative dreamer and a devoted dancer. She hopes to drink beer in Scotland, one of her favorite places, one day. I would be sad to see her go. We have a strong connection; I’m still determining what it is.

Kattie is quiet and warm-hearted. It was a gift to have her and Kevin in our house; they are both stricken dog people who can’t have a dog in their apartment. Bud and Fate and Zinnie.

Katie loves sheep; her grandparents had sheep on their farm. Maria invited her to come and meet ours.

She’ll be back soon to meet us and is bringing some carrots for the donkeys. When I moved here, I wondered if there would be people like Kattie here. And here she is, her face tells it is tall. She is one of my favorite people of all time, and I am happy to have her as a friend.

She speaks in a quiet voice but has a huge heart. Thanks for visiting us, Katie; it was fun from beginning to end. I only take portraits of people I like or love.

As I began cracking up about 15 years ago, I met Anne, a bookkeeper and gardener. She was working to restore the very old garden at the first Bedlam Farm, but Anne is shy and never spoke with me. She didn’t miss much, either.

She saw me panicking and floundering and e-mailed me to offer to help.

She was the first friend I made in the country (just before I met Maria), and she remains a precious friend. She has helped me out more times than I could ever count, and she is one of the most interesting and kind-hearted people I’ve met here. She is also, as it turns out, a great cat lover.

She has the biggest heart, although she has one of the best grim looks around. She can chill tea with a glance and freeze one of the big men in trucks with a stare. I used to be afraid of her. I guess I still am.

When I was in a deep sleep lying in a chair, working to recover from open heart surgery,  the door opened, and Anne came in. She never said a word to me about the surgery, but she did lean over and kiss me softly on my forehead. I will never forget that kiss.

Despite the glower, she is one of the nicest and kindest people I have known, up here or down there. She’s perfect for my Portrait program.

Alfreda is one of my favorite portraits; her face is full of beauty and character. She started helping with the farm and has become a wonderful friend. She has the most beautiful laugh and is full of love and concern. She says I’m a demanding boss, but she means I’m a pussycat. Alfreda is a person I love; she brightens our lives every time we see her. Of course, she and Maria are good pals.

I realize now that I not only take portraits of people that I like but I am drawn to portraits of strong women, the smartest and toughest people on the planet. You can see their strength in their faces.

I have a strict rule about my portraits. I only take photographs of people I love or like.

Utu does many things, including raising sheep and making yarn, but I know her as one of the people who runs the food co-op in our small town and makes shopping there fun.

Some people bring you down; other people lift you. Ute is one of the latter. Our society is a wash in grumpy and angry people full of complaint.

Ute Bischoff works hard, is faithfully cheerful, has a great sense of humor, and always has a story to tell. She is one whose smile triggers other smiles; she treats everyone well and always seems happy to see us.

In our world, people like Ute make a difference. They remind us of the sound energy of people who work hard, help others, and live apart from the hatred and grievance that fills the airwaves. I was happy to take her portrait – which always makes me feel good – and grateful that she let me do it.

People like this are rarely recognized in our culture. If you are not spewing hatred, making millions, or shooting someone, you can count on being ignored by what is called our mainstream media. Maria and Ute love to talk sheep, among other things.

You don’t need to be famous or influential to matter. People like Ute make the country great, not the blowhards in Washington. She’s now in my exclusive club – portraits of good people I like. I might do a show with those photos one day.

As I’ve written, I only take portraits of people I like or love or who know how to smile and make me smile.

Pam volunteers at the town’s Co-Op, Cambridge Place, where Maria and I get most of our fresh and healthy food. Pam comes every Thursday to cut up the fish and prepare it for the buyers.

Pam and her partner have sold antiques for years when she isn’t cutting up fish and wrapping them. She’s a captivating storyteller and a warm and funny person to know. I’m always amazed at the depth and character of the people who have, like Maria and I, come to the country to live.

We’re signing up for some fresh salmon that the co-op orders weekly.

We’ve known and loved Pam for a while now, and I think she has the best and warmest smile I know of or have seen. I’ve always wanted to take her portrait. She has a beautiful face full of feeling and has many great stories to tell.

Like Maria and me, she loves holidays when she can spend alone with her husband. We are planning to do the same thing.

Pam is one of the people I love, but I don’t see her unless I come in on Thursdays. The fish prep is difficult and time-consuming.

She is one of the volunteers who makes the co-op work. I wouldn’t mess with her; she can be tricky as nails.

I’ve been waiting to catch that smile for months, even years. I got my picture this morning, to her surprise and shock. But she gave me a sweet smile. Pam is a storyteller, and she loves stories. I suspect I am her morning story of the day.

She goes into my “People I Love” portrait folder.

Thanks to people like Pam, we can eat fresh and healthy food and meet some of the nicest people in the world. This morning, I bought a small quiche pie, spinach, and goat cheese. Maria and I will share it for lunch.