Last weekend, Andy & I left Cape Cod for a weekend in the Berkshires. It was partly a celebration of the 15th Anniversary of our first meeting. But, it was also a chance to steal away for some inspiration before the rush of the wedding season descends upon us.

We stayed at this super cute boutique hotel called The Porches, which is leading a revitalization movement in the quaint town of North Adams, home to MOCA (the Museum of Contemporary Art) and one of the reasons we chose to visit the Berkshires.

MOCA…

The museum is exhibiting works by Sol Lewitt, whose approach to art very much reminds me of my super talented husband. Why? Well, Andy is one of those ridiculously gifted people who somehow maximizes the use of his brain by using both sides equally well. You probably didn’t know this about him, but Andy has a Master’s degree in statistics. What? I know; it’s crazy, but true.

Andy at his very core is a left-brain person…aka logical, smarty pants. Yet, and I hate to admit this seeing as though I am more right-brained by nature, but when it comes to thinking creatively and outside the box, I think Andy is the truly gifted one in our team. In the past 10 years, he has tapped into his right brain and well, there’s just no stopping him.

Although I never met him, I have no doubt Sol Lewitt was also one of those left-brain/right-brain geniuses. His artwork takes really simple, logical math-based ideas and pushes the limits to produce some really cool artwork. His work is definitely worth a look. And, if you go to MOCA to see the exhibit, take the tour. Just seeing the work, without some of the background on who Sol Lewitt was won’t allow you to appreciate the exhibit in quite the same way.

Here a woman studies one of the pieces in the exhibit.

Me checking out Sol’s work. Photography actually uses a lot of math principals as well…you might not think so, but it does, and seeing math principals spelled out in a different medium in Sol’s drawings was really inspiring.

The museum was also hosting an exhibit called Material World, which features work by seven artists who created site-specific installations for the museum’s large open spaces in the second and third floor galleries. My favorite was a piece by Tobias Putrih, which was inspired in part by the nearby Hoosac Tunnel. Tobias used what looked like clear fishing wire and pointed spot lights to create a reflective sculpture that invited the spectator to walk down a sort of tunnel of light. As photographers, we’re always looking for the best light and with my new D3S….it was a blast photographing this exhibit. I wasn’t the only one trying to capture the light…

Here a visitor to the museum walks down the virtual tunnel…

Check out my honey and what my new camera can do in low light….loving this camera!

These images were all shot at ISO 1250 (hallelujah!!) F2.8 at 1/60sec. using my D3S and my 28-70 lens.

I love this perspective…

Here’s what Andy was capturing…

A man and his mother experience the tunnel effect. I don’t know why I love this next one so much. I think it’s the opposing energy of the man, his body facing the strings of light as he’s about to move back into the center of it, and the light itself, being forced in the opposite direction by the strings.

Equally as interesting and as cool a use of light was Alyson Shotz’s exhibit which had tiny cylindrical glass beads strung on wire, with hand-cut magnifying glass. Very cool! Andy & my styles are very similar, but subtly different. See for yourself…the first two photographs are my perspective and the second two are Andy’s.

Andy’s perspective…

This next exhibit was a joint collaboration created by Wade Kavanaugh & Stephen B. Nguyen. Again, the piece was created specifically for MOCA’s space. Using thousands of feet of paper, which they variously stack, roll, twist, and drape, they re-created a decaying, old forest. It was like a trip to wonderland that began even in the staircase on the way up to the exhibit…

So cool, right? I just hope they used recycled paper!

Our hotel…

Tulips lined the walkways around the hotel…there is no greater inspiration than that provided by Mother Nature!

The next day we headed into the super cute college town, Williamstown, for a visit to the Clark Art Institute, which is and of itself a work of art.

Here is an oil painting by American John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) called Smoke of Ambergris, which struck us as a beautiful utilization of light and shadow.

This next painting by the Italian artist, Giovanni Boldini (1842-1931), entitled, The Return of the Fishing Boats, was about 4″h x 7″w and the detail was incredible!

It was a great weekend of art & inspiration. I think Andy & I preferred MOCA’s art over Clark’s, which was mainly just oil paintings. Do you have a preference?

This weekend, we hope to take some of the inspiration we garnered from our trip to the Berkshires and put it to good use as we photograph Cape Cod wedding planner extraordinaire, Desiree Spinner, of DSE events. Stay tuned! And, as always, thank you for keeping tabs on us! xo Chris & Andy